East Blue, within the borders of the Oykot Kingdom.
At a camp nestled deep in the forest.
A man dressed in a thin shirt and plain trousers held up a wanted poster, comparing it to the girl standing before him.
"Is this you?"
The girl had long golden curls, porcelain skin, and delicate features. Her dress was extravagant—tight sleeves hugging her arms, a wide skirt flowing around her legs. Lace frills adorned her slender neck. Even without jewelry, she looked every bit a noble daughter from a distinguished family.
A classic golden-haired beauty—bouncy waves and all.
Her eyes were cold, her voice even colder."That's not me."
"It's definitely you," Sager replied.
She glared daggers at him. "Then why ask?"
Sager grinned, showing teeth. "Took five bands of mountain bandits to get here, but hey, business is finally picking up."
The girl simply stared at him, seething. If looks could kill, he'd be a dead man a hundred times over.
"Don't bother struggling."
Sager tapped the ornate, pearl-handled rapier at his waist. "You're my first real bounty. Gotta make sure nothing goes wrong."
As he spoke, he tapped her forehead with a single finger. Her legs moved on their own, marching obediently in a set direction.
Her eyes widened in despair. She never imagined someone could do something like this.
He didn't just disarm her instantly—just a single touch, and now her body moved without her will.
"You're this strong, and this is what you choose to do with it? Be a slave to money?" she shouted.
"Cut it out."
Sager waved a hand dismissively. "Money's great. Everyone works for money. I earn mine fair and square. Slavery's got nothing to do with it. And as for dreams..."
His expression darkened, jaw clenching."Of course I have dreams. My dream… is to own a plot of land, grow some crops, fish a little, and live out this damn life in peace in this damn world!"
Norton Sager, age twenty-two, had lived here for all of those twenty-two years. A recent addition to the ranks of bounty hunters—barely two months in.
And this place?
The world of One Piece.
A world full of danger—giant beasts, sea kings, ruthless pirates. A twisted, chaotic world.
Being thrown into a place like this? He chalked it up to bad luck. But hey, he was here now.
Luckily, he landed in the East Blue, where the average bounty didn't even reach three million. Relatively safe.
Even better—he came equipped with a special cheat: the Hokuto Shinken.
Yes, that Hokuto Shinken. With it, he could roam the East Blue with barely a worry.
He didn't care about stirring up the seas, but the idea of becoming a rich landowner? That sounded promising.
A vast estate, dozens of workers depending on him. Secretaries, lackeys, barking orders, enjoying music and wine when bored...
Just imagining it got his blood pumping.
At first, he'd tried the family business—farming. He fenced off a huge plot of land, dreaming of becoming the King of Agriculture!
Zero yield.
Farming didn't work. Fine. Fishing then!
Endless ocean, full of fish. Even a kid could scoop them up by hand. Become the King of Fishing!
He caught nothing. Not even once.
Maybe he wasn't meant for a quiet life.
The sea was vast. Merchants were plenty. Why not build capital as a trader?
His ship sank. Cargo lost.
If the straight path didn't work, maybe a little gray area?
Tried to become the King of Street Performance—ran into martial law.
Tried to be the King of Bodyguards—his client went bankrupt.
Tried to be the King of Mercenaries—world peace broke out.
In short, after the death of his honest, hardworking adoptive father, Sager's life hadn't exactly taken off. In fact, you could say he hadn't achieved anything at all.
Now? Sager was trying to be the King of Bounties—a bounty hunter.
Year 1520 of the Sea Calendar.Twenty-two years since the Pirate King's death.An era of Great Pirates.
Pirates were as common as stones on the road. You could toss a net into the sea and pull up a few.
Great time to be a bounty hunter, right?
He couldn't find a single one.
From ten thousand to ten million Berries—pirates, bandits, didn't matter. He found none.
Damn it!
Why could they stumble upon an eight-million bounty like Sieg?
...Wait. Who was Sieg again?
Couldn't remember.
Not only could he not find any targets—his luck sucked.
He once caught a pirate with no bounty and let him go. The guy got a bounty the next day. Some other hunter cashed in.
What the hell was wrong with this world?
Furious. Frustrated. Freezing.
You could say that aside from being a pirate or a marine, he'd tried nearly every job under the sun. He didn't like pirates, and as for the navy...
Sager scratched his messy white hair and pulled out a stack of wanted posters from his belt.
The top one featured a long-nosed fishman with purple skin—Arlong. Bounty: 20 million Berries.
If not for this poster, he might have already given up on bounty hunting.
This was the highest bounty in the East Blue right now.
Sager grinned. "Once I turn you in, I'll have enough money to hire a crew, head to the Conomi Islands, and wipe out the rest of your gang. Then I'll be rich."
He couldn't find pirates drifting at sea, but the ones with a home base? Those, he could track—like the Arlong Pirates.
Beyond Arlong's 20 million, there was Hatchan with 8 million, Kuroobi with 9 million, and Chew with 5.5 million. Over 40 million total.
They were sitting ducks. What could go wrong?
With that money, he could buy several villages in the East Blue. His dream would finally be real.
"Didn't plan to catch you, honestly."
Sager said, "But I can't navigate for shit, and none of the ships I tried would take me to the Conomi Islands. Had no choice but to detour to the Oykot Kingdom. That's where I saw you."
Every ship refused once he mentioned Conomi. No choice, he'd mopped the decks to hitch a ride here.
...That ship, by the way, hit a reef and half-sank when it docked.
He was planning to go straight south—but wouldn't you know it? He saw a wanted poster nailed to a pole in town. Her face. One million Berries.
He didn't have high hopes—fugitives like her never turned up. But hey, worth a shot.
Just maybe...
Along the way, he ran into five gangs of bandits. None had bounties. But the last group?
They had seen her.
Sager followed the scent—literally.
A lucky break!
Maybe his luck was turning after all!
Grinning, Sager asked, "So... what's your name?"
The poster didn't list one—just a photo and the bounty.
She wasn't weak. She attacked him the moment they met. Her swordplay was fast, but he was faster. One touch to her pressure point, and she was out.
The girl didn't answer, still glaring at him with icy fury.
"Aw, don't be so cold. It's a special occasion, y'know? My first bounty. If you tell me your name, I'll make sure you get a proper burial. Might even burn incense for you during the holidays."
She kept glaring. Then her expression dimmed. She looked down, silent for a long while, then finally muttered:
"Beandetta... Lily."
"Beandetta? That sounds kinda familiar. Where have I—?"
Sager scratched his chin thoughtfully.
"The bottom of that poster," the girl said.
He pulled it out again. No name on top, but there was fine print beneath the bounty.
He squinted at it, nodding slowly.
Then turned to her, dead serious.
"I can't read."
"..."
The air went still.
A soft breeze passed through, as if to make the awkward silence even more unbearable.