Year 1480 of the Sea Calendar.
On Pokala Island in the first half of the Grand Line, at the port of Foss Town, a crowd of adults and children eagerly awaited, numbering over a thousand.
Each of them held an expectant gaze, seemingly looking forward to something happening or someone arriving.
Suddenly, a little girl's eyes lit up as she cried out joyfully.
"He's here! It's Big Brother Reo!"
In the distance of the vast blue sea, a small black dot gradually approached, and as the distance closed, people saw a small sailboat. At its bow, a young man was waving.
This sight caused everyone to erupt in excited cheers.
"He's finally back! Young Master Reo! The pride of our Foss!"
"He's really made a name for himself, look! This kid even appeared in newspapers and is known by people all over the world, becoming a truly renowned adventurer!"
"Big Brother Reo, my idol! We all respect you!"
"When he went to sea three years ago, I was so worried about him. I never expected this child to be so promising, making a name for himself on this dangerous sea... Really, it brings tears to my eyes...!"
"Grandpa Kas, you're old, don't get too excited..."
The residents of Foss Town, one by one, offered heartfelt blessings and hopes for the returning child.
Reo gazed at the unforgettable Foss port in his memory, a confident yet nostalgic smile on his face.
It had been twenty-three years since he came to this world... That's right, Reo was not from this world. Strictly speaking, he was a true transmigrator.
In his previous life, he was just a vibrant young man who had just graduated from university. On his way home, he saw an out-of-control truck speeding towards a little girl, and he rushed forward to save her without hesitation.
Although he ultimately saved the girl, he paid a heavy price himself.
His body had acted instinctively, but when the final outcome occurred, he felt no regret.
Being an orphan, he felt he had finally done something meaningful in his life.
Perhaps heaven pitied him and granted him a new life, allowing him to transmigrate with a completely new existence into a two-dimensional world he was familiar with.
The world of the Pirate King.
Perhaps because his existence was special, he still retained all his memories when he came to this world, which allowed him to understand what kind of world this was.
(It's 1480 now, twenty-five years before Luffy's birth, and forty-two years before he sets sail... The timeline is ridiculously early...)
Reo sighed in his heart.
The future legends he knew were now all young men in their twenties and thirties, each yet to reach their prime, but all steadily rising.
On the Marine side, there was a powerful lineup consisting of Sengoku, Garp, Zephyr, and Tsuru, led by the legendary Marine Kong.
On the pirate side, the Rocks Pirates, with their overwhelming presence, reigned supreme.
This era held many legendary stories and figures unknown to later generations. Reo had witnessed many during his three years at sea, and their overall qualities far surpassed those of pirates in later generations by dozens of streets.
The so-called Worst Generation were merely ordinary people living in an era without legends.
Upon reaching the port, Reo leaped down, his graceful posture causing many young women at the port to gaze with hearts in their eyes and cheer joyfully.
His height was 1.88 meters, which was nothing remarkable in a world filled with physical monsters, but he possessed a handsome appearance and a divine physique, as if favored by the gods. This imbued him with extraordinary charm, making him the center of attention wherever he went.
Reo shrugged off the enormous (from an ordinary person's perspective) satchel on his shoulder and smiled, saying, "Everyone, it's been three years!"
The contents of the satchel were all gifts he had specifically brought back for the residents.
It was truly a joke of fate; this time, he was still an orphan, abandoned since childhood, unaware of his parents. He had been taken in by the town mayor all these years, and the town residents had always cared for him lovingly. He had no memory of ever going hungry or cold.
Therefore, he regarded the entire Foss Town as his home, and its residents as his family.
"Ho ho!? You actually brought gifts back?! Young Master, you're too formal. Why spend so much on your own family?"
"Wow, Big Brother, this candy is so delicious! Thank you!"
"Ho ho ho, this cane is truly something I can't put down, you've really gone to a lot of trouble, Young Master."
"Wuwuwuwu, Auntie is already so happy to see you return safe and sound, Young Master. Why bother with gifts? You're such a good child..."
The residents of Foss Town were all moved to tears. People in this world were like that, seemingly very emotional, often bursting into tears and snot. Sometimes it looked comical, but Reo felt more relief and warmth.
Although this dark world could sometimes be foul-smelling, there was always a glimmer of light in the sea of humanity, as in this very moment.
Reo happily reunited with everyone, and the gifts were quickly distributed. There was a big gathering tonight, which was sure to be lively, and he was greatly looking forward to it.
And just as he was immersed in the joy of returning home, a long-unheard and somewhat unfamiliar voice appeared in his mind.
(Ding! System loading complete... Progress 99.99%...)
What!?
Reo felt as if struck by lightning, his pupils shaking like an earthquake.
This, this was such a damn incredible thing!
Yes, Reo also had a system; he was a transmigrator after all.
But his system was incredibly bizarre; ever since he gained consciousness, it seemed to have been loading, and the progress was extremely slow, as if it was brewing some ultimate move, leaving him constantly expectant yet frustrated.
Fortunately, Reo's starting point was not some war-torn place; otherwise, whether he could have survived to this age would be an unknown. And from a young age, knowing what kind of world this was, Reo had never slackened in his self-training.
Fortunately, this was another thing to praise heaven for.
Reo's talent was terrifying; he had astonishing stamina from a young age, and the word 'tired' rarely appeared in his vocabulary.
His strength was even more terrifying; at the age of five, he could effortlessly punch through a tree dozens of meters high and four grown men in circumference, splitting mountains and rocks was nothing to him.
A transmigrator's imagination was boundless, and he was able to realize it with his understanding and wisdom.
The old fortune-teller in town once said that a deity resided within Reo's body, and he was destined to become a significant figure on the world stage in the future.
Since he officially set sail at the age of twenty, announcing his sudden emergence to the world, the bitter battles and tempering he had undergone far exceeded anyone else's imagination. He had lost count of how many bloody struggles and narrow escapes from death he had experienced.
(Now this system is finally about to finish loading...)
Reo felt a sense of relief.
The waters of this world ran deep; to live more freely in it, absolute power was essential. Although he was very talented, he could not yet stand at the pinnacle of the world, and the Celestial Dragons were not as incompetent as they appeared on the surface, possessing power to suppress the world behind the scenes.
Reo dared not slacken, and now the awakening of his golden finger would undoubtedly give him a huge boost, providing him with stronger confidence in facing all possible future dangers.
"I'm really looking forward to it... Let me see what kind of system this is!"