Year X762.
Ishgar Continent.
Northern Region.
Kingdom of Iceberg.
Temperatures here stay below freezing year-round. Countless mountains are perpetually blanketed in snow and ice, making the area largely uninhabited.
"Phew."
Amidst the swirling blizzard, a young woman trekked forward against the howling wind. She looked about eighteen or nineteen, with a fit, balanced build and short, neat hair that framed a face striking in its sharpness and vitality.
Despite the biting cold, she wore only a thin cotton coat. Yet, a mysterious energy hummed within her, shielding her from the freezing temperatures and allowing her to move through the snowstorm as easily as if she were walking on level ground.
"Hm?"
As she approached the foot of a snowy mountain—intending to do her regular rounds clearing out dangerous magical beasts—her keen, well-trained eyes caught something out of place. On the vast, white expanse ahead, there was a jarring black speck.
"Is that... a person?"
"Still breathing. No hypothermia yet."
She quickened her pace. As she got closer, her eyes widened in surprise. The "black speck" was actually a young man collapsed in the snow.
"Lucky for you, I came along!"
She grabbed him, hauled him out of the snowdrift, and slung him over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes, heading toward the nearby town.
"Ugh, so heavy!" she grumbled as she walked. "Seriously, what did this guy eat to get this heavy?"
---
In Town.
"It's Ur!"
"Ur is back!"
"Wait, Ur brought back a man?"
"And he's handsome!"
"Looks like Ur's finally at that age."
"And here I thought with her personality, she'd be single forever."
As soon as she entered the town carrying the man she'd saved, the townsfolk swarmed around her.
Among them was her best friend, who, upon noticing the unconscious man—a handsome guy with short black hair and strong features—immediately flashed a teasing grin.
"Ooh, scandal!"
"Shut up!" Ur snapped, though her cheeks flushed slightly. "Can't you see he's unconscious? Help me get some hot water and herbs, fast."
"Ur, you know the reason you can't find a man is because you're too intense," her best friend, Susan—the owner of the town's only fruit shop—winked playfully.
"..."
Ur stayed silent. Her friend wasn't wrong, but she held onto her pride. If guys didn't like her, it was because they had bad taste. Hmph!
"Anyway, let's just get him to my place."
She turned to look at the unconscious young man and sighed. She'd take him home.
If he was handsome, she'd nurse him back to health herself. If he was average, she'd dump him at the town doctor's office.
Cough.
---
One Hour Later.
"Cough, cough."
Ide slowly opened his eyes. Instead of the powerful enemies he expected to see, he was greeted by an unfamiliar ceiling.
"Where... am I?"
"Shouldn't I be on Ohara, fighting Imu to the death?"
"Damn it, my head hurts."
After a moment of confusion, memories flooded his mind.
He remembered clearly: He had been binge-watching One Piece. He reached the Wano Country Arc, heard Kaido drop that classic line—"Only Haki transcends all!"—and then, due to sheer exhaustion, blacked out.
When he opened his eyes again, he had crossed over into the world of One Piece, specifically onto the island of Ohara in the year 1488 of the Sea Circle Calendar. He had also awakened a "Grind System."
Relying on this system and the support of the Ohara scholars, Ide grinded his way to the top, mastering all three forms of Haki to their absolute peak. He was confident his strength was unmatched.
But then, disaster struck. The Buster Call, which was supposed to happen in the year 1500, arrived two years early in 1498.
Facing hundreds of Marine battleships surrounding the island, Ide showed no fear.
He single-handedly took on the then-Vice Admirals Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru. They hadn't reached their prime yet, and with his overwhelming Haki, Ide tossed them aside like traffic cones.
With Sengoku stuck in command, Z retired, and Garp being... Garp, Ide felt there was no one left who could stop him.
Then came the God's Knights—Imu's personal guard. Powerful, yes, but against Ide, whose Haki rivaled the legendary Rocks D. Xebec, they were nothing more than speed bumps.
That was until he faced Imu, the "King of the World," who descended from Mary Geoise by possessing a Knight's body.
Ide didn't take Imu seriously at first. Not until Imu waved a hand and drew a five-pointed magic circle in the air.
Ide was stunned. "A magic circle? Is this still One Piece?!"
Before he could process it, Imu summoned a barrage of bizarre, otherworldly attacks from the circle, catching Ide completely off guard.
"Kaido, you liar!" Ide screamed internally. "Who told you Haki transcends all?! If I survive this, I'm coming to Wano to kick your ass!"
Imu seemed to get bored eventually. "Mu does not allow your existence."
The sky turned black. Countless beams of light rained down on Ohara, obliterating the island and Ide along with it.
Ohara was erased from history, leaving behind only a bottomless pit that the ocean could never fill. The entire planet shook, and a week later, the global sea level rose by a meter.
Fortunately, thanks to Ide's foresight, the scholars of Ohara had already escaped into the Mirror World with the help of his friend, Katakuri, taking the Void Century research with them. They didn't die with him.
"Damn Imu."
"Damn magic."
"If only I could learn magic too..."
Ide roared internally, remembering the overwhelming power Imu had displayed.
---
"You're awake?"
A crisp, clear female voice interrupted his thoughts.
Ide turned his head and saw a young woman with short hair and a face so beautiful it was startling.
"You are..."
"I'm your savior," she smiled, then introduced herself. "I'm Ur. Ur Milkovich."
"Ide." He nodded, giving his name in return.
"So, Ide. How did you end up dumped in the snow? If it weren't for me, you'd be a popsicle by now."
Ur walked over to the fireplace at the back of the room without looking back. She took out a Lacrima—a magic crystal designed specifically for heating—that she had bought from a magic shop.
She placed it into the fireplace. "Honestly, haven't used this thing in ages. Hope it still works."
Hummmm!
As if answering her, a brilliant red magic circle lit up above the fire starter in the hearth.
Flames surged from the circle, instantly warming the freezing room.
Ide's eyes widened.
"That's it!"
Without hesitation, he jumped out of bed and grabbed the flaming Lacrima with his bare hand. He stared intensely at the intricate, art-like red circle glowing above it.
"Magic. No mistake. This is magic!"
"Hey!"
"You'll burn your hand!"
Ur was horrified. That crystal could reach temperatures of over a thousand degrees. It wasn't something a human should just grab!
She snatched the crystal back from him and shoved it back into the fireplace. "Ide, if you want to learn magic that badly, you don't have to grab a heater! I can teach you."
"You... teach me?"
Ide looked at her. "You know magic?"
"Look at you," Ur chuckled. "Is magic supposed to be some big secret?"
To prove her point, she raised her hand, and a brilliant blue magic circle appeared instantly in the air.