Transmigration, Barrier-Barrier Fruit!

May 5, 1519, Marine Calendar.

East Blue, Loguetown.

The underground warehouse inside the Barto Family's main bar.

"Heh! Boss Barto, my apologies, but I'm taking this Devil Fruit!"

A young man with black hair parted in a 7-3 split, the wavy tips of his hair matted with blood, bore a striking resemblance to Chan Ho-nam, the legendary leader from the Young and Dangerous films.

At this moment, he held a blood-stained watermelon knife in his right hand and a pale green, flat-patterned fruit in his left.

His face, splattered with gore, twisted into a crazed grin, and the scar on the corner of his eye lent him an air of wicked charm.

He glanced at the top-tier gang enforcer lying in a pool of blood and decisively took a bite out of the Paramecia-type Barrier-Barrier Fruit!

One must never underestimate his true strength just because he acted as a "strategist"!

This young man's name was Daddy, from Blue Star. Because both his parents' surnames were Dai, they gave him such a strange name—much like the reason behind Yang Mi's naming convention.

However, it was precisely because of this name that he earned the nickname "Big Daddy" (Da Die) during his school days, allowing him to take advantage of quite a few classmates and friends!

It was also this moniker that gave him an innate aura of a street thug and a hint of roguishness. Combined with his tall stature and resemblance to Chan Ho-nam, he became a "big brother" figure in the eyes of his peers.

Yet, living the life of a gangster was never in the cards for him!

Although Daddy was a handsome guy who valued loyalty, he remained a model youth raised under the red flag.

Studying hard and getting into university was the normal trajectory for an ordinary person like him.

And in fact, that was exactly how things were developing.

As a fresh university student, he ate well, slept well, studied decently, lived a life free of worries, was doted on by his parents, had brothers and friends, and—most importantly—was pursued by girls.

Living such a comfortable life, he was completely satisfied; how could he have transmigrated for no reason at all?

He remembered that on a Friday night, after binge-watching the latest dozen episodes of One Piece, he had drifted off into a hazy sleep, only to wake up and suddenly find himself in this world!

Damn it all, he had even transmigrated in his pajamas, appearing directly on that familiar and famous execution plaza in Loguetown.

What made Daddy feel the most miserable was that he had transmigrated as a blank slate—no system, no cheats, not even a basic language pack!

Unable to understand the language of the One Piece world, Daddy had not received the favor of the Goddess of Luck, nor had he encountered any fortuitous encounters or help from kind-hearted strangers.

In the following days, Daddy tried hard to determine the timeline, attempting to seek help from the Marines, hoping to run into the kind-hearted, airheaded Tashigi or the upright "White Hunter" Smoker.

But before he could find either of them, he was beaten up by the guards at the Marine branch gate for his incoherent babbling and rudely chased away.

Later, because he was truly starving and had no other options, he tried to snatch some food, only to be beaten by a burly shopkeeper!

As expected, this gateway to the Grand Line in the East Blue was no place for the weak; anyone capable of running a shop in a pirate-infested place like Loguetown had to have some combat prowess to survive.

To stay alive, the famished Daddy had to scavenge for food in the Loguetown dump, only to be bullied by beggars and beaten by thugs.

Daddy never expected that a strapping young man of 1.8 meters like him would be unable to defeat even two beggars in this pirate world!

This miserable life, worse than that of a dog, made Daddy want to end it all many times, to put an end to this failed and humiliating transmigration.

But the resentment of being bullied by thugs and beggars, combined with his knowledge of the world's plot and the various beauties and powerhouses, made him extremely unwilling to give up!

He silently hid all his hatred, determined to find an opportunity to rise to the top in this world and then wantonly vent all the suffering he had endured these past few days.

To learn the language, he endured months of living as a mute, often volunteering to work for various merchants in Loguetown just for a simple, filling meal.

However, there were some black-hearted merchants who wouldn't even give him a bite to eat, leaving him to work for free.

Just like that, a mute who was easy to bully and worked diligently gained a small "reputation" in Loguetown.

Later, thanks to his "good name" for being hardworking and uncomplaining, Daddy coincidentally joined the Barto Family, a local gang in Loguetown, becoming an outer member just to scrape by!

Thus, Daddy began learning the language and script while gathering information on the world's major events and the timeline!

Soon, he had his own nickname and new name within the Barto Family: "Mute" Babaya.

The name was given to him by a red-haired girl named Dezaya, who had improvised it as a tease based on his mute status.

It was said to have another meaning as well, derived from the names Bartolomeo and Dezaya.

Daddy never expected that while someone had called him "Big Daddy" in his original world, someone would call him "Daddy" (Baba) in this one.

So, he didn't reject the new name Dezaya had given him.

After all, if someone wanted to call him "Daddy," why not accept it!

About two years ago, when Daddy had been transmigrated for less than two months and hadn't yet fully mastered the language, he had been honestly following the Barto Family's gang members to collect protection money, acting as a thug and a lackey.

That was when he saw the freckled boy with fire on his face at a restaurant near the Loguetown execution plaza, fighting the Marines because he had skipped out on the bill.

It was his first time witnessing a fierce battle between two Logia-type Devil Fruit users—the "fire and smoke" clash between White Hunter Smoker and Fire Fist Ace!

For the first time, this "mute" spoke up nimbly in front of the Barto Family members, though he spoke in Blue Star Chinese.

"Holy shit! That's Fire Fist Ace! No! I have to get on his ship, the Dark-Dark Fruit, here I come!!! I'm also going to hook up with Yamato!"

Daddy shouted excitedly, as if he could already see himself intercepting the Dark-Dark Fruit from Blackbeard Teach and embarking on a glorious life at the pinnacle of existence!

However, fate played another joke on him!

Fire Fist Ace had long since finished visiting the execution platform of the Pirate King Roger; he had only started a fight with the Marines because he'd skipped out on his bill, so he had quickly fled the island.

Seeing Fire Fist Ace's pirate ship rapidly pulling away, Daddy finally snapped to his senses and scrambled to the harbor as fast as he could.

At that moment, he was filled with such regret, cursing himself for being such an idiot and a moron.

He had actually missed the chance to board Ace's ship, and he knew how desperately he had yearned to join the Spade Pirates as a crew member.

That way, he could have relied on his knowledge of the plot to rise to power step by step!

The moment Daddy had laid eyes on Fire Fist Ace, he had already planned to follow him into the Grand Line and the New World.

Once Ace became the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, he could have followed suit, joining the Whitebeard Pirates and lurking in the shadows just like Blackbeard Teach.

Ideally, he would even find a way to transfer to the ship of the Fourth Division Commander, Thatch, to locate or intercept the Logia Dark-Dark Fruit ahead of time and consume it himself!

That's right, he intended to seize the Logia Dark-Dark Fruit that Blackbeard Teach had waited so long for, snatching away everything that belonged to Teach.

He had even thought it through: he wouldn't give Teach a single chance to see the Dark-Dark Fruit, otherwise, he would be no match for a master schemer like Teach!

After all, that big black fatty was a ruthless man capable of leaving three claw marks on Red-Haired Shanks!

However, all these plans had been shattered because Ace had left too quickly; he hadn't even managed to get a single word in with him.

After all, the battle between Fire Fist Ace and White Hunter Smoker had been so terrifying and exaggerated that a weakling like him wouldn't have dared to get involved.

In the end, Ace had slipped away so nimbly—he came as gently as he left, not giving Daddy the slightest chance, causing him to miss his opportunity to rise in the world of One Piece!

The weakling Daddy had considered immediately rowing a small boat to chase after Ace, but he was quickly dragged away by the violent gangsters of the Barto Family.

Because the furious Smoker had already led the Marines to begin a wrathful sweep of the pirates in Loguetown, even gang members like them had to hide immediately.

This meant Daddy had completely and utterly missed his chance to become one of Ace's crewmates!

[ps: Ace was born on January 1st, 1500, and Luffy was born on May 5th, 1503; Ace is 3 years and 4 months older than Luffy. Both set sail after their 17th birthdays, so Ace set sail about 3 years and 4 months earlier than Luffy.]