Down the Hatch

Aria jumped up, chair scraping against the floor. Her hands shook as she grabbed the wanted poster. 

She studied the details - the small scar under his eye, the red vest, the straw hat given to him by a red-haired pirate. The image matched exactly with the character she knew so well.

"That kid with the straw hat?" An older guy at the counter turned around, adjusting his glasses. 

"Been causing trouble all over. My cousin in Cocoyashi Village saw the whole thing—said he took down Arlong himself!"

"No way," another customer argued through a mouthful of rice. "A kid beating a fishman? Come on. Those East Blue stories get crazier every day. Next you'll tell me he fought a marine battleship."

Aria bit her lip. If they only knew about Luffy, about his grandfather Garp, about what he would become. These people talked about him like local news, blind to his destiny.

"I heard he's ten feet tall and breathes fire!" A third guy waved his chopsticks. "And he's got this whole fleet of ships!"

The rumors were so wrong that Aria couldn't help herself.

"What about the rubber thing?"

The whole table turned to stare at her.

"Rubber thing?" someone asked.

"You know..." She kept her voice even. "The stretching arms? Like this?" She mimed pulling her arm out.

"See!" Glasses-guy smacked the counter. "My cousin said the exact same thing! Said the boy stretched his arm across the whole village when he punched that fishman!"

"Your cousin's been drinking too much sake," Mustache-guy declared, but uncertainty crept into his voice.

She sat back down. Her hand brushed against the strange fruit in her pocket, and everything clicked into place. 

This wasn't a dream. She was in the One Piece world. Somehow, she'd crossed from her reality into the pages of a manga she'd followed for years.

"Your food, miss." The old man returned with a bowl of rice and fish.

Her stomach growled, reminding her that she needed to eat. She took a bite. The flavors burst in her mouth, better than anything she'd tasted before.

How many times had she stayed up reading these chapters? Following every adventure, every fight? 

And now she sat in the East Blue, eating breakfast while people gossiped about Luffy like a local celebrity.

"Tell me more about the rubber pirate!"

The voice made her jump, nearly choking on her rice. 

Taro had appeared at her table, his excitement almost knocking over her water glass.

"How does he stretch? Is he really as strong as they say?" His eyes wide with wonder.

She put down her chopsticks. Despite her confusion, she couldn't help but respond to his enthusiasm.

"Well, he ate this fruit that turned his body into rubber. He can stretch his arms, legs—even his neck."

"For real?" Taro's eyes widened. "What else can he do?"

A smile formed on her lips. His excitement was contagious.

"Check this out—he's got this move where he pulls his arm back like this." She pulled her arm behind her head. 

"Then BAM—shoots it forward. Hits bad guys from far away." She punched the air. Taro giggled.

"Sometimes he uses both arms."

"Can he do other stuff? Besides punching?"

"Oh yeah. He can stretch any part of his body. Makes him tricky to fight."

"Like a monster! That's how he beat Arlong, right? Everyone's talking about it!" Taro bounced on his toes.

"Let's just say Luffy surprises people. They look at him and see some skinny kid with a weird power. But he's got something most pirates don't."

"What's that?" Taro leaned forward.

"Heart. He doesn't fight for fame or money. He fights for his friends."

Taro burst into the kitchen, almost knocking over a stack of plates.

"Papa, can she stay? She knows awesome stories about the rubber pirate!"

The old man caught a sliding plate before it could fall.

"That's not up to me. But she's welcome here anytime."

The restaurant door opened. 

New customers entered, bringing sounds from outside. Breakfast crowds picked up. Tables filled quickly.

Aria pushed her empty bowl away, aware she was taking up space during their busy hour.

"Thanks for the food. Wish I could pay you back somehow."

"Stories are worth plenty around here," Hiroshi said as he collected her dishes. "Most people don't take time to entertain my son."

"Still, I feel bad about—"

"Nonsense." He waved off her concern. "Sharing food brings its own luck. Though if you're staying in town, you'll need somewhere to sleep."

He wiped his hands on his apron. "The Maple Inn has nice rooms. Tell Maya I sent you."

"I can show you!" Taro reached for her sleeve.

"No. Our guest needs rest," Hiroshi said.

She stood up, feeling the fruit pressing against her side.

"Thanks for everything."

"If anyone asks about me, just say I'm another crazy story from the Grand Line."

The old man's eyes brightened. "Like a rubber pirate?"

"Something like that." She gave Hiroshi a smile before stepping out.

Outside, Aria walked through the village, processing everything that had happened since waking up in this world.

Following Hiroshi's directions, she found the Maple Inn. The building was modest but well-maintained. 

She pushed the door open, hearing a bell announce her arrival.

A woman with gray hair tied in a neat bun looked up from her ledger.

"Welcome! How can I help you?"

"I need a room for the night. Hiroshi sent me."

Maya's features softened. "Ah, any friend of Hiroshi's is welcome here."

She reached under the counter and pulled out a key with a wooden tag.

"How long will you be staying with us?"

"Just tonight."

She hesitated, remembering her empty pockets. "About payment..."

"Don't worry about it," Maya said with a dismissive wave. "Hiroshi's recommendation is payment enough."

Aria nodded gratefully. Twice in one day she'd been shown kindness by strangers. 

As she followed Maya to her room, Aria considered her situation. She was trapped in what should be a fictional world with no way home, but she possessed knowledge that could be valuable. 

Maya unlocked a door and stepped aside. "Take all the time you need."

The door closed behind her, and Aria was alone with her thoughts.

 The room contained a bed, a washbasin, and a desk. Basic but clean, with fresh linens and a window overlooking the village.

She exhaled. The tension drained from her shoulders. She sat on the bed, weighing her options.

She could stay in Syrup Village, perhaps work for Hiroshi. But settling down while knowing what was coming seemed wrong.

She could try to find Luffy and his crew. With her knowledge, she could help them avoid dangers. 

But interfering might change events in unpredictable ways. And explaining how she knew what would happen would be impossible without sounding insane.

The fruit in her pocket seemed to grow heavier, demanding her attention.

She pulled out the fruit and examined the spiral patterns that shifted when she looked away.

"Let's figure this out."

She evaluated what she knew about the timeline. "His bounty's 30 million." She counted on her fingers. "They talked about Arlong like he's already defeated. This is Syrup Village."

She connected events in her head. "So he's already beaten Buggy, Kuro, Krieg, and Arlong."

That meant one thing. "He's probably heading to the Grand Line soon, if he hasn't left already."

The Alabasta arc approached. Princess Vivi, Crocodile, Baroque Works. The first major conflict that would bring Luffy against a Warlord of the Sea.

Her fingers tapped against her knee as she considered the fruit she'd found.

"But this... this is something else. A mystery fruit, here in the East Blue."

She thought about Devil Fruits and what she knew about them. Rare. Valuable. Each one granting a unique power to whoever ate it first.

The Logia types that transformed users into elemental forces. The Zoan types that granted animal transformations. The Paramecia types with their wildcard abilities.

Whitebeard could create earthquakes. Aokiji could freeze oceans. Kizaru moved at the speed of light.

Her hand tightened around the fruit. What type was this? What power might it grant her?

"Training won't matter when they can freeze oceans or create tsunamis. Even the weakest Devil Fruit user could destroy a village."

She looked at her reflection in the window.

If she was going to survive in this world, she needed power of her own.

"Haki takes years to learn. I don't have that kind of time."

She weighed her options. Finding a teacher for combat skills would take time. Building connections and acquiring resources would be difficult without any starting advantage.

The fruit represented an immediate path to power, but at a cost. Once eaten, she would never be able to swim again. In a world of islands, that was a serious disadvantage.

But the alternative was to remain powerless in a world filled with superhuman threats.

She thought about the Celestial Dragons, the corrupt World Government, the pirates who destroyed entire towns on whims. Without power, she would be at their mercy.

She turned away from the window, decision made.

"Well." She looked at the fruit. "No point waiting. This might be my only chance."

"Down the hatch."

She bit into the fruit.

"Whatever power this gives, it has to be better than nothing." She laughed.

"Here's hoping it's not the power to turn into a jacket."

The first bite was terrible—rotten meat mixed with spoiled milk and moldy bread. Her throat tried to reject it. Her instincts screamed to spit it out.

She forced it down.

"Oh god." She gagged, eyes watering.

The taste got worse with each second.

"They weren't kidding about the taste."