The pungent stench of rotting fish jolted Kaine Vaughen awake. Shaking his dizzy head, he began to scan his surroundings. It was dark and damp, the air thick with a cloying, putrid scent. He was in a cramped space, surrounded by haphazardly stacked crates of cargo.
Why am I here? Wasn't I just at home? Was I kidnapped? Kaine Vaughen was baffled. He was a "three-no" nobody—no money, no friends, no family. Why would anyone bother kidnapping him? But if it wasn't a kidnapping, what were these heavy metal "bracelets" around his wrists?
Wait... don't tell me I've walked into one of those cliché 8:30 PM soap operas. Maybe he was actually the illegitimate son of some billionaire? Maybe the old man kicked the bucket and left him everything, and now the "second-in-line" villain had hired hitmen to take him out? Honestly, it seemed plausible.
Kaine Vaughen had no idea where he came from; since leaving the orphanage, the only thing he knew about himself was his name. A "secret rich dad" theory fit the bill just fine.
As he was daydreaming about his tragic soap-opera fate, footsteps echoed from above. So, I'm in a cellar. I guess those TV dramas are based on some scientific reality after all.
"Lucky haul this time! It's been ages since we've caught such high-quality goods!"
"Of course! With the great Lord Jack on the job, failure isn't an option."
"Stop bragging! But honestly, snatching 'merchandise' from the Kuja Pirates? That really was a stroke of luck!"
"Stop chatting and move! Throw these three little brats in with that long-eared brat. We need to leave immediately before those crazy women realize they're missing. With beauties like these, we're going to fetch a hell of a price."
A beam of light cut through the darkness from above. Three small figures were tossed down into the hold before the world went black again.
Seems this organization is efficient with their quotas, Kaine Vaughen thought. Might as well see which poor souls are stuck here with me. Better yet, if there's a beauty or two... according to the '8:30 PM Law,' this is the part where the Protagonist's Halo grants me some fanservice. (Hey, don't take soap operas as gospel!)
The kidnappers hadn't bothered to tie his legs, so Kaine Vaughen was able to stand and move. He walked toward his three new roommates, using the faint light filtering through the cracks in the ceiling to inspect them.
"Long hair? Check. Female? Check. Kawaii? Check. But... WHY ARE THEY LILLIPUTIANS?! THEY'RE JUST KIDS!"
Fine. Not everyone gets a Protagonist's Halo. TV dramas are lies. Kaine Vaughen felt like crying.
"Rabbit-Brother, don't be sad. The Kuja Pirates are the strongest. Once the sisters realize we're gone, they'll come for us!"
A black-haired little girl had woken up and was trying to cheer him up with boundless energy. Two other little girls hid behind her, peeking at him timidly.
He felt a sudden wave of warmth. Long, black hair really is the best. But then the words sank in.
"Rabbit-Brother?! Why the hell am I a rabbit?!" Kaine Vaughen felt like he'd been shot through the heart.
"Hancock-姐姐 (Big Sister), is Rabbit-Brother hungry?"
"Seems so, Sonia. Look, he doesn't even have the strength to stand up."
"But we don't have any carrots!"
"Idiot, Marigold! Rabbits eat mushrooms!"
"No! They eat carrots!"
"Mushrooms! Sister Maria's little rabbit ate mushrooms!"
...The Great Carrot vs. Mushroom Great Divide...
Forget it. A name is just a label. Focus on the situation. (He's totally just trying to change the subject, isn't he?)
"Who are you? Why were you caught? And where exactly is 'here'?" Kaine Vaughen asked, his face twitching as he suppressed the urge to give these three brats a lecture on biology.
"Rabbit-Brother's face is scary... is he a bad guy?"
I'll endure... I'll endure...
"Of course not. Little bunnies are always kind."
Still with the rabbit! I hate rabbits!
"Hancock-姐姐, Rabbit-Brother must be starving. Let's find him some carrots!"
I TOLD YOU I'M NOT A RABBIT!
Thankfully, the black-haired girl was also tired of her sisters' "expert" debate. She silenced them and turned to Kaine Vaughen with a proud expression. "We are warriors of Amazon Lily, apprentice members of the Kuja Pirates! I am the apprentice navigator, Boa Hancock. These are my sisters, Marigold and Sandersonia. Those despicable slave traders launched a cowardly sneak attack while we were working. But the Great Kuja Pirates will never forgive them! Our sisters will rescue us soon..."
Little Hancock spoke with fiery confidence, but she didn't notice Kaine Vaughen's face turning paler by the second.
Thinking of a terrifying possibility, he asked one last desperate question: "Do you know... Gold Roger, the Pirate King?"
Hancock looked at him with pure disdain. "Rabbit-Brother is a dummy! It's Gol D. Roger. He was executed by the Navy seven years ago. Men really are useless; only the Kuja Pirates are truly strong..."
The Pirate King. The world of One Piece. I've really crossed over.
Is the 'me' from the other world dead? Well, it's not like anyone would miss me. Maybe this is for the best. Since I'm here, I might as well live a life worth living!
Hancock was still boasting about the Kuja Pirates when she realized Kaine Vaughen was completely ignoring her. (Has her 'Empress' personality already started budding?) Her face puffed up like a steamed bun. "Hey! Rude Rabbit-Brother! Ignoring someone when they're talking is way too much!"
Kaine Vaughen snapped out of his thoughts and found the situation almost funny. This is the future Warlord, the Pirate Empress—Boa Hancock? She's just an innocent little girl right now. He couldn't imagine what horrors she would face over the next four years of slavery to turn her into the cold woman she becomes.
Wait. Celestial Dragons. Slavery. Hancock.
Damn it! This was the moment they were captured! They had mentioned being snatched from a ship—this wasn't a cellar; it was the hold of a Slaver Ship. These three girls were about to become slaves... and where did that leave him?
Why is my fate always like this? God, didn't you play with me enough in my last life?
Hancock was fuming. As a navigator, she deserved respect! But this person with the rabbit ears kept ignoring her over and over. Even if she was just an apprentice, he should listen!
"Hey! You jerk Rabbit-Brother! Are you looking down on Amazonian warriors? I, Boa Hancock, challenge you to a duel in the name of the Kuja! State your name!"
Looking at the pouting little girl, Kaine Vaughen saw a reflection of a little tag-along girl from his childhood who used to throw tantrums. In my last life, I wasn't a good brother. By the time I wanted to protect someone, there was nothing left to protect. Since fate gave me this chance... I should do something.
Kaine Vaughen was dead. In this life—
"My name is Nero."