Sea Circle Calendar, Year 1520.
East Blue.
Somewhere on the open sea.
Kill—
Two ships were lashed together at the rails.
One was a pirate ship flying a Jolly Roger.
The other was a merchantman.
The merchant ship had no shortage of guards.
Right now, the two sides were hacking at each other on the merchant's deck.
No one knew how long it lasted.
The sounds of slaughter gradually faded.
The fight was over.
Victory belonged to the pirates.
"Move, all of you. Don't leave a single valuable behind. Haul everything off," the pirate captain bellowed.
A chorus of roars answered him.
Fighting was just a means.
The goal was to get rich.
With the captain ordering a full sweep for loot and plenty of oil to skim, everyone worked with gusto. Most of the take would be handed over, sure, but if you hid a little and no one noticed, even the captain would turn a blind eye.
Lister was among the pirates.
No, not even that. He was just a slave of the Iron Hammer Pirates, not entitled to a single drop of the spoils in the fat cargo holds.
He could only go where no one else wanted to go: the granary.
"Anyone there?"
"Anyone?"
He eased the warehouse door open, like Koby's first appearance.
He looked left and right.
No one inside.
Not a sound.
Only then did Lister relax.
He stepped into the storeroom.
"I'm starving. Eat something first."
Muttering to himself, he went to a pile of fruit.
He grabbed an apple in each hand and bit in.
As he chewed, he thought back on the rotten week he'd had.
He had been a promising young man from the twenty-first century.
That day a colleague got promoted.
Everyone was invited out for a celebratory dinner.
He had worked hard but wasn't the one promoted. Feeling sour, he drank too much.
On the way home, weaving, he wasn't careful and fell into an open manhole.
Then, somehow, he crossed into another world.
Just his luck, he landed straight onto a supply dinghy of the Iron Hammer Pirates. Before he could gather his wits, the pirates returning from a raid boarded.
And just like that, he became a slave of the Iron Hammer Pirates.
Newcomers were easy to bully. A slave had no rights at all.
The hardships of the past week could bring tears to the eyes.
After a week of never eating his fill, Lister polished off four apples in one go and felt he could eat four more.
He reached for two more.
As he did, something caught his eye in the fruit basket. Unlike the apples, it was special, strange. He froze, then fished it out.
When he saw the markings on the odd fruit in his hand, his heart pounded.
Afraid he was seeing things, he rubbed his eyes and looked again.
No mistake. A Devil Fruit.
"Hahaha! As long as a man's alive, there's a day to turn it around. Lu Xun was right after all!"
Tears of excitement ran down Lister's face. He tossed the apples aside and sank his teeth into the Devil Fruit.
He didn't know which Devil Fruit it was.
But any Devil Fruit was worth it.
Any Devil Fruit meant a sliver of hope.
Ugh—
The taste exploded across his tongue.
He nearly retched up his guts.
Clapping a hand over his mouth, he forced the entire fruit down, then snatched two apples and tore into them, chewing wildly until the nauseating taste was washed away.
Only then did he stop.
"As expected of a Devil Fruit. That absolutely unbearable flavor was the real deal. I wonder what ability I'll get."
He stood still, quietly feeling his body.
"It's like a current is running through me. I feel lighter."
"Try a few steps?"
Decision made, he moved.
Whoosh—
Bang—
A blur streaked forward and slammed into the wall.
Lister bared his teeth in pain.
But he couldn't have been happier.
After a quick test, he had a rough idea of what he'd eaten.
Paramecia-type, the Quick-Quick Fruit.
"Not bad at all. With an ability in hand, from today on I, Lister, will defy fate."
He grinned.
Just then, the warehouse door was kicked open with a bang.
Two ruffian-looking pirates strode in.
Their eyes landed on Lister at once, and wicked smiles crept across their faces.
"Lister, you little punk. What were you just saying? Defy fate?"
"Planning to resist us, kid?"
Lister glanced at the two of them.
He weighed his options.
Show his hand and start a fight, or keep his head down a while longer?
Better to keep his head down.
He had only just eaten the Quick-Quick Fruit and wasn't used to it yet.
Aside from these small-time thugs, the Iron Hammer Pirates had two real powerhouses: the captain, Bloodhammer Henry, and the vice-captain, Madman Andre.
One had a bounty of five million, the other three million.
Together they were about on par with a mountain bandit boss.
Play it safe for now.
A moment later, Lister gave an awkward smile.
"You're joking, brothers. I just think being a slave has no future. I want to be a pirate like you. Follow Boss Henry, eat meat by the mouthful, split the loot with a laugh—doesn't that turn fate on its head?"
"Hmph. With that scrawny frame, a pirate? Not even close. If you don't want a beating, get to work."
They shot him a disdainful look.
They'd never seen anyone as weak as Lister. Probably worse than a child, and he dared to talk big here.
They barked at him in irritation.
"Right away."
Seeing they weren't pursuing what he'd said, Lister smiled and got to work.