Pirates: I Rely Only on Myself

The waves surged violently, while the sky above was a flawless, bright blue.

On the shimmering beach, several white-shelled sand crabs crept cautiously toward a distant piece of food.

Overhead, vultures circled, their beady eyes locked onto the same target, ready to dive in and feast.

Suddenly, the crabs stopped dead in their tracks, scurrying back to their burrows in the sand. The vultures, too, hesitated, a glint of disappointment flashing in their sharp eyes.

What? What's happening?

The "food" on the beach stirred. It wasn't food at all—it was a boy, no older than his teens, struggling to roll over.

The glaring sunlight blinded him momentarily as he squinted against the harsh light.

"Ugh... cough, cough…"

Who am I? Why does my body feel so sore...?

Suddenly, the boy's eyes shot wide open, veins bulging on his forehead as a piercing scream tore from his throat. "Aah!"

A violent headache slammed into him, like a burning iron pressed deep into his brain. Memories, jumbled and chaotic, crashed against one another, colliding and merging into a storm of confusion.

His body, though weakened, jerked uncontrollably, rolling across the sand in agonized spasms. He tumbled over a dozen times before finally, after what felt like an eternity, the excruciating pain began to fade.

Panting hard, his chest rising and falling, Noah lay still, staring blankly up at the endless blue sky. The vultures above still circled, waiting patiently.

I... I've crossed over? The East Blue? Pirate King Roger...?

Noah... Carnegie Noah! From this moment on, I am Carnegie Noah! Whatever name I had before, let it vanish with the wind!

Noah lay quietly on the beach, accepting the truth of his new reality. He began to sift through the fragments of memories in his mind—both those from his past life and the remnants left behind by the former owner of this body. Every piece of information was vital.

The boy's name was Carnegie Noah, and he was 13 years old. Standing at 184 centimeters and weighing 88 kilograms, he was born on Starfish Island, part of the Pole Star Archipelago (the same region where Loguetown was located). Three years ago, his parents had been killed by pirates, leaving him an orphan. Since then, he had survived off his parents' inheritance and by fishing.

The reason Noah now found himself lying on the beach was because, while out at sea fishing, his small boat had been attacked by a sea beast. The vessel was torn apart, but fortune smiled on him—the beast had been distracted, locked in battle with another sea monster. In the chaos, Noah had escaped, only to be swept away by the currents, eventually washing up on this beach.

Fighting against the fatigue that weighed down his limbs, Noah crawled toward the shade of a nearby coconut tree.

A cool breeze washed over him, and the tree's shade shielded him from the harsh rays of the sun. Resting his back against the trunk, Noah squinted out at the distant sea. Not a single ship sailed the horizon.

He reckoned that he hadn't drifted too far from Starfish Island. After all, this body had once belonged to an ordinary person. If he'd been stranded at sea for too long, the ocean's creatures would have surely finished him off by now.

I'm here now... might as well deal with it, Noah thought, calming his restless mind.

He continued to piece together the scattered memories.

It was the year 1501 of the Sea Circle Calendar. The shipwreck had happened on the morning of May 7th, and judging by the sun still hanging high in the sky, it was likely still May 7th.

The boy's family situation was simple. Three years ago, during the explosive start of the Great Pirate Era, the Navy had been hunting pirates around Loguetown. One group of pirates had fled toward Starfish Island, and in their retreat, they had killed Noah's parents.

Besides his parents, Noah had a paternal uncle, Carnegie Joseph, and a cousin, Carnegie Joshua. They, too, were fishermen on Starfish Island. At the time, 10-year-old Noah had survived thanks to his uncle Joseph, who had taken care of him ever since.

Uncle Joseph will realize I'm missing soon, Noah thought, staring at the distant waves. He had always let his uncle know when he was going out to fish. If he didn't return by evening, his uncle would quickly realize something had gone wrong.

Noah's mind wandered to the geography of Starfish Island.

The island was located about 168 kilometers north of Loguetown, part of the Pole Star Archipelago. Starfish Island itself was the largest in the Starfish Isles, which included three inhabited islands and 16 smaller, uninhabited islands scattered with vegetation.

The island Noah had washed up on was most likely one of the uninhabited ones. He had visited the populated islands before, and they were always bustling with fishing boats and merchant ships. Here, however, the sea was empty, save for a few seagulls and clouds. It was clear he was far from any major trade routes.

Resting his tired body, Noah continued to process the information in his mind.

After about half an hour, he began to feel less sore and fatigued. Pushing himself to his feet, he scoured the beach for anything useful. His eyes landed on a discarded bamboo pole, over three meters long.

Noah glanced back at the coconut tree that had provided him shade. It was laden with at least a dozen green coconuts.

After poking at the tree for around 20 minutes, two coconuts finally dropped to the ground. Noah licked his cracked lips, grabbed the coconuts, and smashed them against a nearby rock.

Crack! The shell finally split open. Quickly, Noah lifted the coconut to his lips, letting the sweet juice flow down his throat.

Gulp, gulp...

"Ahh... that's the stuff!" he muttered, wiping his mouth. He finished both coconuts, feeling just enough to take the edge off his hunger.

Looking around, Noah surveyed his surroundings. The beach was lined with around 20 coconut trees, all bearing plenty of green coconuts. Until he found fresh water, these coconuts would be his lifeline.

After drinking the coconut water, Noah rested for another half hour or so.

Finally, he grabbed the bamboo pole again and stuffed a few fist-sized stones into his pocket. He needed to explore the small forest near the coast. Though it was unlikely there were any large predators on such a small, deserted island, Noah wasn't going to take any chances.

He picked up a stone and hurled it toward a patch of bushes about ten meters away. At the same time, he swung the bamboo pole through the surrounding grass and shrubs, hoping to scare off any hidden threats.

His caution proved wise. A green snake slithered out of the undergrowth, darting away in panic.

In places like this, the greatest dangers came from snakes, insects, and poisonous plants.

After pushing through about 20 meters of mangroves, the terrain began to rise, and bamboo started appearing among the trees. No large animals were in sight, but Noah's spirits sank—there was still no sign of fresh water.

He kept going.

About 200 meters into the bamboo grove, his heart leapt. In the distance, a jagged rocky hillside appeared, and nestled between the rocks, a thin stream of water trickled down.

Noah didn't rush in. He continued to swat at the nearby bushes and undergrowth, careful to avoid any nasty surprises.

When he reached the stream, he scooped up a handful of water and cautiously tasted it.

Fresh water! Finally!

With fresh water, Noah knew he could survive on the island for much longer. Coconut water wouldn't sustain him forever.

He picked up a smooth stone from his pocket and smashed it against a nearby rock until it splintered into sharp pieces. Selecting one with a sharp edge, he returned to the bamboo grove.

After finding a bamboo stalk of the right size, Noah used the sharp stone to hack away at it.

After about ten minutes, the bamboo finally gave way.

Just then, Noah's eyes widened. Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he'd seen... something.