"Ouch, that hurts. Where is this?"
"Hey, brat, don't lie here blocking the way! If you're going to die, do it somewhere else and don't be a nuisance."
Hearing the voice, the recently awakened boy looked up to see a towering man, around two meters tall, with scars taking up half of his face, glaring at him.
Suppressing his fear, the boy quickly crawled over to the corner of the wall.
The man's look of disdain was evident as he noticed the boy's terrified expression.
"Ha ha ha, little brat, don't block the way next time, alright? Since I'm in a good mood today, I won't deal with you." The man laughed heartily and walked away.
Most of the onlookers showed amusement, and seeing there was no more entertainment, they began to disperse.
At that moment, an old woman approached, taking a piece of bread from her bundle and offering it to him. "Here, eat this, child."
The boy shakily accepted it, saying, "Thank you, ma'am." The old woman looked at him and shook her head, smiling as she walked away.
He sighed and took a big bite of the bread. It was sour and had a bit of a stench.
He guessed it was something someone had discarded, given to him because they didn't want it to go to waste. He wasn't angry, he was just hungry and grateful for any food someone gave him.
As he ate, he observed himself,rags all over his scrawny body. Recalling the memories of the original owner of this body, he learned that his name was Darth White Ghost. The memories seemed to start from when he was five years old.
His parents had perished in a shipwreck, leaving only the five-year-old original owner behind. After losing his parents, the original owner fell into a tragic childhood.
His uncle seized the family's home and fortune, along with the business his parents had owned. The original owner was forced to stay locked in the house and sign over the property under the pretense that once his name was written down, they would take care of him and return everything later.
At that time, the original owner was too young to understand anything and foolishly wrote his name. Tragedy began a week later.
He endured daily beatings and insults, had to clean the house and wash the floors, and was even considered a servant.
His uncle's family had a son and a daughter, who would beat and scold him at will.
When he didn't work well, they wouldn't feed him, only getting food every two days, and it was leftover scraps.
Eventually, the boy ran away, living on the streets, digging through garbage bins for food when he was hungry, and finding spots to sleep when tired.
The townspeople called him the little brat, and so he lived on in a dazed state until he turned twelve. Today, while walking on the street, he suddenly fainted from hunger, right at the feet of that man.
Now he understood why the people around him appeared to be enjoying a show, wasn't he merely acting foolish? That big guy probably wanted to beat him up, ha ha.
So, was this the original owner who starved to death? God, is this the kind of fate he's given me?
Well, he didn't even have a bowl!
Now it was confirmed that this was the world of pirates, he just didn't know what year it was in the pirate calendar.
Just then, two people suddenly rushed past him, around his age, one had red hair and the other a red nose, running hurriedly in front of him! Behind them was a person in a chef's outfit, cursing and shouting.
White Ghost opened his mouth wide. "Whoa, isn't that 'Buggy the Clown' and 'Red-Haired Shanks'?"
So this was the year 1498 in the pirate calendar?
Looking at 'Face King' Shanks and 'Conqueror's Haki King' Buggy running off in the distance, he realized this was the year Roger would be executed.
He might actually get to see Pirate King Roger soon! As a pirate fan himself, he'd also see characters like Mihawk, Moria, and Doflamingo when they were young.
Well, if he's been transported here, it makes sense to call for a system, right?
"Come out, system…"
White Ghost was surprised by the lack of response. Was his method wrong?
"Come out, system daddy…"
"System, son? Dog system?"
Oh wow, it seems he's at a serious disadvantage, so he's starting out in rags and needs to steal to survive?
No, this is way too steep!
White Ghost stumbled to his feet, aimlessly wandering to see if he could find some food. He was too hungry to be angry about anything.
As he walked, he saw someone who looked increasingly like a character from his memories, Monkey D. Dragon.
Whoa, a big shot has come! White Ghost hurriedly ran up and called out from behind Dragon, "Hey there, handsome! Got any food to spare?"
Dragon turned around, looking at the frail boy, who was about 1.3 meters tall. When Dragon saw the boy's eyes, he suddenly paused.
Dragon: "Do you know me?"
White Ghost: "No, sir, I don't."
Dragon: "But I can see you recognize me in your eyes.
CP organization? Did they find a defected marine like me so quickly? Indeed, one cannot underestimate the power of the World Government.
At this moment, White Ghost felt exhausted and scared, as if Dragon was looking at a corpse.
"Whoa, big brother, don't say that! I'm not part of CP, nor am I with the World Government. Just look at my rags! Could I possibly belong to those people? That's terrifying! I'll be on my way, big brother, your gaze is scaring me."
Without waiting for a response, White Ghost turned and ran. If he stayed any longer, he might really die. Now he realized that this was a world that devoured people, it was a world where strength determined dominance. How did he almost seek his own death just now?
After running for a bit, White Ghost was completely out of energy and found a corner to sit down, taking deep breaths and calming down.
He silently vowed, "Damn it, I must survive! Otherwise, I won't last three episodes."
White Ghost didn't notice that Dragon had jumped onto a nearby wall, watching him. Listening to White Ghost's strange mutterings, Dragon smiled to himself and thought, "Interesting."
Dragon had already analyzed him, a frail, ragged person like him couldn't possibly be one of those people. He didn't even need to use his observation haki, his naked eye could see that giving this guy a scratch would send him flying.
"Hey, little brat," said Dragon, jumping down in front of White Ghost.
White Ghost stared at the suddenly appearing Dragon. "Whoa, big brother, you're going to scare someone to death!"
Dragon: "Hey, little brat, you must be hungry, right? Want to come with me? I'll give you something to eat."
Come with you? Go with you to take on the World Government, huh?
White Ghost shook his head. "No thanks, big brother, just let me go. I'm scared to die."
Dragon smiled slightly. "Haha, you really do know me. You're an intriguing little guy. Despite being on the verge of starvation, you decline food when it is offered to you.
And you look at me as if you've known me for a long time."
Dragon: "Can you tell me why?"
White Ghost slumped in defeat. "Honestly, brother Dragon, I'm not the type to do big things.
I fear death, exhibit timidity, and harbor no lofty aspirations. Just let me go, please."
Brother Dragon? What an interesting little fellow.
White Ghost's face turned pale. "Fuck, I accidentally let it slip."
Dragon looked at White Ghost for a moment and asked, "Do you want to get stronger?"
White Ghost nodded.
Dragon: "Then come with me."
White Ghost shook his head. "I'm scared to die."
Dragon gave him a strange look. "You want to get stronger yet are scared of dying?"
"Yes," White Ghost nodded vigorously.
Dragon chuckled, shaking his head as he tossed a wad of beli to White Ghost and walked away. "Interesting little guy."
White Ghost stared at the pile of money in front of him, dumbfounded. "Money? Can I fill my stomach now? Damn, is this what they mean by 'survival brings blessings'?
He picked up the money, ready to go buy something to eat when he suddenly felt something stuck on his back.
Turning around, he discovered it was a small notebook. Flipping it open, he saw it was crammed with writing. Oh no…
"Damn, I don't recognize characters but can write my name. How did I lose out on this? This must be the cultivation method left by Dragon when he left—damn it!
There's no choice but to pick it up and keep it on me for now, I'll look at it after I learn the writing."
With the money in hand, White Ghost found a bakery and bought some bread to quell his hunger.
After satisfying his hunger and taking a deep breath, White Ghost felt like he had come back to life.
Lying on the ground, looking at the sky, the questions began to swirl in his mind.
What am I going to do in this world? Become a pirate?
Why did I think of pirates first...?
The navy? Or follow Dragon to take on the World Government?
As he continued to think, he gradually became sleepy. After a full meal, it's easy to feel drowsy, and he dozed off.
The next day, White Ghost rubbed his eyes awake, feeling much more refreshed. Suddenly recalling how brazen he was to sleep in this little alley made him admire himself. But remembering that this body had been sleeping here for several years made him less concerned about it.
He checked his body; the money was still there, and Dragon's notes were too.
Rising, he found some water to wash up and quickly walked out onto the street.
He observed a diverse range of individuals on the street, including navy officers, pirates, and others. Their clothing styles were all wildly different.
White Ghost remembered vaguely hearing yesterday that today was the execution date for Pirate King Roger. Seeing so many people heading towards the square, it seemed it was about to start.
He too walked on to witness the end of a legend and the rise of a new era.