—55 years ago in the sea circle calendar, East Blue, Loguetown.
Central Plaza, a street corner.
"Rune, do you still remember the dreams we talked about when we were kids? Today, let's make our debut as pirates!"
"Huh? Today?" Rune's heart trembled upon hearing the news, and much of his sleepiness faded away.
He was a transmigrator who had drowned while saving someone, and when he opened his eyes again, he had arrived in the world of the Pirate King.
He had known Roger in Loguetown since childhood, but unfortunately, he was unfamiliar with anything about this era.
55 years ago? It was a full 53 years away from the era he was familiar with. Now he was 21, only a year younger than Roger.
If he waited until the official history began, he would be an old geezer nearly 80 years old!
Now, they had lived in Loguetown for many years, committing petty thefts and causing trouble. Roger suddenly said they were making their debut?
"That's right! Rune, it's now! Let's go and turn this world upside down together!"
Roger was carrying a small bag containing some Berries, a map of the East Blue, and some essential maritime tools like a compass and sea charts.
Roger was impulsive, wanting to do whatever he said immediately. His free-spirited nature, which didn't waste a moment, truly left Rune helpless.
But then again, who told him to transmigrate and become Roger's inseparable best friend since childhood?
Setting out to sea with Roger to be a pirate—he knew this was the beginning of everything, the starting point.
The streets of Loguetown Plaza were crowded. Rune stood beside Roger, wearing a thin black shirt. His full muscles filled out the shirt, making him look as robust as an ancient Greek statue.
It was morning, and many people were already out in Loguetown Plaza.
"What's going on today? Why are the Marines investigating house-to-house?"
Rune fixed his gaze on several Marine Soldiers not far away who were holding documents and knocking on doors to investigate.
"That's why I'm telling you to leave quickly; that guy is here to catch the two of us!"
Roger seemed to scent a sense of crisis, but his face was filled with a rugged, adventurous smile.
Attracting the Marines' attention meant they indeed had to leave Loguetown, otherwise, it would be troublesome if a Marine Soldier who had been investigating them for years showed up.
"You mean... that guy Garp...?" Rune felt a chill run down his spine. He turned to look at Roger blankly with an awkward laugh: "Stop joking, we only... committed minor things... minor things..."
Was it really a minor thing? Even Rune didn't believe it as he said it.
The things they had done to get by over the years were enough for the Marines to sentence them to death.
While Rune was secretly worrying, several Marines from Loguetown were running quickly toward their location.
"Whatever, let's run! Yahahaha!"
Roger grabbed the small bag and led him toward the eastern coast. Rune had no choice but to follow closely behind.
The current Roger was impatient and also had a short temper. If anyone dared to slander Rune to his face, Roger would not hesitate to step up and teach them a lesson.
Naturally, Rune would do the same for him, except... in a way, he was even more hardcore than Roger.
Several hours later, in the morning, the sun was shining brightly.
The two ran to the east coast of Loguetown. Roger was full of energy as he searched along the shore for any sign of a ship.
"Oh!"
Before long, he discovered a small ship on the coast.
There was a small cabin in the center of the ship, with a single mast on top of the cabin. The outer deck was piled with barrels of supplies.
There was also an outdoor drying rack with a few patterned shirts and shorts hanging on it.
A man with blonde hair slicked back was lying on the deck outside the ship's cabin, clutching an iron flask in his hand.
"Nice boat!"
Roger held his straw hat on his head, carrying that single small bag, and waved at the man on the ship.
The man on the ship, who looked somewhat unconventional and free-spirited, stopped drinking and looked up at Roger on the dock. With just one glance, he could see the heroic and free aura about him.
"It's a boat I stole. My house was burned down, so I'm living on the boat now."
"Is that so! What's your name?"
"Rayleigh."
"I'm Roger! Our encounter is destiny, Rayleigh!"
Rayleigh was somewhat puzzled upon hearing this. He originally wanted to continue drinking to pass the time, but he put down the flask again.
"Destiny?"
"Do you want to come with me and turn this world upside down?" Roger issued an invitation to Rayleigh with a heart full of ambition.
"Huh? Overturn the world?" Rayleigh was slightly startled by the words, and then he burst into laughter:
"Whose kid are you? Go play somewhere else!"
Facing a stranger who suddenly appeared out of nowhere and said something like "overturn the world," Rayleigh naturally thought he was crazy.
Roger didn't mind and continued to say to Rayleigh:
"Although your boat is a bit small, as long as it's handled well, it can still withstand an ordinary storm. Isn't it perfect as the ship for our departure?!"
"Our? Departure?" Rayleigh was stunned. He hadn't expected that after he had already rejected the man, the guy would still start making decisions on his own: "Stop making decisions for me! Why should I go and do such a thing with you?"
"I told you we're going to overturn the world! Let's go! Rayleigh! Set sail! Yahahaha!"
Rayleigh was about to refuse, but his gaze shifted to see another man running toward them from not far down the coast.
Rune scurried up behind Roger.
"Hurry and run! Roger! That familiar bunch is chasing us."
Before he could finish his sentence, several gunshots rang out, and bullets struck the walls of the small boat Rayleigh had stolen.
"Huh?!" Rayleigh was instantly startled, looking at the live ammunition hitting the wall.
"They have an accomplice! Fire! Fire!"
The Marines stationed in Loguetown were running in large numbers toward the direction of Rune and Roger.
"Hey! I'm not their accomplice!" Rayleigh quickly explained, hastily dropping his flask to dodge a bullet.
But unfortunately, he had already been identified as an accomplice. No matter how he explained, those people kept firing toward where he was.
"Set sail, Rayleigh!"
Roger and Rune ducked with their hands over their heads to avoid the bullets and jumped onto Rayleigh's boat:
"I forgot to introduce you, this is Rune, my childhood best friend!"
"You two bastards!!!" Rayleigh shouted at them in anger:
"Why is my peaceful lunch break being shattered by something like this!"
He quickly raised the sail and hurriedly set sail to escape the dock coast.
"Yahahaha, I told you it was destiny! It's fate, Rayleigh!"
As the small boat sailed into the sea, Rayleigh was truly helpless. Looking at Roger with his straw hat and then at Rune, who had lain down on the deck as soon as he got on board, he decided to just give it a try.
Anyway, his house had been burned down, and he was homeless, wandering the East Blue. He might as well try doing something bold.
"What's wrong with him?" Rayleigh jumped from the top of the cabin to the deck and asked, looking at the exhausted Rune.
"You mean Rune? Once his stomach gets extremely hungry, he falls into a weak and powerless state. But I promise you, Rayleigh, once he's full, he's definitely reliable!"
Roger spoke to Rayleigh in a very certain tone; this was a common problem for Rune.
"How hungry can he be? Is he okay?" Rayleigh looked at Rune skeptically. How could hunger cause his face to turn so pale?
He must not have eaten for who knows how many days.
Rune rested for a while, then sat up from the deck, his gaze sharpening as he suddenly looked at Rayleigh.
"It's fine!" Roger laughed loudly and slapped Rune on the back:
"This guy Rune is super strong! But not as strong as me!"
"Sorry for the trouble. I'm Rune. We were just being hunted down," Rune introduced himself to Rayleigh. Compared to Roger's boisterousness, he placed more importance on politeness and first impressions.
However, he retaliated with the same force, giving Roger a slap back. His eyes were fixed on Roger's, as if saying "I'm definitely stronger than you."
At this moment, Rune naturally recognized Rayleigh, but he hadn't expected to end up on this boat by such a twist of fate.
Even more unexpected was that Rayleigh was so easily swayed by a few words from Roger. Rayleigh also seemed to have no guard against them.
"You two...!" Rayleigh stared at Roger and Rune with an observant gaze, his heart filled with suspicion:
"You aren't bandits, are you?"
"How is that possible! We're good people!" Roger sat cross-legged next to Rune, laughing in a somewhat silly manner.
"Is that so?" Hearing this, Rayleigh looked at Roger with utter contempt, his gaze drifting to the wooden wall that had been hit by bullets.
What kind of good person would be hunted by the Marines?
"Hahaha... there are some old grudges, and old acquaintances have come looking for us." Rune also laughed awkwardly, not knowing how to explain, so he could only meet the situation with a smile.
Rayleigh stared at the two of them like they were idiots, pinching the bridge of his nose as he turned toward the cabin. He couldn't believe he had actually fallen for their nonsense—could these two guys really overturn the world?
"What are you going to do, Rayleigh?" Roger asked with a smile when he saw Rayleigh wasn't speaking.
"Cook. Didn't you say he's hungry?" Rayleigh replied coldly. Although he felt the two were idiots, he had clearly witnessed how they both dodged through the hail of bullets earlier.
"Does that mean you've agreed to go and overturn the world with me?!" Roger was instantly overjoyed.
"What else can I do? My face was seen just now, and I've already been identified as your accomplice," Rayleigh explained:
"Besides, I'm not exactly a good person either. Let's call it fate."
"Oh..." Roger and Rune both widened their eyes, understanding everything in an instant.
Rune, however, was guessing whether Rayleigh had done something extraordinary after his house was burned down.
"Overturn the world? It might be quite interesting! It just so happens I'm looking for a goal. Come in and tell me about your plan!"
...On the eastern dock coast of Loguetown, the Marines could only watch in stunned silence as the two escaped, clutching their guns.
A short while later, a young Marine officer walked out from within Loguetown.
He was as imposing as a mountain, with an incredibly robust physique.
He had short black hair and a scar near his left eye.
He usually just wore a simple Marine shirt with a Justice cape draped over his shoulders as he came to the coast, gazing at the ship escaping into the distant sea.
"Go and deploy the warships! That little wreck of a ship Roger is on won't get away!"
"Yes! Major Garp!"
The person coming to capture them was none other than the future Marine Hero, 'Fist' Garp.