Ah... is death finally here?" I groaned as the pain coursed through my body.
Well, I had no regrets in my life, but again, I never imagined death would be this excruciating.
The noises surrounding me—were these people attempting to help me? I could perceive the pity in their tone, even though I couldn't see, as darkness devoured everything.
"I... I... don't want to die yet. I had many other unfinished matters."
My body perspired more, intensely, my chest felt suffocatingly heavy.
The darkness engulfed me completely as my vision faded.
–––
"Am I still alive?"
I could still think, surprisingly, even though I couldn't feel my body.
"Hello? Is there someone out there?" I barked into the void with my imaginary mouth.
No response.
A faint glimmer of light flickered ahead. I attempted to reach out, but an invisible force bound my intangible form—I was immobilized.
[Do you want a second chance?]
A surge of sound struck my ears—it emanated from the dim light.
"Y...yes," I immediately shouted, desperate.
[Remember your m@##&@ is to fix @###]
The light repeated its message again, but I couldn't comprehend the distorted words.
Abruptly, a force pulled me toward it, my entire imaginary form plunging into the minute speck of light.
---
"What was that?" I gasped as oxygen rushed into my lungs, and my eyes shot open in shock.
My entire body felt numb and debilitated. I could move, but I could barely sense it.
Was this truly a second chance… or merely an elaborate trap?
I questioned myself, weighing the grim possibility that I had been deceived.
Now that my eyes were open, I could observe everything clearly—and the grim reality settled in.
"I'm in a prison cell."
Sweat accumulated on my forehead. As I scanned my surroundings, I noticed a colossal figure beside me. It was far too massive to be human.
---
"Hey," I muttered, hesitant.
The towering figure shifted and turned toward me.
"What's it, brother?"
The hulking man spoke with a tone drenched in sympathy—and perhaps a trace of sorrow.
Again, that word echoed in my mind. 'Brother?' Were we related? Did he know me?
But I didn't recall being kin to such an enormous figure.
Wait... am I not in my original body?
Reality struck harder—the body I inhabited now wasn't this youthful. So this figure is my brother...?
I needed more information.
–––
"Brother, what's gonna happen to us?" I asked slowly, attempting to extract answers.
A strange tension filtered into the air, making me more anxious than a student walking into an exam hall.
"What do you mean, Ace?"
The figure responded—darkness still cloaked the cell, and I couldn't see him clearly.
But the name triggered something. 'Ace.'
I had heard it before but couldn't pinpoint where—as if the memory had been erased.
---
"I mean, aren't we in prison? What do you think our fate will be?" I said, acting calm and composed.
"Ace, are you really that worried? I can imagine what you're going through, but don't give up yet."
The figure replied—his voice encouraging, yet tinged with melancholy.
And what did he mean... that something was going to happen to me?
Think. Think.
I urged myself—my mind in chaos, clueless on what to do.
The name felt familiar, but something restrained my memory, preventing me from recalling.
Was it the doing of that strange light?
"Don't worry, Ace. Even though your biological father was Gol D. Roger, Whitebeard never abandoned his sons. And we are family, aren't we?"
The figure added, breaking into my thoughts—his tone was laced with sorrow and compassion.
My body trembled with emotion—I didn't know why, but my eyes blurred with tears.
Hearing those names... the realization struck like thunder:
I'm in the One Piece world. And I'm Ace.
Tears streamed down my cheeks—I couldn't suppress them.
Was this what Ace truly felt?
---
Back when I used to watch One Piece, I always perceived Ace as a weak character who blamed himself.
But I never realized he blamed himself this deeply—that even a single word of comfort could trigger him.
I didn't expect to become emotional just by stepping into Ace's body.
I've synchronized with his emotions.
Now, these feelings aren't just Ace's… they're mine too.
Guilt over Thatch's death...
That memory rushed into my mind.
What we witnessed on screen was merely Ace's smile—but I never imagined the torment festering beneath.
The weight and self-blame Ace carried are genuinely suffocating, even for someone like me—who always claimed to be emotionless, who never shed a tear in my previous life.
---
I abruptly suppressed the emotional spiral, remembering one grim truth—I'll die in just a few days.
Damn... of all people, why did they choose to throw me into Ace's body? And why now?
But... was there ever a better time?
I need to strategize an escape plan.
Even though Ace could've survived in the original if he hadn't fallen for Akainu's provocation—looking at myself now, I doubt I can resist it either. Not in this body. Not with how volatile Ace's emotions are.
First, I need to confirm how many days remain until the execution.
---
"By the way, Jinbe, did anyone visit us?" I asked nervously, masking my unease.
The figure—now clearly Jinbe—paused for a moment.
"After the Pirate Empress, Boa Hancock… no one visited," he replied thoughtfully.
Wait... Boa Hancock came? That means Luffy's already here.
"When was that?" I asked, hesitant.
"It was yesterday," he added.
Damn... does that mean only five days are left?
I couldn't even remember exactly how much time remained for me… but I assumed it was five at most.
---
In the midst of my spiraling thoughts, a translucent blue UI screen materialized in front of me, abruptly disrupting my mind.
[System installing....2%]
[System installing.....10%]
[System installing.....15%]
[System installing.....]
[System installing.....]
I stood frozen, shocked, staring at the characters flashing across the blue interface.
As the installation bar reached 100%, my consciousness faded away and my vision became dark like some kinda force pulled me.
TBC.....