East Sea, Water Piano Island
"Drink! Drink!"
The young Smoker swung his fist at the rocky reef. With every strike, his fist punched deep into the rock like a nail being driven into wood, and when he pulled it back, it brought out a piece of gravel.
After a long session, what had once been a boulder the size of a house was now just a pile of rubble. Smoker exhaled deeply, finishing his morning training. He sat down on the beach, gasping for breath.
[This year is the 1497th year of the Sea Origin calendar. Soon, Roger will reach Raftel and become the Pirate King!]
[A year later, he will be executed in Rogue Town, sparking the Great Pirate Era with his final words, a wave that will push countless pirates to the seas in search of freedom and dreams.]
[But who will care about the villages destroyed, the families broken, and the countless lives ruined in the wake of this wave?]
A trace of concern crossed Smoker's face.
Despite his unchanged appearance, his core had long transformed. He had become a workhorse, a cog in the machine of the world.
A few years ago, after a sleepless night working on a project, he opened One Piece to unwind. Then, suddenly, his heart ached, and he died.
When he woke up, he had inexplicably become Smoker—the "White Hunter."
And he wasn't even in his prime yet—he was still just a cub.
Time travel may sound ridiculous, but Smoker had adjusted quickly and found satisfaction in his new identity. After all, Smoker was one of his favorite characters from his previous life.
What troubled him most, however, was the character's record. He had started off strong, only to end in a series of defeats. It was miserable.
Smoker had tried everything. He didn't have a mentor like Garp, nor a lucky twist like Luffy's devil fruit. No system, no legendary powers, no portable spaces… his situation was as clean as a slate—and it frustrated him.
For a time traveler, plugins were essential!
With the right "plugin," everything from natural beasts to the three types of haki could be easily acquired. A generous plugin could open doors to the multiverse.
But without them? Time travelers were as good as orphans, without even a bucket to their name.
Smoker's only hope was his natural Smoke-Smoke Fruit, but he had yet to consume it. He had received it too early, and the plot didn't explain how or when he got it. Was it here on Water Piano Island? Was it awarded to him by the Navy later? Or did he obtain it before becoming a navy officer?
Smoker remained on Water Piano Island, wary of leaving. He couldn't afford to miss his chance with the Smoke Fruit.
The island itself was neither too large nor too small. On the east side was a bustling town where residents and merchants gathered. To the west was a sparsely populated jungle.
From the memories of the original owner, Smoker knew the west coast well. It had always been his favorite spot to watch the waves and daydream. If the Smoke Fruit was found on Water Piano Island, it was most likely here.
So, Smoker would visit the western coast when he had nothing else to do, patiently waiting for a chance. Time was precious, and so were his opportunities.
As a time traveler, Smoker understood the brutality of the pirate world more than most. He was no longer as carefree as the original owner had been. The strong ruled here, and he was no more than a fragile cookie in their eyes.
Instead of wasting time like the previous owner, Smoker was determined to train—constantly practicing, building his strength.
After a few years, he still had no idea how or when he would obtain the Smoke Fruit, but his body had grown considerably stronger. His boyish face had hardened into a young man's, his body now boasting the perfect inverted triangle. He had shot up to a height of 1.9 meters.
But with increased strength came new problems.
His appetite had grown monstrous. He could easily devour an entire week's worth of food in a single meal.
When Smoker's parents passed away, they left him a substantial inheritance, enough to live comfortably for the rest of his life. But that was before he began training.
Now, three years later, he was on the verge of eating through all his savings.
Desperate, he resorted to earning money to sustain himself. Fortunately, he was strong and resourceful, so he didn't have trouble finding work.
He unloaded cargo at the docks, worked as a bodyguard for merchant ships, and even took on the occasional job as a pirate hunter. He would jump into any opportunity that promised quick cash, earning just enough to keep his stomach full and his training going.
So, Smoker's life now revolved around three things: eating, making money, and training.
His days were busy, and the pressure was relentless.
"I worked hard before I traveled through time, and I'm still working hard now!" Smoker thought bitterly.
"Did I travel through time for nothing?"
In the pirate world, power was everything. The four key powers were physical strength, Devil Fruits, haki, and technology.
Let's not even talk about his physical strength. Smoker had been training his body diligently over the years, and his strength was remarkable for a boy of his age. He could easily handle pirates with bounties in the millions with just a basic punch.
Haki was the next goal, though. Smoker knew he would need it eventually. However, haki was an advanced skill, and having someone to teach you made all the difference.
In the original story, from Cake Island to Onigashima, nine supernovas had showcased their haki. While Kidd and Law struggled with their raw power, Luffy and Zoro had already mastered the art.
Instead of blindly training haki on his own, Smoker knew it would be more efficient to join the Navy and learn it from a professional.
As for technology...
Smoker couldn't help but shake his head.
Was the East Blue even a place for technology?
The highest level of technology here was the Buggy Bomb.
To truly improve his strength, Smoker knew he needed to find a Devil Fruit.
If he could find a natural Devil Fruit, even one as seemingly insignificant as the Dung-Dung Fruit, it would be worth fighting for. The powers of a natural fruit were that valuable.
But finding Devil Fruits in the East Blue was incredibly rare.
In the original story, even the notorious East Blue pirate leader, Don Krieg, knew very little about Devil Fruits—merely hearsay and legends.
For Smoker, it was the same. He had spent years here and had never seen a Devil Fruit user.
A sigh escaped Smoker's lips.
"Did the butterfly effect mean I missed out on the Smoke Fruit? Or is it simply not here on Water Piano Island?"
He shook his head. "Forget it. I'll keep working on my body... After all, physical strength is the foundation. Worst-case scenario, I'll learn the six styles later."
But then, something caught his eye.
Two objects bobbed in the waves in the distance, one white, the other purple, rising and falling with the rhythm of the ocean.
"Huh? What's that?" Smoker's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Wait... two Devil Fruits?!"
The two fruits rolled with the waves, drifting apart in different directions.
The closer one was pure white, with faint smoke and cloud-like patterns swirling around it.
"Thank God! It's the Smoke-Smoke Fruit!" Smoker couldn't believe his luck. His patience had paid off.
But then, his gaze shifted to the other fruit, farther away.
Smoker was a principled man. If he found the Smoke Fruit, he would not be interested in any other fruit.
"..."
"Forget it, I won't get greedy."
As he focused on the distant fruit, it became clearer: a dark purple fruit, spiked and resembling a thorny pineapple.
Smoker's heart sank, and he fell to his knees in shock.
"The Dark-Dark Fruit?!"
How was it possible that he had stumbled upon two natural Devil Fruits at once?
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