One Piece: In a World Without Luffy

Over the past year, I had carved out a semblance of normalcy in this world. I wasn't the same lost child who had stumbled into Makino's bar with trembling hands and a mind full of uncertainty. I had learned to navigate this new life, albeit cautiously, and in the process, I had taken on a name—William. A simple name, one that felt foreign on my tongue yet oddly comforting when Makino said it.

I told her I was an orphan, a half-truth that needed no embellishment. She never pressed further, accepting me as I was. That was Makino's way. She never made me feel out of place, never asked questions about the gaps in my past, and for that, I was grateful.

The day passed as usual, spent wiping tables, carrying drinks, and listening to the endless chatter of sailors who came and went. Life in Foosha Village was simple, predictable. A stark contrast to the storm brewing inside me.

After finishing my chores at the bar, I took my usual walk into the forest surrounding the village. The solitude helped clear my thoughts, allowing me to reflect on my purpose in this world. I wasn't Luffy. There was no grand destiny waiting for me, no dream of becoming the Pirate King. I was just a boy trying to find his place in a world that wasn't his.

Occasionally, I ran into Ace. He was often in the forest, training, venting his frustrations on trees and rocks. We rarely spoke. Not because of any animosity, but because neither of us sought companionship. He was lost in his own struggles, just as I was in mine.

But today was different.

As I wandered deeper into the forest, my eyes landed on something unusual—a fruit, resting in the grass beneath the shade of a towering tree.

I froze.

The moment I saw it, my breath hitched in my throat. Swirling patterns, a deep purple hue, an unmistakable aura of something… unnatural. A Devil Fruit.

Shock pulsed through me. My mind raced. I had seen enough of One Piece to recognize it, and this one—this one looked like the Gomu Gomu no Mi.

A thousand thoughts flooded my mind at once. How? Why? If Shanks had never come to Foosha, then the fruit should still be somewhere in the hands of the World Government. What was it doing here?

I crouched down, staring at the fruit as if it might disappear if I looked away. My fingers trembled as I reached for it but stopped inches away.

This was too much. Too significant.

If this was truly the Gomu Gomu no Mi, eating it would change everything. I didn't want to become Luffy. I didn't want to follow someone else's story. But the longer I stared at it, the more the curiosity gnawed at me.

This was adventure.

This was the unknown.

I swallowed hard, my heart hammering in my chest. And before I could think any further, I grabbed the fruit and took a bite.

Regret hit me instantly.

It tasted awful. Like rotten garbage soaked in bile. I gagged, forcing myself to swallow. The bitterness clung to my tongue, making me shudder.

Then, it happened.

A sharp pain shot through my head, like lightning crackling through my skull. My vision blurred, my knees buckled, and I collapsed to the ground, clutching my temples. My body burned, every nerve screaming as something changed within me.

And then—

A sound echoed in my mind, unnatural and foreign.

Ding!

A panel appeared before my eyes, floating in the air like a transparent screen.

[New Ability Acquired][Devil Fruit: ???]

I blinked. My breath came in ragged gasps as I tried to process what I was seeing. This wasn't normal.

There was no 'system' in One Piece. No pop-up screens, no game-like mechanics. And yet, here it was.

I had stepped into the unknown.

And I had no idea what I had just unleashed upon myself.