One Piece: Aquarius.

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"Quotations will be used when the protagonist is speaking."

Author: When other characters are speaking during the dialogue it will be with script format. It will also be used during chat room moments and text messaging too.

'This format here will be used for inner monologue of the protagonist or when he is transformed.'

[Brackets will be used when A.I.s speak.]

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What happens when you die?

Do you go to heaven? Hell? Purgatory? Or do you cease to exist entirely?

No one knows for sure.... Or at least they didn't until now.

There were four friends who, since childhood, were inseparable. They grew up together and in the end developed very similar hobbies which they were able to make a living with growing up in their teenage years. Those hobbies included video games, manga/anime, novels, etc. YouTube brought them many opportunities as they grew up and brought them a loyal following to each of them. Other than the many activities they shared together via multiplayer, each friend had a type of game they themselves enjoyed the most.

One is a hardcore fan of the Pokémon game series and eventually managed collect and level up all of the ones possible. Leveling up and mixing up many different Pokémon in teams that would eventually lead to many brilliant tournament wins earning himself so much prize money.

One is a fan of stylish and difficult action games, Devil May Cry and Ninja Gaiden series being her top favorite of the category. Often enough giving her the challenge and thrill she desires from each of them. Often times there are plenty of max difficulty playthroughs, speed runs, and even combo montages posted on YouTube drawing in plenty of subscribers for her.

One is a big fan of manga/anime and has favored the Naruto and One Piece series the most, while Fairy Tail comes a close third. Some of the fighting games developed for each series has been a favorite for her and she has been known to win in many tournaments over the years.

The last of the friends was a fan of the Chinese martial arts cultivation novels from her homeland and collected many such novels. She even signed up for a highly popular MMO martial arts game as a highly renowned and sought out alchemist who not only claimed a rare, one of a kind heavenly flame, but also gained a legendary alchemist's legacy. The game featured a handy fund transfer system that allows you two exchange in game currency for real world money and vice versa with fair exchange rates. So between the friends, she happened to end up being the wealthiest.

These four friends shared a childhood together and in the end faced the same misfortunate fate together.... or did was their fate a fortune?

It all ended and began again with a plane crash as they were on the way to a gaming event one fateful day.

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4 Years later...

##Approaching the Goa Kingdom - Dawn Island.##

A ship approaches Dawn Island and will arrive within an hour. Standing at the bow is a young boy of 4 years of age, calmly watching as the ship gets closer to it's destination. His mother had died a year ago and the man who claimed to be his father had arranged for him to be transported somewhere relatively safe, which happened to coincide with the fact that his other son just happened to be living on the very same island. The man himself couldn't help but smirk at the irony and just chalked it off as a mere coincident.

????: Hey kid!

An older man with with a unkempt grey and black hair with a scraggly beard approaches the dark blue haired boy. Turning around the boys eyes are revealed to be violet. The man pulls out a Transponder Snail and holds it to the boy.

????: The boss wants to have a chat with you.

Nodding, the boy grabs the snail.

Boy: Dragon...

The snail responds with a chuckle.

Dragon: Aww c'mon, do you really need to be so cold with your old man?

Boy: Did you really need to be such a player even though you already had a woman in your life?

The boy says with a smirk.

Dragon: Haha! I know it's been hard on you since she died, but despite my mistakes I intend to keep my promise to her and protect her child.

The boy chuckles.

Boy: Protect me by dropping me off in a middle of nowhere island kingdom like Goa?

Dragon: It's safer there than it is where my people are going believe me. You will be able to grow until your old and strong enough to protect yourself and carve out your own freedom in this perilous world."

The boy glances at the approaching island and shakes his head.

Boy: Was Dawn Island a coincidence or did you have all of this planned out? Considering your old man is known to visit this area quite often.

Dragon is silent for a moment before chuckling amusedly.

Dragon: I Will admit this slipped by me when I considered your relocation.

Boy: Remind me to avoid that old man, I heard he can be a real violent teacher.

The thought of training with Monkey. D. Garp causes the boy to shudder.

Dragon: Don't remind me... Sigh.... His punches of love ignores even logia devil fruit users. God help your younger half brother.

Boy: Better him the me.

The boy waves his hand indifferently.

Dragon: If you meet Luffy, try not to take things personal will?"

Dragon requests the boy to be lenient with his younger sibling, hoping to avoid any sort of familial conflict that may occur. The boy sighs and leans against the railing of the ship.

Boy: I'm not that shallow to let something like that become a personal problem. Sins of the father should never fall upon the child after all.

Dragon: Hoho! For a four year old brat to spew out such wisdom.

He chuckles amusedly.

Dragon: You should be approaching the island soon. What kind of plans do you have once you arrive kid?

Boy: Hm...

The boy thinks for a moment as he glances at the Goa Kingdom his ship will inevitably dock.

Boy: A kingdom is far too crowded and will limit the training I plan to do so I'm just going to bail. I learned enough from mom to know how to survive off the land.

Dragon: You do take after her that's for sure. A real woman of the wild. To be honest our moment together was mostly due to her aggression and... well you know how that ended up.

The boy cringes.

Dragon: Too much information old man.

Dragon and even the old man who brought him the transponder snail laughs loudly at that comment.

Dragon: Well anyways... You may have taken on your mother's family name and legacy but my blood still flows within you. Live life of your own will and grasp your freedom by your own two hands son. Whether you follow the path of a Pirate, a Marine, a Revolutionary, or something else. Just remember your life is yours alone to decide. Fight for your own ambitions and justice.

Boy: Heh. If anyone stands in the way of my own goals I'll just kick their asses! Even if the road block is dear old grandpa!

Dragon: Hahaha! That's my boy! I am needed elsewhere so I'll be leaving. Old man Vic will give you enough money for a month so use it wisely. Next time we meet brat I expect you to be a force to be reckoned with.

After that the transponder snail disconnects and the boy passes it back to old man Vic.

Old Man Vic: Your own your own now brat,"

Vic passes a bag to the boy.

Old Man Vic: Probably wise for you to willingly avoid Garp, I have heard about the training that old man schedules for recruits under him and it's brutal. Those that come out of his training mostly turn out to be monstrous marines in the end."

Boy: So I've heard.

The boy agrees with a grin, reminiscing on something unknown to the old man. 'If Luffy and Ace can survive that brutal training and come out as strong as they did, than I expect nothing less to the unlucky bastards recruited under him.

Sailor: LAND HO!!!

A sailor shouts from the crow's nest. It seems it's time for the boy to disembark so he turns to the old man.

Dragon: You going to sail back to Dragon old man Vic?

Old Man Vic: Hehehe! But of course! I am a loyal member of the Revolutionary Army through and through.

It didn't take long for the ship to dock at the kingdom. After chatting with the old man for a while and taking care of the formalities involving with docking, the boy rushes off to his own devices and eventually makes his way outside of the kingdom into the wilderness to start his new life at last. As he roams through the untamed wilds of the island he finds a place suitable for me. A cliff face with a cave inclined a decent height up, out of the reach of any possible threats among the wild life. Beneath the cliff face is a small clearing that houses a small stream of clean and fresh waters. The area has all he needs for survival as he grows and trains himself to be strong enough to embark on his own journey.

Boy: Let's see.... According to my old man I'm 3 months older than my half brother, figures he'd knock up one of his subordinates before his own woman.

After gathering a few things he will need for his new makeshift home he climbs up into the cave and sits down comfortably upon his self made chair made from an old stump. With a sigh he reaches into his bag and pulls out a red and black object that is large compared to his tiny 4 years old hands. A square screen at the center of the device lightens up.

[User Shinra D. Soma has successfully activated the PokeDex. Please check the instructions manual installed within the settings application. For successfully bounding with the Pokedex a Gift Package has been awarded to the user to get you started on you new life in the World of Pirates.]

Soma: Finally! Now that I am not on the boat anymore I can get started on my new life in this world. Hahaha! I finally get to live again.

The boy laughs loudly, excited to be alive yet again after his life came to an abrupt in back in his past life on earth. Now his life again in a world that to him was but an form of media, but to the him now it is but his new reality.

This is Soma's story...

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I observe the many apps already preloaded on the Pokedex after reading through the instructions manual to figure everything out. I have no intention of rushing through this device blindly, rushing leads to accidents after all. I doubt I could destroy this device anyways. I chuckle at the thought, reminded of a certain hyperactive Naruto fangirl who died along with me.

"Let's see.... here it is! In the mail app!"

I open the mail app and find the gift pack that came with the Pokedex.

[Gift Pack opened.]

[Soma has received a bounded partner Pokémon at random and the Poke Ball Brand. Branding the Poke Ball Brand to Soma. Brace yourself for some slight pain upon your left hand.]

"Wait what!?"

Before I can prepare myself a searing pain originating from the back of my left hand hits me suddenly causing me to grit my teeth to keep myself to shout out. I watch as a red and white ball brand is burned onto the back of my hand and soon the steam settles revealing the final brand.

"Ha....ha....ha..... Nice forewarning there Dex... What is the point of the brand?"

[Within the brand is a massive sub sub-world with habitats for every type of pokemon possible and will be used to house them when they aren't in use. The world's ecosystem is self sufficient so you will not need to worry about their safety and needs. There will be times when the beings within will appear before you for certain situations for you to challenge or befriend.]

"Sweet. Can I enter into the brand's world?"

[At the moment you do not possess the capabilities to enter into the world at present. As for the future it is to be determined.]

"That's good to know..."

I stare at the brand on my left hand and smile. A whole world in my own hands, why wouldn't I be excited. I starting thinking about the other gains I have received along with the brand.

"What is my partner Pokémon I received after opening the package?"

[Currently unknown as you partner Pokémon was immediately bound to you and currently slumbers within your mindscape. Your relationship with your partner Pokémon is similar to that of the Jinchuuriki and the Bijuu from the Naruto series. As a result of this particular Pokémon you have gained the ability to take on the form of the Pokémon you have already received and grow the forms and evolve them personally. As you practice and increase your proficiency with each Pokémon skill while transformed, you may learn to wield the abilities in your human form]

"Now that's awesome! Whoever my partner Pokémon is I love it already! I can't wait to try it!"

I pump my fist in the air and cheer in joy before calming down.

"What forms do I have access at the moment Dex?" I ask.

[Your starter forms are Charmander, Riolu, and Froakie. You may transform into them whenever you wish. In order to gain more forms the user must grow the strength of himself and current form, partner included to a sufficient level. Then you must defeat a Pokémon summoned during the simulated random encounter that will become available after your training reaches a satisfying level and your age reaches 10 years of age. Each time you defeat a certain pokemon you will gain percentages for a progression bar you can check up in the Statistics Application, when it is full you can gain the form. Unfortunately you cannot gain access to evolved forms and must evolve into them from their pre-evolved forms.]

I grin after hearing my about my starting forms, but the last part of the message has me wondering. I can gain access to random encounters when I'm ten and my training has reached a certain level. That means I can fight and befriend them randomly during the encounters. On the plus side it means that I don't have to drive the island's animal and bandit ecosystem into extinction now since the Pokémon can randomly appear for me and my partner to challenge and fight for training. Until then I can only train myself and my partner in the basics to work on our foundations before hand. No point in biting more than I can chew. That also means I need to awaken my partner at some point too...

[Soma has received a chat invite from Rosalia Aya.]

"Chat invite? Who could possibly.... Wait! Don't tell me...."

[Soma has accepted the chat invite.]

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Rosalia Aya: Ohaiyo! Guess whooo!!

Shinra D. Soma: Well.... There is no other person I know with such a bubbly personality. So I didn't get reborn alone huh?

Shade D. Eve: Hello there fellow D. Clansman!

Soma: Shade? Seriously?

Eve: Don't ask me. Was born with it, so I take what I can get.

Lin Chao: Hello everyone!

Soma: Hey there Chao! Glad to see your still here with us in our heavenly afterlife.

Chao: Lol.

Aya: Still disappointed that we didn't get reborn in the Naruto World but I guess the World of Pirates is a nice second choice.

Eve: Agreed. I would have hated being bound to a single nation or village. At least here we have our freedom.

Soma: True. No ninja world wars or two either.

Eve: No need to worry about attracting the wrong people if we use our new gifts to grow stronger. I'd hate to attract the attention of someone like Danzo and his shifty Root organization or a certain snake pedo.

Aya: Yeah... So.... What kinda goods did you guys get coming into this world? I was given a gift package for a chakra control manual, fuinjutsu manuals, the Uzumaki bloodline, and a few jutsu manuals.

Soma: Seriously? I guess that floats fight up your alley there.

Eve: I was given the Devil Inheritance effectively making me a half devil, some training manuals for swordsmanship and devil energy control, a single semi-automatic handgun that uses my devil energy as ammunition, and a random devil arms to finish it off. It happened to be a rare draw, so in the end I got the freakin Yamato! I am so excited now!

Soma: Too bad your only 4 so your a ways off of being able to use it.

Eve: Damnit! What did you get then?

Soma: Um.... well.... I got a brand burned on the back of my hand that contains a massive sub-world full of countless pokemon I may eventually be able to befriend, an unknown partner pokemon slumbering within my head giving my a relationship similar to a Jinchuuriki, the ability to transform into any pokemon I have already defeated a certain number of times to level up and evolve. My partner pokemon has the same conditions as well. So far I only have three starting forms."

Aya: Hahaha! That sounds so like you ya poke-nut! Ahahahahaha!

Eve: Who are your starter forms?

Soma: Charmander, Froakie, and Riolu.

Aya: Calling dibs on cuddling Riolu!

Eve: Eh.... That means your going to be cuddling with a transformed Soma...

Aya: Or his partner transformed. Wonder your partner is.

Chao: My inheritance was an alchemy themed gift pack. I was given a cauldron, a beginners recipe book, some basic ingredients, a manual, a special martial arts cultivation manual like from those old novels, and a rare White Heavenly Flame. I am satisfied with my gift even if I am lacking compared to you guys.

Soma: Where did you guys even end up? I got dropped off by my dad's subordinate on Dawn Island and set up myself a cozy cave home so I can train in peace for the next few years. Gonna travel the world when I am ready.

Aya: OH!! Your on Dawn island too!? Me too! I live with a crummy old merchant's family in Goa and I was planning to bail when I can!

Chao: I am living in Foosha Village and am quite free to go where I please.

Eve: I am the youngest of an old noble family in Goa. Coincidence indeed. When the coast is clear I'll flee the family. Where are you staying anyways?

Soma: Lets see here....

[You may access the GPS application and send your coordinates to your comrades.]

Soma: That's convenient. I'll send my GPS coordinates to you too, we can meet up later and figure out our future goals. All things considering, I'm really glad we can reunite. Instead of being a couple of gamers we can now become something else entirely.

Aya: Fo sho!

Eve: Hell yeah.

Chao: Yeah!

Soma: Catch you two later.

[Soma has left the chat room.]

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I lean back in my chair and smile.

"Things are gonna be fun."