I stared at the paper in my hands for who knows how long before finally dropping it to the ground. I brought my hands up and covered my face with them, my mind reeling. I'd read every word in the paper. Twice. Marines this….pirates that….East Blue….Grand Line….Whitebeard….Warlord of the Sea….Admiral Sengoku. All of it, total bullshit. Was this some kind of gag? Were they trying to make me go nuts by thinking I was in some completely different world? You'd have to be stupid to fall for something like that!

But… I doubted my conviction as I told myself that. Something in the back of my mind was screaming, trying to get my attention, but it was too far off and I couldn't hear what it was trying to tell me. The doubts piled up and I was exhausted, closing my eyes. I thought about that first time waking. Who were those people? How did I get there? How did I get here? It would be a long time before I got any answers to those questions. So I calmed myself, counted to ten, and went through the steps in my head.

I'd find out where I was first, then why I was here. Afterwards, I could figure out a way home. I couldn't be that far from home, could I? If this was a kidnapping they'd want me close at hand so they could get a ransom, right? Even as these thoughts crossed my mind, my eyes slid open and focused on that newspaper again. I don't know how I knew, I guess it was just instinct, my subconscious telling me what was going on long before I knew it myself. That newspaper wasn't a fake, but if it wasn't fake, then I'm….a very long way from home.

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I sat at a table, finally seeing another person other than the guard who glared at me, for the first time in weeks. As I looked across the table though, I saw this man scowling at me. He was dressed like a sailor, but his uniform said 'Marine.' I didn't care about it all that much. I looked back to the window, out passed the land to the vast stretch of ocean there. An island. I was on an island. How I didn't know. These marines didn't seem to know either, because as they said, they found me in a strange crater that had damage a house in town.

I sighed, resting my elbow on the table and setting my head in my hand, shaking it slightly. "Look, I already told you, I don't know! I don't even know where the hell I am! You tell me you've never heard of America, the Caribbean islands, or anything that I know! Instead you've told me I'm in a world with five oceans that cover most of the planet and have islands throughout. The largest piece of land is something called the Red Line? Listen, I don't know how I got here, okay? I don't. All I know is that I'm not from this world!"

The marine shook his head and stood. They'd been questioning me for hours and didn't believe what I was telling them. Hell I didn't believe it either. How could I be in a different world? How? They stood me up and marched me back to the cell. They weren't letting me go, and it was making me angry. I hadn't done a damn thing! I hadn't broken any laws! They say I destroyed a house but also said they don't know how. I sure as hell don't know how. I had to get out of here! I had to find out what was going on!

I guess I caught a break then. The sound of something crashing suddenly reverberated throughout the entire building I was in, shaking the ground, and making everyone stop in their tracks. A minute passed by and I suddenly found myself left standing in a hallway with a single marine guarding me while the others went to investigate. I shivered when I realized the marine wasn't even focusing on me. Up until that point, I'd never raised my hand against anyone. I hated the thought of actually hurting someone. I'd never been in a fight. Hell the most violent thing I'd done was knock over a punching bag with a running kick. My mind wheeled back at that thought, remembering that I'd learned a little bit of self defense martial arts. I hardly thought about it, didn't have time to. This was my only chance to get away, so I took it. Raising my hand and delivering a swift chopping blow to the side of the marines neck. He slumped to the ground and groaned, while I bolted.

Running through the halls of that place, I thought it odd that I didn't encounter anyone else. I found a door that led outside, finally, and stepped out, looking around. A short ways away there was a bunch of rubble from what looked to have been a statue. I could clearly see part of what had been the head lying nearby. Was that what the crashing noise had been? I shook my head, it didn't matter. I turned in the other direction and took off running, wanting to get as far away from there as I could. Of course, fate has a way of interrupting your plans, as it did then. Skidding to a halt after turning a corner, I saw two things. First, it seemed like what must have been all the marines were standing out in the open, rifles aimed to the other thing I saw. A man tied to a post in the shape of a cross and a kid standing next to him.

If I hadn't been so frightened at the prospect of watching them be killed by the marines, I pry would have taken more notice of the oddities that were present. Like the rifles all being made of wood, or the big guy standing behind the marines with the metal jaw, or the strange outfit the man tied to the post was wearing, or the kids pink hair, or….well, you get the idea. It was weird. I guess one shocking thing has to follow another, because when the marines fired, there was a blur of motion and suddenly another person was standing there. Blue shorts, a red vest, and a straw hat. And all the bullets hit him! However instead of falling backwards like he should have, he leaned forward a little and I saw something even weirder than everything else. His back, his body where the bullets had hit was stretching out behind him one moment, and the next the bullets were flying away from him and back toward the marines who had fired.

My focus shifted entirely to this new person who started laughing, a huge grin on his face, a scar under his left eye. "That won't work on me!" He shouted, laughing more. I just looked on in awe as he took three katana off his back and held them out to the guy who was tied up. It was in that moment that reality smacked me in the face and it finally sank in. This wasn't the world I knew, not even close. I didn't know where I was, but it wasn't anywhere near home. It was all new and strange, and…it felt…real. I noticed that, everything seemed clearer somehow, more defined, easy to remember in detail.

"ALL WHO OPPOSE ME MUST DIE!" Someone yelled.

I finally took notice of the larger picture again as I heard the clash of metal upon metal. The man who had been tied to the post was free and holding the swords the guy with the straw hat had given him. He was blocking the swords of at least five marines, but…wait…what was…he-he has a sword…in his mouth?

"Where the hell am I?" I muttered.

The swordsman looked up to the guy with the straw hat, "I've already said I'd become a pirate and join you, either way I'll be a criminal after this. And that's fine, I still have my own goals! I will become the world's greatest swordsman. I no longer care if my name is clean or not, so long as my name reaches up to the heavens! If you get in the way of that goal, I'll cut you open so that you can apologize."

"Good!" straw hat said, "The King of the Pirates wouldn't have any less but the greatest on his crew!"

"Heh, well said!"

"What are you standing there for! Finish those two off!" that voice yelled again.

I turned my attention to that and my mouth fell open. He must have been the marine in charge, but…he had an axe built into his arm! His freaking arm! I didn't know what the hell was with this world I found myself in, but I suddenly began wishing it was a nightmare that I would soon wake up from. I never did get the things I wished for…

Straw hat grinned, "Zoro, duck!" He brought his leg up to kick as the swordsman, Zoro ducked down. "Gomu gomu no…. Whip!" He threw his leg out and it stretched, kicking all of the marines that had attacked Zoro and sending them flying.

Zoro stood and looked back at the guy and asked, "What are you?"

With his leg still in the air he responded, "I am…a rubber-man!"

There you are! I'll bet that most of those who've read the manga will be able to guess how our main character got to the island now. Thanks for the reviews, and please, keep 'em coming!