A New Beginning

Darkness. That was the last thing I remembered. One moment, I was sitting in my room, scrolling through One Piece forums, debating theories about the Void Century, and the next… nothing. A truck? A heart attack? Who knows.

I opened my eyes, expecting the familiar sight of my bedroom ceiling. Instead, I was met with the vast, endless blue of the open ocean. The salty breeze filled my lungs, and the scorching sun bore down on me.

"What the—?!" I pushed myself up, coughing out seawater, and looked around. I was lying on a wooden deck—an old fishing boat, judging by the smell of salt and bait. A few fishermen stood nearby, staring at me with wide eyes.

"He's awake!" one of them shouted.

"Where am I?" I croaked, my throat dry.

"You were drifting at sea, boy," an older man with a gray beard said, handing me a waterskin. "We fished you out this morning, thought you were a goner."

I drank greedily before my mind caught up to the situation. The clothes on my body were not mine. A simple white shirt, slightly oversized, and dark blue pants that looked like something straight out of a historical drama. My hands looked smaller, younger.

Panic bubbled up in my chest. This isn't Earth.

I turned my gaze to the horizon, and my heart nearly stopped. There, in the distance, was a massive sea creature, something no Earthly ocean should contain. My breath hitched. The art style, the clothing, the insane wildlife… I'm in One Piece.

Before I could process the full weight of that realization, a sharp pain stabbed into my skull. Memories—no, my memories—merged with new ones. A name surfaced.

Ren.

That was me. Or, at least, that was the name I had now. I was just an average guy before, but now? Now, I was someone reborn in this crazy world.

And then, as if the universe wanted to give me a welcome gift, a strange sensation spread through my body. Power. A deep, instinctual understanding of something new, something impossible. Words.

I raised my hand, and as if responding to my thoughts, black symbols materialized in the air, shifting and rearranging like ink in water. I didn't know how I knew, but I could feel it.

A Devil Fruit ability.

The Word-Word Fruit.

A grin spread across my face. I had no idea how I got here, but one thing was clear—this was my story now. And I wasn't going to waste it.

.

.

.

The boat rocked gently as I stared at the black symbols floating in the air before me. The fishermen were looking at me like I had just summoned a sea king out of thin air.

"What… the hell is that?" one of them muttered, gripping his fishing spear.

Good question.

I clenched my fist, and the letters vanished like mist. Word-Word Fruit… this is my power. I didn't know exactly what it did yet, but if I had awakened it so naturally, then it was definitely a Devil Fruit ability.

"You okay, boy?" the old fisherman, the apparent leader, asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. Just… getting used to things."

The old man squinted at me. "You got any memory of what happened before we found you?"

I hesitated. Telling them I was from another world? Yeah, no. That would just make me sound insane.

"I don't remember much," I lied, rubbing my temples for effect. "I just woke up drifting at sea."

The old man sighed. "Another victim of the Grand Line's madness, huh? Happens more than you'd think."

The Grand Line. Just hearing that confirmed everything. I really am in One Piece.

"We'll be making port at Dawn Island by sundown," he continued. "You can rest till then."

Dawn Island? My brain immediately connected the dots. That meant… Goa Kingdom. The same place where Monkey D. Luffy grew up. That was huge.

I needed to test my powers before I got to land. I couldn't afford to be weak in this world, especially in a place like Goa Kingdom, where nobles looked down on commoners and pirates were never too far away.

I focused on my ability again, holding out my hand. Letters materialized in front of me. I decided to start simple.

"Fire."

The word glowed red for a second before a tiny spark burst from it, fizzling out like a weak candle flame.

Okay, that's something.

Next, I tried something defensive.

"Shield."

A faint shimmering barrier appeared in front of me for a second before disappearing. I exhaled. So I could create things based on words, but they were weak for now. Either I needed more practice, or there were limits to my power.

But in a world of monsters, pirates, and Marines, this ability had insane potential. If I could get stronger, if I could learn to manipulate words in more complex ways, then—

"LAND AHEAD!" one of the fishermen shouted.

I turned and saw it: Dawn Island. My new beginning.

I clenched my fists. This world won't know what hit it.