The winds blew calmly, and birds chirped in harmony as the sun blazed brightly upon the land. The continuous splashing of water echoed on the earth's surface, accompanied by the ripples created each time a fish jumped from the water. In that moment, a sudden gust of wind rushed through, causing the trees to sway vigorously. The breeze, gentle yet violent, rustled the boy's hair, which seemed to be sweating profusely.
"497... 498... 499... 500..." the boy exclaimed, his voice steady despite the effort. He was currently doing push-ups. The boy appeared to be around 5 feet tall, with an immature face, yet a cold and sharp look reflected in the depths of his dark brown eyes. His black, long, twisted hair was styled with the sides of his head shaved, giving him a look reminiscent of Levi.
He slowly pushed himself up, exhaled deeply, and walked over to the tree where he had been training. He grabbed a white towel, wiped his face, and placed it back down. Afterward, he opened a half-finished water bottle and drank it, sitting down slowly.
"Sphew," he exhaled, wiping his forehead. "It's already been six months since I was reincarnated into this world."
Right at that moment, the warm and welcoming sun shone on his body from under the shade of the tree, revealing his brown skin and the cold, indifferent expression on his face. Yes, it had been over half a year since Joshua Williams died and was reincarnated into the world of One Piece.
It felt like just another day when Joshua was sitting in his rented one-room apartment, watching anime. He didn't have any parents. His mother had died in a plane crash when he was around eight. As for his father, Joshua still had no idea who he was. His aunt took him in after his mother's death, but she didn't care for him much, and her children often got him into trouble. This led to repeated abuse. So, when Joshua turned 14, he ran away and was later taken in by an orphanage, leaving at 17 to fend for himself.
So, that's how he ended up where he was.
Joshua had paused his anime and decided to grab some groceries. He got ready and headed out. As he reached the pedestrian crossing, he waited for a few minutes. Seeing no vehicles coming, he proceeded to cross the street.
"Wow, the new Solo Leveling chapter is out!" Joshua said excitedly, his eyes glued to his phone as he stepped into the middle of the road.
At that moment, a car sped toward him. The driver, clearly drunk, was swerving in and out of lanes. Joshua was surprised and frightened, but his mind went blank, and his body became unresponsive. The only thing he knew for sure was that his phone slipped from his hand just as—BOOM—the vehicle hit him. The impact sent him flying, breaking multiple bones, before he crashed into a construction site nearby. His sight faded gradually, until it went completely dark.
The next time Joshua woke up, he found himself on this very island. Though he had partially figured out his current situation, he wasn't particularly surprised. As someone who had watched anime and read manga and light novels about reincarnation, this was just another typical scenario. But then, he heard it—Ding...