One Piece : From Slave to Fleet Admiral Chapter 1 1

1509, Sea Calendar

Aston Kingdom, North Blue.

Beneath the Slave Market, the second subterranean level.

The wooden floor, worn by countless spills of potent alcohol, exuded a stale, unpleasant odor.

Flickering yellow lamps cast scant light into the confined area, where the foul smell of excrement mingled with the humid atmosphere, causing every patch of exposed skin to feel clammy with sweat.

Jake slumped against the furthest wall of the holding cell, his face a mask of dust and filth, his eyes sunken and gaunt.

Seven days had elapsed since his arrival in this new body.

From the moment his eyes snapped open, only to be assaulted by the stench of refuse, to the searing agony of the guards' whips tearing into his flesh, and the near-inedible black sludge masquerading as sustenance—every experience solidified a grim truth: his transmigrated identity was utterly dire.

So dire, in fact, that surviving this initial zone felt like a remote possibility.

The sole comfort was the inheritance of the original body's memories and its linguistic fluency.

Through these acquired faculties, he understood he had transmigrated into the world of One Piece, specifically during the ninth year of the Great Pirate Era's commencement.

A deluge of pirates had erupted, akin to an infestation of cockroaches, and the hometown of his original vessel had been obliterated beneath the relentless tide of this tumultuous era, its inhabitants mercilessly slaughtered by pirate blades.

Although these were not his personal recollections, the vivid imagery imprinted in the original body's mind—skulls impaled on swords, blood and brains splattered in a gruesome amalgamation, scalps ripped away, and human limbs sent flying in all directions—still churned his stomach with their mere contemplation.

This gruesome mental tableau deepened his already bleak outlook on his predicament.

The current location served as a mere waypoint for the trafficking of slaves, their ultimate destinations being either the cold, sterile tables of the black market or the opulent chambers of noble lords.

The slaves within his cohort were destined for a preliminary assessment, wherein they would be classified as either potential "toys" or viable "organs."

Jake hadn't yet formulated a comprehensive plan after his escape, but his primary objective was to enlist in the Marines. At the very least, this path promised a more secure and promising future.

While Jake was immersed in his thoughts, a faint voice disturbed the silence beside him. "Jake, do you truly believe we can escape?"

He turned to face a disheveled woman, her pale green hair barely visible beneath layers of grime. Thick spectacles adorned her face, which was smudged with dirt and dust, obscuring much of her skin. A foul stench, like that of spoiled food, emanated from her person.

At that moment, she gently tugged at Jake's sleeve, repeating her question. Every time Monet voiced this doubt, Jake would invariably reply with a soft tone. "We will escape, Monet. We'll find your sister too. Believe me!"

A faint smile touched Monet's lips beneath her thick glasses upon hearing his words. She nodded at Jake and leaned a bit closer.

Jake paid no mind to Monet's offensive odor, understanding it as a defensive mechanism. He recognized her from the original story, the Snow Woman whose heart was pierced, leading to her demise. Her yearning for freedom was like that of a caged bird; rescued from one prison only to be confined in another. Even in her final moments, true freedom eluded her.

When he first transmigrated and was overcome by the stench, it was Monet who didn't show disdain for his pathetic state. Instead, she patted his back reassuringly, wiped his mouth, and offered him half of her meager food. Jake vividly recalled her words when she handed him the food, her eyes hidden behind those thick glasses: "Eat. Otherwise you won't survive."

Accepting the half-piece of blackened, hard bread, Jake mumbled, "What about you?"

"When I can't survive any longer, you can share some with me then," she replied.