One Piece: Star Sea Legend

Chapter 1: A Fateful Encounter

“Qin Ming, get up quickly! Didn’t you agree to go fishing with us today? Are you trying to slack off again?”

A fat man kept knocking on Qin Ming’s door, making loud thud thud sounds.

“Damn fatty, stop knocking! You’re going to break the door!”

Qin Ming, lying in bed, threw off the covers and got up swiftly, sighing lightly. It had been over half a year since he arrived in this world.

From initial resistance to reluctant acceptance, Qin Ming felt deeply uncertain about his future.

When he first heard the village children talking about the Pirate King Gol D. Roger, Qin Ming thought he was dreaming or that everyone here was a fan of pirates.

Otherwise, why would the children’s eyes shine with such admiration and even a hint of madness when they spoke of the Pirate King? It was almost like they were devout followers, making Qin Ming feel uneasy.

From the fishermen who saved him, Qin Ming learned that he had been found drifting at sea, unconscious. If it weren’t for the fishermen who happened to be nearby, he would have drowned.

Since then, to survive, Qin Ming had learned to become a fisherman, honing his skills. After half a year, he had become one of the most skilled fishermen in the village.

Many people would invite Qin Ming to join them before heading out to sea, as his presence ensured a bountiful catch.

At first, Qin Ming had thought about planting vegetables and living a leisurely life as a farmer in the village. However, the land was so barren that not even grass could grow. Thus, everyone in the village relied on fishing for their livelihood.

Over the past six months, Qin Ming had eaten fish at every meal, but he didn’t mind. The variety of fish in the nearby waters was incredibly diverse. Every day, even every meal, he ate different types of fish, each with unique flavors. It was a culinary adventure.

Back on Earth, there were many types of fish, but in this world of One Piece, there were species he had never encountered before.

For example, the Snowflake Fish he ate two days ago remained icy cold even after being steamed. No matter how much it was heated, it stayed as cold as an ice pop. Its meat was tender, fragrant, and boneless. Eating it in the scorching summer was incredibly refreshing.

“How unlucky. In the novels I’ve read, the protagonists always gain amazing abilities after crossing over. Why am I still just an ordinary person?”

Qin Ming thought resentfully as he followed the fat man to the seaside.

Along the way, many villagers greeted Qin Ming warmly. He also saw children playing games of the Navy catching pirates.

“Today, it’s my turn to play the great pirate Whitebeard. You can be the Navy lieutenant and try to catch me.”

“Idiot, Whitebeard is known as the strongest man in the world. A mere Navy lieutenant wouldn’t dare to catch him. At least a Navy admiral would be needed.”

Hearing the children’s conversation, the fat man beside Qin Ming sighed nostalgically. “Youth is wonderful. I used to dream of becoming a famous pirate, finding the legendary One Piece

Looking at the fat man’s wistful expression, Qin Ming thought to himself: “Pirate King? With your skills, you’d probably be taken out by someone like Buggy the Clown before even entering the Grand Line.”

“Do you know why I gave up?” the fat man asked Qin Ming.

“Why?”

As soon as Qin Ming asked, the fat man’s face turned sorrowful. “Back then, I was full of ambition and set out to sea. But before I could get far, a giant sea king capsized my boat. If it weren’t for someone who happened to save me, I wouldn’t be alive today.”

Hearing this, Qin Ming felt a bit embarrassed. He had forgotten that in this world’s seas, giant sea kings were everywhere. With the fat man’s skills, he wouldn’t even need to encounter other pirates; a sea king alone could finish him off.

“Who saved you? No one in our village can handle a giant sea king, right?”

Qin Ming found it strange. Who could have saved the fat man?

“I don’t know either. It was a strange old man. He said he happened to be swimming nearby and saved me. Although I think he might have been exaggerating—how could someone swim from one island to another?—he was indeed strong. He just threw a small stone and knocked out the giant sea king.”

The fat man’s words stunned Qin Ming. Could it have been Silvers Rayleigh who saved him?

“Did that old man have a scar over his right eye?” Qin Ming asked urgently.

“Yeah, he did. How did you know?” The fat man looked at Qin Ming in surprise.

“Just a wild guess.”

Qin Ming wondered why Rayleigh would be in the East Blue. According to the fat man, he was saved by Rayleigh a year ago. Why would Rayleigh, the Dark King, be in the weakest sea at that time?

From what he had learned from the villagers, it had been 22 years since the Pirate King Gol D. Roger’s death. That meant Luffy should have already set sail. But why was Rayleigh in the East Blue a year before Luffy’s journey?

As a fan of One Piece, Qin Ming had read the manga and watched the anime multiple times. He didn’t recall any storyline about Rayleigh being in the East Blue a year before Luffy’s departure.

“Could this be one of Oda’s hidden plot points?”

A ridiculous thought crossed Qin Ming’s mind.

“Hey, what are you daydreaming about? We’re about to set sail for fishing.”

The fat man, already on the fishing boat, called out to Qin Ming, who was still standing lost in thought.

Qin Ming snapped out of it and quickly boarded the boat. Another busy and fulfilling day of fishing began.

Two hours later, Qin Ming and the fat man looked satisfied at their catch—ten baskets full of fish, enough to last them a while.

Just as they were about to head back, a huge wave surged from the sea, nearly capsizing their small boat.

“Oh no, it’s a sea king!”

The fat man looked terrified at the giant creature emerging from the depths, almost wetting himself.

“Holy crap, is that a real sea king?”

Qin Ming looked up at the massive creature with a horse-like face, lantern-sized eyes, and a body resembling an octopus. It was at least twenty times the size of their small boat.

“There shouldn’t be sea kings in this area. Why is it here?” The fat man panicked, turning to Qin Ming.

“Stop asking questions and start rowing!”

Qin Ming, drenched from the splashing seawater, grabbed the oars and started rowing furiously.

At that moment, Qin Ming missed motorized boats from Earth. Here, he was rowing until his arms felt like they were about to fall off, and they hadn’t moved far.

ROAR!!!

The sea king opened its massive mouth, ready to swallow Qin Ming’s boat whole.

As the sea king’s mouth drew closer, Qin Ming smelled its foul breath and felt a growing sense of despair. “Is this how I die?”

“Gomu Gomu no Pistol!”

Just as Qin Ming was about to close his eyes and accept his fate, he heard a spirited voice. More importantly, the words sounded familiar.

Qin Ming’s eyes snapped open, and he saw a long arm stretching over his head. With a bang, the giant sea king was sent flying.

“Awesome! This thing looks delicious!”

A straw-hat-wearing boy with a small scar under his left eye jumped onto Qin Ming’s boat. Using his stretched arm to grab the bow, he flew over, eyeing the unconscious sea king with excitement.

“Monster! His arm stretched!”

The fat man, seeing the straw-hatted boy, turned pale with fear.

“Wow, there are so many fish here. They all look delicious!”

The boy’s mouth watered as he noticed the baskets of fish Qin Ming and the fat man had caught.

“Monkey D. Luffy!”

Qin Ming didn’t know whether to feel excited or nervous. This was a character he had only seen in comics and on screen, now standing before him in the flesh, having just saved his life.

“How do you know my name? Have we met before?”

Luffy turned to Qin Ming, puzzled.

“But it’s not strange that you know my name. After all, I’m going to be the Pirate King! Hahaha!”

Before Qin Ming could explain, Luffy burst into hearty laughter. His smile was infectious, and his confidence was natural, without a hint of pretense.

Hearing Luffy’s bold declaration, the already shaken fat man fainted on the spot.

Qin Ming was at a loss for words. Seeing Luffy’s eager glances at the fish, he thought for a moment and said, “Why don’t you come back to our village? We’ll prepare a big meal to thank you for saving us.”

“Really? That’s great! I’m starving!”

Luffy’s face lit up with joy. But then he seemed to remember something and rushed to the side of the boat, exclaiming, “Where’s my ship?”

“Is that it? It’s already drifted far away.”

Qin Ming pointed to a small boat floating alone in the distance.

“That’s my ship!”

Luffy followed Qin Ming’s finger and immediately recognized his drifting boat.

Earlier, Luffy had been too focused on saving them and hadn’t secured his boat. By the time he realized, it had already drifted far away.

“Come back! Don’t you want to be the ship of the future Pirate King?”

Luffy stood at the edge of the fishing boat, shouting at the receding ship.

Qin Ming watched Luffy, speechless. “This guy really is a simple-minded fool.”

“This is trouble. Without a ship, I can’t set sail.”

Luffy, seeing that his ship wasn’t coming back, looked troubled.

“If you don’t mind, I can lend you this fishing boat.”

Qin Ming thought it would be pretty cool if the future Pirate King sailed on his fishing boat.

“You’re such a nice guy!”

Hearing Qin Ming’s offer, Luffy’s face brightened again. Then he turned to Qin Ming and said, “Hey, you’re a man too, right? Why don’t you come with me? Let’s sail the seas and become free pirates!”