Daren slowly opened his eyes.
A sharp nose, deep-set eyes, sword-like brows, and short, slightly tousled black hair gave him an unmistakable air of presence.
He sat up from the bed, his bare upper body covered in rugged scars. His muscular frame, defined yet unrefined, carried a wild and untamed aura.
In short, he was very handsome.
He glanced at the woman still asleep beside him and chuckled.
A noblewoman of the Yadis Kingdom, huh...
Tsk, tsk... quite the fine experience.
Shaking his head, Daren casually reached for the freshly printed newspaper and began flipping through it out of habit.
"World Destroyer Byrnndi World sinks a World Government official vessel! The Celestial Dragons are furious—200 million Berries bounty issued! The World Pirates may become the government's greatest threat!"
"The great pirate Roger has set sail again! Last sighted in the weakest of the Four Seas—the East Blue!"
"The great pirate Shiki the Golden Lion is rallying forces in the New World, attempting to form the world's largest pirate fleet!"
"A battle erupts between Kaido and Charlotte Linlin in the New World—an entire small island wiped off the map!"
Daren's eyes narrowed slightly as he skimmed through the string of shocking headlines.
"What a lively era this is..."
He slowly folded the newspaper, took a sip of whiskey, and lit an expensive cigar, its golden-embossed wrapping glinting in the light.
The rich tobacco burned in his throat, sending a sharp, invigorating sensation through his body, sharpening his thoughts.
Yes, Daren was a transmigrator.
But unlike most others, he had no "chosen one" system, no overpowered cheat abilities. His only advantage was a heightened sense of awareness and control over his own body—something that came from the fusion of his soul with this new existence.
It had been five years since he arrived in this pirate-infested world, and he had clawed his way up to his current position.
The North Blue—though outside the Grand Line—was the most chaotic, most ruthless, and most corrupt of the Four Seas. It lacked the peace of the so-called "Weakest Sea," the East Blue. It lacked the economic prosperity of the trade-heavy West Blue. It lacked the relative stability of the sparsely populated South Blue.
Instead, it was filled with constant turf wars between mafia groups, brutal conflicts among underground factions, never-ending clashes between kingdoms, and rampant pirate activity. All of this made the North Blue a nightmare for the Marines to govern.
And in this harsh, unforgiving world, Daren had adopted an equally unrestrained attitude toward life.
After all, the year was 1492 of the Sea Circle Calendar. This was an era where the world was still reeling from the aftermath of the God Valley Incident, a time when the global order teetered on the edge of chaos—
Roger had yet to complete his grand voyage and claim the title of Pirate King. The Golden Lion had yet to challenge Marineford and throw away his dignity. Whitebeard was still roaming the seas, gathering his "sons," his golden crown-like hair still thick and untamed. Kaido had yet to become the fearsome "Kaido of the Beasts" and was still stubbornly picking fights with the Marines, seemingly intent on getting himself killed.
Charlotte Linlin had not yet grown into the monstrous "Big Mom," resembling a walking fortress of flesh. She was still in her prime, sailing the seas in search of strong men to bear her children. Shanks was still a mere apprentice. Buggy had yet to rise to prominence. And Monkey D. Luffy—the future Pirate King—hadn't even been born yet.
This was a world without the balance of the Four Emperors. A world without the Seven Warlords of the Sea. A world where only chaos and bloodshed reigned.
In this lawless, pirate-infested age—where even joining the Marines was no guarantee of survival—being a Marine was still a profession where one's head was never firmly attached to one's shoulders.
Daren himself had no illusions. He could die at any moment in battle.
So why wouldn't he live life to the fullest?
He had been given a second chance—he wasn't about to waste it. Even as a Marine, he refused to live a miserable life. He would drink the finest liquor, smoke the strongest cigars, and sleep with the most beautiful women.
That was his philosophy.
Corruption? Degeneracy? Who cared? He wasn't a pirate. He had no need for a good reputation. And besides, in the North Blue Marines, promotions had never been based on morality.
Look no further than his former superiors—Borsalino and Sakazuki. Both of them had hailed from the North Blue. Neither of them had particularly good reputations. Yet where were they now?
They had climbed their way into Marine Headquarters. Graduated from the Officer Training Camp. And now? They were rising through the ranks—widely regarded as the inevitable future Admirals of the Navy.
Of course, all of this didn't mean Daren slacked off when it came to strength. If anything, he held himself to the same high standards he had when choosing women—strict and uncompromising.
With that thought, he adjusted his breathing, focusing his mind as he sank into a deep state of awareness.
The fusion of his soul had granted him a strange, innate ability—an almost supernatural level of control over his own body, far beyond the limits of an ordinary human.
Over the past few years, he had gradually refined this ability. To quantify it, he had devised a personal attribute system, measuring his progress using a numerical scale based on comparisons with the strongest figures he had encountered.
It was an absurd concept.
But then again—so was transmigration. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ɴovelfire.net
And if he could accept that... this wasn't so hard to believe.
Stamina represents the body's defense, vitality, and endurance. Strength refers to pure arm strength, overall physical power, and explosive force. Speed measures movement speed and short-distance sprinting bursts.
As for Fruit... it reflects his mastery over his Devil Fruit ability.
These numbers are based on specific reference points, with the full value set at 100. For example, in terms of stamina, the benchmark is naturally the "strongest creature on land, sea, and air"—Kaido of the Beasts.
With Kaido's monstrous durability, where even Advanced Haki is needed to harm him, Daren estimated his stamina to be around 90.
"Hmm, my stamina really did increase by 0.03."
Daren carefully sensed his body, a smirk forming at the corner of his lips.
His little experiment had finally been confirmed.
After last night's two-hour "campaign," he woke up feeling completely refreshed, and sure enough, his stamina had improved.
Based on the physiological knowledge he had before transmigrating, moderate "exercise" boosts testosterone levels, releases large amounts of dopamine, and promotes muscle growth.
A 0.03 increase might seem insignificant, but small gains add up over time. Even the tiniest advantage was still an advantage.
Yes, this was what Daren had spent years figuring out—the most effective way to utilize his "gift."
With his precise awareness of his own body, which worked almost like a real-time data feedback system, he could determine the most efficient training methods to push his limits and continuously grow stronger.
A sharp flash of sword light tore through the door.
A tall, striking figure with long black hair strode in, her expression icy cold, her entire being radiating fury.
"Captain Daren, you are a Marine officer, yet you dare to do something so disgraceful within a Marine base... This is utterly outrageous!"
Gion, gripping a golden-hilted sword, cast a glance at the woman on the bed, who was trembling under the covers in sheer terror. Her eyes burned with rage as she uttered something that left Tokikake completely dumbfounded.
"That woman... is the wife of the Governor of the Yadis Kingdom!!"
A quick note to readers:
This story spans a vast timeline, beginning in the era of Roger and leading all the way up to the Marineford War. Since the events at the start of the story take place much earlier than the main plot, many of the characters are still young.
They haven't yet gained much experience, and their thoughts and ideologies are not fully developed into the personas we recognize from the original work.
In this story, you will see a young, ambitious Dragon. A Gion who still upholds pure justice. A Tokikake who is naïve and clueless. An Aokiji who still firmly believes in "Absolute Justice." A Crocodile with grand ambitions...
But rest assured, I will carefully develop each character. As time progresses, they will grow and evolve, gradually becoming the figures we know from the original storyline.