A flash of white light, and Linton suddenly found himself in a bustling tavern. His sudden appearance caused the whole place to fall silent. Every eye turned towards him in surprise—after all, it's not every day someone appears out of thin air with a flash of light.
Linton was just as stunned. He hadn't expected to show up here. He had explored a few other places before, and they were mostly deserted. But this time, he was dropped right into a lively crowd, and the situation felt awkward.
For a moment, the people stared at him, and Linton stared back. After a short standoff, one of the patrons turned away and resumed drinking. Soon enough, everyone followed suit, returning to their meals and conversations, and the tavern was lively again.
Linton found this strange, but also a bit amusing. He had been wondering what to do next, but these people seemed to accept his sudden appearance without much fuss. It dawned on him that people in this world were used to strange abilities and powers, so seeing someone pop up out of nowhere wasn't a big deal.
While his entrance did surprise everyone, they quickly shrugged it off and went back to minding their own business.
Linton felt relieved. This time, he had chosen not to explore the previous worlds. The Naruto world's exploration rate had already reached 68%, and he figured it would be hard to get it to 100%. The points he could earn there wouldn't be much. On the other hand, the Marvel world, with only 1% exploration, was way too dangerous. A cosmic overlord could appear at any moment, and who could handle that?
So, after some thought, Linton decided to venture into a new world, one that ideally had superpowers. He wanted to learn new skills, and battles between strong characters would likely earn him more points. Based on what he'd seen so far, this world seemed to meet those criteria.
With that, Linton walked over to the bar and sat down. Although his entrance was abrupt, since no one cared anymore, he figured he might as well relax and have a drink. His first priority was to understand this world, and a tavern, a hub of information, was the perfect place for that. Since he was here, he might as well gather some intel.
"Give me a drink," Linton said to the bartender.
The bartender, without a word, poured a large mug of beer and handed it to him before walking away.
Linton took a sip. Not bad—it had a bit of a raw, earthy taste, likely not fully fermented, but drinkable. He quickly shifted his focus to the other patrons. From what he could tell, the place had a medieval vibe, with most people dressed in old-fashioned attire, though a few had some bizarre outfits.
While he was observing, someone suddenly sat down next to him, placing a mug on the table and asking, "Hey there, what's your name?"
"Linton," he replied.
"Linton?" The man paused, thinking for a moment, clearly not recognizing the name. He then asked, "Which pirate crew are you from?"
"Pirate crew?" Linton froze for a second but quickly caught on to the key word. The mention of pirate crews helped him realize where he might be.
"I haven't joined a pirate crew yet," Linton answered, playing along. He didn't know who this guy was, but the man seemed good at striking up conversations, which meant he probably had useful information. Since Linton was looking for intel, there was no harm in chatting.
"My name is Dorono, from the Crag Pirates," the man introduced himself. "You haven't joined a crew? So what brings you here?"
"Just handling some business," Linton replied curtly, signaling that he didn't want to be questioned further.
"Got it," Dorono said, unfazed by Linton's evasiveness. He clinked his mug against Linton's, and the two exchanged casual conversation. Linton could tell Dorono was still trying to figure out his identity, likely wary that Linton might be with the Navy or the World Government.
At this point, Linton was almost certain he had landed in the world of *One Piece*. The clues from his surroundings and his conversation with Dorono all pointed in that direction. But he needed to confirm the time period and location to make his next move.
"Any big news lately?" Linton asked, trying to get a better sense of where and when he was.
"Big news? Oh, the biggest thing recently is the arrival of the Spade Pirates," Dorono said.
"Spade Pirates?" Linton felt a flicker of recognition. The name sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.
Seeing Linton's confusion, Dorono quickly added, "You know, the crew founded by Fire Fist Ace. He's a notorious pirate with a 220 million bounty. Been making quite a stir lately."
"Fire Fist Ace." The name clicked, and Linton realized why it sounded so familiar. Ace's pirate crew had existed before the main story, but it later merged with Whitebeard's crew. Since the Spade Pirates were still around, that meant the story hadn't reached the main plotline yet.
After a moment of reflection, Linton recalled that Ace had set sail a few years before Luffy did. He wasn't sure of the exact year, but he had enough information now to understand the general timeframe.
"He's here?" Linton asked.
"Yeah," Dorono nodded. "The guy's a bit reckless, even said he's going to challenge Whitebeard. He's probably headed to Whitebeard's territory, but it's laughable. He'll be lucky to hold his own in the New World, let alone take on one of the Four Emperors."
"The New World, huh?" Linton realized where he was—one of the islands in the New World. Now that he understood the situation, he began to form a plan. Since he had crossed paths with Ace, there was no way he was going to let this opportunity slip by.
"The Spade Pirates are on the island now?" Linton asked. "Do you know where?"
"You're looking for them?" Dorono seemed surprised. "You planning to capture them?"
"I'm not with the Navy or the World Government," Linton clarified. "I just have some history with their captain."
"Oh, gotcha," Dorono said, though he didn't seem to believe Linton fully. "Their ship's docked at the southern port. I reckon most of the crew is in town getting supplies."
"Thanks," Linton said, getting up to leave. But just as he was about to head out, the bartender called out, "280 berries."
Linton froze, realizing he hadn't paid for the drink. The problem was, he had no money—he had just arrived in this world and didn't have any local currency. As he was trying to figure out what to do, Dorono noticed his hesitation and waved it off. "Put it on my tab, boss."
"Thanks," Linton said, quickly heading out. He figured the easiest way to find Ace would be to head to their ship at the southern port. Just as he was about to set off, he heard a commotion nearby. Turning around, he saw a group of people chasing someone in his direction, yelling, "Catch him! He skipped out on his bill!"
Linton squinted, and sure enough, the person being chased looked familiar. It was none other than Ace.
"It really is you," Linton muttered, facepalming. Then, standing in Ace's path, he shouted, "Hey! Nephew! Don't recognize your long-lost uncle?"
(End of Chapter)