A New World — Somewhere in the Vast Sea
The sun hung high in the sky, casting a brilliant golden glow that shimmered across the endless blue ocean.
Splash!!!
A massive pirate ship cut through the waves, leaving a trail of ripples in its wake.
On the deck, a crowd of rowdy pirates laughed, drank, and shouted over each other.
"Hahaha! Captain, this time we hit the jackpot! We raided a merchant ship and even found a Devil Fruit! If we sell it, we'll make a fortune!" one pirate bellowed.
"Yeah, though that damned merchant ship had some tough guards. We lost a few brothers… but with all the jewels and this Devil Fruit, I'd say it was worth it!" another added.
"Those fools really didn't know who they were dealing with! They actually forced our captain to take the field himself! Don't they know our captain has a 300 million Berry bounty and is famous throughout the New World?"
The group erupted in laughter and cheers.
At the center of the noisy crowd stood their captain — Anos, a towering, vicious man whose very presence commanded fear. His bounty: 300 million Berries.
"Enough chatter," Anos said with a grin. "Once we sell this Devil Fruit, we'll all live like kings for a while."
"Captain is awesome!!!"
"Captain is awesome!!!"
"Captain is awesome!!!"
Their shouts shook the deck.
Just then, the helmsman turned and called out, "Captain! There's a small boat up ahead!"
"A boat?" Anos raised an eyebrow. "You're bothering me over something that trivial?"
"I–I understand, Captain!" The helmsman nodded nervously, then barked to the gunners,
"Fire! Sink that small boat!!!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!!!
The ship's cannons roared, launching jet-black shells toward the tiny vessel.
Whoosh!!!
Suddenly, a figure sprang from the small boat, drawing a gleaming blade that sliced through every incoming cannonball in midair.
BOOM!!!
The shells exploded harmlessly in the sky, scattering plumes of black smoke.
"This is such a headache," the figure muttered, landing gracefully on the pirate ship's deck. "I haven't had a decent night's sleep since I set sail."
His name was El.
He wasn't from this world.
He had come from a distant blue planet — Earth.
It had been six months since he'd arrived here. The more he learned about this world, the more he realized it wasn't the One Piece timeline he knew.
It wasn't the era of the Great Pirate Roger.
It was far older — the Age of Rocks.
In this brutal era, the strong ruled the seas, and danger lurked at every turn. The level of chaos and bloodshed far exceeded anything from the new era.
But El wasn't afraid. He had a reason to brave this world — a power that made him different.
Upon transmigrating, he awakened a cheat-like ability:
[Sage System]
Host: El
Armament Haki: 900 / 1000
Observation Haki: 900 / 1000
Conqueror's Haki: 700 / 1000
Special Ability: Sage Body (Beginner Level) — Progress: 950 / 1000
(Progress increases through training or combat. When full, the Sage Body levels up, greatly enhancing strength, martial prowess, and recovery speed, and grants one chance at a special lottery.)
Unlocked Special Ability: Celestial Eyes
(Will unlock once the host reaches an advanced level of the Sage Body.)
Nine-Tails Binding: Not yet activated (requires a Devil Fruit to trigger).
The three types of Haki were gifts from the system — his "newbie package" upon entering this world.
Along with that, the system had directly imprinted the most advanced Haki training methods into his mind.
After a full year of training, El was only a hundred steps away from mastering the second stage of both Armament Haki and Observation Haki.
As for Conqueror's Haki, it couldn't be trained in the same way—its growth depended solely on one's mental strength. Currently, El's Conqueror's Haki level stood at 700.
The Sage Body was another ability El had gained after transmigrating into this world.
To be precise, upon his arrival, the system gave him a choice:
he could either obtain the Sage Body or the Sage Eye.
In the Naruto world, the Sage Body is a rare and powerful constitution, granting its possessor immense physical power, regenerative ability, and vast reserves of chakra.
Here, in the world of One Piece, that chakra was converted into pure physical energy—resulting in an incredibly durable physique, rapid recovery, and overwhelming combat potential.
At present, El's body was comparable to that of Charlotte Linlin when she was a child—nearly invincible.
Blades and bullets couldn't pierce his skin, and even cannonballs barely left a mark.
His resilience rivaled that of ancient Zoan-type creatures, and as his Sage Body continued to evolve, his recovery would only grow stronger.
In terms of stamina and combat endurance, El's performance after a year of training and countless battles at sea was remarkable—his strength had yet to hit its limit.
As for the Sage Eye—in simpler terms, it referred to the Rinnegan from the Naruto world, a divine power capable of shaking the heavens themselves.
After weighing the pros and cons, El ultimately chose the Sage Body.
In the world of One Piece, true power lies in one's physique and combat ability; without them, even the strongest could fall to a surprise attack.
Currently, El's Sage Body was only 50 points away from reaching the mid-stage.
He could hardly wait—because once it advanced, his physical power, speed, and regeneration would all experience a dramatic boost.
And according to the system's notes, reaching the mid-stage would also unlock a special reward.
El didn't know what that reward would be, but he was certain of one thing—anything granted by the system was never ordinary.
As for the Nine-Tails, he hadn't yet formed a bond with it.
That was because one crucial requirement remained unmet: a Devil Fruit.
Finding one was among the main goals of his current voyage.
After all, Devil Fruits were treasures of the sea—rare, mysterious, and incredibly hard to find.
But if El could locate one and successfully bind it to the Nine-Tailed Fox, his strength would soar to unimaginable heights.
The Nine-Tails, after all, was a creature of pure destruction—a being feared even among gods.
Returning to the present—
El stood at the bow of his ship, blade in hand, watching as a small boat slowly approached across the waves.
Tread!
With a single leap, he soared through the air and landed squarely on the enemy pirate ship.