One Piece: Starting with Sharingan, First Mate Uchiha

The morning sun shines on the azure sea, making it sparkle.

It felt as if yesterday's almost soul-freezing cold was just a nightmare.

The Going Merry sailed slowly on the sea with the gentle breeze, its sails billowing and making a soft rustling sound.

However, in stark contrast to the bright weather, the atmosphere on the ship was eerily quiet.

Although everyone's bodies had thawed thanks to the warm water and Chopper's first aid, their body temperatures were gradually rising.

But that's a Marine Admiral.

It is a fighting force that stands at the top of this world.

In just a moment, these four main forces were easily killed.

This enormous gap in strength plunged the usually optimistic Straw Hat Pirates into an unprecedentedly low mood.

on the deck.

Luffy sat in his favorite VIP seat—atop a ram's head.

But instead of gazing out to sea in search of adventure as usual, he hugged his knees, lowered his head, and stared blankly at the waves below.

Zoro's eyes were vacant, and it was unclear what he was thinking.

Sanji is chopping vegetables in the kitchen.

But the rhythmic sound of chopping vegetables sounded somewhat chaotic today, punctuated by occasional sighs of frustration.

In a corner of the deck, Robin was curled up in a chair, holding a book in his hand.

Although her gaze was fixed on the pages of the book, it hadn't been turned for half an hour.

"Aokiji..."

That man's name was like a Damocles' sword hanging over her head, ready to fall at any moment and sever her hard-won, fleeting happiness.

In this suffocating silence.

"Bang!"

The silence was broken by the sound of a heavy object hitting the ground.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound.

Viktor, pale-faced, placed the two enormous wooden crates heavily in the center of the deck.

Those were the spoils they won on Long Chain Island, as well as precious ingredients and fine wines they brought down from Sky Island.

"call……"

Viktor took a deep breath and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

"Viktor?" Nami walked over worriedly. "Aren't you going to lie down for a while longer? Chopper said your internal organs are the most severely affected by the cold..."

"I've been lying down for too long; my bones are going to rust."

Viktor waved his hand.

His gaze swept over the dejected crowd, and a reassuring smile suddenly appeared on his lips:

"Why are you all looking so dejected?"

"Are we going to have a funeral? Or do you consider yourselves already dead?"

Victor walked over and kicked open the barrel lid, instantly filling the deck with a rich aroma of wine.

"Listen up, everyone."

Victor picked up a glass and poured it to the brim:

"We are facing the 'world's strongest fighting force,' the Marine Admiral who strikes fear into the hearts of countless great pirates."

"But look at us now! We're still alive! We have all our hands and feet, and the ship didn't sink!"

Victor raised his glass, his gaze intense:

"In the new world, being able to survive against those monsters is a feat worth boasting about for a lifetime!"

"Since we're still alive, we should celebrate! For our incredible luck, for that damn good fortune!"

"Come on! Let's drink! Let's eat meat!"

Viktor's words were like a ray of sunshine, tearing away the gloom that had shrouded everyone's hearts.

Yes, they're still alive.

As long as you're alive, there's always a chance to turn things around.

"That's right..." Zoro's confusion faded, and he walked over and picked up a large bottle of wine.

"Next time... I'll definitely chop him up."

"I want to eat meat!!!"

Luffy seemed to wake up suddenly, and his stomach rumbled loudly in response.

He jumped off the sheep's head, grabbed a large piece of meat with the bone, and took a big bite: "Victor was right! We're still alive!!"

"Since we're alive, we should eat!" Sanji also came out carrying a steaming dish. "This is a special warming soup."

Although the atmosphere has not fully returned to its former bustling state, the ice of despair is gradually melting away.

Viktor breathed a sigh of relief as he watched his companions get back to work.

He picked up two steaming cups of coffee and turned to walk towards the figure still hiding in the corner.

"Give."

Victor handed the coffee to Robin.

Robin looked up at Victor with a complicated expression, but did not reach out to take it.

"Victor..."

Robin's voice was hoarse, filled with deep self-reproach:

"I shouldn't have stayed on the ship... As long as I'm here, enemies of the admiral's caliber will keep coming to me."

"You got lucky this time, but what about next time? You'll be killed by me..."

"Who knows about things like that?"

Victor shoved the coffee into her hand, forcing her to hold the warm cup.

Then, he turned and leaned against the railing, gazing at the boundless sea, letting the sea breeze tousle his black hair.

Don't overthink it.

Victor reached out and gently patted Robin on the shoulder.

"Even if the sky falls, Luffy will be there to hold it up. If he can't hold it up... he will."

"Enjoy your coffee, I added sugar on purpose."

Robin held the warm cup, looking at Victor's profile, and the chill in his heart finally dissipated a little.

She lowered her head, took a small sip of coffee, and a very faint, bitter smile appeared on her lips:

"...It's so sweet."

Just then.

"Croak—!!!"

A loud and strange cry came from the sea ahead.

Everyone was startled and ran to the bow of the boat. Instantly, everyone's eyes turned into beady ones.

Right in front of the Going Merry was a frog as big as a small mountain.

It was swimming sideways in the sea in a very standard freestyle posture, blocking the way.

"A green...frog swimming freestyle in the sea?!"

Usopp's jaw nearly dropped: "And it's huge! Is it a Sea King?"

"This looks delicious!" Luffy wiped his drool.

Before anyone could figure out what the giant frog was up to, suddenly—

"Waaaaaahh ...

A deafening blast of a ship's horn, like the roar of a monster, echoed throughout the entire sea.

"Rumble rumble rumble..."

The sea began to tremble, and white waves surged.

To everyone's astonishment, two parallel railway tracks were laid out on the sea, stretching all the way to the horizon.

At that moment, a colossal steel behemoth, billowing white smoke and entirely black, roared toward them along that incredible sea railway!

That was a... train?!

"It's a lie, right?!"

Chopper clutched his head and screamed, "A train is running on the sea?!?!"

The Sea Train – "Smoking Tom"!

The steel-cast locomotive cleaved through the waves, its massive smokestacks billowing white smoke as it sped past the Merry at an astonishing speed.

"Clang, clang, clang!"

The immense wind pressure caused the Merry to shake violently.

However, Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp, who were initially feeling down, perked up the moment they saw the train.

All thoughts of generals and fears were cast to the winds.

The three people's eyes instantly turned into sparkling stars, and their mouths opened to their maximum:

"So cool—!!!!"

"Seriously!!! It's the Sea Train!!!"

"It runs on the water! So cool!!"

Luffy was so excited that he climbed straight up the mast, pointed in the direction the train had gone, and shouted, "We're going to chase that! I want to ride that!"

Seeing the trio of idiots instantly revived, Victor shook his head helplessly, but the smile in his eyes deepened.

This is how the Straw Hat crew should be.

……

Following the direction of the sea train, the Merry soon arrived at a station standing alone on the sea – Silft Station.

Here, they met the stationmaster of the sea train.

She was an extremely... "bold"-looking mother-in-law.

She had a monstrous physique, always carried a bottle of wine, was drunk, and had a shrill laugh like a witch.

Grandma Kokoro.

And her granddaughter, Zimoni, who always had a rabbit named Kumbbe with her.

"Gaa gaa gaa! Are you pirates who just arrived here?"

Grandma Kokoro's face turned bright red, and she let out a burp:

"Want to go to Water Seven? You'd better be careful. Inexperienced ships can easily get swept away by the currents there."

Viktor then stepped forward.

He took out a bottle of his treasured vintage wine from the box containing specialties from the Sky Island.

"Nice to meet you, beautiful Ms. Kokoro."

Victor ignored the expressions on everyone's faces that seemed to want to express their disapproval and gently placed the bottle on the table:

"This is a small gift to mark our meeting."

"We're not very familiar with this area. Could you please give us some directions, and perhaps... a letter of introduction?"

"Oh?"

Grandma Kokoro twitched her nose and smelled the rich aroma of wine emanating from the bottle.

Her seemingly cloudy eyes lit up instantly.

"Hehehe! Little brother, you're so sensible!"

Grandma Kokoro grabbed the bottle, uncorked it, took a sniff, and a look of ecstasy appeared on her face:

"Fine wine! This is made using techniques from hundreds of years ago, isn't it? It's a truly rare find!"

He who takes a bribe is bound to do his bidding; he who eats another's food is obligated to do his bidding.

Grandma Kokoro, in a great mood, immediately became exceptionally enthusiastic.

She not only provided a nautical chart to Water Seven, but also guided people to avoid dangerous eddies.

He also wrote a letter of introduction to the road sign of the Water City—that is, Mayor Espargo.

"Take this and go find that kid named Espagu. He's the mayor there and also the best shipwright."

As it was leaving, the Merry slowly pulled away from the station.

Grandma Kokoro stood on the platform, waving the bottle of wine in her hand.

"Hey, you guys."

"But be careful..."

She pointed to the distant, faintly visible water city:

"Water City...that's a complex city. On the surface it's all water, but underneath lies a lot of filthy mud."

"Don't get caught in that huge whirlpool..."

As the Merry sailed away.

The legendary city known as the "City of Water" has finally revealed its true face on the horizon.

A huge fountain stands like a crown atop the city, with countless waterways crisscrossing the area.

We've arrived in Water City.