The boy stood atop a jagged cliff, the sea stretching endlessly before him. The wind tousled his dark hair as he gazed into the horizon, a bittersweet smile tugging at his lips. It had been over a year since he'd woken up on this island, trapped in a body that wasn't his own. A year filled with hardship, growth, and a newfound sense of purpose.
"My name was Ethan," he murmured to himself, a faint trace of his former life lingering in his mind. "Ethan Graves. I was just some random guy in my past life. But now... now I'm someone else."
He glanced at his reflection in the calm waters of a nearby stream. The face staring back at him was no longer the scrawny 14-year-old boy he had inherited upon reincarnation. At 15, his features had sharpened. His jawline was more defined, his frame lean but packed with muscle from relentless training.
But what truly set him apart were his eyes—sharp, determined, and burning with a fire that refused to be extinguished.
"I'm not Ethan anymore," he said, clenching his fists. "That name belongs to a different life. I need a name for this one..."
After a pause, a name surfaced in his mind. It felt right, like it belonged to him in this world.
"Eren," he declared, his voice resolute.
(AN: you can smell, like baka, Eren yeager. Meme lol)
The name echoed in the solitude of the forest, marking the beginning of a new chapter in his life.
---
Eren's training over the past year had borne fruit. His Armament Haki was now strong enough to harden his fists into blackened steel, capable of denting rocks and splintering tree trunks. His Observation Haki had grown sharper, allowing him to sense creatures in the forest before they revealed themselves.
But he knew this was just the beginning. Haki wasn't a skill that could be mastered through meditation alone—it needed to be forged in the crucible of battle.
The creatures of the island were his unwilling sparring partners. Over the past year, he had challenged them, facing off against beasts that once terrified him. Now, he sought them out, his eyes gleaming with the thrill of battle.
One day, he faced a monstrous tiger-like beast with stripes of fiery orange and claws as sharp as blades. Its roar shook the trees, and its piercing yellow eyes locked onto him.
Eren stood firm, his fists clenched. "Let's see if I've really improved."
The fight was brutal. The tiger's speed and ferocity tested him in ways he hadn't anticipated. His Armament Haki absorbed the worst of its attacks, but his body still bore the brunt of its strength.
When the tiger pounced for the kill, Eren sidestepped and retaliated with a punch imbued with Haki. The blow struck the beast's ribcage, sending it skidding across the dirt. But it rose again, snarling, more enraged than before.
Eren was tiring. His Haki flickered, and doubt began to creep into his mind. Was this it? Was this where his journey ended?
"No!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the forest. "I refuse to give up!"
A sudden surge of energy coursed through him. His vision sharpened, and the air around him seemed to crackle with an invisible force.
The tiger froze mid-lunge, its eyes wide with fear.
And then it collapsed, unconscious.
Eren stood there, panting, as the realization hit him. He had awakened Conqueror's Haki—the power to dominate the wills of others.
His lips curled into a grin. "Now we're getting somewhere."
---
With Conqueror's Haki now a part of his arsenal, Eren dedicated himself to mastering all three forms of Haki.
For Armament Haki, he pushed his limits by striking harder and enduring more. He would punch rocks until his knuckles bled, then channel Haki to reinforce his fists.
Observation Haki required patience and focus. Eren spent hours blindfolded, relying on his senses to navigate the forest. He learned to anticipate attacks before they came, sensing the intent of his prey and predators alike.
Conqueror's Haki was the most elusive. It wasn't something he could control on command—yet. But each time he faced a life-or-death situation, the power would surge within him, knocking out creatures that dared to challenge his will.
His progress wasn't linear. There were days when he felt unstoppable and others when he doubted himself. But he pressed on, knowing that his dream of conquering the seas hinged on his ability to master these powers.
---
At 16, Eren began constructing a boat. It was a crude vessel at first, nothing more than a collection of logs bound together with vines. But he knew it wouldn't be enough to survive the unpredictable seas.
He studied the trees around him, identifying the sturdiest wood for his project. Using tools he had fashioned from stones and bones, he worked tirelessly, carving planks and assembling the framework of a proper ship.
The process was slow and grueling. Weeks turned into months, and his progress was measured in inches. But Eren didn't mind. The boat was his ticket off the island, the first step toward his future.
In the meantime, he continued to train. His body grew taller and more imposing, his muscles honed to perfection. By the time he turned 17, he was no longer the boy who had woken up on the island three years ago. He was a man—a warrior forged in solitude.
---
As Eren sanded the deck of his nearly completed ship, he allowed himself to dream about the future. He had spent countless nights thinking about his next steps.
He didn't know the timeline or the state of the world beyond the island, but he had decided on one thing: he would become a Marine.
The decision wasn't made lightly. As a Marine, he could learn the legendary Six Powers—the techniques that would elevate his combat abilities to the next level. He could access knowledge and resources that were beyond his reach as a lone wanderer.
But more importantly, the Marines were his starting point.
"This world is filled with monsters," Eren muttered to himself. "Pirates, Warlords, Yonko... If I want to stand at the top, I need to learn from the best and fight the strongest."
Becoming a Marine was just the first step in his journey. Eren had no intention of blindly following orders or swearing loyalty to anyone. His goal was strength, and he would do whatever it took to achieve it.
---
As the sun dipped below the horizon, Eren stood on the shore, his ship nearly complete. The years of isolation had tested him, broken him, and rebuilt him.
He wasn't the same person he had been three years ago. He wasn't even the same person he had been in his past life.
He was Eren, a man with a dream and the will to make it a reality.
With the stars lighting up the night sky, he clenched his fists and made a silent vow:
The next time his feet touched solid ground, the world would remember his name.
End of Chapter 2