One year passes

A few months later…

In the middle of an open field, I was performing handstand push-ups to train my body even further.

[Through perseverance in training, all stats have been boosted by 0.02 points.]

Throughout my training sessions, small notifications like these kept popping up. I could see my stats increase in real-time with the gifted status screen.

Only after the frequency of these notifications became very low, I finished the session and headed towards the bar to have lunch.

It was the same bar I usually went to, known as the Gold Roger Bar.

It used to be the most popular in town, in which many pirates used to gather. However, since the execution of Gol D. Roger, only a few Marines showed up occasionally.

I walked into the bar and waved at the bartender, an old man named Raoul. He was wearing a white shirt along with a necklace and earrings.

"Ah. It's you again, Sei. Same order?"

"Yes, please!"

I nodded and took a seat in the same booth I always sit at. Soon Raoul walked in with grilled fish and a large glass of tea with some rum mixed with it… or maybe a lot of rum.

But hey, at least I was getting my nutrition, right?

"So, do you want to hear another Gol D. Roger's story from his youth?" Raoul asked, his eyes closed in nostalgia.

Back in his youth, Raoul used to know Gol D. Roger.

Despite the fact this was extremely cool and something I would usually love to hear about, Raoul had told me the same stories repeatedly over the past few months.

'How do I stop him from talking?' My lips pursed in irritation.

Creak…! At that instant, the door to the bar opened and somebody walked in.

It was a woman with dark brown eyes and shoulder-length black hair. She had rectangular glasses with red frames, and she was sporting a short-sleeved shirt of pink color.

I recognized this woman as Tashigi, a Master Chief Petty Officer stationed in Loguetown.

"Tsk." A visible frown formed on Raoul's face as he said, "I know her… She is a subordinate of Smoker. That man who ruins my business on the daily…"

Tashigi sensed the hostility and a shaky smile formed on her face.

"I… I heard this place had really good food and drinks. I came to try it out."

"No, you should leav-"

Before Raoul kicked her out, I clasped my hands and pleaded with Raoul.

"Can you please serve this woman. I'd really appreciate it."

"Since you insist, Sei."

Raoul nodded and then began taking orders.

On the other hand, Tashigi tugged on her earlobes, wondering why I had just helped her right there. Soon she walked up to me and immediately bowed.

"Thanks for your help! Hav… Have me met before though?"

Tashigi adjusted her spectacles and eyed me more carefully. This was only the first time she was seeing me though.

"No, but just take it as a token of my thanks."

"Thanks…?"

I gave Tashigi a warm smile and replied, "Because of dedicated Marines like you, this supposed pirate hot spot has become a safe haven. I am glad to see there are just Marines like you in this world!"

Even though I knew about the evil nature of the true rulers of Marines, it was people like Tashigi here who had made it possible for the civilians to live without anarchy.

I truly appreciated the work put in by people like her…

Due to my warm words, Tashigi's face flushed a little red.

"Cough-Cough… Of course, it's my duty as a Marine to protect civilians! You don't need to thank me."

In the next moment, my attention fell to the katana she was carrying on her.

"Oh, wow! Is that the infamous Shigure? One of the Wazamono Grade Swords?"

All of a sudden, Tashigi's chin trembled with excitement, and she leaned inwards towards me. "Yes, it is! I'm so glad someone knows about swords! This is my most prized possession! Also…"

Tashigi began blabbering at a rate incomprehensible to me. It went on for thirty minutes, where she gave me an in depth analysis of sword grades and her passion for swords.

Though I enjoyed the close view of her large chest, it was still very boring to hear her talk so much about swords.

I promised to myself to never bring up the topic of swords if I saw her again…

**

During the evening, I was working on some of the lab experiments with Dr. Saul.

Presently, he was eyeing with a slight frown on his face.

"You were using the materials in the lab to build grenades and chemical weapons, right? Is this what you think I'm teaching you science for?!" Dr. Saul yelled, his voice loud and forceful.

"Ugh…"

I scratched my head with a guilty expression on my face.

My top priority was to become stronger, and I thought building chemical weapons would be a great way to go about it.

Dr. Saul sighed bitterly and then said, "Do you know that I was once a scientist working for the Marines with Dr. Vegapunk himself?"

My eyes froze in shock. I had no idea Dr. Saul was such an accomplished man.

Most of the science books in this world I had been exposed to were written by the great man, Dr. Vegapunk, himself. He was practically an idol for all scientists.

'But if this is true, why is he now in Loguetown?' My eyes squinted in confusion.

As if understanding what I was about to ask next, Dr. Saul continued, "We were researching Lineage Factor together. But my path diverged with Marines soon enough… I wanted to use the knowledge to make agriculture crops that could feed this world, while they wanted me to research Gigantification to produce giants for war and bloodshed!"

A half-heart smile appeared on the man's face as he recited more of the story.

"I want to teach you all what I know about Lineage Factor… maybe one day you would be able to use it for good. Either way, my job is to pass my knowledge to you."

"Thank you, master! I will make sure to not disappoint you!"

Dr. Saul patted my back and then continued with his experiments and lessons.

He began teaching me about Lineage Factor, which was the blueprint of life itself, present in all living organisms.

It was basically like genomics, but it employed techniques vastly different from the ones I knew in my previous world. Maybe if I refined the man's theories over time, I could find more practical uses for it.

Vinsmoke Judge could manufacture human clones, while Caesar could develop artificial Devil Fruits using the same theories.

The more I was learning about Lineage Factor, the more surprised I was about its practical applications.

This was a theory that would change the world one day…

**

A total of one year later since my entry into this world, I was sitting on my bed and checking out my stats.

===

Name: Sei

▷Stats

[Strength 36]

[Vitality 34]

[Agility 35]

[Perception 34]

[Willpower 36]

Current Stat Points Available: 0

▷Devil-Fruit Power

Barrier-Barrier Fruit.

===

I lamented upon checking my stats. They had now finally hit a plateau.

Perhaps, I had exhausted my potential in this town, and it was time to leave…

Over the past year, I had become much leaner and somehow grown a feet taller too. Now, I stood 6 foot tall with short, black hair and blue eyes. I wore casual clothes along with a black leather jacket and shades.

Caw- Caw- Just then, a News Coo bird delivered a World Economy newspaper to me.

With a focused gazed, I examined the contents of the paper carefully.

"Huh, looks like a storm is going to take this over world soon…"

I threw away the paper, which read: [Monkey D. Luffy defeats Arlong Pirates and gets 30 million Berrys bounty.]