The sun-drenched beach possessed an intoxicating charm.
Waves gently lapped at the shore, receding slowly to leave damp trails and tiny sea creatures behind. The rhythmic swish and hush was remarkably pleasant to the ear.
Selene had been waiting on the beach for some time. When a dark shape finally appeared on the horizon, she quickly let out a sharp whistle.
Hearing the whistle, the shadow immediately changed course, heading straight for her. As it drew nearer, she could see it clearly: a news coo.
A rather peculiar news coo...
It was quite large, sported a sailor's cap on its head, and had a delivery bag slung around its neck.
Selene watched it land on the sand before walking over. She fished out a coin, held it out, and said, "One newspaper, please!"
However, upon seeing the '50' denomination on the coin, the news coo shook its head in apparent difficulty. It used its sharp beak to fish a slip of paper out of its bag. Scrawled on it was a single, large number: '80'!
"It went up again!?" Selene stared, eyes wide with indignation. "Didn't the price just go up two weeks ago? Why another increase?!"
"Coo!" The bird cried out, scratching its head with a wing in a surprisingly troubled manner, as if to say it couldn't be helped.
"Fine, fine, here! 80 Beri!" Selene grudgingly fished out three more 10-Beri coins from her pocket, handing them over with a wince. "But if it goes up again next time, I'm finding another delivery bird!" Only after accepting the payment did the news coo peck a newspaper from its bag and hand it to Selene.
The news coo flapped its wings and flew off. Selene unfolded the newspaper and began reading as she headed back.
The headline blared in large print: Red Hair Pirates Spotted in the East Blue.
"Red-Haired Shanks..." Selene sighed. "One of the Four Emperors... Yep, this is definitely the world of One Piece, no doubt about it."
It had been three months since she arrived in this world. Now, confirming her surroundings once again, Selene didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Selene's original name was An Yi. Back on Earth, she'd been a perfectly ordinary young woman. Her demise had been absurdly unlucky. She'd been walking past her usual KFC right at noon. On a whim, she'd pulled out her phone, planning to stand just outside and leech off their Wi-Fi to quickly log into her mobile game and claim her daily stamina. Just then, the huge KFC sign above the entrance suddenly detached and fell, striking her dead center...
She figured she must have died, because when she next woke up, she found herself in an unfamiliar place, inhabiting the body of a ten-year-old girl named Selene.
At first, she had no idea where she was. It was just a small, remote village, cut off from most news. Then, one day, she heard her master, Koshiro, mention the name "Pirate King Roger," and everything clicked into place with a stunning shock.
She finally understood: she had somehow landed in the world of One Piece. And this village... this was Shimotsuki Village in the East Blue!
She never would have imagined that leeching Wi-Fi could lead to transmigration. Although she was a huge One Piece fan herself, having it actually happen to her felt utterly surreal.
Was leeching Wi-Fi such a crime?! Give a girl a break!
Her mind still reeling, she walked back towards the village. Soon, Selene reached the entrance to a dojo. Standing outside, waiting for her, was a middle-aged man with round glasses, long black hair tied in a ponytail, and a gentle, unassuming smile.
"Master!"
Seeing the man, Selene quickened her pace, calling out, "Here's this week's newspaper!"
This was her master, Koshiro. In this life, Selene was an orphan he had taken in years ago, raising her and teaching her swordsmanship at his dojo.
Koshiro accepted the newspaper and gave Selene's head a gentle pat. "Good work," he said with a smile.
It was meant as an affectionate gesture, but while her body was that of a ten-year-old, her mind was still an adult's. How could she not feel awkward about being patted on the head? The whole situation felt incredibly strange.
Thankfully, Master Koshiro didn't seem to notice her discomfort. He began reading the paper as he walked into the dojo, and Selene followed him inside.
"The Red Hair Pirates? What are they doing in the East Blue?" Koshiro murmured, looking somewhat concerned after reading the headline.
Walking behind him, Selene couldn't help but roll her eyes slightly. She knew exactly why Koshiro was worried. While Shanks was portrayed as a decent guy in the story she knew, he was still undeniably a pirate. Master Koshiro's concern about pirates showing up nearby was understandable. However, Selene knew Shanks's appearance in the East Blue was brief and centered around Foosha Village; he wouldn't be coming anywhere near Shimotsuki.
So, Master Koshiro's worry was unfounded.
Foosha Village... Selene recalled. That was Luffy's hometown, wasn't it? Shanks's visit there would lead to that fateful meeting with the future Pirate King.
Lost in thought, she was startled when Koshiro gently tapped her head again. "Selene, what are you daydreaming about? It's time. Gather your junior disciples for practice."
"Yes, Master!" Selene replied, her shoulders slumping slightly.
If there was one thing about this new life that truly grated on Selene's nerves, it was the scheduled sword-swinging practice. Why? Simple. Could you picture it? Lining up shoulder-to-shoulder with a bunch of sniffling, gap-toothed little kids, all chanting rhythmically while swinging bamboo swords?
The feeling was just... mind-numbingly dull. And slightly embarrassing.
Soon enough, all the dojo disciples were assembled, standing in two neat lines on either side of the training hall, bamboo swords (shinai) in hand, ready to begin.
All the kids learning here were from Shimotsuki Village, and aside from herself and Kuina, they were all boys. Selene glanced across at the opposite line – a motley crew of varying heights and builds. Her own line wasn't much better. To her immediate left stood a little kid with glasses so thick they looked like the bottoms of cola bottles; whenever Selene looked at him, she swore his eyes were just hypnotic swirls. Next to him was a little boy with a shaved head, whose runny nose performed a constant, disgusting yo-yo act – dripping down, sniffle, sucked back up, only to drip down again. Further down the line was a boy with curly hair, though 'styled' might be too generous. It was more like... Frieza's first form, if Frieza had male pattern baldness: a receding patch in the middle with tufts sticking out like horns on either side...
They were a collection of oddballs, frankly. A sight so awkward Selene had to look away... She honestly wondered about Master Koshiro's criteria for accepting students...
Thankfully, amidst this rather pathetic scene, there was one shining exception: Kuina, standing at the head of the opposite line.
Kuina. Master Koshiro's daughter. Clear, bright eyes, a smart cap of short black hair, dressed in practical, boyish training clothes. She carried herself with a stubborn, sharp intensity that made her stand out dramatically from the gaggle of younger kids – a crane among chickens, indeed.
As Selene glanced her way, Kuina happened to look over too. She didn't speak, but offered Selene a small, knowing smile. In that moment, Selene could almost hear Kuina's usual, respectful greeting: "Big Sis Selene!"
As Master Koshiro's adopted daughter, Selene was a few months older than Kuina. Yet, Kuina was undeniably the strongest in the dojo; even Selene, the eldest disciple, couldn't defeat her in a spar. Despite this, Kuina always respectfully addressed her as 'Big Sis'.
Because of this, even though Selene now inhabited this body, she held a genuine affection for the younger girl.
Stubborn, yes, but Kuina was fundamentally a well-raised, disciplined child.
Master Koshiro's voice cut through her thoughts, signaling the start of practice. Selene focused her mind and began swinging her shinai in time with his commands.
"Strike!" "Recover!" "Strike!" "Recover!"
Selene performed the swings diligently. With each movement of the bamboo sword, a distinct notification sound echoed in her mind.
"You performed Sword Swing Practice. Basic Swordsmanship Proficiency +1!"
"You performed Sword Swing Practice. Basic Swordsmanship Proficiency +1!"
"You performed Sword Swing Practice. Basic Swordsmanship Proficiency +1!"
"You performed Sword Swing Practice. Basic Swordsmanship Proficiency +1!"
...
Watching One Piece back in her old life, Selene had thrilled at the epic battles and shed tears over the powerful bonds between the Straw Hats. But strip away the adventure, and the world of One Piece was undeniably harsh and dangerous. The body she now inhabited, Selene's body, wasn't naturally talented. Despite years of training under Koshiro, the original Selene had shown little progress in swordsmanship. If things stayed that way, Selene had seriously considered just living out a quiet, safe life here in Shimotsuki Village.
Fortunately, however, during her very first sword practice session after arriving, Selene discovered something unexpected had come with her.
Perhaps it was the bizarre circumstance of her death – getting crushed while trying to log into a mobile game – but Selene found that the very game she'd been playing seemed to have imprinted itself onto her soul, accompanying her into this new world.
It was slightly laughable, really. The game was some random, chaotic gacha title Selene had downloaded – a fairly typical, probably unlicensed, knock-off.
It was a card-based gacha game. You had a main character avatar and could pull cards featuring characters from all sorts of anime and games to build teams for battles. It had a wild, crossover-brawl feel. Selene had originally picked it up precisely because it featured so many characters she recognized, thinking it might be fun. She never expected that this mutated version of the game would become her key to potentially surviving and thriving in this world.