The future is bleak

"Over here! I see him running there!" 

"Dammit, catch him! If we can catch him, then we can fetch a lot of money from that noble lady! Oh, with his face, I am sure that that nobleman might be interested!" 

"Hyahahaha! That money is going to be a lot!" 

"...by the way, can I have a taste first?" 

"....." Everyone. 

Regardless, no matter how happy this kidnapper group was, the protagonist of this story, Masa, was in his deepest despair. 

When he thought he had a new chance to live and enjoy his life to the fullest, he never thought he would meet his misery. 

His face was handsome, and yes, his brain was quite okay, too. 

More importantly, with the advantage of the memory of his previous life, he believed that his future would be wonderful! 

Unfortunately, this is the world of "One Piece," where the weak are devoured by the strong! 

Usually, he would be more than happy to live in this world since he had never intended to become the "Pirate King" or overthrow the "World Government," especially when this world was about to sink as the volume of the seawater continued to increase and was about to swallow this entire world. 

In such a situation, what he needed to do was to enjoy his life, waiting for the protagonist, Luffy, to return everything to normal, living far away, peacefully, with a beautiful woman such as Makino, Kaya, or even Nojiko. 

Yes, he didn't plan to take down those complicated heroines such as Nami or Robin. Instead, his target was those beauties on the East Blue, the most peaceful sea, making a harem there, waiting until the "World Government" was taken down by Luffy and his group. 

This might be a strange plan, but except for Kaya, as long as he could take down Makino or Nojiko, he knew that his life would be comfortable, especially when Makino was like a mother figure to Luffy and Nojiko was Nami's older sister. 

As long as he took down one of them, he knew that his life would be okay. 

His plan was perfect since what he wished for was stability, a normal life without moving around the sea, and just enjoying his life until old age with those beautiful heroines on the East Blue. 

As for Kaya, while it might make Usopp sad, Masa was sure that a good guy like Usopp would be happy to know that someone could take care of his beloved Kaya in his place. 

'You don't have to worry, Usopp! Leave everything to me!' 

More importantly, even if he couldn't become the strongest, he believed that with his strength, or the Devil Fruit, he could gain a power that made him live well on the East Blue, the weakest sea in this world. 

Yet, the greater the hope was, the greater the disappointment was! 

Masa didn't arrive at the weakest sea of the East Blue; instead, he came to the horrible place known as Sabaody Archipelago, the place where evils and the strong enjoyed their best and the place where the weak could only succumb to power. 

However, this place wasn't exactly bad either since if he could land in the Marines and join this organization, enjoying a stable life and having a salary, it would be good. 

In the worst case, he could seduce Doll, Gion, or Kujaku, enjoying the life of the son-in-law, or rather, being a household husband might not be bad while having a salary from being a Marine.

Yet, once again, his dream was broken since the place where he landed was Area 13, where the pirates, criminals, and alike thoroughly ran amok and enjoyed their lives to the fullest. 

Moreover, when he arrived, he could see the greedy eyes of many. 

Yes, at that moment, he knew that this world wasn't the land of dreams where he could enjoy his life to the fullest. Instead, it was a nightmarish place where the weak could only hope for the mercy and charity of the strong. 

To enjoy his life, he had to have a good background, like Luffy, with a good grandfather and father. 

Or being chosen as the inheritor of the Nika Nika no Mi. 

Unfortunately, he had neither of them. 

His identity was nothing but just a normal person. 

If there was an advantage, it was the fact that he was a little handsome and he was stronger and healthier than before. 

Oh, his height also reached 2 meters or so, yet in this world where the average height was 3 meters or so, he was a bit petite. 

So, the moment he appeared, he was like a delicious lamb in front of hungry hyenas! 

All of them wanted to take him down, and he could do nothing but run away. 

Fight? 

How could he have many chances to fight in the peaceful modern world? 

Kill? 

Did anyone think that he was a criminal or an assassin in his previous life? 

He wasn't an Isekai protagonist, okay? 

However, at this moment, he wished to be an Isekai protagonist; at least, even if there was a misunderstanding, or he just lived in the poor village, he could live a peaceful life instead of being chased by kidnappers, pirates, and other criminals. 

His heart was filled with fear, and he ran all of his might like a coward, but this reaction made those criminals happy and enjoy this hunting game~! 

Fortunately, even if the physical ability of the people in this world was good, their brain was hardly developed, so Masa was able to hide in the dingy, dirty alley. 

"Hahahaha, keep running! Keep running!" 

"Make this game more interesting!" 

"The first one who catches him will get 10,000 bellies!" 

"Too little! Add more!" 

"What do you know?! It's already good enough if we can sell him 200,000 bellies, you know?!" 

"So little!" 

Those criminals talked happily and loudly, without caring about anything. 

Yet, even if Masa's heart was filled with frustration that he bit his lower lip and clenched his fist till the blood came, he knew that he could do nothing. 

He was too weak! 

In front of the sharpness of the blade and the force of the bullet, could he even do anything? 

He didn't even have a fucking "Gomu Gomu no Mi" like Luffy." 

Oh, fuck, it was a "Nika Nika no Mi!" 

However, no matter how much he complained, he knew that he was already dying. He was hungry, tired, and had no more energy to run anymore.

'What should I do?!' 

Should he run for the Marines? 

If he could, then he would, but where was it?! 

'Oh, right, there's Silvers Rayleigh and Shakuyaku!' 

He remembered that those two figures were in this place, but once again, where were they?! 

If he came out from their hiding place, he knew that he was as good as dead, and he knew that he would die in a pathetic way with a bleeding lower body! 

Yet, as he was in his deepest despair, he found something on the corner. 

Probably, it was his luck or fate, but in this place where no one expected, he found the legendary Devil Fruit. 

"This...?" 

Masa was dumbfounded, but he became excited and grabbed the Devil Fruit directly! 

At that moment, he knew that his chance to live came once again! 

As long as he ate this Devil Fruit, he could have a chance to run away, train to become stronger, and then get his revenge! 

Even if the Devil Fruit was dirty, he didn't hesitate and ate it directly. 

"Ugh....!" 

It was said the taste of the Devil Fruit was horrible, and tasting it for the first time, he realized how awful it was, but he kept eating it clean until nothing was left! 

As he ate, he also wondered what kind of Devil Fruit he had eaten. 

However, if possible, he wanted to eat a Zoan-type Devil Fruit since even if it was the weakest herbivore type of animal Zoan, he didn't mind since as long as he could eat this type of Devil Fruit, he would gain an enhanced physical ability that allowed him to run away! 

Fuck, if possible, he wanted a Worm Worm fruit, so he could escape by digging the soil, then did his revenge by burying those criminals into the ground, killing them by torment! 

If it had been before, he wouldn't have imagined that he could be so cruel, but his mentality was distorted in this place, and if he wanted to live well, he had to become cruel! 

'So, what kind of power is it?' 

Was it Zoan? Was it Logia? 

However, if possible, he didn't want to get a Paramecia type since it was the most random ability. Moreover, the improvement in physical ability was the weakest. 

While Logia's physical improvement might be quite similar to the Paramecia, at least he could turn into the element, and unless he met a powerful fighter that could use Haki, he knew that it was impossible to kill him! 

More importantly, according to his observation, if the criminals who wanted to catch him were strong, then would they gather in a group to toy with him like this? 

It was because they toyed with him that he knew that the positions and strength of those criminals were at the bottom of the food chains! 

It was because of their distorted mentality that they enjoyed bullying him! 

However, no matter what, they were stronger than him, and what he had to do was become stronger than them first so he could gain his revenge! 

The Logia type or Zoan type?

Even if Paramecia had the highest potential, which could affect the concept if he died, then what was the point? 

Yet, once again, he had to hit another despair, especially with the Devil Fruit that he had eaten. 

"Jake Jake no Mi..." 

His expression became so ugly, especially when he could feel a zipper suddenly forming on the top of his head, and his body almost became cloth-like. 

Yet, as he was in the middle of his thought—

Bang!

His head burst, and before he felt anything, he died. 

"It's dangerous..." 

A man who came to the alley rubbed his chest worriedly as he looked at Masa's lifeless body and the uneaten part of the Devil Fruit in Masa's hand. 

"I almost gave him a chance for revenge..." 

No matter what the Devil Fruit was, as long as Masa ate it, he would have a chance to kill all of them, so the man knew that he had to kill Masa before Masa grew. 

"What a shame..." 

Still, watching his handsome face become ugly due to the headshot, the man sighed helplessly before he walked away, knowing that the high-quality good was ruined.

Yet, what the man didn't know was that Masa didn't die at this moment, but he was pulled into a certain space, a white palace with two figures standing before him. 

There was nothing in this place, and there were only the three of them, but as soon as they saw each other, their expressions became strange. 

"You are... me?" 3x