Chapter 1: I Guess I'm Not In Florida Anymore

(A/N: Comments and Reviews are appreciated!!)

(A/N: Word Count: 2807)

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The sound of alarms blaring pierced through the thick concrete walls of the nuclear power plant. Technicians scrambled in a frenzy, their faces etched with panic. In the control room, Kaizen, a young technician with tousled black hair and piercing brown eyes, frantically attempted to stabilize the reactor.

"Come on, come on!" Kaizen muttered under his breath, his fingers flying over the keyboard. Despite his best efforts, the situation spiraled out of control. The warning lights flashed an ominous red, signaling imminent disaster.

Suddenly, a deafening explosion rocked the facility. Kaizen felt a searing heat envelop him, followed by darkness. As the world faded away, his last thought was of calm acceptance, "So, this is it..."

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Kaizen awoke with a start, gasping for air. He lay on a sandy beach, the gentle sound of waves lapping at the shore filling his ears. He blinked against the bright sunlight, disoriented and confused.

"Where am I?" he whispered, sitting up and looking around. The beach stretched out in both directions, bordered by a dense, lush jungle. He felt an odd sense of calm, despite the bizarre circumstances.

"Well, I guess I'm not in Florida anymore," he said to himself with a wry smile, pushing himself to his feet.

He realized, to his astonishment, that aside from a few burn marks, his body was completely unharmed. As he scanned his surroundings, his mind struggled in vain to piece together how he had ended up here.

The last thing he remembered was being engulfed by the explosion at his job; he had been certain he was dead. Now, it seemed he was on an island in the middle of the ocean. From his vantage point, he couldn't see any signs of civilization.

He couldn't even begin to fathom how or why he had ended up here. Nevertheless, reality dictated that he had survived the explosion and somehow landed in this random location. Perhaps it was some new scientific phenomenon?

Sighing, he began to worry about how he would get back home to the U.S. As an orphan with no family, there was no one who would be concerned if he didn't show up for a while. He had no idea what the situation at the power plant was. For all he knew, he could be the only survivor. In that case, who would even think to search for him?

As he glanced back towards the island in front of him, Kaizen already felt a headache coming on. He would have to survive on his own out here until someone found him.

Thankfully, he had some experience with camping.

Growing up, he had always been an adventurous kid. Even though he was an orphan, that didn't change his adventurous spirit. On numerous occasions, Kaizen would camp out in the wilderness for prolonged periods, often causing the orphanage staff near heart attacks. These experiences naturally carried over into his adulthood, allowing him to learn essential survival skills that would now prove invaluable.

At twenty-one, Kaizen was confident in his ability to survive in the wild, relying solely on his own abilities. It was a challenge that would now be put to the test.

Firming his mind, Kaizen began making his way into the forest to find a safe place to figure out his next steps.

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Three months later...

In a secluded clearing on the island, a massive creature resembling an ostrich, yet much larger, was feasting on the corpse of its latest kill. This 'ostrich' was at least the size of a bear, using its razor-sharp beak to tear into the flesh of its prey with brutal efficiency.

On the edge of the clearing, concealed within a thick bush, Kaizen's eyes were locked onto the feasting beast. In his hands, he clutched something that resembled a blowpipe, ready to strike at any moment.

The atmosphere remained frozen this way, until suddenly a change occurred, shattering the calm.

A noise echoed from the opposite side of the clearing—a branch snapping, something falling to the ground. The creature's head whipped around instantly, its eyes fixed on the source of the sound, unknowingly exposing its blind spot to Kaizen.

This was the moment he had been waiting for.

Without a second thought, Kaizen brought the blowpipe to his lips and fired. The dart flew true, striking the creature's long neck with a soft splick.

The ostrich-like beast recoiled, its head snapping back in shock and fury.

Kaizen had underestimated its sensitivity. He had hoped for at least one more shot before it reacted.

These were no ordinary darts. They were coated with a potent toxin Kaizen had discovered during his explorations capable of incapacitating large beasts, something he had tested before.

The ostrich-like beast's eyes began to scan the area from which the dart had been fired. Its keen vision quickly locked onto the figure of Kaizen, hidden in the bushes.

For a split second, their eyes met, a brief but intense moment of mutual recognition before both sprang into action. The creature launched itself toward Kaizen with a speed that defied the capabilities of any earthly animal.

Surprisingly, Kaizen had already vanished from his spot at a speed that would leave Olympic runners like Usain Bolt in the dust.

Shuttling through the forest at high velocity, Kaizen glanced over his shoulder to see the creature still hot on his tail.

He knew, however, that he only needed to wait for the poison to take effect, gradually weakening the beast.

As if on cue, when Kaizen looked back a third time, he noticed the gap between them had widened instead of closing.

Realizing the poison was starting to work, he increased his speed to a sprint, vanishing from the ostrich-like creature's sight.

The beast, now feeling the debilitating effects of the poison, lost its will to chase and stopped running as soon as Kaizen began disappearing into the distance.

Panting heavily, its tongue lolling out, the creature tried to turn back but struggled, stumbling and nearly falling with each step.

Suddenly, the sharp sound of something slicing through the air was heard. Before the beast could react, Kaizen reappeared, plunging a sword through its neck.

It let out a soft whimper before Kaizen yanked the sword horizontally, tearing a fatal gash in its neck and ending its life.

Panting slightly, Kaizen ignored everything else and quickly began slicing the beast into manageable parts, making it easier to carry.

Despite his efforts, he still had to leave behind a substantial amount of meat. He needed to make his way back to his 'home' and didn't want to be too defenseless on the journey. The amount he carried was enough to last him at least a week.

With this in mind, he pulled out a handmade string and tied the meat into a secure bundle before strapping it to his back and starting his journey home.

Along the way, he attracted the attention of another predator, drawn by the scent of fresh meat. With his goal for the day already achieved, Kaizen ignored the beast and expertly maneuvered through the forest, causing it to lose track of him with ease.

It didn't take long for him to reach his 'home.'

His 'home' was actually a massive hollowed-out tree he had stumbled upon and decided to use as his base. The entrance was a hole on the side, concealed by a boulder.

Once inside, the space opened up to an area as large as some apartments, probably around 1,000 square feet.

The tree itself, though Kaizen couldn't give an exact measurement, he estimated it was as tall as some hotels.

Kaizen had never heard of such large trees on Earth. In fact, there were many things he had encountered on this island that seemed entirely unfamiliar.

It wasn't that he was arrogant enough to think he knew everything, but some things are simply unforgettable.

For instance, during his first week of survival on the island, he came across what had to be the scariest creature he had ever seen while out foraging.

It resembled a gorilla but stood at least six meters tall, around 19 feet. The beast was burly, muscular, and covered in black hair.

Kaizen vividly remembered the moment he locked eyes with the creature. He felt as if his life was no longer in his hands, as if no matter what he did in the next moment, his death was inevitable.

He hated that feeling and never wanted to experience it again.

The beast, however, merely glanced at him before moving on, likely concluding that Kaizen was too insignificant to be considered prey.

That level of intelligence, that level of strength...

These were things he would have definitely heard about on Earth. Especially in the age of information, where modern technology makes it extremely easy to transmit information across the globe. Something this monumental could not be hidden.

Unless... this was an island yet to be discovered by the rest of the world.

'I highly doubt that....'

Kaizen's thoughts were a chaotic attempt to understand his situation. He had initially hoped for rescue, but after discovering the strangeness of this island, he became more concerned about where he had ended up.

Kaizen had obviously already suspected that this wasn't the Earth he once knew.

These suspicions were only reinforced by the fact that he felt himself growing stronger every day as a result of surviving on this island.

At first, he thought it was normal. Subjecting his body to constant stress in such an environment was bound to build strength and endurance.

However, by the third week, he realized it was much more than that. He could now perform feats that he previously would have considered superhuman.

For instance, leaping from branch to branch as if he was a character in the anime Naruto. His speed, though unmeasured, felt like that of a car cruising down the street.

He could even uproot smaller trees with sheer strength.

Kaizen could tell his strength was increasing day by day as a result of consuming the creatures of the island as well as straining himself through his daily routines.

Sighing, Kaizen could only focus on preparing his meat for dinner and the rest of the week. He wasn't going to suddenly get answers by thinking any harder.

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Six months had passed since Kaizen had been stranded on the island.

Sitting on the beach, he stared out at the endless expanse of ocean, the waves gently lapping at the shore. The setting sun painted the sky in hues of orange and pink, casting a warm glow over the sand. The tranquility of the scene was a stark contrast to the chaotic thoughts swirling in his mind.

It had been six months of him surviving out in the middle of nowhere surrounded by terrifying beasts.

He had grown tired of it. He longed for the comfort of airconditioning and the simple pleasure of enjoying a new anime.

Kaizen had already accepted the fact that he was most likely no longer on earth.

Each passing month further reinforced this belief.

Which meant there was no point in waiting for someone to rescue him. He had to take matters into his own hands and find a way to escape the island.

This endeavor meant sailing into the unknown, hoping to stumble upon civilization.

On top of this, his increasing strength since arriving here suggested that this world was far from ordinary. He would have to take that into account when interacting with natives, who knows how they would react to a foreigner like him.

Yet, a saddening fact also made itself clear. Kaizen could feel his strength reaching a plateau. Despite his best efforts, he had barely grown from the point he was a few months ago.

He didn't know if this was a bad or common thing in this world but he sure as hell didn't like the feeling.

Especially on an island filled with ferocious beasts, the only thing that brought him a sense of security was his own increasing strength and abilities.

As Kaizen sat there lost in his thoughts, he caught something in the corner of his eye. Glancing toward the beach, he noticed something jutting out from beneath the sand.

Momentarily forgetting his messy thoughts, Kaizen got up and made his way over to the site. As he got closer, he noticed that there were actually many things poking out from beneath the sand.

Feeling curious, he naturally began digging around the objects to get a better idea of what they were.

After a few minutes of digging, Kaizen uncovered what seemed to be pieces of a shipwreck. He felt a surge of excitement since this was the first clue he had found regarding where he might be since he had been stranded here.

Hoping to find useful information, he continued digging.

Time flew by, and thirty minutes passed.

Kaizen was nowhere to be seen on the beach surface. Instead, a large hole marked the spot where he had been. Inside the hole was the shell of an old wooden ship, mostly broken and in pieces, though some parts were still intact.

Currently, Kaizen was carefully exploring every part of the ship he had excavated. It didn't take long for him to find something very, very surprising.

Inside one of the cabinets that had remained intact, Kaizen found a stack of old newspapers, their edges frayed and yellowed with age. He carefully pulled them out, a cloud of dust billowing into the air, making him cough.

The contents were extremely hard to read due to time wearing down the ink and paper, but he was able to make out the title with some effort.

[Pirate King Gold Roger Executed at Loguetown!]

Kaizen's heart skipped a beat as he digested what that meant. His mind raced, trying to process the implications of those words.

"Gold Roger... Loguetown...," he whispered, the names resonating deeply within his memory.

Unconvinced, he continued reading, trying to decipher more text despite the fading ink. The more he managed to uncover, the harder it was to fight back the realization dawning upon him.

"There's just no fucking way. This can't be real..." Kaizen muttered to himself, but all the evidence said otherwise.

He leaned back, staring at the ceiling of the ship's cabin, his mind a whirl of thoughts and emotions. The memories of the strange flora and fauna he had encountered, the odd creatures that didn't fit into any category he knew from his previous world, now started to make sense.

"... I guess it could make sense if this was the world of One Piece," he thought, the realization finally settling in. He didn't know why but it didn't seem like a far fetched idea.

Part of it could be due to him believing in something called the eternal inflation theory from which you could theorize that all the fictional worlds we have thought of are actually somewhere out there in their own universe.

Another part though, was simply cause deep down he wanted it to be true.

Regardless, having confirmation that he was no longer on the Earth he once knew, Kaizen felt a strange mix of emotions.

Growing up as an orphan, he had always been alone, without anyone to truly care for him or check in on him. His life had been a solitary struggle, and the thought of leaving that behind was oddly freeing.

However, he was still human. He felt a pang of sorrow at the thought of never seeing the planet he grew up on again. Despite its hardships, it had been the only home he had ever known. It was a bittersweet feeling, a tug at his heartstrings for the familiar, even if the familiar had been a lonely place.

But as the sorrow slowly left, it was replaced by a feeling of excitement and anticipation. 

This current situation was something he could have only ever dreamed about: being able to explore the world of one of his favorite animes.

Kaizen knew the dangers that came with this new world. The cruelty and chaos were not lost on him, but neither was the thrill of adventure. The thought of navigating through the Grand Line, visiting the various places he had read about and encountering the legendary figures of the one piece world, filled him with a feeling he could hardly describe.

He had already decided. He would explore this world to the fullest, and live a life that he would not regret in two life times.

His thoughts were interrupted by the loud sound of a wolf howling in the distance.

Kaizen looked up and realized it was already dark outside, which meant it was time to make his way back to his base.

Gathering his thoughts, he grabbed the newspaper and began heading home.

//chapter thoughts?