Beneath the blue sky, a flock of seagulls flew overhead, their cries echoing across the sea.
Yet on the beach by the shoreline, the scene was entirely different.
The golden sand stretched along the coast, while a lush forest rose behind it, its towering trees seeming to reach into the heavens.
Under a beach umbrella, a child who looked no older than five or six lay leisurely basking in the sun.
His upper body was bare, and he wore only a pair of short beach pants.
Several burly men stood behind him, while two or three young maids attended to his every need.
The little boy appeared completely relaxed and carefree, as though nothing in the world could disturb him.
“Your Highness, is the sun too strong?
Should we move somewhere shadier?”
A maid standing nearby asked softly and cautiously as the boy rested with his eyes closed, lazily eating fruit.
The boy opened his eyes slightly and glanced at her expressionlessly before closing them again.
“Then you can go stand under the trees and enjoy the shade.
I’ll stay here and enjoy the sun a little longer.”
The three maids exchanged helpless looks.
Even the burly guards behind them couldn’t help sweating.
Yet after hearing his words, none of them dared leave.
They could only remain where they were and continue serving him.
As for the boy lying there, although he looked relaxed on the surface, his thoughts had long drifted far away.
He had been in this world for several years, yet he still couldn’t understand what had happened.
Why had he suddenly transmigrated?
He clearly remembered eating at a restaurant.
Then, without warning, when he opened his eyes again, he had become a child cradled in someone else’s arms.
Several years had passed since then, and he had already adapted to his new surroundings.
Still, he had to admit that the air here was unbelievably good.
The boy’s name was Nero.
In this world, he was the prince of a kingdom known as the Tru Kingdom and its only heir.
The old king had fathered him at the age of seventy, so he doted on him immensely.
Wherever Nero went, several bodyguards accompanied him.
Just like now, he had virtually nothing to worry about and spent every day doing whatever he pleased.
Yet Nero wasn’t entirely satisfied.
Even after living here for years, he still didn’t know exactly what kind of world this was or why he had come here in the first place.
Day after day passed in monotony, and he had long grown tired of it.
Still, for a former office worker who had spent his life working hard, this was exactly the kind of life he had once dreamed of.
The Tru Kingdom wasn’t particularly large.
It was surrounded by the sea, and its economy was merely average.
Nero had never paid attention to such matters.
Not only was he too young, but the old king would never burden him with such troublesome responsibilities.
Lying on the beach beneath the blazing sun could practically be considered the definition of enjoyment.
Every day was repetitive and uneventful, but thanks to his age, there was little expected of him.
The only thing he really had to do was eat well, drink well, and enjoy life.
After all, he had no reason to worry about the future.
“Lord Nero, there seems to be someone in the sea!”
While Nero was busy contemplating life, the maid beside him suddenly pointed toward the water and shouted.
The moment he heard her, Nero sat up immediately and looked toward the sea with curiosity.
Sure enough, there was a person floating near the shoreline.
A piece of driftwood supported him as he slowly drifted toward the beach.
After watching for a moment, Nero turned toward the burly men standing behind him.
They remained motionless with their usual stern expressions, as though nothing had happened.
Nero was speechless.
“Can’t you move?
Hurry up and save him!”
Only after hearing the order did they begin stripping off their outer clothes before rushing into the sea.
A short while later, they carried the person ashore.
Afterward, they quickly put their clothes back on and returned to their positions behind Nero without saying a word.
Nero walked over to examine the person they had rescued.
Although he looked half-dead, the rise and fall of his chest proved he was still alive.
Out here, where there wasn’t another soul in sight, someone had somehow drifted ashore from the sea.
Nero couldn’t help feeling curious.
“Bring some food.”
He turned and ordered a maid.
“My lord, this man looks like a pirate.
Shouldn’t we avoid saving him?”
The maid glanced at the stranger’s clothes and quickly voiced her concern.
“Pirate?”
Nero froze for a moment.
He had heard the word countless times during his years in the kingdom.
It sounded familiar, but he had never paid much attention to it.
Now, however, an actual pirate had appeared right in front of him.
That immediately piqued his interest.
Smiling, he said,
“Just bring the food.
Why are you talking so much?
There are so many of us here.
Are you afraid of one person?”
The maid thought about it and found his reasoning hard to argue with.
She fetched two pieces of fruit and brought them over.
The man lying on the ground wasn’t seriously injured.
He was merely exhausted and starving.
Though he had drifted in the sea, he hadn’t drowned.
He had simply fallen unconscious.
Nero squatted beside him with a faint smile.
Then he lightly patted the man’s face.
The force wasn’t strong, but it was enough to slowly wake him.
The pirate opened his eyes and saw a child crouching beside him.
He closed them again for a moment before weakly muttering,
“Food… Is there… any food?”
Nero immediately grinned.
He took the fruit the maid had brought and held it near the man’s mouth.
The pirate instantly transformed into a ravenous beast.
A moment ago, he had looked ready to die.
Now he sat upright and snatched the fruit, devouring it without restraint.
Everyone else simply stood nearby and watched.
The pirate had completely abandoned any concern for appearance or dignity.
No one knew how long he had gone without eating.
After some time, he finally regained a little strength.
Lying back on the sand, he stared up at the blue sky and flashed Nero a sinister smile.
“Little guy, thank you for saving me.
Otherwise, I probably would’ve died out there at sea.
I’m really lucky.
So tell me, how should I repay you?”
“How do you want to repay me?”
Nero asked with a smile.
“What an interesting little brat.”
The pirate’s expression suddenly twisted.
“How about I eat you?”
His face became terrifying as he stared directly at Nero.
The smile he wore could hardly be called a smile anymore.
For a brief moment, Nero was genuinely startled.
Then he simply sighed.
Standing up, he looked at the pirate, who had managed to sit upright.
“This guy is beyond saving.”
He turned and spoke to the burly men behind him.
“Ahahaha!
Do you know who I am?
I’m a pirate!”
The pirate slowly rose to his feet.
Though still weak, he radiated confidence.
Nero couldn’t help finding it strange.
The man was alone, surrounded by so many people, yet he still dared speak so arrogantly.
At that moment, one of the maids hurried forward, scooped Nero into her arms, and retreated several steps.
The guards also rushed forward to shield him.
“Lord Nero, get back!
Pirates have no humanity at all!”
Nero looked at them speechlessly.
“You have time to chat, but not enough time to deal with him first?”
He wasn’t nervous in the slightest.
After all, they vastly outnumbered the pirate.
More importantly, the man looked so weak that Nero couldn’t understand where his confidence came from.
Receiving the order, the guards immediately charged forward.
They intended to subdue the weakened pirate before he could recover.
However, what happened next stunned everyone.
The pirate raised his hands.
A blue glow spread across his body.
Immediately afterward, the surrounding plants and trees seemed to respond to his call, launching attacks toward the guards.
“Lord Nero, be careful!
He’s a Devil Fruit user!”
One of the guards shouted nervously.
“Devil Fruit?”
Nero felt as though ten thousand thunderbolts had exploded inside his head.
What was going on?
He had lived in this world for years.
Could this actually be the world of One Piece?
When it came to Devil Fruits, that was the first thing that came to mind.
The guards were already being pushed back.
Although the pirate was weak, he was still a Devil Fruit user.
Defeating him wouldn’t be easy.
The maid carrying Nero immediately turned and ran.
While enjoying the surprisingly comfortable experience of being held in a woman’s arms, Nero still said helplessly,
“Put me down.
Why are you running?”
The maid thought she had misheard.
“Huh?”
Then she nervously replied,
“Lord Nero, there are pirates behind us!
And he’s one of those legendary Devil Fruit users.
We have to retreat immediately, otherwise—”
“No need.”
Nero finally became annoyed.
“Put me down.
That guy may have a Devil Fruit, but he’s so weak it’s questionable whether he can even stand properly.”
Realizing Nero was serious, the maid stopped and carefully set him down.
To Nero, the situation was obvious.
The pirate was in terrible condition.
If they didn’t take advantage of his weakness now, things would only become more dangerous once he recovered.
Moreover, Nero knew better than anyone the weaknesses of Devil Fruit users.
Judging by the man’s clumsy use of his ability, he had probably only eaten the fruit recently and hadn’t fully mastered it yet.
Even against ordinary guards, he was struggling.
Despite expending considerable effort, he hadn’t defeated a single one.
He had only managed to restrain some of them while the others continued fighting.
Seeing the situation, Nero shouted,
“What are you still standing around for?
He’s afraid of seawater!
Throw him into the sea, or you’ll all be dead once he recovers!”
The remaining three guards instantly rushed forward.
Although they knew they weren’t his match individually, the pirate was weak enough that they still had a chance.
The pirate sneered and clearly didn’t take them seriously.
However, once one guard grabbed hold of him, the other two immediately pushed him toward the water.
The shoreline was only a few steps away.
It didn’t take much effort.
The three men struggled desperately against the weakened Devil Fruit user.
For ordinary people, witnessing such a scene would have been unbelievable.
Yet by sheer luck, they succeeded.
The pirate used his ability to control nearby wood and bind all three men.
But at that exact moment, weakened and off balance, he accidentally stepped into the seawater.
Instantly, all of his strength vanished.
He collapsed to the ground.
At the same time, the wooden restraints binding everyone disappeared.