That shall be my name

"What a shitty life! I'm so sick of all this.

Lately, I've been thinking more and more about this one idea. I'd love to live an isekai life. Probably because I don't have anything tying me to this one. No family, never had one. Spent my life bouncing around foster homes, and now I'm just drifting. At 19, I'm out of school, no job, broke as hell, and homeless.

Ah, screw it!"

Today marked the third day since George had eaten anything. He sat on the ground in a corner of the street, reaching out to passersby.

It was noon, and finally, a passerby tossed him a piece of croissant he didn't want anymore. Surprisingly, it reminded him of an iconic scene from his favorite manga, Sanji starving on top of a hill after the ship he was on got attacked by Zeff. Because yes, before he ended up on the streets, the only thing that kept his spirits up was the extraordinary work that was One Piece. And of course, he was also passionate about the entire universe of novels, manga, and anime.

As he savored his first meal in three days, he watched the street, as usual. He watched the cars passing by and couldn't help but think about the injustice of the world, thinking about all those lucky ones who weren't abandoned in front of a police station on the day they were born.

As he watched, something caught his attention. A truck that had run a red light was speeding down the street in front of him, and a young girl joking with her mom crossed the street without looking.

He didn't have time to think as adrenaline took over, but a vague idea crossed his mind as he dove to save the girl's life.

"It's such a damn cliché. It's the typical scene of a guy getting into an anime. I don't give a damn about this girl, so why am I doing this? Meh, whatever, I'm already dead anyway."

Hardly had he thought that, he was hit head-on by the truck, narrowly avoiding death for the girl.

He, however, experienced excruciating pain in a split second. The truck, traveling at almost 100 km/h, instantly shattered his bones upon impact. But worse still, since the truck, driven by a drunk man, continued to roll at full speed even after hitting him, he went under it. Every wheel on the right side of the truck passed over his body. And since he was still conscious of what was happening at that moment, he felt every wheel indiscriminately exerting extreme pressure on his body.

His body bathed in blood, and as death approached to take him away, a thread still kept him clinging to life.

"I don't want to die," he thought. "This is the life I lead, but I don't want to kick the bucket; I'm only 19. But why don't I want to die? Wouldn't it be better? No, I've made an effort over these few years of life not to think like that; it's not now that it should change."

All these thoughts crossed his mind unconsciously as his death approached. But at the fateful moment, one last thing suddenly came to mind.

"If only I had the chance to try again. To live a life where our future isn't decided on the day of our birth. One where everyone can live the life they choose. A life of freedom. Freedom, just like One Piece."

...

Then, nothing...

George had ceased to exist.

...

...

...

"Hmmm?! Why is it taking me so damn long to die," George thought with his eyes closed.

"Am I in heaven? Hmm... nah, my life wasn't that noble. Am I in hell? Hmm... nah, don't feel like I'm suffering. Oh shit, I got superpowers and survived the accident."

He then began to slowly open his eyes, only to be blinded by the sun directly above him. Sitting up, he realized he was on top of a hill, sitting on green grass.

"What the fuck," he cursed. "Where the hell am I?"

Looking into the distance, he noticed a port with several ships docked, one of them with a black flag. But at the moment, he didn't pay much attention to it.

"There's a town near that port, maybe I should head there to find out where the hell I've landed."

As he descended into the town, he couldn't help but notice that the civilization was quite different from what he knew.

The buildings weren't modern at all, especially the huge windmills in several places along his path and the wooden fences separating gardens and farms from the roads.

Upon arriving in the town, he noticed it even more. And after seeing the ship, he thought to himself:

- Hmm... why does this all feel so familiar. This landscape seems familiar to me.

- It's beautiful, isn't it? Suddenly asked a man standing next to him.

- Huh?!

- My ship, admit it, it's magnificent.

The boat they were both looking at had a decent appearance. It was, of course, entirely made of wood. It had a mermaid as a figurehead, with white sails above which a black flag was hoisted.

- Yeah, you're right. It's the first time I've seen a boat up close. George replied.

- What? Have you been living in a cage or something?

- A little, yeah!

- Well, that sucks. Anyway, I just bought this beauty. And starting today, I'm setting sail for East Blue. The other pirate ships better watch out.

- East Blue? Pirates? Nah, can't be!

George couldn't believe his ears; he wanted to reject the idea that came to mind because it was so absurd.

- Can I ask you a question?

- Yeah, if you feel like it.

- Where the hell are we?

- Are you stupid or something? We're in East Blue, in the village of Foosha.

- Damn! George cursed, starting to turn around.

- There are more and more crazies these days. Added the man, watching George turn around before making his way back to his ship.

George was in shock; he couldn't believe it. He entered a nearby bar to gather his thoughts.

"Is this a dream? No, everything's too real for it to be a dream. So... I... I'm... I'm really in the One Piece world! I... I can't believe it!

Actually, I just realized, but it seems like my body has changed."

- Um... excuse me, are there any toilets here? He asked a waitress walking in the bar.

- Yes, right here, to the left. She replied, indicating the way.

After going there, he carefully examined himself in a mirror.

"My face hasn't changed, but it's got some life back in it. My body, on the other hand, it's completely different; I don't look like a starving man anymore. I even have six-pack abs."

George had hair of a strange purple color, and his eyes were a piercing violet. At 19 years old, he was 6 feet tall and had a little beard on his chin. His white shirt, half-buttoned, revealed a tattoo on his neck and right arm.

Looking at his reflection in the mirror, he began to smirk.

"So, if I understand correctly, I was killed by a truck trying to save a stupid little girl. And I woke up in the One Piece world.

Hahaha, I'm gonna do so much crazy stuff. But first, I need to clarify some things.

First off, I don't think I've taken over someone else's body, since I still have the same body, just with a few differences."

George was slowly starting to understand his situation. And to continue his experiment, he needed to test something:

"System!"

...

"System!"

...

"I summon thee, hyper-cheated system," he continued, swinging his hands in front of him as if to make this system appear.

...

"There's no system, too bad, it would've been pretty cool.

But whatever, that's not what matters. I have an extraordinary opportunity in front of me; I have the chance to start a new life in a world full of opportunities. There's no way I'm going through the same struggles as my old life.

From today onwards, I'll live as I please. I'll live a life of pleasures, of revelries. I'll stand at the top of everything, as a free man.

It's the dawn of a new era. The era of Lynx. That shall be my damn name!"

****