"I didn't finish too late today." I said, as I stretched.
It was a night like any other.
I had just wrapped up one of the many jobs they trusted me with, cleaning up, as we say in the business. No witnesses, no noise, no mess. Quick and clean.
I got back in my car, the city lights flickering against the windshield the streets were mostly empty.
I was just heading home.
To kill time on the drive, I put on some music. Just noise to fill the silence.
'What the hell have I done with my life?' I thought, eyes fixed on the road. 'This life's boring as hell...'
I reached back with one hand, grabbed a can of soda from the back seat, cracked it open, and took a long drink.
'Maybe i should get a cat or a dog. Nah, forget it, I'm not here often enough.'
A few minutes later, I pulled into my driveway.
Same house. Same quiet neighborhood. I parked and stepped out, grabbing my bag from the passenger seat.
I walked up the steps, unlocked the door, and pushed it open.
I went straight to clean my gear. Standard routine. Tools of the trade needed to be spotless, fingerprints wiped, traces erased. I wasn't new to this.
While drying a silencer, my phone buzzed on the counter.
I checked it.
A notification. Transfer received: 500,000$
For a job done well, I guess. I locked the screen and tossed it aside.
After finishing up, I headed into the kitchen. Figured I'd eat something before the night got long. As I opened the fridge, I slipped my personal phone out of my pocket and tapped a contact I knew too well.
The line rang once.
"Yeah, Selina, you free tonight?" I asked, leaning against the counter.
"Marco… for you? Always. Come by in an hour." she said, voice soft but suggestive.
"Alright. See you soon." I hung up, letting a small smirk pull at the corner of my mouth. 'I'll be able to relax a little, there's nothing better than a milf.'
But just as my thumb left the screen-
Click.
Cold steel pressed against the back of my neck. A revolver.
I slowly raised my hands.
Didn't turn around. Didn't move. Just kept my voice calm.
"Who sent you?" I asked. "And why?"
A short silence.
Then a voice I knew far too well answered behind me.
"No one sent me. You liked the payment I sent you, Marco?"
I recognized that voice instantly.
Gabriel.
One of my direct superiors.
"…Why, Gabriel?" I asked.
"Because the rumors say they're giving you my seat at the table." he replied, almost casually. "And I can't let that happen. Hope you understand."
Before I could say another word, he pulled the trigger.
That was the end.
At least, that's what I thought.
But fate had other plans.
I was trapped in endless darkness.
No matter how hard I swam, I couldn't move. No light, no sound, just that crushing, silent void. Time lost all meaning. Seconds, minutes, hours… or years? I couldn't tell. It felt eternal.
I had time to think about the life I had, without any real meaning in my eyes.
The rage I felt at first diminished the more time I spent in that place, even though I tried to keep it bottled up inside.
And then, something changed.
A flicker. A feeling. A pull.
My eyes snapped open.
Light, blinding, warm.
The light blinded me for a moment, the air smelled of salt and wind. Sounds filled my ears. I blinked against the brightness, heart pounding.
"Is this… heaven? It's too beautiful here to be hell."
But it didn't feel like peace. It felt real. Too real.
And I was no longer in my body.
My arms were black.
I mean literally black, dark, sleek, and not at all human. My skin felt strange, thick and tough. And I was tall, way taller than I used to be.
"What the hell is happening to me?"
I started walking. I needed answers. I needed to see myself, anything reflective, water, glass, I didn't care.
I had to know what I'd become.
Eventually, I came across a pool of water, a still surface, clear enough to see my reflection.
I leaned in slowly.
What stared back at me was… a monster. Or at least, that's what I would've called it before.
A very tall, broad-shouldered figure with jet-black skin broken up by patches of white. My mouth lined with sharp, predatory teeth.
And I was jacked, muscles thick like I'd been sculpted from stone. I had the unmistakable traits of an orca… but in a humanoid form.
'Where… am I?'
Around me, there was nothing but dense vegetation, towering trees with thick canopies, vines hanging like curtains, and strange animal sounds echoing through the air. The kind of jungle you only see in adventure films.
I sat up slowly, my head pounding, heart racing.
I was in nothing but my boxers.
Seriously?
Of all the things to bring with me to whatever afterlife this was… they left me with my damn underwear?
Great.
My mind couldn't stay still. Moving from one subject to another.
'I can't believe he actually killed me... And for what?'
"Bastard." I muttered under my breath, my voice deeper now, almost growling without meaning to.
I shook the thought off. Dwelling on it wouldn't change what happened. I was dead. At least, back there.
This is my new life now...
Maybe dying wasn't the worst thing that could've happened to me.
Honestly, It wasn't all bad. I was stronger, way stronger. I could feel it. My senses were sharper. My body felt like a weapon.
I mean, sure, the timing sucked. But, we don't get to choose these things, right?
Whatever this place was, I was here now.
I got back on my feet and started walking without direction or plan.
One thing was certain, I needed to find someone. Anyone.
A local. A village. Even a wandering lunatic would do.
Later after walking I finally broke through the last of the trees and stepped onto a beach.
White sand. Crystal-clear water. Sun high in the sky.
"Good view." I muttered, shading my eyes with one hand.
This place, wherever it was, had its charm.
But the peaceful moment didn't last long. My stomach let out a low growl, reminding me I hadn't eaten since… well, since I'm here.
I looked around. Not far off were a few banana trees, and even further up the beach, some tall coconut palms.
'Good enough.' I thought, already walking over.
I grabbed what I could carry, some bananas, knocked down a couple coconuts, and cracked one open against a rock.
I sat down in the shade and started eating what I'd gathered.
After a few bites, the hunger faded.
That's when I figured… it was time to test something.
I stood, walked toward the shoreline, and stepped into the water.
At first, just my feet, then my knees, until I was waist-deep in the sea. I took a breath, glanced down at the clear surface, and let myself sink beneath it.
The moment my head slipped under, I knew.
'I can breathe.'
I started swimming, and instantly, I shot forward.
'Damn… I'm fast.'
After a few minutes of testing myself underwater, I surfaced again and stepped back onto the beach, water sliding off my skin.
I began walking along the coastline, hoping to find a port or any sign of activity. After some time, I spotted a ship in the distance. 'Finally, an ounce of civilization' I thought, before diving back into the water and swimming toward it.
Thanks to my aquatic abilities, it didn't take long to reach the boat. I remained partially submerged, just enough to observe without being noticed. As I approached, I overheard voices from the deck.
"Damn, did you read that, Bob?! They caught Gold Roger!" one voice shouted.
"No way. I never thought they'd manage it." another replied.
From this brief exchange, I was able to draw a clear conclusion, I had been transported into the world of One Piece, sometime around the period of Gol D. Roger's capture, which marks the very beginning of the Great Pirate Era.
This confirmed not only where I was but also provided a general timeframe within the One Piece timeline.
With that in my mind, I quietly made my move.
I swam around to the side of the ship, found a rope hanging down the hull, and started to climb
I didn't make a sound.
'You never know who you might run into in a world like this.' I thought.
'It's so strange to think that I'm in a fictional world, but I have to face the facts, my new body is proof.'
When I reached the edge, I peeked just over the railing.
Two men were on deck, casually talking near a stack of crates, both facing away from me. No sign of a full crew, this was my chance.
I climbed onto the ship and didn't waste a second.
I sprinted straight toward the nearest man, short, clearly not expecting anything. Before he could turn fully, I grabbed him by the back of the neck and yanked him off his feet.
He struggled, kicked, tried to shout, but my grip was locked. No way he was breaking out of it.
"It's nothing personal." I said, locking eyes with the other guy, bigger, bulkier. "I just need some information."
The big one stepped back, hand twitching near his belt, probably thinking about grabbing a weapon. His face twisted in a mix of shock and anger.
"Goddamn, filth of a fishman, what the hell do you want?" he barked.
"I want to know where we are." I said calmly "and while we're at it, I need clothes."
"Tss… We're in East Blue." He growled. "Not far from Loguetown. And for the clothes, check the cabin over there."
'East Blue, huh?' I thought to myself. 'The weakest of the four seas… that means these guys probably aren't much of a threat.'
With that in mind, I released the man I had been holding. He dropped, hitting the deck with a hard thud, gasping for air as he clutched at his neck.
"Good." I said, turning to both of them. "Now don't try anything stupid. If you do, I'll be forced to kill you."
They didn't respond, just stared, frozen, wide-eyed.
I walked across the deck toward the cabin, still dripping a bit from the sea, still barefoot and in nothing but my boxers.
'Time to find something more appropriate.'
I started rummaging through the cabinets, most of the stuff was either old, stained, or just plain ugly. But after a bit of digging, I managed to pull together something decent.
A clean pair of trousers, a belt. No polos or T-shirts, that just wasn't happening. Found a white dress shirt, wide enough to accommodate my back and let my dorsal fin free. I tossed a tie around my neck, tightened it, and finally, a pair of black Oxfords that weren't too worn out.
'Perfect' I thought, checking myself in a small cracked mirror on the wall. 'I feel a little more like myself like this.'
I stepped out of the cabin, fully dressed now.
I turned my attention back to the two guys on deck.
"You." I said, pointing to the smaller one I'd grabbed earlier. "What's your name?"
He straightened up slightly, still rubbing his neck. "I'm Tod."
I looked at the other guy. "So that makes you Bob."
He nodded slowly, clearly still unsure whether I was about to kill him or not.
Then Tod asked. "And you? What should we call you?"
I paused.
Marco, that was my name, but this was my chance to put the past behind me for good. That life, that world, gone. Marco was dead.
I ran a hand across my face and sighed.
'What about Orca? Maybe a little too simple.'
Maybe something like Orca D followed by a name, too much?
No... I need something else.'
"…Morca." I finally said.
'If I remember correctly, Mort means Death in French, Orca is in it and it retains the letters of my old name.'
"You can call me Morca."