Chapter Text
Do you know what the worst thing to do at three in the morning on a Wednesday is, after finishing two consecutive 24-hour shifts treating patients at a public hospital? Discovering that your apartment’s fridge and cabinets are completely empty — and that you still have to walk to the corner store to buy groceries.
That alone would already be bad enough.
Most people would probably say it couldn’t possibly get any worse.
But it can.
Much worse.
Especially when, on your way back from the market to your apartment, you suddenly fall into a cosmic rift that opens right beneath your feet while you’re crossing the street.
And honestly? The problem wasn’t just falling into it. The damn rift decided to treat me like a kid playing with modeling clay, twisting and distorting my entire body before throwing me straight into the open ocean.
A furious, raging open ocean.
If it weren’t for my waterproof coat acting as an improvised flotation device, I probably would’ve drowned long ago.
And that has been my life for the past thirty minutes.
My name is Anderson Miranda, a medical resident at a public hospital in Washington. After countless sleepless nights studying for exams, and even more nights pushing myself beyond my limits to earn one of the most competitive positions at the city’s best public hospital, I genuinely thought I would die from exhaustion… or maybe a caffeine overdose.
I never imagined I would end up drowning in the middle of the ocean instead.
I hate the ocean.
Sure, beaches are nice. Great, even. But I’ve always hated the open sea. Even on ships or cruise liners, that endless horizon covered by nothing but water always made me uncomfortable. It wasn’t exactly a phobia… it was closer to that unsettling feeling you get when looking down from a very high place. Even knowing you probably won’t fall, there’s still that subtle fear — that unavoidable discomfort that makes your whole body tense up without you even noticing.
For years, I turned down cruise trips to the Bahamas with my friends, always choosing to travel by plane instead.
All that effort, just to end up drowning in some unknown place because a dimensional rift decided to open right under my feet.
And the worst part is that I am careful.
I always look both ways before crossing the street. I pay attention to open manholes and cracks in the pavement, too.
But who in their right mind would look down expecting to find a cosmic anomaly in the middle of the sidewalk — on a street they walk through every single day?
That was my situation at that moment: about to drown in the middle of the ocean while mentally cursing whatever mad scientist, cosmic entity, or irresponsible god created that damned rift.
Then a gigantic wave slammed straight into me.
After that…
Darkness.
Scene Change
Unknown Island — Grand Line
A massive figure clad in light armor, wearing a blue cape and a helmet with eye slits, walked calmly along the shore while waiting for the time of his daily duel.
Even after all these years, that battle remained a matter of honor above all else.
That was when something caught his eye.
Or rather…
Someone.
A gigantic body lay unconscious on the sand, half-buried, as waves crashed gently around it.
The warrior’s eyes widened for a brief moment.
Then a huge grin spread across his face.
— GYAGAGAGAGA!! What a wonderful surprise! A fellow giant washed ashore! Do not worry, friend! I shall take care of you in the name of the honor of the Giant Warrior Pirates!
He strode quickly toward the stranger, but his expression shifted slightly when he noticed the castaway’s unusual clothes.
The garments were completely different from anything he had ever seen before.
— Hm… has Elbaf’s fashion changed that much during the hundred years I’ve been away? Or perhaps he comes from another nation of giants…?
Stroking his beard thoughtfully, the warrior effortlessly lifted the unconscious figure onto his shoulder and began walking back toward his camp.
After a few moments of silence, another thought crossed his mind.
— …Should I tell Brogy that I found a giant brother unconscious on the beach?
He burst into laughter once more as he continued through the island’s dense forest.
Without realizing it, he had just rescued a man from another world — and brought him straight into the heart of the One Piece world, right in the middle of the Grand Line.