[Sea Circle Calendar, Year 1492]
Duramos Island, an ordinary small island located in the first half of the New World.
"Hey, Jesse, you don't want the news about you still wetting the bed at eight years old to get out, right?"
In a messy alley, a little boy with long black hair and bare upper body was looking at the snot-nosed brat in front of him with an evil grin on his face.
In the distance, a few brats who dared not speak out looked angrily at the long-haired boy as well.
"Eh? I clearly cleaned it up before dawn, how did you know, Rive…", Halfway through his words, the snot-nosed brat Jesse hurriedly covered his own mouth, as if afraid that his friends in the distance might hear.
"I've said it long ago, nothing in this world can escape my eyes."
Snatching away a few hundred Berries worth of pocket money from the brat's hand, ignoring Jesse's angry gaze, the long-haired boy stuffed it into his pocket, laughing loudly as he walked away with great swagger.
Only after he left did the group of children dare to come over to comfort the robbed Jesse, all angrily shouting, "Damn it, that guy! when I grow up, I'm definitely going to get revenge!"
"Yeah, that Riven guy is always taking our pocket money. If I get the chance, I'm definitely going to beat him up hard."
But there were also some more rational children, who only looked bitterly at the long-haired back disappearing into the distance.
"This kind of thing… no matter how you think about it, it's just impossible. Even the mayor said it. Riven killed a wild boar when he was six years old. He's…", While speaking, there was even a hint of fear in the child's eyes, as if recalling the warnings told by their parents.
"A BORN MONSTER!"
———
"Good, scammed a few hundred Berries again, I can buy two more newspapers now," In high spirits, Riven pushed open the front door of the house.
This was already the ninth year since he came to the One Piece world. Riven, who was abandoned from birth and raised by the old mayor, had long since gotten used to this fantasy world.
It's just that he had yet to truly witness the vastness of this world, so he always made it a point to buy newspapers from the News Coo to learn about major events happening on the sea.
Today, as usual, he planned to return home for lunch. But for some reason, the old mayor wasn't at home.
Looking around and seeing no one, he furrowed his little brows and focused his senses toward the neighbor's house next door, as if he was trying to sense something, then shook his head.
"Nope, not at the widow's house next door either."
'Probably out drinking and visiting courtesans again,' Riven didn't think much of it. He went straight to the kitchen, grabbed a few loaves of bread and some ham, sat down on a chair and started eating.
While eating, he also started reading the newspaper he just bought today.
"The remnants of the Rocks Pirates are each developing their own forces. Among them, Golden Lion, Whitebeard, and others…"
'Nothing particularly noteworthy. But gotta say, the young Charlotte Linlin is actually really beautiful.'
Looking at the paper with that curvy figure standing out, Riven chewed as he silently admired, then continued reading, "Roger Pirates suspected to have appeared near Sandrilla Island."
'The living Pirate King…', Riven continued chewing while sighing to himself, then kept reading.
'Next news is—'
'Wait a minute!'
Riven suddenly stopped chewing, as if he sensed something off. He then sharply looked back at the line mentioning the Roger Pirates. The bread in his mouth even dropped to the floor without him noticing, his whole body froze.
'Sandrilla Island? Isn't that the island just a few dozen nautical miles away?'
'Holy crap!'
'At this point in time, Roger hasn't even reached Laugh Tale yet, and isn't even the Pirate King.'
'This is insane!'
Riven's eyes widened. Within just a few seconds, an extremely bold decision had formed in his mind.
"In my previous life, I waited almost thirty years and still didn't figure out what One Piece was, now I've got a ready-made chance to witness it!?"
'If I can join Roger's crew…'
'What is this?'
'Starting at the top?'
'The legendary treasure normal pirates spend a lifetime searching for, I'd find it not even two years after setting out?'
Just thinking about this made Riven so excited he could barely sit still.
Not to mention, the Roger Pirates are filled with world-class powerhouses. Just learning a move or two would be enough to be a final movie boss.
And there's also the benefit of identity. Even Buggy later on, just by being a former Roger crew member, got treated with high regard wherever he went.
'Think it, do it!'
[Old man, I'm off to join the Roger Pirates. I'll repay your kindness once I return home in glory,] He wrote a farewell note.
With a stick slung over his shoulder and a bundle of belongings tied to the end, Riven made up his mind. Once he made a name for himself, he'd return to repay the old villagers who raised him.
"By that time, even the stray dogs in this village, I'll lead them into those big kingdoms to serve as police dogs. That's at least a fair repayment, right?"
Riven immediately packed up the few belongings in the old mayor's house and dashed toward the harbor, sprinting at full speed all the way.
———
[Meanwhile]
A giant, ornate, red-and-gold pointed ship with two mermaid statues carved on its prow officially docked at Duramos's largest port.
Standing steadily at the prow was a man with the look of a captain.
He wore a red coat, a captain's hat on his head, and beneath his iconic mustache was the bold smile unique to a strong man. A kingly aura radiated from him.
'Impressive bearing, overflowing dominance, worthy of being one of the sea's top powerhouses' Just through his senses, Riven already clearly understood the abyss-like gap in strength between him and this man.
This was the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger.
At this point, he had already gone through the Battle of God Valley with his crew, and was now sailing all around, searching for the four missing Poneglyphs, conducting their final adventure.
Right now, he hadn't contracted any incurable disease and was still enjoying the freedom and travel of the sea.
At the pier, members of the Roger Pirates disembarked one after another, their stop here was only to replenish supplies.
However, among this group of big men, two little guys stood out. Looking very out of place in the crowd.
They were two small kids with a bit of red on them.
One had red hair. One had a red nose.
"Who're you calling red nose, huh? Say it again if you dare!", Young Buggy was fuming, his whole face turning red from anger.
"No one said red nose, Buggy," Shanks jumped off the gangplank, pressing down the straw hat that was nearly blown away by the wind, "You can even sense insults without sound, is your Observation Haki tuned to 'red nose'?"
"No, someone definitely said it. This feeling can't be wrong," Buggy clenched his fists and shouted loudly. Then he looked around and suddenly saw a figure dashing over from afar.
"Hey! Was it you, brat?"
"AHAHAHAHA… Hisashiburi da na, Buggy, Shanks!", Laughing and waving as he ran over, it was Riven.
[T/N: 'Hisashiburi Da Na' means 'Long Time No See'.]
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