Chapter 1 Murloc Bright
In the second half of the Grand Line, in the sea known as the New World, there is an island called Punk Hazard.
This is an island that was once inhabited but later became abandoned, filled with jagged mountains and distorted terrain. Although the island is partially covered with strange forests and scorched wastelands, it has long since been deserted. Even pirates are unwilling to land here because of its former status as a Marine-controlled research site and its proximity to major Navy routes.
But in fact, this is just a superficial appearance that conceals the truth.
Deep underground on this island, there exists a massive experimental base constructed with reinforced metal and seastone components. This is where the Marine scientific forces once stationed elite researchers, and various cutting-edge experiments unknown to the outside world were quietly carried out here under strict secrecy.
Deep within the base, inside a room made entirely of cold alloy metal, Bright was doing squats repeatedly while sweating like rain.
Bright looks very young, and in fact he truly is very young by any standard. He is only sixteen years old, yet his height already exceeds three meters, a physique far beyond that of ordinary humans. He is tall and extremely strong but does not look bloated or slow at all.
His skin was a little too fair for a fish-man, which made his fierce and powerful appearance look somewhat softer and strangely contradictory.
He had clearly been exercising for a long time without rest, and his clothes were completely soaked with sweat, but he still continued to squat and stand up mechanically, as if driven by pure willpower alone.
The reason why he could only continue such repetitive movements was very simple. With seastone handcuffs locked on his wrists and heavy shackles restraining his feet, he could only perform the most basic physical exercises.
Of course, Bright was not at this research base as a researcher or assistant. On the contrary, he had been brought here as a living specimen and experimental subject to be studied.
"call--"
Finally, Bright's body reached its absolute limit and he collapsed to the ground with a dull, heavy sound. He gasped desperately for air and lay motionless on the cold floor for a long time before his breathing gradually stabilized.
"I don't know how Arlong and the others are doing now? They probably aren't having a good time either. After all, they were sent to Impel Down."
He leaned sideways, awkwardly bracing himself against the wall, muttering quietly to himself.
The awkwardness came from the sharp dorsal fin on his back that pierced through his clothes, preventing him from fully leaning against the wall.
If one looked carefully, they would also notice three gill-like slits on each side of Bright's neck, his teeth were unnaturally sharp, and faint webs could be seen between his fingers.
"Honestly, do I even have the right to worry about them? I can't even protect myself right now."
Bright muttered bitterly under his breath.
I'm afraid I might be the most miserable time traveler in existence.
This realization only returned to him not long ago. It turned out that he was a transmigrator, someone who had crossed over from another completely different world into this sea.
And the world he now lived in was none other than the manga he had followed obsessively in his previous life.
Time travel actually exists, and even more absurdly, it allowed someone to enter the world of a comic.
All he could say about that fact was that it was unbelievable.
In this life, Bright originated from a nation that connects the first half and second half of the Grand Line, the underwater kingdom located ten thousand meters below the sea known as Fish-Man Island, where fish-men and mermaids coexist.
To be precise, he grew up in Fish-Man District, the lawless area of Fish-Man Island, where Bright spent the first thirteen years of his life.
Bright is a fish-man, but not entirely one in the pure sense.
From his appearance alone, it was clear that he resembled humans far more than typical fish-men.
He was a mixed-blood, a half–fish-man by birth.
One of his parents was a fish-man or mermaid who passed on fish-man blood, while the other was human, giving him human lineage. He never knew the exact truth, because neither of them ever appeared in his life again.
But that no longer mattered. Regardless of their identities, it did not change the fact that he had been abandoned in Fish-Man District.
That place was the most chaotic and violent area on the island. It was once meant to be a refuge for orphans, but over time it degenerated into a den of criminals and outcasts.
Because of his mixed blood status, Bright suffered greatly during his early years there.
Fortunately, the man who led Fish-Man District, a legendary figure named Fisher Tiger, could not stand to watch a child with fish-man blood die before his eyes.
Bright survived his childhood and slowly earned the acknowledgment of the fish-men of the district through his abnormal physical strength and perseverance.
From a very young age, he followed his elder brothers such as Tiger, Jinbe, and Arlong. Of course, the one he respected and admired the most was Tiger himself.
So three years ago, when Tiger rampaged through Mariejois and later returned to Fish-Man Island to establish the Sun Pirates, Bright, who was only thirteen at the time, joined without hesitation, becoming the youngest member aboard the ship.
After three years of sailing freely across the seas, the nightmare still arrived.
Tiger had only wanted to escort a human child back to her homeland, but he was betrayed by the humans on that island and ambushed by the Marines. As a result, Brother Tiger died from his wounds.
Bright, consumed by rage and grief, chose to follow the furious Arlong in taking revenge against humans, but in doing so, he eventually encountered a certain man who would change everything.
A man who would later be known throughout the seas as Borsalino, the Marine Admiral code-named "Kizaru."
Now, when recalling the blinding light that flashed before his eyes on that day, Bright still felt lingering fear deep in his bones.
That monster-like man had displayed an overwhelming level of power that completely surpassed common sense.
It was precisely during that razor-thin moment between life and death that the memories sealed away by reincarnation were finally and completely released.
Bright remembered everything.
But by the time those memories returned, it was already too late. Brother Tiger was dead, and escape was impossible.
All of them were captured by the Marines and sent to Impel Down.
However, Bright, who had regained his memories of his previous life at that time, was not particularly worried about this outcome.
Because he knew very well that within at most one year, Jinbe would accept the World Government's request to become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and in exchange, all imprisoned members of the Sun Pirates would be released.
Impel Down was certainly not a good place, but if it was only for a year, Bright was confident that he could endure it.
However, just as they arrived at Impel Down, something completely unexpected occurred.
All of the fish-men were escorted off the transport ship and transferred into Impel Down, except for Bright alone.
"Someone is very interested in your bloodline." Kizaru said lazily, his tone casual but his words carrying unquestionable authority.
After that, Bright was taken away and brought here.
Bright never expected that the power he had relied on in the past would instead become a stumbling block trapping him in this situation.
His bloodline was indeed extremely special.
Bright was a megalodon-type fish-man.
In this world, the megalodon was also an ancient sea king–class predator that had disappeared into the depths of the ocean long ago. However, unlike the creature from his previous life, the megalodon in this world was said in legends to be even larger, a true super-giant whose body length exceeded a kilometer. It was a Neptune-type overlord that once ruled the seas of the ancient Blue Sea in prehistoric times.
Although the megalodon itself had gone extinct, fish-men and mermaids inherited the bloodlines of countless marine species. The bloodlines awakened in newborns on Fish-Man Island were entirely random. Within the bodies of fish-men and mermaids flowed traces of blood passed down from ancient sea creatures of every kind.
Children born from the same pair of fish-man or mermaid parents often manifested completely different bloodline traits, and any of the ancient bloodlines hidden deep within the body could potentially awaken.
Bright was extremely lucky. The fish-man half of his bloodline belonged to the megalodon, a lineage that had not appeared on Fish-Man Island for an unimaginably long time.
As a half–fish-man, the fact that he could grow up safely in Fish-Man District was largely due to the strength granted by this bloodline.
There were also clear hierarchies among fish-men. Without question, the megalodon was among the highest-tier bloodlines in existence.
The average fish-man possessed physical strength roughly ten times that of an ordinary human, while Bright himself was nearly ten times stronger than an average fish-man. After years of rigorous combat and training, he could absolutely be described as a small-scale monster.
It was precisely because of this power that he had been able to firmly establish himself within the Sun Pirates.
But now, because of this same power, he had been targeted by a man named Vegapunk, who wanted to glimpse the might of the ancient era through Bright's bloodline.
And so, Bright was imprisoned here.
It had already been more than three months.
Over these past three months, he had remained extremely calm. He ate whenever the Marines delivered food, trained in silence when left alone, and cooperated honestly whenever the research required his participation.
As a result, the Marines' attitude toward him gradually relaxed.
so--
"It should be almost time, right?"
Bright had already begun planning something. He did not intend to let his life rot away inside this research base.
He took a shower in the small bathroom attached to the cell, then lay down on the bed in a daze.
Time slowly passed.
"Fish feed tonight."
The food delivery slot beneath the sealed metal door opened, and the Marine outside pushed in a dinner tray piled with food, casually retrieving the empty tray Bright had placed there earlier.
Bright stood up. Because of the shackles, he couldn't take very large steps, but at least he wasn't reduced to hopping helplessly.
After walking over and picking up the tray, Bright returned to the bed beside the wall and began eating dinner.
The meal was lavish by any standard. Several slices of toasted white bread emitting a warm aroma, accompanied by thick cuts of equally fragrant grilled meat, followed by a bowl of vegetable salad, a bowl of soup, and finally a large bottle of water.
The nutrition was balanced and the calories were abundant.
It was hard to imagine this kind of meal being prepared for a prisoner.
There was no hint of discrimination against fish-men at all.
But Bright knew very well that there was only one reason for this treatment. Vegapunk did not want his experimental subject to suffer from malnutrition.
It was no different from raising a laboratory mouse to be fat and healthy.
But Bright didn't mind. From a certain perspective, this wasn't a bad thing.
Since things were already like this, it was better to eat well than starve.
However, Bright did not finish the meal. In the past, even if he cleaned the plate completely, he would only feel about eighty percent full. Tonight, he ate slower and slower, until eventually half of the food remained as he frowned deeply.
Bright felt increasingly uncomfortable. He placed the tray back at the door, turned off the light, and lay down again.
He tossed and turned on the bed, clutching his stomach with a deep frown.
After about half an hour of this, Bright still couldn't sleep. He got up again to exercise, turned on the light, stood upside down in the center of the room, and began doing handstand push-ups.
This continued for more than an hour, until his entire body was drenched in sweat once more.
Then, Bright's previously steady body suddenly trembled, and without warning, he collapsed to the floor with a heavy thud.
His expression twisted violently, looking terrifying as sweat poured from his body. He curled up like a shrimp, clutching his stomach tightly, while every muscle in his body trembled uncontrollably.
He turned his head to look toward a corner of the room, then forcibly turned it back, clenching his teeth so tightly that not a single sound escaped.
It looked like the onset of a sudden and severe illness.
....
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