Baltigo, the headquarters of Revolutionary Army
A blanket of dust and sand shrouds this place from the outside world, concealing the fact that it serves as headquarters for the world's most mysterious organization—the Revolutionary Army.
Baltigo is more than just a military base; it also houses residential districts, home to the families of Revolutionary Army members, talented individuals, and orphans rescued from around the globe, all receiving basic physical training and ideological education.
On the dusty street, Rod waited in line before finally reaching the newspaper stand.
A bold headline caught his eye: "Fire Fist Ace Makes His Mark in the New World—May Challenge Whitebeard!"
"Ace... Whitebeard..."
Rod's eyes flickered with recognition. Soon would come the fateful encounter between Ace and Jinbe, followed by Whitebeard taking Ace under his wing as captain of the Second Division.
Three months had passed since his arrival in this world, and reading about current events in the newspaper filled Rod with an overwhelming sense of urgency.
It was late autumn in the year 1520 of the Sea Calendar—just over a year before Luffy would set sail from Fushia Village.
Rod had originally been a medical student on Earth, having just completed his internship. One night, after pulling an all-nighter gaming and defeating a world boss, he had dozed off at his desk only to inexplicably wake up in this place, inhabiting the body of a sixteen-year-old boy who shared his name.
Initially, he was completely disoriented, unsure of his whereabouts.
Then, after overhearing neighbors mention names like "Yonko Whitebeard" and "Pirate King Gol D. Roger," he realized with absolute certainty that he had somehow transmigrated into the world of One Piece.
Moreover, he had landed at the Revolutionary Army's secret headquarters—Baltigo, the White soil Island.
Fortunately, his role as a medical apprentice aligned perfectly with his professional background.
Through his advanced medical knowledge from Earth, Rod gradually established himself within Baltigo's community.
Lost in thought, he gradually made his way to the edge of a large training square.
There, a petite young woman stood gracefully, her figure both delicate and captivating.
"Koala!"
Rod quickened his pace upon spotting her, calling out as he approached. "Here's this week's newspaper."
This was Koala, responsible for providing basic physical training to the orphans taken in by the Revolutionary Army.
She was about nineteen years old and stood roughly 160 centimeters tall—quite petite in a world where giants and abnormally large humans were commonplace. Yet despite her small stature, she possessed the impossibly proportioned figure typical of this world.
Her slender waist always gave Rod the illusion it might snap under the slightest pressure.
Koala accepted the newspaper, glanced at the headlines, and smiled warmly. "Arigatou, Rod-kun."
"Are we continuing sword practice today?"
"Hai," Rod nodded gently.
From the perspective of Luffy and his crew, the One Piece world naturally appears full of adventure and hope. But from a broader viewpoint, its essence is undoubtedly filled with darkness and cruelty.
The so-called Great Pirate Era was actually a time of unprecedented chaos.
Heroes rose to dominate the seas, while those at the bottom—the weak and powerless—could only adapt to the harsh times and endure in silence.
Rod's current body wasn't particularly gifted. It was naturally frail, with strength barely matching that of an average woman his age.
As someone who had transmigrated here, Rod naturally resented this weakness.
This was the world of pirates! Just thinking about those incredible Devil Fruit powers and the magnificent sight of a master swordsman cleaving mountains with a single slash made his blood surge with excitement.
How could he possibly remain ordinary in such an extraordinary world?
What a shame—this body's natural talent was truly mediocre. Even training with the same desperate intensity he'd used studying for university entrance exams showed minimal improvement.
At this rate, he'd be nothing more than a background character, ready to be crushed by any pirate with a bounty over 100 million berries. The thought left Rod feeling deeply frustrated.
However, fortune smiled upon him.
While watching a one-armed swordsman demonstrate his techniques, the sword energy unleashed during the display awakened something truly remarkable within him.
Slowly picking up his wooden practice sword, Rod narrowed his eyes in concentration. With a single thought, a translucent space visible only to him materialized before his vision.
Within this ethereal void, an ancient, pristine book hovered silently.
This was what Rod had awakened—a seemingly mystical grimoire, and indeed it was exactly that.
As Rod focused his mind, something resembling a status window appeared before his eyes:
Level 1: Book of Knowledge(Advancement requirements not met)
Attributes: Intelligence +1
Ability: Swordsmanship Mastery—"The blade and wielder become one, dramatically enhancing comprehension of sword techniques!"
Energy: 100/100
"What am I missing? The energy gauge is clearly maxed out."
Staring at the status display, Rod's eyes narrowed in thought.
No mechanical voice or system notification had ever explained anything to him—he'd been figuring everything out through trial and error.
Energy accumulated through combat and training.
Starting from absolute zero, after three months of dedicated preparation, Rod had managed to gather a full 100 energy points. He had imagined this would be his stepping stone to ultimate power—punching Yonko, defeating Shichibukai, and kicking Marine Admirals and the Gorosei into submission.
However, he hadn't expected that upon reaching maximum energy, mysterious advancement requirements would suddenly appear.
Rod instinctively sensed that this advancement would provide the foundation he needed to become truly powerful.
Yet he still hadn't discovered the method, leaving him somewhat frustrated.
Still, while the advancement requirements remained puzzling, the abilities granted by the Book of Knowledge were genuinely impressive.
The +1 Intelligence attribute had initially confused Rod—it seemed like such a small increase.
When he'd taken IQ tests back on Earth, while not exceptional, his scores had always been above average.
Later, Rod realized this bonus functioned similarly to attribute increases in RPG games he'd played.
A single attribute point represented approximately a 50% enhancement!
This dramatically accelerated his thinking speed, enhanced his learning capacity, and sharpened his observational skills considerably.
He could now clearly recall forgotten knowledge from his previous life, leading to rapid improvement in his medical abilities. He'd quickly surpassed many veteran physicians, earning quite a reputation throughout Baltigo.
His swordsmanship talent proved even more remarkable.
In the pirate world, swordsmanship follows a straightforward path without excessive flourishes. To become a master swordsman one typically must persevere through decades of daily combat and training before glimpsing the true mysteries of the blade.
However, the swordsmanship mastery granted by the Book of Knowledge completely shattered these conventional limitations.
In less than three months, Rod had become a genuinely formidable swordsman.
If not for his naturally frail constitution, his sword skills would be even more impressive!
Whoosh!
The wooden blade sliced through the air in an elegant arc before striking the training post with a sharp thunk.
Despite using minimal force with a wooden sword, a deep groove remained carved into the target.
"What exactly is the Breath of All Things?"
Entering his focused swordsmanship trance, Rod's mind became intensely concentrated, his thoughts devoted entirely to the way of the sword.
Thak, thak, thak!
Continuous impacts echoed from the wooden post.
Sword light flashed like a cascading waterfall as Rod's figure danced around the target, striking from every conceivable angle in fluid succession.
His movements were extraordinarily graceful yet mechanically precise—a perfect fusion of beauty and devastating power.
Koala watched from the sidelines, nodding approvingly.
"Although his physical conditioning needs work, his swordsmanship alone qualifies him as reserve material. I should recommend him for the next assessment."
Author's Note: New story launch! Please add to favorites and leave reviews!
(End of Chapter 1)
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