Chapter 3: So, If This Isn't One Piece Then Where the Hell Am I?

After some time, Ace managed to calm himself down. He knew this situation was far from ideal, but panicking was certainly not going to help any.

'This is bad. Since I'm not in One Piece then where the hell am I? Being in unfamiliar territory I have no idea what to expect. This world could full of danger far beyond what I could ever handle. The first and most important thing to do is gather as much information as possible about this world.'

As Ace was attempting to figure out his game plan, he suddenly heard a different voice from his system.

[DUE TO UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES THE SYSTEM WILL NOW UNDERGO AN UPDATE TO BETTER ACCOMMODATE YOU. PLEASE ALLOW AN HOUR FOR THE SYSTEM TO UPDATE. WE APOLOGIZE FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE WE HAVE CAUSED, THANK YOU FOR UNDERSTANDING.

BEGINNING UPDATE]

After the system started updating, he no longer heard the voice and decided, for now, to wait until the system finished updating. As Ace surveyed the land around him, he couldn't help but admire the natural beauty of where he was. Large beautiful trees with vibrant green leaves are seen on the plain here and there. The grass seems to be almost shining and could be seen swaying from the occasional cool breeze. Looking up, the sky is mostly clear blue with some small white clouds. The sun is heating the area but with the cold breeze and being under some shade, the perfect amount of heat is given off making Ace's current situation very comfortable.

'Even though this isn't what I wanted, at least I didn't end start in some forest filled with ravenous beasts who could eat me for breakfast.'

As Ace was trying to look on the positive side of things, he finally managed to notice his clothing which was different than what he went to sleep with last night.

'Oh, isn't this the outfit Luffy wore in the movie Film: Z? It seems the being who sent me here knew that this was my favorite outfit from the anime. If my clothes have changed, I wonder if anything else about me changed?'

Ace looked behind the tree he was previously lying under only to notice a large clear-watered pond with some flowers circling the outer edge. He got up and walked to the water getting on his knees to check his reflection. What he saw was much different than what he was used to seeing, but still looked familiar.

Ace now had long black curly hair parted to the sides. Underneath both of his eyes were spots of freckles. Although the freckles looked childish his full appearance said otherwise. His body had become much more muscular as he was now sporting an eight pack on his abdomen. Around his neck was a red beaded necklace and on his upper left arm was a tattoo with large letters that spelled A S C E going down with the S being crossed out.

It didn't take long for Ace to figure out who he resembled, as he was one of his favorite characters in the anime: Portgas D. Ace! Former 2nd division commander of the infamous Whitebeard and sworn brother of both Luffy and Sabo. Besides liking Ace for sharing the same name as him, he also loved how much he cared for the people who were important to him. He was a loving brother to Luffy, despite not being related by blood, and even sacrificed his own life to save him. Not only that, but he also risked his life to find Blackbeard in an attempt to do right by Whitebeard, the man he acknowledged as his "only father". Ace always died of laughter watching the scene of Portgas Ace suddenly appearing out of what seemed like thin air onto Buggy's ship without a care in the world.

Doing a double check in the water, Ace couldn't help admiring his new appearance. This version of Ace resembled the later depictions of him in the anime, giving him a more mature and handsome look. With nothing else to do for the time being Ace decided to wash himself off in the pond. After getting clean, Ace stepped out of the water and lay in the sunlight to dry himself off. As a comfortable heat wrapped itself around Ace, he couldn't help but close his eyes and fall back asleep hoping to wake up when the system finished updating.