I didn’t ask to be reincarnated in ONE PIECE!

*Caw* *Caw* *Caw*

Groaning, I slowly opened my eyes, my body aching like I had just been hit by a truck. Scratch that—I felt like I'd been run over by Kaido in his dragon form, then smacked around by Big Mom for good measure.

The first thing I noticed was the sky—clear blue with a few fluffy white clouds. A nice view, except for the fact that I was lying face down on sand, which meant either I had seriously messed up my room decor, or I wasn't in my apartment anymore.

Pushing myself up, I glanced around. Palm trees. A calm sea. A bunch of seagulls making their usual "Awoo~" sounds.

"Well, shit."

I was on a beach. But not just any beach—this was too...cartoony? Too vibrant? Too much like—

Oh.

OH.

"No way... Am I really in One Piece?!"

I stood up quickly, only to immediately trip over my own feet and faceplant back into the sand. Smooth. Very protagonist-like. Dusting myself off, I took a deep breath.

Okay, okay, don't freak out. Maybe this is just a super realistic dream. Yeah, that makes sense!

...Except for the fact that I could feel everything. The heat from the sun, the sand between my toes, the mild dehydration creeping in—no dream felt this real.

"Oi, kid! You dead or what?!" A rough voice called out.

I turned my head to see an old man standing nearby. He had a thick white beard, a pair of sunglasses on his forehead, and a fishing rod slung over his shoulder. He looked like the kind of guy who either gave wise life advice or scammed tourists into buying fake pearls.

"Uh…" I hesitated. "No? I think? Where am I? And what year is this?"

The old man raised an eyebrow. "Where? You wash up on shore and don't even know where you are? Boy, you must've hit your head harder than a sea king smacking a rowboat."

I gave a nervous chuckle. "Let's just say I had an... unexpected trip."

"Well, welcome to Nowhere Island," he said, gesturing around. "In North Blue. Not much happens here except for fishing, drinking, and occasional pirate scuffles. We're in Year 1520, January 8th of the Sea Circle Calendar and Name's Old Man Jiro, by the way."

Nowhere Island? and in North Blue huh? Sounds like the kind of place Oda would name as a throwaway location in a cover story and 1520? So basically few years before Luffy sets sail.

"Lucius," I introduced myself, finally standing up properly. "Nice to meet you, Jiro."

"Yeah, yeah. Now, unless you wanna stand around like a lost puppy, you should come with me to the village. We ain't got much, but it's better than sitting on sand like a bum."

I wasn't about to refuse. Who knew what kind of crazy stuff roamed around in this world? So I followed Jiro as he led me through a dirt path that opened up to a small village. Wooden houses, dirt roads, and some villagers giving me suspicious looks. Great, I was already the weird foreigner here too.

"Oi, old man, who's the lost-looking fella?" A young guy called out. He was sitting on a barrel, chewing on a stick of what I assumed was jerky.

"Some kid who washed up on the shore," Jiro replied. "Probably another unlucky soul who got caught up with pirates."

"Hah! Another one, huh?" The guy laughed.

"Good luck, buddy. This place is the definition of boring. Only thing exciting here is when pirates show up—and even they get bored and leave."

"Oh, shut it, Takeo!" A woman called out from a nearby food stall. "We had excitement just last week when that monkey stole the mayor's pants!"

Takeo rolled his eyes. "That ain't excitement, that's a tragedy."

I blinked. "A... monkey?"

"Yeah, damn thing is a menace," Jiro sighed.

"We call him Bananas. He's got sticky fingers—literally stole my fishing rod last month."

I sighed. A troublesome monkey. Of course, this place had its own version of a filler episode.

"So, Lucius," Jiro said, putting a hand on my shoulder. "Got a plan? Or you just gonna sit around hoping a miracle happens?"

Good question. I had no money, no food, no idea what to do, and oh yeah—I was in a literal anime world where people could punch steel and cut mountains with swords.

"Uh… I'll figure it out?"

Jiro sighed. "Yeah, you're definitely screwed."

Great start, Lucius. Great start. Before I could come up with a response, a loud scream echoed through the village.

"THE MONKEY! IT STOLE MY WIG!"

I turned just in time to see an elderly woman chasing after a small brown monkey, who was dashing through the village with a bright pink wig in its tiny hands.

"Bananas strikes again," Takeo said with a smirk, watching the chaos unfold. "Told ya, he's a menace."

Jiro sighed. "Kid, if you really wanna prove yourself useful, how about you catch that damn monkey?"

I blinked. "You want me to catch a monkey?"

"Well, you're jobless, clueless, and probably gonna starve in a few days. Might as well start earning your keep."

I groaned. "Fine, fine… How hard could it be?"

Famous last words.

As soon as I started running after Bananas, the little bastard turned his head, gave me the most smug expression I had ever seen, and then—

BOOM!

The monkey chucked a whole coconut straight at my face.

Darkness.

Pain.

Regret.

Yup. I was definitely in One Piece.

To be continued.....