A Ghost Town
Shells Town was... empty.
Well, not literally. I could see curtains moving at windows, half-open doors closing hastily as I passed, shadows moving behind shutters. But the streets? Deserted. Not a cat. Not a merchant. Not a visible inhabitant.
"What the hell is this?" I muttered, looking around.
A heavy atmosphere crushed the town. That of fear. Of terror, even. People were hiding, and for good reason apparently.
[NO ANOMALY DETECTED]
"Yeah, thanks, very helpful."
I walked slowly down the main street, my steps echoing strangely in the silence. Then, in the distance, noises reached me. Shouts. Gunshots. The metallic clinking of weapons.
My heart accelerated.
"It's coming from the Marine base."
I started running, climbing the hill toward the noises. The closer I got, the clearer the sounds became. Shouted orders. Detonations. And above all...
"ZORO! ZORO! CATCH!"
That voice. I'd recognize it anywhere.
Monkey D. Luffy.
Chaos at the Marine Base
I arrived at the top of the hill, out of breath – well, not really out of breath, more excited – and discovered a spectacle that confirmed all my expectations.
A tall, muscular guy with green hair, tied to an execution post. Roronoa Zoro. The pirate hunter. The future right-hand man of the Pirate King.
A kid with a straw hat running around like crazy holding three swords above his head. Luffy. Without a doubt.
And all around... dozens of Marines, weapons raised, encircling the area.
At the center of this chaos stood a ridiculous man. Tall, blond, with huge axes attached to his arms like grotesque extensions. Morgan the Axe. The corrupt captain who terrorized the town.
"ZORO!" Luffy shouted, throwing the swords.
The pirate hunter caught them mid-flight with his teeth – yes, with his TEETH – and cut his bonds in one fluid motion. He landed on his feet, one blade in each hand, the third between his teeth.
"Finally," he growled. "I was getting tired of this."
The Marines tightened around them, rifles aimed, sabers drawn.
And me? I was on the periphery of this circle, completely ignored, watching the scene like a spectator at a street show.
"Well," I murmured to myself. "What do I do now?"
I wasn't a superhuman. Not a Devil Fruit user. Just an immortal guy with an SCP Foundation in his pocket and absolutely NO combat skills.
"Maybe I should just..."
[HOSTILE PRESENCE DETECTED]
[DISTANCE: 3 METERS]
[THREAT LEVEL: LOW]
I froze. What?
"Hey, you!"
I turned around slowly.
A kid. Maybe fifteen. Blond, with a ridiculous crown and an arrogant smile that boded nothing good. Morgan's son. Helmeppo.
"Who are you? A spectator? You want to die with these pirates?"
He pulled a pistol from his belt and pointed it at me with the stupid confidence of someone who's never really known danger.
"My father is Captain Morgan! I can do whatever I want! And you, you look like a beggar who..."
Something in me snapped.
Maybe the frustration of being ignored. Maybe the adrenaline of the situation. Maybe just the desire to show I wasn't a weak person.
Or maybe it was just because this kid was REALLY annoying.
"System," I said calmly. "Summon the door. Now."
[SUMMONING IN PROGRESS...]
Helmeppo blinked. "What? What are you..."
The door materialized.
Not in front of me, as usual.
Right next to Helmeppo.
I grabbed him by his shirt collar, pulled him toward me, then – in a move that would defy all normal physical logic – I threw him directly against the metal door that had just appeared.
CLANG!
The sound echoed like a bell. The door didn't move an inch. Indestructible. Anchored in reality by the system's will.
Helmeppo, however, bounced like a tennis ball thrown against a concrete wall.
"ARGH!"
He collapsed to the ground, a bump the size of an egg instantly growing on his forehead.
Silence fell over the Marine base courtyard.
Everyone – Marines, Luffy, Zoro, even Morgan – stared at me with expressions ranging from total confusion to absolute disbelief.
Then Luffy burst out laughing.
"GYAHAHAHA! HE SMASHED HIS HEAD WITH A DOOR! A DOOR!"
The boy doubled over, holding his stomach, tears in his eyes. "THAT'S TOO FUNNY! WHERE DID THAT DOOR COME FROM?!"
Zoro looked at him with exasperation. "Luffy, we're in the middle of a..."
"BUT DID YOU SEE?! A DOOR! BOOM! RIGHT IN THE FACE!"
Even a few Marines exchanged confused looks, not knowing whether to laugh or intervene.
Morgan, however, was not amused.
"WHO ARE YOU?!" he roared, pointing his axe at me. "HOW DARE YOU STRIKE CAPTAIN MORGAN'S SON?!"
I looked at the door still standing there, then Helmeppo groaning on the ground, then the furious captain.
"Marc," I replied simply. "My name is Marc. And your son provoked me."
"PROVOKED?! YOU'RE GOING TO DIE FOR..."
"Dad..." Helmeppo groaned, struggling to his feet. "He pulled a door out of NOWHERE... What is this thing?!"
[SYMBIOSIS: 53%]
[ADVICE: FLEEING WOULD BE A VIABLE OPTION]
"Flee?" I murmured. "Seriously?"
[YOUR IMMORTALITY DOES NOT GRANT YOU MARTIAL SKILLS]
[MORGAN IS AN EXPERIENCED FIGHTER]
"Yeah, valid point."
I looked at Luffy still laughing like crazy, Zoro sighing while preparing his sabers, and Morgan starting to charge at me with his axes raised.
"Well," I said, slowly backing up. "Maybe I acted a bit hastily."
The door disappeared in a shimmer, leaving me completely exposed facing a furious Marine captain charging straight at me.
"DIE!"
The axe came down.
I closed my eyes by reflex.
And I heard metal clashing against metal.
I opened my eyes.
Zoro stood in front of me, his three sabers blocking Morgan's axe in a perfect cross.
"Hey," he said without looking at me. "You're with us now. So move."
Luffy appeared at my side, still smiling. "You're too funny! I like you! Want to join my crew?!"
I blinked. "What?"
"MY CREW! I'm going to become the Pirate King! And you, you have a magic door! That's cool!"
"Luffy," Zoro growled, pushing Morgan back. "We're fighting here."
"Oh yeah, that's right!"
And just like that, without further ceremony, I found myself in the middle of a battle between the future Mugiwara and Shells Town's Marines.
All because I had smashed a pretentious kid's head with a dimensional door.
[WELCOME TO ONE PIECE, DIRECTOR]
"Shut up," I muttered, dodging a Marine charging at me.
The adventure had begun.
[END OF CHAPTER 3]
[ANOMALIES CAPTURED: 1/???]
[NEW AFFILIATION: STRAW HAT CREW (PROBABLY)]
[SCP-006 SYMBIOSIS: 53%]
[STATUS: IN COMBAT]
[NOTE: SUMMONING A DOOR AS A WEAPON IS INEFFECTIVE BUT HILARIOUS]