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

The morning stunk of fish and regret. Again.

I heaved a massive tuna onto the dock, my muscles screaming in protest. My body still ached from yesterday's gutting marathon, and I was starting to believe I'd smell like a walking seafood platter forever.

"Oi, Lucius! Quit staring at the fish like you're in love with it and move faster!" one of the older fishermen, Boro, barked at me.

"I'm questioning my life choices, give me a second," I shot back.

Boro snorted. "You're already here, kid. Too late for regrets. Now, unless you plan on marrying that tuna, get to sorting."

Before I could muster a snarky response, something caught my attention. A small group of fishermen were gathered near the crates, speaking in hushed voices. Normally, the only gossip around here involved who caught the biggest fish or who fell into the water while dozing off. But today, something was different.

"Oi, did you hear? Someone in the next town over is auctioning off a Devil Fruit!" one of the men whispered excitedly.

My ears perked up immediately.

"A Devil Fruit? Here?" another man scoffed.

"That's gotta be a scam. Last time someone claimed that, they were just selling a weird-looking pineapple."

"No, no! This time it's legit! Some merchant apparently found it washed up on shore and is looking to sell it to the highest bidder."

I set down the fish and turned toward them.

"Wait, hold up. There's actually a Devil Fruit around here?"

"That's what I heard! The auction's happening in a few days, but the real news is that it's attracting big shots from other islands. Even pirates!"

The word pirates made me tense up. This place had been surprisingly pirate-free, which was weird considering it was an island in the middle of the ocean.

"How come pirates haven't been swarming this place already?" I asked.

Boro chuckled. "Ah, you don't know yet, huh?" He leaned in, dropping his voice dramatically. "It's 'cause of Jiro."

I blinked. "What? The old man? What about him?"

"Jiro was a Marine."

Silence.

"...Excuse me?"

Boro grinned. "Yep. The old geezer was a Marine way back in the day. A tough one too. That's why no pirate crew has ever successfully raided this island. Word is, he beat the hell out of every single one that tried."

My brain short-circuited. The guy who tricked me into free labor? The one who laughed at my suffering? That same grumpy old man used to be part of the World Government's strongest sea force?

"Wait, wait, wait." I shook my head. "How does a Marine end up running a fish shack in the middle of nowhere?"

"Beats me. All we know is that after he retired, he settled here, and since then, not a single pirate's been able to take anything from us. Even the ones who try sneak attacks end up running for their lives."

The image of Jiro casually smacking around fully armed pirates like they were misbehaving children was both hilarious and terrifying.

"Anyway, back to the Devil Fruit thing,"

another fisherman chimed in. "With all these outsiders coming in for the auction, I heard there's gonna be some underground fights, too. Y'know, to keep people entertained."

"Ah yeah, that tournament thing," Boro nodded. "Two months from now, big cash prizes, and rumors say even some bounty hunters might show up to scope out talent."

My interest spiked. A fighting tournament? That meant strong opponents, potential rewards, and a chance to finally do something that wasn't smelling like dead fish.

I grinned. "So let me get this straight. There's an auction for a Devil Fruit happening soon, which means pirates and bounty hunters will be coming here. And then, in two months, there's gonna be a fighting tournament with a big prize?"

Boro nodded. "Yep. Sounds about right."

"Huh," I mused. "Sounds like things are about to get interesting."

Just then, a familiar screech filled the air.

"BANANAS, YOU LITTLE—THAT'S MY LUNCH!"

I turned just in time to see the demon monkey sprinting past with yet another stolen meal. This time, it was a whole grilled fish. Behind him, a burly fisherman was waving a harpoon around in blind rage.

Bananas met my eyes mid-sprint, smirked, and—without slowing down—chucked a fishbone directly at my forehead.

THUNK.

"YOU LITTLE—!!"

I lunged after him, but Bananas was already gone, vanishing over a rooftop with his prize.

The fishermen roared with laughter. "He strikes again."

I rubbed my forehead and groaned.

________________________________

Later that night, I couldn't hold it in any longer. As soon as Jiro came back, I blurted out, "You were a Marine?!"

Jiro raised an eyebrow. "Took you long enough to figure that out."

"No one told me! What rank were you? Were you one of those Vice Admirals? Did you fight any warlords? How many pirates did you beat up?!" I asked him a lot of questions.

Jiro sighed, rubbing his temples. "Calm down, kid. I wasn't some big-shot Admiral or anything. I was a Commander. Handled my fair share of pirates, but I got tired of all the bureaucracy, so I left. Now I fish and keep this island from being overrun by idiots."

I leaned forward. "You must know how to fight, right? Can you train me?"

Jiro gave me a suspicious look. "Why?"

I panicked. I couldn't exactly say 'I wanna get strong enough to survive whatever crazy One Piece nonsense is coming', so I blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"I-I want to join the Marines!"

Jiro narrowed his eyes. "Really?"

I forced a smile and nodded. "Yep. Totally. Want to be all justice and honor and… rules. Love rules."

Jiro looked unconvinced but shrugged.

"Hmph. If you're serious, then fine. Be ready at sunrise tomorrow. If you slack off, I'm throwing you back to the docks."

I grinned. "Got it!"

I had no intention of actually joining the Marines, but if it meant getting stronger? Yeah, I'd take it.

I then lay in my makeshift bed, my muscles aching, my mind raced. With jiro training me from tomorrow, I could get stronger and compete for that Devil Fruit that's being auctioned and maybe I'd have a real shot at surviving this world. Maybe I could finally carve my own path.

I clenched my fists.

I need to get stronger.

I need to win that fruit.

And then, I'd finally be ready to leave Nowhere Island.

But first… I needed to make sure Bananas didn't steal my other shoe.

To Be Continued…