Chapter 2 - Chapter 1 Marco Phoenix

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In the vast and untamed ocean of the New World, where the rebellious waters stretch as far as the eye can see, rare islands emerge that defy the blue immensity. On one of these desolate islands, there is a lush forest, an oasis of life in the midst of desolation...

As the morning sun rose on the horizon, its golden rays pierced through the dense forest, drawing patterns of light and shadow on the leaf-covered ground. The breeze, laden with the salty scent of the sea and the freshness of the vegetation, swept through.

In the middle of this scene lay a man on a bed of leaves, his face exhausted and his hair resembling a pineapple.

With a painful throb piercing his mind, slowly pulling him from his slumber, the pineapple-headed man opened his eyes with difficulty, "Argh…". He found himself staring at a dark green sky, formed by the dense canopies of gigantic trees towering like buildings, filling his nose with the fresh scent of wet leaves and moss.

"Eh?..." He blinked, disoriented, his thoughts still lingering on images of the hospital: the white, cold walls, the repetitive beeping of machines, and the constant pain.

But here… in this strange and wild place, the pain was different. More raw, more immediate. He sat up with effort, feeling every muscle protest, every bone in his body exhausted and aching.

"What is happening…" As he tried to make sense of his surroundings, a shocking fact hit him: this was not his body. The hands he now raised before his eyes were larger, rougher, and covered in scars. The body he now possessed was more robust, and much taller than the one he once had. But it was also markedly exhausted, as if it had been pushed to its limits.

"Where am I?" he murmured, his voice hoarse and resonant to his own ears. It took him a moment to stand up, the leaves crunching under his bare feet. He looked up, observing the colossal trees surrounding him, with their thick trunks and twisted roots. It was a forest like none he had ever seen, with a unique beauty.

"Argh…!" A sudden pain from his insides jolted him out of his stupor and his expression changed to one of excitement.

At first, confusion and disbelief mixed with a growing euphoria. He looked at his hands once more, clenching them tightly, marveling at the palpable strength in them. The memory of the fragile, sick body he had left behind hit him again, but this time, it came with a wave of gratitude. He had a second chance, a strong and capable body.

He extended his arms and spun around, laughing even louder, enjoying the sensation of the fresh air on his face, the sun warming his skin. He could run, jump, fight if necessary. His possibilities were endless, and it filled him with unparalleled energy.

"I'm alive!" he shouted, his voice echoing among the trees. "Truly alive!"

Originally, he was a young man with a terminal illness on Earth. His name was Adam.

In the days when he fought to survive, he changed his name to Marco, inspired by his favorite character from One Piece: Phoenix Marco. He longed to have the power of the Phoenix Fruit, a unique power that would allow him to overcome his illness.

Although his situation seemed out of place, hope kept him strong. Even when facing a terminal illness, he continued to exercise and wished to live.

But… he couldn't overcome the illness after all.

Now, with a new body, with a resolute smile and eyes shining with determination, he clenched his fist tightly and struck the giant tree in front of him.

Boom!

But what he never expected was for the tree to shatter into a thousand pieces, leaving only the roots of the trunk and his hand burning with blue-yellow flames. This scene left him stunned: "Eh…? And these flames…?"

"Zummm~!" At that moment, a vast amount of memories surged from the depths of his mind…

Moments after receiving the memories, it was like being struck by lightning: "Did I take Marco the Phoenix's body… and I'm in the world of One Piece?!"

"What?!" Surprised by this surreal revelation, his heart started to race with excitement. But the more memories he inspected, the more his excitement faded with each minute.

"I'm currently recovering… just like in the canon, after the war, most of the remaining members of the Whitebeard Pirates 'fought' against the Blackbeard Pirates, resulting in a catastrophic defeat and those who survived that battle fled…"

Currently, the Blackbeard Pirates are surely searching for him everywhere, wanting to completely destroy Whitebeard's legacy.

And to top it off, the other forces of the sea surely won't sit idly by watching all this.

One of them is Edward Weevil, who wants to kill all the Whitebeard Pirates by order of his mother. The two Yonkos, Kaido and Big Mom, are trying to take all the territories from the Whitebeard Pirates. And Akainu surely won't just watch; even the World Government is secretly sending people from the CP Agencies.

"So, everyone wants me dead?! This starting difficulty is very high…" As he processed all these memories, he felt a flood of complicated emotions about it. It was as if God himself had put a price on him to live a new life. However, in the midst of the storm of thoughts, a clarity began to emerge.

Adam—now Marco—took a deep breath, letting the fresh air fill his lungs and calm his mind. He had dreamed of this opportunity, desired this strength, and now he had it. He looked at his hands once more, feeling the power within them. The life that had been taken from him by illness now offered him a second chance, full of challenges, but also of possibilities and adventures.

"If everyone wants me dead, then they'll have to fight to get it," he murmured with determination. "I've fought against death once, and I won't give up now!!"

With that firm resolve in his heart, "Marco" closed his eyes and focused all his being on the latent power within him. Blue flames began to envelop his body. He felt a surge of burning, one that filled him from within. In a burst of light and fire, his human form began to fade, transforming into the majestic figure of a Phoenix.

The blue flames engulfed his new body, his wings spread with a dazzling glow, and with a powerful flap, he soared into the air.

Flying over the forest, the Phoenix let out a piercing and melodious cry that resonated through the air:

"Screeee-aaaaw!"

...

TMP

"Uh, huh!" He flew for a while before landing. At that moment, he was completely sure that he had not only replaced Marco, but also inherited his combat skills, his memory, and everything that made Marco who he was.

"I desperately wanted to survive on Earth, but I failed. However, now that I have traveled through time, I will never let death catch me again. Those who want to kill me… Weevil, Blackbeard, Kaido, Akainu… one day, I will face them all."

[Ding]

At that moment, a robotic voice sounded in his mind:

[It has been detected that the host has an acceptable will. Requirements are met, and the system begins to bind… 0%… 10%… 66%… 100%. The system has been successfully bound.]

Binding?

Marco was stunned. Not only had he become the real Marco, but he had also obtained the blessing of the "golden finger" system, just like other protagonists.

This was simply… perfect.

After calming down, Marco asked, "System, what is your name?"

[This system is called the Assistance System.]

"What functions do you have?"

[I cannot tell you, host. You need to discover them one by one yourself.]

"Eh…" Marco was surprised. He hesitated before asking, "System, are you serious? I just ask you to describe your functions."

[Host, you don't need to worry about that. Right now, you have received a beginner's gift package,] the system replied in an offended tone.

"Open the beginner's gift package right now!" Marco responded, eager to see what was inside the gift.

The gift package gradually opened. [0%… 10%… 66%… 100%. The opening was successful.]

[🎉🎉Congratulations, host, for obtaining 'Complete Elimination of Side Effects, x1! This ability allows you to ignore the curse of the devil fruit and resist Sea-Prism Stone and seawater.]

[🎉🎉Congratulations, host, for obtaining 'Perfect Recovery from Injuries' x1! Although the Dark Fruit ability of Blackbeard damaged your physical base, this ability will allow you to fully heal in a short period of time.]

[🎉🎉Congratulations, host…]