Marine Era 1460.
On a somewhat battered ship.
"Kid, why do you want to join my crew?"
An old man with white hair and beard tipped a gourd of liquor into his mouth as he looked at the boy before him with drunken eyes.
"Because I want to become the ruler of these seas! I want to change this unfair world. I want everyone to be free. To do that, I need power!"
His messy black hair fluttered in the wind. His voice was fervent, his eyes shone brightly, and his resolve was unmistakable.
"Pwahahahaha!!!"
Hearing the boy's naive answer, the old man couldn't help bursting into laughter. He laughed so hard that tears nearly came to his eyes.
How familiar!
Just like when he had first arrived in this world.
From his initial lofty ambitions,
to going with the flow,
and now, he was ready to retire.
And this world, when he had arrived,
was it any different
from the world he was about to leave?
That's right.
Many people would think the boy before him was the protagonist of this story. Even Mongge himself didn't think he still had what it took to be the protagonist.
Because he was old.
Seventy years had passed since he'd been reincarnated.
No system, no cheat abilities.
Relying on only a little knowledge of this world, Mongge had done everything he could just to leave the North Blue, enter the Grand Line, and reach the New World.
But he had arrived too early.
Like the future Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, who reached Laugh Tale only to discover he was twenty years too early.
Mongge had arrived a hundred years too early!
There were no Four Emperors on these seas, no Shichibukai.
There was only the Navy, and the World Government.
Their tentacles stretched everywhere, and their shadow covered the entire world.
There were pirates, and plenty of them.
But not one could command the respect of the masses or lead them against the Navy and the World Government.
This was a stagnant world.
Even though Mongge was already a notorious Great Pirate, a thorn in the Navy's side, he was still insignificant compared to the world as a whole.
He was tired.
"Go."
Mongge waved a hand.
"I don't plan to go back to sea. I'm in a good mood, so get lost while you still can."
He'd dismissed his crew a week ago. He'd planned to sink the ship somewhere and use what little money he had left to live out the rest of his life.
Who could've guessed the boy before him had sneaked aboard the last time the ship docked?
Damn it.
Was his Observation Haki failing him just because he was old?
That only strengthened Mongge's resolve to retire.
He didn't want to become too weak to fight in a few years and get captured by some random Navy grunt. People would laugh him out of his boots.
"No way!"
Who would've thought that when he said that, the wild-haired boy before him would immediately get worked up?
"You have to take me in!"
"And if I don't?"
Mongge raised an eyebrow and looked at the boy in amusement.
"Then I'll challenge you!"
The boy's gaze was resolute, but his words made Mongge burst out laughing.
"Pwahahahahaha~"
Mongge figured it wasn't so bad to run into some entertainment like this right before retiring.
He might be old,
but he wasn't so old that he couldn't use even basic Haki, like Whitebeard would in the future.
He could handle one clueless kid without breaking a sweat.
Hell, even a hundred—or a thousand—would be no trouble for Mongge.
But what Mongge hadn't expected—
Just as he was about to mock the boy some more, a ding suddenly sounded in his mind.
A translucent panel appeared before his eyes.
[At eighteen years old, after eighteen years in the world of One Piece, you have finally mastered one of the Navy's Six Powers—Soru—through a series of training exercises!] [Realizing that you can only improve your strength through battle, you have finally decided to set sail.] [You have become a pirate!]
Ahem—
Mongge, who'd been drinking, nearly choked when he saw the lines of text before him.
What did it mean, eighteen years old?
In another ten years, he'd be eighty!
A cheat ability!
The ghostly panel that had appeared before him was undoubtedly the new cheat ability he'd long been dreaming of.
But he was already seventy!
It couldn't have come earlier or later—it had to show up now.
Why not wait a few more years and appear when he was already in his grave?
But the text before him continued to appear.
[March 31, Marine Era 1480. This is your first day as a pirate.] [Unfortunately, just as you make your debut as a pirate, you encounter the current Overlord of the Sea—the pirate Rocks D. Zebek.] [Now, you must figure out how to survive at his hands!]
Who?
Mongge was dumbfounded.
It was Marine Era 1460!
Had he been reincarnated again?
Mongge had been half-drunk, ready to laugh at this idiot system, but now he was instantly sober.
Don't be fooled by Mongge's current appearance as a hopeless drunk.
Until a week ago, he'd been one of the most renowned pirates on these seas.
White Wolf Moger!
That was the name Mongge had earned over the course of fifty years.
Mongge's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Hey, kid. What's your name?"
Rocks had thought Mongge was nothing but a useless drunk. He'd already decided he would defeat Mongge and claim the ship for himself.
If Mongge wouldn't go to sea,
then he could hand over the ship and let Rocks set sail in it!
But just as Rocks was about to make his move, he noticed the aura around Mongge change. The old geezer suddenly became a ferocious wolf.
And not an ordinary wolf—he was the wolf king!
"Rocks!"
But faced with Mongge's pressure, Rocks had no intention of backing down.
He gritted his teeth and shouted, "My name is Rocks D. Zebek! I'm not a decrepit old geezer who's just waiting to die like you. I'm a man destined to become the Overlord of the Sea!"
"Pwahahahaha—"
At Rocks's words, Mongge laughed as if he'd heard the funniest joke in the world.
Just as Rocks thought Mongge was about to attack,
the aura around Mongge suddenly relaxed.
"Fine!"
Mongge slapped his thigh.
"Since you want to join my crew, I'll grant your wish!"
"Come here."
"W-what for?"
Mongge's sudden change in attitude left Rocks baffled. He watched Mongge warily, his right hand inching down toward the knife behind his back.
"Don't try anything funny. If I wanted to kill you, you wouldn't get the chance to draw your blade."
Mongge waved a hand. Right now, he only wanted to confirm one thing.
Remembering the aura Mongge had just released, Rocks was reluctant, but he still went over. His unwilling expression nearly made Mongge laugh.
"Come on, come on."
The instant Rocks drew near, Mongge suddenly raised his hand.
Smack!
Rocks collapsed face-first onto the ground, motionless.
At the same time,
[Ding~ Congratulations! You have defeated the Overlord of the Sea, Rocks D. Zebek!]
Looking at the line of text that appeared on the panel,
Mongge's body trembled.
It worked!?
Before you continue