The scaffold stood at the heart of the city of Loguetown, black wood soaked with salt and sweat .
Soldiers flanked it with spears crossed, their faces hard, their grips tight as if iron discipline alone could contain the man kneeling between them.
Gol D. Roger did not bow his head.
Chains bound his wrists, yet his back was straight, his presence still overwhelming. He looked out over the sea of faces merchants, sailors, dreamers, cowards, fools.
The wind carried the smell of brine and sweat, and the crowd trembled with a hunger they didn't yet understand.
Not surprisingly, the final words spoken before the blade fell did not sound like the plea of a dying man.
They sounded like a challenge.
A murmur rippled through the masses
"Hey, King of the pirates !"
"Where did you hide all the treasures you found?!"
"You got it, didnt you?!"
"That legendary treasure!"
"The one piece!!!"
Roger lifted his gaze, dark eyes sharp beneath his unruly dark hair. His lips curved not in fear, not in regret but in amusement, as he laughed.
"My treasure?" he said, voice clear enough to cut through the roaring wind. "Why… it's right where I left it."
Silence followed.
Then Roger smiled wider, the smile of a man who had already won.
"My treasure?
If you want it, you can have it!," he continued. "I left everything this world has to offer there!."
For a heartbeat, nothing moved.
Then the world exploded.
Shouts erupted like cannon fire. Dreams were ignited. In that instant, something uncontrollable was born a hunger for freedom, for adventure, for the endless horizon. Ships would be built. Flags would be raised. And blood would stain the seas.
And as the executioner's blade finally fell, the crowd did not witness an end.
They witnessed the dawn.
A great era of piracy had begun.
The world would remember Roger's death as a beginning.
But the sea remembered it differently.
It carried that moment forward through storms and calm, through blood and laughter, through generations who never heard the Pirate King's voice yet felt its weight in their bones.
Twenty-two years later…
On a small, unknown island, a young man washed ashore.
Cold wet sand pressed against his cheek.
For a moment, he didn't move. His lungs were burning, his throat was dry, body heavy as if he'd been dragged across the ocean itself.
When he finally forced his eyes open, it was as if the sky was brighter, the air tasted saltier, the sun looked further away.
He pushed himself up on trembling arms, coughing seawater onto the sand.
Where am I…?
Boop…
A blue translucent screen popped up in front of him, floating impossibly in the air.
System initializing…
What the hell—
"Welcome host to the world of One Piece."
One Piece? That manga his brother was always raving about. Pirates this and pirates that. The same story about some rubber idiot running around yelling about becoming Pirate King.
His hands shook as he stared at the screen. This couldn't be real. It was impossible.
But the sand beneath his fingers felt too real, the ache in his chest too heavy.
No way… Who am I?
The screen flickered, then displayed new text:
[Name: Drake D. Carter]
[Age: 17]
Unique Ability: [Twin Devil] - Can possess 2 Devil Fruits
Drake D. Carter. The name felt foreign on his tongue, yet somehow... right. And that letter in the middle...
The "D"...
Even with his fragmented memories of his brother's obsession with this world, Drake knew that letter meant something.
Something important
Gol D. Roger. Monkey D. Luffy. Portgas D.
Ace.
And now... Drake D. Carter.
He looked down at his hands, younger but callused from years of hard work. His reflection in the water revealed something unexpected.
Is this me?
His long black dreads touched his shoulders, a striking streak of red running through them. He had silver stud earrings in both ears, and a noticeable scar that ran from his forehead, cutting through his eyebrow, and across his one of his red eyes. His appearance was rough around the edges, with a tough look that hinted at his life experiences.
His chest tightened as fragments surfaced a classroom, the weight of a textbook, his brother's laughter and the screeching tires that lead to an impact…
Drake squeezed his eyes shut. The pain was still there, raw and sharp. He'd died saving his brother. That much he remembered.
But this... this is a second chance.
The screen pulsed again:
[Tutorial Quest Initiated]
[Objective: Explore your surroundings
Reward: Basic supplies, +2 to all stats]
Drake pushed himself to his feet, legs unsteady but holding. He looked out at the vast ocean stretching before him, then back at the dense jungle behind.
A dry laugh escaped his lips. Of course he'd wake up on some random island. That's how these stories always started, wasn't it?
"Alright," he muttered, his voice hoarse from seawater and disuse. "Let's see what this world has in store for Drake D. Carter."
The wind picked up around him, tousling his dark hair, and for just a moment so brief he almost missed it he could have sworn it responded to something inside him.
Something waiting to be awakened.