East China Sea, a certain sea area.
A young man stood silently on a boat, gazing out at the endless expanse of water. The world before him was a pure shade of blue. A thin veil of mist hovered above the surface, while the breeze carried with it the crisp fragrance of the open sea.
The boy's name was Raion. He was a 16-year-old high school student who, just over a month ago, had somehow crossed into this world while watching the One Piece anime.
In his previous life, Raion's existence had been nothing special—an average family background, average height, and average looks. There was hardly anything remarkable about him, nothing that would make anyone turn their head twice.
He had once thought that traveling to this world would be his chance to achieve great ambitions, to live a life of excitement and purpose. But reality greeted him with nothing but a cruel twist of fate, one that filled him with bitter frustration.
Other people who crossed into this world often found themselves in enviable positions—becoming the relatives of high-ranking Navy officers like Sengoku or Garp, or even the younger brother of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger.
But what about Raion?
He had been captured and thrown onto a pirate ship, working as a lowly deckhand at the very bottom. Day after day, he was forced to do the roughest tasks—repairing the ship, dropping the anchor, handling the sails, and hauling heavy cargo.
A miserable existence.
The captain of this ship was none other than "[Joker] Bucky," a man with the powers of the Chop-Chop Fruit and a bounty of 6 million berries. Though Bucky was considered a small-time pirate compared to the real powerhouses of the East Blue—like the so-called "immortal body" with a 15-million-berry bounty—life under him was nothing short of harsh.
With a sharp "pop," Raion felt a stinging slap on the back of his head. He instinctively clutched it and turned around, only to find himself staring into the fierce eyes of a rough, stubble-faced man.
This man's name was Tom, an ordinary crew member of the Bucky Pirates who relied on brute strength and took great pleasure in bullying those weaker than himself.
"Boy, you seem to have plenty of free time. Have you finished loading the ammunition Lord Bucky ordered?" Tom barked. "And here you are, staring at the sea like you have nothing better to do?"
Raion said nothing. He was forced out of the lower deck by Tom and continued the tiresome task of filling the ammunition.
It wasn't that Raion didn't want to fight back—he simply couldn't. He still remembered the day after he had been captured, when Tom had tried to push him around and he had dared to resist. He was beaten so brutally that it took an entire week for his wounds to heal.
Although Raion wasn't someone who feared the heavens or the earth, he understood the truth of an old saying: a hero doesn't suffer unnecessary losses.
With no power to protect himself, lashing out would only lead to more injuries.
"When I become stronger, I'll make you pay for this!" Raion vowed in his heart.
But how could he become stronger? That was the problem. Strength was not something that fell into your lap like a gift from the sky.
In this world, true power could be divided into three paths: Devil Fruits, Martial Arts, and Swordsmanship.
To obtain a Devil Fruit required sheer luck. Maybe you'd stumble upon one while exploring an island—or maybe you'd buy one if you had a mountain of gold. Even the weakest fruits could cost upwards of 100 million berries. Another way would be to steal one from someone who already possessed it, but that required strength to begin with.
Raion had none of these advantages. For now, Devil Fruits were nothing more than a distant dream.
There was also martial arts and swordsmanship. Even if Raion did hundreds of push-ups or squats every day, all it would achieve was making his body a little stronger—just enough to take a beating. It would never be enough to stand against the Bucky Pirates.
And it wasn't as if he could train properly on this ship. There was no way to learn advanced combat techniques like the [Six Styles]. If Raion had even one of those moves—say, the [Finger Pistol]—he could easily pierce Tom full of holes.
But reality mocked him.
If things stayed like this, when would he ever rise above? Would he spend his life being bullied, humiliated, and worked to the bone on this ridiculous clown's ship—only to be discarded when he was too old or broken to be useful, left to die miserable and alone?
Why was fate so cruel to him?
His thoughts turned darker and darker, his disappointment hardening into despair.
At some point, Raion drifted off to sleep on the icy planks of the lower deck, weighed down by hopelessness.
The next morning, while Raion was still sleeping, heavy footsteps echoed down the stairs leading to the lowest deck. Tom appeared, as merciless as ever, and kicked him awake without hesitation.
Raion's tired eyes burned with anger, but Tom didn't care. In fact, he found it amusing. He wanted to see what the boy would dare do.
To him, Raion's glare was nothing more than the defiance of a cornered kitten—a pitiful roar from the weak.
Tom grinned mockingly. "What's this? Are you unhappy?" he sneered, grabbing Raion by the hair and shaking his head violently.
Raion's rage boiled over, and he threw a punch…
It was useless. His thin frame and lack of strength made the blow feel weaker than a mosquito bite.
Tom caught his fist with ease.
"You dare hit me, brat? I'll kill you for this!" Tom roared, slamming his own fist into Raion's face. Raion crashed onto the deck, a fresh red mark across his cheek, his teeth rattling as if they'd shatter.
Still not satisfied, Tom kicked him hard, sending him rolling across the floor until he slammed against the cabin wall.
Raion's body ached all over, but he did not utter a single cry of pain.
"Let that be a lesson, boy. Do as I say, or I'll beat you like this three times a day!" Tom spat. "Now get back to work. Don't just sit there like some useless maiden."
With a triumphant smirk, Tom strutted away, humming to himself as though he were a conquering hero.
Raion slowly picked himself up, gritting his teeth against the pain.
This was the fate of the weak—no dignity, no rights, barely even the means to survive.
He recalled the words of Crocodile, one of the Shichibukai:"Weakness itself is a sin."
No. He had to grow stronger.
Stronger…?
The very idea almost felt like a cruel joke. Where was he supposed to find the power to change his fate?
There seemed to be no way forward.
And yet, a single thought began to take root in Raion's mind.
Assassinate Tom.
Even if it meant dying in the attempt, he would rather go down fighting than spend his life under this scumbag's heel.
Why fear death, when living like this is no different from being dead already?