[T/N: Hey readers! 🎉 Boundless_Beacon here! Buckle up, because I'm unleashing this awesome One Piece fanfic! 🏴☠️ Adventure awaits! I'm dropping around 15 chapters today 🥳 and planning to release 2-5 chapters daily starting tomorrow! 😉 FYI, I know someone else translated this before, but since they stopped, I'm picking it up from the beginning to finish it! 💪 I'm releasing new chapters every 5 minutes, so if all 15 chapters aren't up today, check back shortly! ⏰ Check out my other projects too! 😊 Enjoy reading, and tell me what you think in the comments! ❤️]
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"Fist Bone: Honesty!"
The scene exploded on the screen. Koby, with unbelievable courage, threw a powerful punch. It crashed into a rocky arm, a huge limb bigger than a warship, and split it in two with a loud crack!
"Whoa, that punch is stronger than an Admiral's!" one commenter shouted.
"Koby's amazing! (Voice cracking)," another wrote, almost screaming with excitement.
"Just two and a half years, and he went from a skinny Marine newbie to Admiral-level strength. That's the power of 200x Effort, baby!"
"So, Koby was the real hero all along!"
"The anime says Marine Headquarters soldiers do crazy training every day: 2000 push-ups, 100 rope climbs, 200 laps around the field, and tough fighting practice. Now, times all that by 200... my brain is going to explode!"
"Too bad about Vice Admiral Garp, though..." someone said sadly.
"[Akainu: Why are only you guys back? Where's Garp?] [Koby: I took him down in the New World!]"
"Hahahaha, the comment above almost made me die laughing," a user replied, holding their stomach.
"Okay, let's get serious!" another jumped in.
"If Koby can do it, if we jumped into the Pirate World and worked 200x harder, could we become as strong as Koby?"
"That actually makes a lot of sense!"
"An Admiral in two and a half years. That's way better than those super strong main characters in novels! If hard work is all it takes, who needs a system to get stronger?"
"So, who wants to go first and check it out?" someone asked, sounding both brave and reckless.
"The truck is ready to go!" someone replied enthusiastically.
As Koby's strength became legendary, the pirate forums, which had been quiet for a while, exploded again with doubtful and mocking comments.
---
Marine Calendar 1515, five years before Luffy starts his adventure.
East Blue, Shells Town.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
The bell by the sea rang, its slow rhythm meaning there was no immediate danger. That meant only one thing.
"The Marines are back!" a townsman yelled.
A warship with the symbol of Marine Branch 153 was coming into the port, back from a mission to defeat the Black Cat Pirates, who had been causing trouble on nearby islands.
Hoping for safety, the people of Shells Town came out of their homes and gathered along the main street, excited to see their "heroes" arrive.
The Marines were a symbol of stability, a defense against the pirates!
Every time a Marine ship came back from patrol, the townspeople welcomed them warmly, not just out of respect and thanks, but also hoping to see their friends and family safe.
But the happy homecoming they imagined was about to be ruined.
Colonel Rhodes, the boss of the 153rd Branch, led the way. Half of his face was covered in bloody bandages. His left arm was gone, the empty sleeve a sad reminder of the battle. Red stains still marked his once-clean uniform.
The other Marines were in bad shape too. Heads, bodies, arms and legs - they were covered in wounds and bandages, helping each other walk. Their faces were pale, and their eyes were haunted by what they had seen.
Behind them were carts filled with wounded soldiers who couldn't walk and dead bodies wrapped in white cloth - a terrible result of the battle.
The horrible sight was almost too much to bear.
"How awful," a young woman whispered, covering her mouth with her hand.
The hopeful faces of the younger people quickly turned pale as their dreams of joining the Marines disappeared, replaced by fear.
They finally understood the warnings of their elders: Serving in the Marines is dangerous. It can mean death.
Compared to the panic of the young people, the older townsfolk were calm, but their faces showed sadness and resignation. They had seen similar scenes too many times in the last ten years.
"So few came back," an old man muttered, shaking his head.
"Sigh, the pirates are getting bolder!" another added, his voice full of despair.
"Damn that Roger!" a third spat, his face twisted with anger.
If they remembered correctly, the Branch had sent almost 100 men on this mission, but less than half had returned alive.
Ever since Gold Roger started the Great Pirate Era, even the peaceful East Blue had become a war zone, with pirate attacks happening often. Villages were burned, innocent people were killed, and homes were robbed all the time.
The Marines' sacrifices had become common, a sad cycle of loss.
A heavy silence fell on the street.
The returning Marines, feeling guilty and traumatized, hung their heads, unable to look at the townspeople. The memory of their terrible fight with the pirates played over and over in their minds - a never-ending nightmare. The pirates had been waiting for them, setting a clever trap.
Captain Kuro "of a Hundred Plans" had been especially scary, like a ghost. He had even cut off Colonel Rhodes's arm.
It had been a massacre!
Suddenly, the line of soldiers stopped.
A small group of townspeople, maybe a dozen, stood in their way: old men with gray hair, young women in their wedding dresses, and innocent children with wide eyes.
Their faces were pale with worry, and their eyes searched for any sign of hope in the middle of the destruction.
An old woman with a wrinkled face pushed her way to the front. Her hands were tightly clasped as she spoke to Colonel Rhodes, her voice shaking with hope. "Colonel Rhodes, please, can you tell me why my son, Jamie, isn't here?"
"And my husband, Cole!" another woman cried out.
"Has Hanni returned?" a third voice asked.
The small group spoke together, each begging for news of their loved ones. Even though they feared the worst, they held onto a tiny bit of hope.
Colonel Rhodes' eyes were dull and empty. "Bring them over," he said, his voice barely audible.
The carts carrying the dead bodies were pulled forward, their wheels creaking under the heavy weight. Each white cloth had a name written on it in a hurry. The cloth with Jamie's name was small, no bigger than a basketball, holding only the small pieces of the young soldier.
"We were ambushed by pirates," Colonel Rhodes explained, his voice flat. "Ensign Jamie was hit by enemy cannon fire. These are all the pieces of his body we could find."
"Thump--"
The old woman fell to the ground, holding the small bundle of her son's remains. Her cries of sadness echoed through the street, a heartbreaking song for a life that was over too soon.
Ten minutes later, the sad line of Marines continued, going back to the Branch Fortress at the end of the street. Even after the last soldier had disappeared, the street was filled with sorrowful cries, showing the human cost of piracy.
---
The next morning, the 153rd Branch put up a notice looking for new Marine recruits.
Outside the Food Tavern.
Roya put his small bag over his shoulder, ready to leave.
"Roya!"
Ririka, the owner of the Food Tavern, couldn't help calling out to him, her voice full of worry. She held her young daughter close, a hint of fear in her eyes.
She had hoped that seeing the Marines' defeat would discourage Roya, but he seemed determined.
"Are you really going to join the Marines?" she asked, her voice soft.
"That's right," Roya replied, smiling warmly. He turned to face the worried mother and daughter, feeling grateful. "Ririka, thank you for taking care of me these past few months. Little Rika, thank you too. Your sweet rice balls are really delicious."
"..." Ririka's face turned sad. She really wanted to convince Roya to stay, believing that working at the Food Tavern and living a peaceful life was better than the dangers of joining the Marines.
After all, with a Marine base on the island, pirates were unlikely to attack this quiet town.
But she had no right to stop him. Roya was just her employee, someone who was only here for a short time.
"Brother Roya!"
Rika, not knowing the worries of the adults, wriggled out of her mother's arms and grabbed Roya's pants. Her big eyes, filled with tears, tugged at his heart. "Please don't go," she begged, her voice full of emotion. "Rika likes you. Mommy likes you too!"
"Rika, your brother likes you too," Roya said softly, crouching down to mess up her hair. He looked at Ririka out of the corner of his eye, noticing that she seemed about to say something, her face showing both hesitation and sadness.
What's she trying to say? he wondered.
Heh, whatever. Actually, I don't have that many feelings for you at all.
Three months ago, Roya had been reborn into this chaotic world full of pirates, a world straight out of his favorite manga. He had arrived as a shipwrecked teenager, washed ashore on the island after dying at sea.
Weak and hungry, he had collapsed in front of the Food Tavern. Luckily, the kind Ririka had taken him in, giving him food and a place to stay in exchange for his work.
Working at the Food Tavern for three months had given him plenty of chances to learn about this new world by listening to the conversations of the customers.
World Government, Pirate King Roger, Goa Kingdom...
This is the world of One Piece!
If he remembered correctly, Shells Town was where Luffy and Zoro would meet. Little Rika was the cute girl who would give Zoro those delicious sweet rice balls.
And Rika's mother, Ririka, had lost her husband, a Marine, to pirates years ago, making her hate the Marines.
Spending every day together for three months naturally led to some feelings.
Roya had thought about staying.
While not super handsome, he looked pleasant and normal. In a world full of strange and exaggerated characters, his normal appearance actually helped him, making it easier to get the attention of women.
At least, he was sure that feelings could develop over time.
He had no doubt about that.
But a real man, meant to walk the earth, can't hide under a woman's skirts forever!
Roya pushed away those thoughts of a comfortable life and turned back to the crying little girl. "Don't worry, Rika. Your brother is just going to join the Marines. I'll come back to visit you soon, I promise."
"But..." Rika remembered the sad events of yesterday, and her heart was filled with worry. She feared that Roya would end up like her father and those dead Marines, killed by the pirates.
Being in the Marines is really dangerous!
Seeing that Roya was determined to leave, Ririka was overwhelmed by memories, her sadness for her dead husband coming back stronger than ever. For the first time, she felt angry at Roya, a frustration born of helplessness and loss.
"Why! Why! Why! Why do you men all need to join the Marines? Can't you just live peacefully!"
"Ririka," Roya said gently.
He reached into his pocket and took out a pack of cigarettes, pulling one out. He put it between his lips, lit it with a match, and took a deep breath, enjoying the nicotine.
The burning tip of the cigarette lit up his face, showing the ambition in his eyes.
"I want to make something of myself!" he declared, his voice strong.
There was no great ideal or sense of justice driving him. In both his past life and this one, his reasons were the same.
He wanted to achieve something meaningful, something important, damn it!
He wanted money, power, beautiful women, status, and respect - anything but the life of a lowly bartender, always doing what others told him, stuck at the bottom of society.
He was a man, and he refused to be looked down on!