Chapter 1: Retirement
"Eiger, are you really planning to retire? You've spent fifteen years climbing from a lowly recruit to a branch lieutenant. You're just going to give it all up now?"
"You're a genius! Your ability easily qualifies you for a promotion to colonel — I can personally recommend you to headquarters."
"I'm sure you'll become a base commander one day!"
"I've even secured a spot for you to study at HQ. You didn't make it last time, but this time I know you will."
"You've worked so hard for so many years… are you truly ready to walk away from it all?"
"…Alright then. I'll respect your decision. But if you ever regret it, come back. The West Sea 315th Branch will always welcome you."
"As your superior — and your friend — can I at least ask what you plan to do after retirement?"
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"What else can I do? Honestly… I have no idea."
Eiger's voice echoed faintly as he swung the axe down. His bare torso glistened with sweat, muscles rippling under the sun. The rhythmic sound of chopping wood mingled with the ocean breeze. He paused, lifting his head to gaze at the endless sea ahead — eyes clouded with uncertainty.
Nearly twenty years had passed since he arrived here, yet he was still just a branch lieutenant.
Was this… really the life he had crossed worlds for?
Yes, Eiger was a transmigrator. One day, he had suddenly found himself reborn in a familiar world — the world of One Piece — as a ten-year-old boy.
At first, he had been thrilled.
This was the Grand Line, the age of the Great Pirates!
The very thought ignited a deep fire in his soul, a defiance—
"Are heroes and kings born special?!"
"I don't think so!"
His goal had been clear and bold:
Join the Navy.
Gain the strength of an Admiral within two and a half years.
If Coby could become a top-tier fighter in two years, then as a transmigrator, wasn't two and a half years to reach Admiral level perfectly reasonable?
But fifteen years later… he still hadn't awakened.
Not a system. Not a cheat. Not even a lousy hidden talent.
He began to wonder — maybe he didn't have a golden finger after all.
His grand two-and-a-half-year plan to reach Admiral-level strength had ended in failure by the thirty-month mark.
In the end, it took fifteen grueling years just to crawl his way from private to branch lieutenant.
Fifteen years — enough time to crush a man's dreams and temper his arrogance.
And through those years, he finally understood one thing: that pink-haired kid really was a damn genius.
Was he not hardworking enough? No.
He'd trained until his body broke down, until his bones screamed and his muscles begged for mercy.
At first, he thought maybe that pink-haired monster had reached the top so fast because the main base had better medical resources, or maybe the Grand Line offered superior Sea King meat for nutrition.
But after fifteen years of applying — and being denied — for a chance to train at Marine Headquarters, he finally accepted reality.
He wasn't a monster. He was just… human.
That pink-haired brat might've had luck on his side, sure — catching the attention of a certain hero — but even without that, his sheer effort bordered on inhuman.
As for eating a Devil Fruit to get stronger?
Ha. After fifteen years, Eiger hadn't even seen the peel of one.
Maybe the timing was wrong. Maybe fate just didn't like him.
Either way, his burning passion had long since cooled.
He wasn't like that bandaged old man next door — still chasing dreams in his sixties and seventies, still fighting to become "village chief."
No.
Now nearing thirty, Eiger had made his decision.
Live out the rest of his days in peace.
As for the Great Pirate Era…
What the hell did that have to do with him, anyway?
As Eiger chopped wood, sweat glistening on his muscular shoulders, his thoughts drifted to what lay ahead.
Since he was already retired, maybe it was time to use his savings, settle down somewhere quiet, and marry a beautiful wife with a great figure.
A calm, peaceful life in this world didn't sound too bad.
"Eiger! Eiger!"
The sound of hurried footsteps interrupted his thoughts.
A frail, wrinkled old man came running from the distance, panting heavily.
Eiger lowered his axe and turned around, raising a brow at the gasping elder.
"Village Chief Marin? What happened? Why are you in such a rush?"
"Ah, perfect! You're here, Eiger." Marin grinned between breaths. "Tell me—do you want a wife?"
"...Huh??"
Eiger froze, blinking in disbelief.
What kind of bizarre opening was that supposed to be?
He frowned. "Wait… don't tell me you've finally decided to marry off your granddaughter to me?"
"Bastard! What are you thinking?!" Marin barked, face twitching. "Della's only eight, you idiot!"
"Oh?" Eiger smirked. "Then who's the lucky lady? Don't tell me it's your daughter?"
"You damn brat! You're eyeing both my granddaughter and my daughter now?!"
Marin's voice cracked with fury, before he finally sighed and waved it off. "Forget it. If you hadn't left back then, maybe I would've married Genny to you. Anyway, that's not the point—there's a woman who washed up on the shore. She's beautiful, still alive, but… Dr. Lake says she has amnesia."
"Hold on—beautiful woman, washed ashore, amnesia?"
Eiger stared blankly. "That's… ridiculously cliché. Are you sure she's not some pirate trying to trick you and raid the island?"
"Honestly, that's what everyone thought too," Marin admitted, "but Dr. Lake swore on his reputation that she's just an ordinary victim."
Eiger's lips twitched. "You mean that Dr. Lake? The one who amputates a leg when your foot hurts, and cuts off a hand when your fingers cramp?"
Marin's face darkened. "He's not that bad! Anyway—listen to me first."
Seeing Eiger open his mouth, Marin quickly cut him off. "Since everyone's still worried, we discussed it and decided… to send her to live with you."
"...What?" Eiger's expression darkened. "I have so many questions, and I'm not sure where to start."
"Don't say anything yet—just hear me out." Marin interrupted again, waving a wrinkled hand. "Yes, we're cautious, but what if she really is injured and lost her memory?"
"That kind of naïve sympathy is exactly what gets people killed in this chaotic age," Eiger muttered, rubbing his temple.
"You're a Marine, how can you say that?" Marin snapped, pointing at him accusingly. "When someone's hurt, we help them! Don't forget—if we hadn't rescued you all those years ago, you'd be fish food by now!"
Eiger couldn't argue with that one.
"So it's settled," Marin said briskly. "She'll stay with you. You're a retired Marine—if she does anything suspicious, you can deal with it."
Then the old man leaned closer, lowering his voice like a mischievous gossip. "And between you and me, she's really pretty. You'd be a fool to say no. We even asked her—she didn't mind staying with you. So stop chasing Genny and Della already! Poor Tok's been paranoid for months, thinking you'll steal his wife and daughter. The guy finally calmed down."
Before Eiger could protest, Marin was already jogging away.
"I'll bring her over soon! You two can get married tonight! About Genny—thanks for helping her out, by the way!"
"Hey! Wait a second!" Eiger shouted after him, exasperated. "I never said I agreed to any of this!"
But the old man was already gone.
Eiger sighed, setting down his axe. "Guess it's too late to argue now."
Sure, he had been thinking of finding a wife if his "cheat" never came—someone beautiful, settle down, live quietly…
But this was way too fast!
As for "helping Genny"—that was nothing. He'd simply come back to the island, found that his old friend had married a useless drunk who hit her, and stepped in to teach the bastard a lesson. Nothing more.
With another weary sigh, Eiger picked up the single-handed axe he'd brought back from the Navy branch and leaned it against the wall.
Stepping into his newly built wooden cabin, he glanced around the empty room.
"Marriage, huh…" he muttered to himself, half amused, half uncertain.
Outside, the sea breeze carried the faint sound of waves—
and somewhere in the distance, the faint cries of seagulls echoed across the shore,
as if heralding the arrival of something—or someone—that would change his quiet retirement forever.