Rebirth

When Werther opened his eyes, a beach and the azure sea came into view.

I'm alive. Just as I thought, this should count as a different kind of body snatching, right? The most rudimentary body snatching in history. Hehehe. But as long as it worked, that was enough. Sure enough, when it came to surviving, doing something crazy was acceptable. Hehehe.

An eight- or nine-year-old child on the beach let out a strange laugh.

I'm so hungry. What's going on? This kid must have passed out from hunger. I need to find food as soon as possible, or I'll starve to death!

Werther looked around. Fortunately, this was not a deserted island. Not far away stood rows of towering buildings. Judging by their style, it looked somewhat like a European town.

As he slowly walked toward the town, Werther discovered that devouring the boy's soul had not only made his own soul whole and younger, but had also brought him quite a few fragments of memory.

For example, this body was nine years old. This was not Earth, but a town called Loguetown, and this world's language was one he had never heard before.

As he slowly went through those memories, Werther felt a sense of familiarity. Loguetown? It sounded familiar. Just as he was searching through the memories, he suddenly saw one: today, at the age of nine, he had heard someone say that it had been one year since the Pirate King Roger's execution, followed by his memory of wanting to become a pirate.

Pirate King? I've come to the world of One Piece? This world where strength was completely off the charts? Great! I finally don't have to be an ordinary person anymore. I can fight with a sword too. Hehehe. What exciting news.

I absolutely have to become stronger, then travel the world, see this world, meet people of all kinds of races, fight all sorts of powerful opponents, and eat delicacies from every corner of the world.

As for beautiful women and all that, he would leave it to fate. He did not believe every transmigrator was like a bulldozer, with milky white sludge for brains.

Should he join the Marines? Or become a pirate? Neither. He would rather be an adventurer. He did not want to be like some rubber guy, flying a pirate flag while doing the work of both an adventurer and a Marine.

Right, now isn't the time to think about that. If I don't eat soon, I'll starve to death. But I don't seem to have any money. What should I do?

As he walked, he agonized over it. Rob someone? Not reliable, and he did not have the ability. It looked like he could only steal. Right, take it and run.

After walking for five minutes, he finally reached Loguetown. It was morning, and Loguetown was brimming with life. The streets were full of pedestrians, vendors shouted their wares, and all sorts of stalls lined the roadside. The sight made Werther even hungrier.

He found a grilled meat skewer stall surrounded by many people, all waiting for the delicious skewers.

After observing his surroundings and seeing that no one was paying attention, he slipped his sinful hand into the pocket of a middle-aged man in front of him, pulled out several bills without checking how much there was, then turned and left.

After walking some distance, he took out the money and looked at it. Not bad, there were around 1,000 Beli. He had no idea how many meals that would buy. He casually found a restaurant, ordered a bowl of porridge and a plate of pickles, then slowly began eating.

When one had no idea how long they had been starving, suddenly binge-eating was practically seeking death. Werther could tell this body was not strong at all. It was just an ordinary child, so becoming stronger would have to be considered over the long term.

In any case, he needed to settle down first, then figure out how to become stronger. He really did not know why those senior transmigrators were so damn amazing. The moment they arrived, they ended up on deserted islands, yet still lived well and grew stronger. Then, as soon as they left the island, they could solo an admiral. It was ridiculous. If he were thrown onto a deserted island, he definitely would not live to see tomorrow's sun. Definitely.

The bowl of porridge in front of him was slowly finished, but he was still hungry. At least he was no longer so hungry that he lacked the strength to move.

What should I do? Maybe I should look around for a workshop that makes ship parts. I don't know how to build ships, but I know ship components quite well. Even if these ships are from a different era, I should still be able to understand them.

After searching for a long time, he finally found a shop called Old Red Ship Hull Parts.

He walked in. The small shop was filled with all kinds of old-fashioned ship hull parts, and luckily, Werther recognized most of them. Behind the counter stood a middle-aged man in his fifties, bare-chested, with a mohawk and a slightly chubby build. He was probably the owner of the shop.

The middle-aged man said, "Friend, is there something you want to buy? Everything here is for ships."

Werther thought for a moment and did not state his purpose directly.

"Sir, do you know where the Marine branch is? I was shipwrecked at sea and drifted to this island. I don't even know whether I can make it back."

The middle-aged man sighed.

"Then what about your family?"

Werther tried his best to put on a sorrowful expression. He said nothing, only lowered his head.

Seeing this, the middle-aged man shook his head and asked again.

"Do you have any other family?"

Werther shook his head, thinking it was about enough, then asked.

"Sir, this shop sells ship hull parts, right? Can I work for you? I'm very capable. I can make all these things."

The middle-aged man froze, then said skeptically, "Friend, lying isn't good, and you're too young. How could I hire you?"

"Sir, I really can make them. My father used to run a shipyard in Water 7. Ever since I was little, I've learned to make these parts from Uncle Ail," Werther said confidently as he looked the man directly in the eye.

When the middle-aged man heard Water 7, his eyes immediately lit up, and he asked.

"Really? You can really make these parts? Come to the workshop in the back and show me. If you really can, I'll pay you Beli every month."

When they reached the workshop in the back, Werther saw several simple machines. Whether from what he had learned in university or his previous hands-on experience aboard ships, handling these simple machines was far too easy. With only a few movements, he produced several different kinds of parts.

The middle-aged man was delighted as well. "Not bad. What's your name? You can work here from now on. As for where you'll live, you can stay in the room upstairs. I'll take you there in a moment. Also, produce these kinds of parts every day. How does that sound?"

Werther made a rough estimate. It would probably only take four hours of work, which was quite good. He would have a stable place to live and an income, so he could start considering how to become stronger. He readily agreed, told the man that his name was Werther, learned that the other man was called Red, and followed Red upstairs to see his room.

The room was not bad, around ten square meters. It was enough for him alone, and it had a bed, a cabinet, and a mirror.

Standing before the mirror and looking at himself, he saw his appearance in this world for the first time.

He was about one meter tall, with short black hair, black eyes, and a face no different from that of an ordinary little brat. It was probably because he had not grown into his features yet. His only distinctive trait was that whenever he chuckled, "Hehehe," people got the feeling that this child was probably not mentally well and should not be approached too closely.

In any case, Werther's adventure in the world of One Piece was about to begin. He really looked forward to it. Hehehe.