Here we go with the rewrite I've been working on. So sorry for the wait, but I wanted it to be done right. I hope you all enjoy it.
Another day, another shitshow, that's what I've learnt at my job anyway. From dealing with customers you'd rather punch out, to getting yelled at by the boss, one could hardly be blamed for wanting to get away from everything. By the time I got home, I was more than ready to collapse and sleep till the next day. I slammed the door shut and quickly traversed the bare living room towards the kitchen. I opened the fridge, and, after pushing aside some lunch meats and a half empty carton of milk, I found what I was looking for. Ah, Guinness Extra Stout. I popped it open and was about to drink it, when I heard a voice that I would most likely come to hate.
"You're not going to offer me any refreshments? That's very rude of you."
I turned to see Cynthia from the Pokemon games. The fuck? And, were those bunny ears on her head? Am I hallucinating?
"Ugh, I knew I shouldn't have had those taquitos for lunch." I moaned. "Now I'm seeing things.
Cynthia scoffed indignantly. "Well, I can assure you that I am quite real." She said, briskly, before muttering, "Though, I suppose my appearance would come as a shock to most. But never mind all that. First, introductions; I am the Isekai Fairy, and I already know who you are."
"The Isekai Fairy?" I asked, raising an eyebrow incredulously. "Heh, let me guess. As we speak, I'm either getting my stomach pumped in the break room, or I'm lying in the road in front of a truck."
"Hmph!" The 'Isekai Fairy' pouted. "You are very much alive, and I'll have you know that most people would jump through hoops for the opportunity that you are being given."
Looks like I might have struck a nerve.
"And what opportunity is that?" I asked, still not sure I believed a thing I was seeing, but playing along with the hallucination anyways.
"I'm sending you into the world of One Piece." The 'Isekai Fairy' declared, a proud grin on her face.
I know the word weeb has had some negative connotations, but yes, I have seen my fair share of anime. And that does include One Piece. I'm not a superfan or anything, but I definitely have an idea of what to expect if this is real. I decided to continue the charade.
"Right. The One Piece world. And, when I get there, is there any special quest I have to take for you? Dismantle the World Government? Save the world from a Lovecraftian threat?"
"Oh goodness, no. You don't have to do anything like that." The 'Isekai Fairy' assured. "You can do whatever you like. Become a pirate, a marine, a pirate hunter. You could even open your own business if you'd like."
"Okay, that's not exactly how these things go. Is this one of those YouTube prank shows? What the hell is your game here?" I demanded.
"*Sigh*, I can see you're confused." The 'Isekai Fairy' said, rubbing her forehead. She continued, but now talking at a mile a minute pace. "Allow me to explain. You will be sent to a random location in the One Piece world, and you will be provided a goal to complete if you wish to return home, though you are under no obligation to complete the task and you will not be forced to go home if you do. You will be provided with a large bag to hold your belongings and one million belli. You will also be given one random island from the pocket dimension where I store my jun-, er, extra goods. Lastly you will be given half an hour to pack up your belongings. You may bring three full outfits, that includes what you're wearing now, and you may also bring one personal item. Do I make myself clear?"
"Uh." I stammered.
"Oh right, do you have any winter clothes? We wouldn't want you freezing to death if you find yourself on a winter island after all." She asked.
"Err." I stuttered.
"Because if you don't, you will be provided a set alongside your allotted packing." She continued.
"Well, I-" I started before she interrupted me.
"Though, I should warn you, the free set always looks garish on the person who receives them. Hot pink and sequins, no I wouldn't imagine that would suit you at all." She muttered.
"A- assuming this is all real," I finally managed to choke out. "I have winter clothes. I'll go pack now."
The 'Isekai Fairy' nodded in agreement, and I stumbled into my room, questions pouring through my head like syrup on pancakes. Was this for real? If not, who was playing a joke on me? If this is some food poisoning induced hallucination, would I be able to foot the hospital bill? At this point, I kinda hope I did get hit by a truck and died. If it is for real, why would this 'Isekai Fairy' choose some schmuck stocking shelves at a grocery store? As for what I packed, a few t-shirts and jeans, a somewhat clean button down shirt, swim trunks, a coat, and some hoodies. Lastly, I packed a how-to book on sailing. I figure that would probably come in handy in a world that's mostly a bunch of scattered islands.
"Alright, I guess I'm ready to be warped." I announced to the 'Isekai Fairy' after I finished packing.
"One more thing before you go." She said, holding her hand in the 'halt' motion. "Would you like to take a little gamble?"
"What kind of gamble?" I asked, hesitantly.
She grinned. "Oh just a 50/50 chance at getting something that will either be a great help in your adventure, or a great detriment." She explained casually.
Great help, or great detriment. Do I take the risk? Why the hell am I even asking? This isn't even real, I might as well sate my curiosity.
"Sure, Miss 'Isekai Fairy'." I said, purposely adding emphasis on the isekai fairy part. "You're on."
"Tee hee hee. Have fun." She said, and with a snap of her fingers, I was consumed by a bright white light.
The white void was a pain to look at, so I was pretty relieved when it faded into black. I was so caught up in the relief that it took a while to notice that I was squeezing my eyes shut. I opened them. Then I blinked away the purplish-green spots. When my vision finally cleared, I looked around and took in my surroundings. I was what appeared to be a giant mound of dirt, and laying on a half buried, moss coated log. I heard the sound of waves coming in and seagulls cawing.
"The One Piece world." A voice echoed in my head.
I jumped up off the log and saw the ocean stretching for miles ahead.
"No, this can't be." I muttered.
I turned around and followed the log, and as it grew larger, it started to merge with other logs. Except they weren't logs. I slowly shifted my gaze upwards, as my eyes followed a towering tree. It bent left to right, and the top rested far above the clouds. If I really am in the One Piece series, then that would mean that this was the Torino Kingdom, South Blue.
"Holy shit, she was for real." I whispered in awe. As bad as the situation was, there's still something incredible about being able to traverse between universes. The question was, "What do I do now?"
I walked back to where I had woken up, and there was a duffel bag sitting there. Normally I wouldn't go opening a bag that was potentially someone else's property, but I had to be sure. If this was for real, and I'd know if I had my stuff in the bag, then I needed to figure out how to get home. I slowly opened the bag, and sure enough, my clothes were inside, as well as several banded stacks of belli, and two notes. I took them out and read them.
The first one read; "Dear Joshua, I hope your trip went well. I apologize for the bright lights, as I'm sure they were not pleasant to experience, but they were a necessary part of the trip. You see, when one of us is tasked with sending someone from your world to another, we can't simply throw you right in without any preparation. If I sent you into this world without any preparations, and you were to end up somewhere dangerous (for instance, right in front of one of the four emperors), you'd be killed instantly in your current state. The white void, in layman's terms, is a special tunnel that reprograms your body and allows it to keep up with the natural strength of the world you're being sent to. I am telling you all of this so that you do not panic when I tell you what you have to do to get home. You have to find the One Piece. Sincerely, The Isekai Fairy."
If I had to find the One Piece, I better cross my fingers and pray it's not at the current point in the series. Luffy, being the main character, already has a massive advantage over me without, to put it lightly, a head start. Damn you Oda for never setting actual dates and times in this series. Fortunately, I at least could tell whether or not we were past the situation on Sabaody. If the natives are still quarreling with the birds, I'd know for sure that Chopper hasn't shown up. That said, I definitely don't have time to sit around and wait for him. It's time to get my bearings and either find a pirate crew that will take me, or start my own. But first, the second note. It was much smaller than the previous note, and didn't require unfolding. I read it quickly.
"Dear Joshua, there was a complication with sending your item to you. It was accidentally sent to the library in the Torino Kingdom, where I assume you ended up. I wish you luck in finding it. Sincerely, The Isekai Fairy."
What a ripoff. Alright, time to go find my item. On the bright side, if I start my own crew there's plenty of doctors to potentially recruit. I turned toward the tree, which I guessed was where the library was located. Before I could take one step further, I heard a familiar, and clearly angry voice.
"You owe me an explanation for this, Josh."
I turned around, and before me, in his usual white shirt and black slacks, a duffel bag hanging off his shoulder, a three pronged spear at his right hip, and a katana at his left, stood my long time friend, Eli. As happy as I was to see him, I could tell by the way his eyes were narrowed and his glasses were trapped by the clenching of his forehead that the feeling was not quite mutual.
"Hey, Eli." I said, a nervous grin on my face. "Let me first say that-"
"I'm in my room, minding my business." He interrupted me, voice layered with an icy venom. "Just trying to play 40k, when out of the blue, Samus Aran shows up, wearing bunny ears for some inexplicable reason. She tells me that you're being sent to some anime world, and I have to join you because of your gamble. I thought I made it perfectly clear that I am not, and will never be, a weeb."
Unfortunately, during that little tirade neither of us noticed the shadows passing by us. I was about to try to explain the situation, when a giant bird swooped down and hooked its talons into our shirts.
"I BLAME YOU FOR THIS!" Eli shouted as it carried us up.
Cover story:
The underground classroom in the heart of the Torino Kingdom bustled with young students. These young men and women were the future of the kingdom, expected to carry on and improve the medical knowledge passed down from one generation to the next. The moss covered tree roots that made up the walls of the classroom and the naturally growing fire mushrooms that provided the lighting blended together to form a comforting atmosphere. This was ideal for most of the students who were focussed on the task at hand, but one was usually lulled into a deep sleep by it. Speaking of the assignment.
The teacher, Professor Do, was a stern but fair woman. She maintained an admirable potato shaped figure, and kept her hair up neatly with a stylish wing bone. She watched approvingly as the students dissected the ice frogs (It wasn't every day a trader from the North Blue passed through with these) and studied them diligently. However, it was time to test how fast they could figure out the internal workings of these rare creatures.
"Alright class," Professor Do announced, gaining everyone's attention. "Who can tell me which organs the heart connects to and what purpose this serves?"
As soon as the question was asked, thirty nine hands shot up. The hands were joined, much to the irking of Do, by a loud snore from one of the back desks. She frowned and shook her head. The boy had so much potential, if he would only apply himself. She figured a bit of embarrassment might be the motivation he needed to succeed.
"Well class, it seems one of us is so far ahead that they have decided to take a little nap." Do said, while making her way to the sleeping students desk. "Perhaps he could provide us with some insight, hm?"
Standing in front of the poor, unsuspecting boy's desk, Do slammed her hands down on his desk creating a loud and echoing BANG!.
"THAK!" She shouted in his ear.
Thak's, as the boy was now known, head shot up from his desk, and he jumped so high he would've made a Davy Back Fight vaulter retire in shame. His eyes wide, he glanced around the room wildly for the source of the disturbance. All the while he shouted, "BRAISE THE LEGS IN JALAPENO BUTTER!"
The other students in the classroom blinked repeatedly, caught off guard, and clearly confused, by Thak's sudden outburst. This shouldn't have surprised them, seeing as Thak had been a washout since day one of the Torino Kingdom Medical Institute, but slowly, confused silence turned to amused chuckles, and amused chuckles turned to hysterical laughter. As the class enjoyed a laugh at his expense, Thak blushed and lowered his head into his hands, all the while praying to Gravy that sleep would soon overtake him.
And that's a wrap. Again, sorry for the long wait. Updates will probably be slow, but hopefully they will all be worth it.