"Did I just... transmigrate?"
The man stared at the reflection in the water. An unfamiliar face stared back at him, framed by striking red hair. Beside him lay a samurai sword, and not far off, under the shade of a tree, rested a straw hat.
"Red hair? A sword?"
He bent down for a closer look, and the realization hit like a lightning bolt. One name popped into his mind—Red-Haired Shanks.
"No way... Did I transmigrate into One Piece as Shanks?"
As this thought struck, he felt a strange energy coursing through his body. He calmed his breathing and focused inward. Suddenly, an invisible force spread out around him.
His vision extended as if his senses had been unleashed. Within a kilometer radius, he could perceive every living creature.
"This... Observation Haki? I'm really Shanks?"
As a transmigrator, he quickly came to terms with his new identity. However, accepting it didn't make it any less baffling.
One moment, he was joking with friends about how One Piece had become a mess of plot threads, and the next, he'd woken up as Shanks.
There was no warning. Even if it were karma, this was way too fast.
Still, his red hair, the sensation of Haki, and the straw hat lying not far away—though slightly different from what he remembered—made one thing clear: this wasn't a dream. He was in the world of One Piece.
"What I need to figure out now is the timeline. My Observation Haki is decent, but I can't seem to use the other energy within me."
"Shanks might not have a Devil Fruit, but his swordsmanship and Haki are top-tier in One Piece. Yet right now, I can't even use Armament Haki or Conqueror's Haki..."
He ran a hand over his face, finding it smooth and free of stubble. A clear sign he was still young—probably fresh off the ship.
Walking over, he picked up the straw hat lying on the ground. This hat had great significance, yet its original owner had carelessly left it on the dirt. Typical Shanks.
Placing the hat on his head, Shanks—no, he—looked around.
The forest was filled with towering trees, far larger and more vibrant than any he'd ever seen on Earth. It was a world utterly alien, far beyond the most remote, untouched jungles.
"This really is the world of One Piece," he murmured.
Survival for an ordinary person in this world was almost impossible. Even as Shanks, survival wasn't guaranteed.
The dangers were everywhere—pirates, Marines, Sea Kings, and even the strange beasts roaming the islands could end his life at any moment.
"Still, if I can master my talents, give me some time and I'll grow strong enough. Once I fully grasp Haki, I should at least be able to protect myself."
He sighed at the challenges ahead.
This wasn't a story where he could just set out on a boat like Luffy and call it an adventure.
"At this point in time, Roger should've just died. The World Government must still be hunting the remnants of his crew. I'd better keep a low profile for now."
With these thoughts in mind, Shanks calmed himself down.
As a transmigrator, caution was essential.
Seriously, he didn't have any cheat abilities. Even if he was in One Piece, he couldn't just wing it and hope for the best.
Luckily, though he didn't have Shanks' memories, the body's inherent physical capabilities were still intact.
"I'll settle down here for now. Once I've trained enough, I'll head out to sea."
The fact that he could train at all was already a blessing. If he had started from nothing, Shanks would have been stuck doing nothing but basic physical conditioning.
In this world, Haki was king.
Of course, physical strength couldn't be neglected either. The physical potential of people in One Piece was absurdly high. As long as you believed in your muscles, you could become stronger.
With that in mind, Shanks turned his gaze to the towering trees in the forest.
This time, he didn't reach for his sword. Instead, he clenched his fists.
"Haah!"
In the next moment, his muscles tensed, surging with immense power.
Bang!
With a single punch, his fist slammed into a tree with a trunk over three meters thick. The hard bark cracked instantly, and the impact left a deep indentation.
Crack.
Moments later, the massive tree collapsed with a thunderous crash.
Seeing this, Shanks smirked.
"The physical strength alone is terrifying. No wonder people in One Piece are monsters. But this is still far from enough. Even if this is my current limit, the body's potential can always be pushed further."
"Next, let's test my swordsmanship."
Picking up the samurai sword beside him, Shanks frowned slightly.
The Shanks he knew wielded a Western-style sword, but it seemed he didn't have that iconic weapon yet.
Gripping the samurai sword tightly, Shanks tried to recall any sense of familiarity, but there was none.
"Figures. I don't know a single thing about swordsmanship. Looks like I'll have to start from scratch."
He swung the sword down, aiming at another tree. The result? He didn't even manage to cut through it.
"Guess I'd better focus on training my swordsmanship first."
Shanks quickly realized his weakness. While his other abilities were decent, his swordsmanship was embarrassingly poor.
Understanding his shortcomings, Shanks decided to start with the basics.
Thrust, slash, and chop. For now, these three simple moves were all he needed to work on.
It was frustrating, but he had no choice. Each motion felt awkward, and he could only advance step by step.
By the end of the day, just practicing those three moves left Shanks completely exhausted.
On the bright side, he had managed to construct a small wooden hut nearby. Though it looked crude, it was functional enough for shelter. Shanks wasn't picky—he only needed a place to sleep.
Despite his fatigue, Shanks felt a surge of satisfaction as he reflected on the day's progress. At least now he could hold the sword properly.
"Man, I'm starving. Well, I made a little progress today, but the road to becoming strong is still a long one."
"My talent is pretty good, but then I think about how Luffy became a Yonko-level powerhouse in just a few years… People really can't compare to the main character."
Shanks sighed. It had taken him nearly twenty years to become an Emperor of the Sea, and yet Luffy had done it in no time at all.
"I may be a genius, but he's the protagonist. There's just no competing with that."
"Anyway, I'd better eat first."
Shanks stopped overthinking it. Worrying wouldn't help.
Before long, a fire crackled outside the hut, and Shanks was grilling fish over the flames.
Beside him lay a lake, teeming with fish. At the very least, it ensured Shanks wouldn't starve in this place.
As for the taste? As long as it was edible, Shanks wasn't picky in the slightest.