Chapter 39: Dropping a Bombshell

"And this here is our room."

"Oh, so fancy…"

"Well, it was given us by a rich lady."

After giving me a tour of the Going Merry, Nami finally guided me down into the bedroom that she, and now I, would be sleeping in; I had to say, seeing everything in person was way different from all those floor plans Oda had drawn out in his SBS.

Previously, I had been allocated to the storage room alongside Sen and the others to rest when I was still under the employment of the East Traders, so this was the first time I'd seen it for myself.

It was really obvious that it was designed with the wealthy Kaya in mind; from the furniture to the walls, everything within the room just screamed privileged and high-class, even the bed was a lot more comfortable than the ones in the dorms back at Temasek.

"Uh, so where do I sleep?" I asked, "I mean, there's only one bed here."

"On the bed, of course." Nami stated, "Where else do you plan on sleeping?"

"Well…"

Nami had already vetoed me when I told her my plan to just bunk in with the other guys, though Sanji was plenty excited for that which made me change my mind immediately.

That, however, made me wonder how our sleeping arrangements would go; from what I remember, there was a place where they could hang a hammock here, so I could use that as my bed.

And I had always wanted to sleep in a hammock; they always made it look so relaxing in the show.

"Relax, we're all girls here; nothing to be ashamed about! And the bed is big enough for two people."

"I guess that's true…"

The bed here was a queen-sized bed, so the two of us could fit on it with plenty of room to spare; but I wasn't sure if I could handle sleeping next to her, especially when I was technically not a fellow girl.

"Anyways, you can put your clothes in the wardrobe here; though I would like it if you can keep yours separate from mine." She told me as she opened it up and pointed to each section while explaining, "Mine are from here to there, and my undergarments are in this drawer here. Anywhere else is good for you."

"Ah, got it."

I put down my sack and began pulling out my clothes before arranging them away from the navigator's chosen sections; which wasn't that hard considering that the wardrobe was quite big and I had little in terms of clothing in the first place.

Though the amount of clothes we each had in comparison seemed a little off, considering that all I had with me were about three sets of my usual attire, my nightwear, a couple of clothes I'd gifted/forced on by Dva, and a formal dress that I had only ever worn once.

Nami's side, on the other hand, had half of that and most of which were the same style of miniskirt and shirt combination that she was sporting throughout the entire East Blue saga with a few tank tops and pants intermixed between it all.

It was odd that I, a guy turned girl, had more clothes than the actual girl, especially one that was known to be the eye candy of the crew.

"You have quite the line up." Nami noted, "I honestly wasn't expecting this much from you… oh, that's just the cutest top!"

"I've got that from Dva." I told her, "Not really my style, but she really insisted on having me wear that, so…"

"Then can you give it to me?"

"Sure, if you want. But… will it fit you?"

Honestly, my figure wasn't exactly the most tantalizing to the eyes when compared to Nami's full hourglass figure that just screamed femme fatale.

It honestly made me feel kind of inadequate as a woman, not that I would picture myself using my body to try and seduce anyone any time soon.

"It'll be fine. Our chests are quite similar in cup size." She assured me, "But I definitely need to get more clothes at our next stop; got to get more variety now that we have the funds to burn."

"Where are we heading to, anyways?" I asked.

"Loguetown; the supplies your former employer gave us wouldn't be nearly enough for the long voyage ahead, especially with Luffy's bottomless pit of a stomach."

"Ah, that's true. And Zoro does need new swords."

This small pitstop was where he received Sandai Kitetsu and Yubashiri, his two signature swords before getting the black blade Shisui from the zombie Ryuma.

Not only that, this was the island where many crossroads of several important characters from later parts would show up; which includes the future fanboy Bartolomeo, the righteous and ever pursuing Captain Smoker and his lieutenant Tashigi, as well as the revolutionary Monkey D Dragon.

Honestly, he was the one that worries me a lot, considering that we never gotten an explanation on why Dragon even came to the East Blue that day, at least that was the case when I first dropped into this world.

And when I was on this topic, I was planning to tell them that I was not of this world, that I had knowledge of both their pasts and the future voyage we were about to embark upon; not sure on the whole gender bending stuff considering that I had no actual proof that I was once a guy.

It kind of pulls on my conscious that I knew literally everything about each of my fellow Straw Hat members, but they knew nothing about me aside from what I had displayed so far.

It didn't help that I knew the biggest secret of one blonde cook that he would rather take to his grave; and I wouldn't blame him for wanting to do so considering the piece of shit he had for a father.

And… I didn't want to keep any secrets from them; trust was a two-way street and I had to be open with them if I wanted any of them to put their trust in me as a fellow comrade and a friend.

Plus, that would allow me to properly mess with canon events without making it look like I was weird for knowing certain things when I shouldn't be able to; last thing I need was to appear to know the future.

*Knock**Knock* "Miss Nami, Rein; breakfast is ready!"

"Oh, we're coming up!" Nami told the blonde chef before turning to me, "We should head on up before Luffy eats up our share."

"Alright." I nodded and followed her up the stairs to the dining room for my first meal aboard the Going Merry.

To say that meal time with the Straw Hats was a pretty decent time considering all the shenanigans they had undergone and having Luffy to contend with for food.

Speaking of which…

"Oh, mine!"

"Wha—Hey!"

I could hardly react in time when I saw my sausage getting yanked away by my captain's stretching appendage, which he promptly shoved into his mouth with his cheeks already bulging to its limit like a rubbery chipmunk.

And looking at the rest of the crew, this was indeed the norm for meal times; even Nami reacted to the casual food theft with nothing but a roll of her eyes.

"Oh, mine—Ow!"

"Quit it! Seriously…!" Sanji grumbled as he removed his heel from the top of Luffy's head before dropping another plate of full English breakfast in front of him, "Just wait till I give you seconds…!"

"But I'm hungry now…! And Rein's looks so good…!"

"Seriously…" The blonde cook sighed before turning to me and asking, "How's the food, Rein? Is it to your liking?"

"Yes, it is." I nodded, "Probably the best breakfast I ever had."

"I am so happy to hear that~~!"

And it was not a rip against Gord's skills either, considering that everyone on the Silver Fang adored his omelets; it was just such a huge difference in skill between the two, though it was most likely due to the difference in their respective jobs.

Now if only Luffy could stop stealing from my plate, or from any other plate at all…

"So, Rein. What can you do?" Usopp suddenly asked, "I mean, besides being a dragon lady and all that."

"Hm? What you see is what you get." I told him, "Zoan types rarely have any other abilities besides physical enhancements."

"Zo…Zoan…?"

"…You do know that Devil Fruits are categorized into three types, right?"

"I didn't know Devil Fruits have different categories." Zoro noted, "I've always assumed they are all just as wacky as Luffy's."

"Most are, especially those under the Paramica category like Luffy." I stated, "Mine belongs under the Zoan category, which basically gives me the abilities of an animal."

"…Are dragons even considered animals?"

"Technically, they are mostly just giant lizards with wings."

"There's also the last group, the Logia category." Nami explained, "They are the most dangerous of them all as their users are pretty much untouchable. No weapon could even harm them."

"U-Untouchable… s-so there are Devil Fruits like that…?" Usopp stuttered out, "B-But there's no way w-we'll run into one of them anytime soon, r-right?"

"Who can say?" Sanji shrugged his shoulders, "I mean, Devil Fruits are pretty rare."

"Y-Yeah, t-that's true…"

"Nah, we'll probably meet some sooner or later." I pointed out, "The Grand Line is filled with many that have eaten a Devil Fruit. People like me and Luffy are a dim in a dozen there."

"Hieh!? R-Really!? Ah… I… I think I contracted can't-go-into-the-Grand-Line-eitis…"

"You liar."

"S-Shut up! Not everyone is some invincible super dragon lady like you!"

"Ushishishi! Well, I can't wait to get there!" Luffy chuckled, "That just sounds like a fun adventure!"

"Luffy, can we just not go there!?" Usopp cried, "It's called the Pirate's Graveyard for a reason, you know!"

"I mean, it is if you don't know how to navigate it." I told him, "You'll need a special compass known as a Log Pose to get from island to island; any other compasses will not work."

"Eh, really!?" Nami cried, "Then it's a good thing we are stopping at Loguetown first…"

"…Say, how do you know all of that?" Zoro asked me with a raised eyebrow, "Information about the Grand Line isn't exactly common knowledge, so how did you find that out?"

"Geh! Ah…haha… yeah… about that…"

Yikes, did I just accidentally give myself away? Guess I was a bit too nonchalant about that then I thought; not that I was planning on hiding it from them in the first place, but to be caught like that…?

"Rein probably learnt it from that mentor of hers." Sanji noted, "He does seem to be quite familiar with that place. And he is acquainted with old Zeff."

"W-Well, you are right about that…" I nodded with a sheepish chuckle, "But… He didn't actually tell me any of it."

"Really? Then where did you learn it?"

"From a book."

"A book? Like an encyclopedia?"

"No, an adventure storybook."

That got the former bounty hunter looking at me with accusing eyes, "You expect me to believe that you learnt all of that from a storybook?"

"Yup." I nodded, "A book about straw hat wearing pirate with rubber powers travelling with his crew of a former pirate hunter, a long-nosed sharpshooting liar, a money-loving thief-turned-navigator, and a blonde swirly brow chef; all sailing aboard a caravel known as the Going Merry."

""…huh?""

Everyone turned their eyes towards me, pupils widening in disbelief at what I had just said; all the while I took the chance to finish up my plate to its last crumb.

Once empty, I moved the empty plate aside and picked up my glass of juice as I looked them straight in the eyes with a small grin, "And yes, I meant that quite literally."

"Wait, wait, wait—ho…hold on just a second here…" Nami stuttered out completely dumbfounded at what I had just said, "You mean to say that you have read a story about… Us?"

"Pretty much."

"Y-You gotta be lying!" Usopp cried out, "There is n-no way such a book e-existed!"

"Well, not in this world, at least."

"This w-world…?"

I inhaled a deep breath to steady myself and prepared to drop the best bombshell I possibly could in my entire life, both past and present.

"I'm not from the East Blue, or any other seas." I explained, "I'm from another world all together, one where Devil Fruits and the World Government does not exist. And I've read a book detailing your journey to find the One Piece."

That was probably the best way I could explain my circumstances; and this world was as real as it could get, with actual people with their own lives that was definitely not written out by some author at a desk somewhere.

"…Okay, now I know you are screwing with us." Nami noted with a raised eyebrow, "I mean, another world? That's really far-fetched, even for a bold-faced lie."

"I agree with Miss Nami; such a thing is a little hard to believe, Rein." Sanji noted.

"Do you even have any way of proving it?" Usopp asked.

"Of course I do." I stated, "Just ask me about your journey before coming to the Baratie; something that I should have no way of knowing."

"Okay then…" Usopp tapped his fingers on the table before asking me, "Who is the one that gave us the Going Merry?"

"The rich lady Kaya whom you saved from a plot from Captain Kuro that attempted to assassinate her and gain her wealth."

"A-Alright… then how did we foil his plan–?"

"You and Luffy overheard him going over his plan with Jango, Luffy get hypnotized to sleep and fell down the cliff, you tried to get everyone to evacuate but they don't believe you, you then tried to get Kaya to get away but she doesn't believe you either, then her butler Merry shot at you and grazed your arm before you ran away; you then lied to your little friends Onion, Carrot and Pepper to keep them safe from the pirates."

"H-How did you–"

"Then Luffy, Zoro and Nami team up with you to save your village; you tried laying a trap for them, but it turns out that they are arriving from the other side and renders it useless. You lot then ran to intercept, but Nami got caught and dragged Zoro down to escape, while Luffy got lost running there leaving you to fight them on your own."

"Wait a–"

"You tried to fight back, but they are too tough and completely bodied you; then Nami shows up, but she was hardly any help. Then Zoro and Luffy finally show up and kick butt, but Luffy gets hypnotized by Jango and goes on a rampage before getting put to sleep by him again. Then Zoro gets his two swords stolen by one of the Bucchi Brothers but Nami got them back–"

"Okay, okay! We get it!" Usopp cried out, "You… you made your point."

"So, you all believe me now?" I asked.

"It's hard not to at this point." Zoro noted, "You were way too detailed to be bluffing."

"You even got the names of those three kids right." Nami noted in awe, "And I don't even know that."

"And that's not all I know either. For instance, the scar under Luffy's eye is from him as a kid stabbing himself to prove how manly he is."

"…Yeah, that sounds exactly like what Luffy would do."

"Wow, that's so cool!" Luffy cheered, "Oh, oh! How did I and Zoro meet!?"

"You heard of him from Coby, came to the marine base of Shell Town to see him all tied, then saw a girl trying to feed him rice balls, Helmeppo stomped them into the ground and threw her out, then you fed him the dirty rice balls."

"Yeah, that's right! Wowee, you really do know everything!"

"This is… mind-boggling to say the least." Sanji noted as he lit up a fresh cigarette, "But why are you telling us all of this? Wouldn't it be better for you to keep this to yourself?"

"It is, but… I don't want to." I told him, "As a crew, it is crucial that we put our trust in each other; and it is hard to trust someone that is obviously hiding something as major as this."

"…That is true." He nodded, "It is hard to put your trust in someone when they are hiding something from you."

"Wait, does that mean that you also know our future!?" Usopp stated in realization, "Then you know how our adventure ends!? Did we find the One Piece!?"

"I'm afraid I do not know." I shrugged my shoulders, "When I came to this world, the story has yet to be concluded. What happens in the end is a mystery even to me."

"T-Then, how much of our adventures was written?"

"Hm… about two years' worth, if you include the Time-Skip."

"That's quite a lot." Nami noted, "And you know all that happened during that time?"

"Most of the finer details are a little fuzzy, but I remember the broad strokes of it." I stated with a shrug, "It has been two years since I've last read it, after all."

"Then, what about our next destination?" Usopp asked, "What happens when we reached Loguetown–"

"Stop! Stop!" Luffy suddenly cried out, "Captain's orders! No asking Rein about our future!"

"What!? Why not!? What if it is super important!?"

"I don't care! If we know what is coming all the time, it will become a boring adventure! And I refused to go on a boring adventure!"

"W-What kind of selfish logic is that!?"

"I kind of have to agree with Luffy on this one." Zoro pointed out, "I rather face the challenges blind than knowing what to expect. You can't expect to get any stronger if you are already aware of what's going to happen."

"B-But what if the future in front of us is dire!?" Usopp asked, "What if our entire crew gets wiped out!? What if–"

"Give it up, Usopp; there's no point in arguing with them." Sanji told him, "And the captain's orders are absolute, you know."

"I-I know that, but…"

"…How about this?" I spoke up, "If it is really life and death, I will spill everything I know about that particular moment. Other than that, my lips are sealed."

"That's fine." Luffy nodded in agreement.

"I… guess I can live with that." Usopp nodded.

"Another world… To think there are others besides our own…" Nami noted as she turned to me, "What is it like? Is it any different from here?"

"Quite a lot, actually." I stated, "Devil Fruits don't exist, there is no World Government that controls the entire world. And the oceans are a lot smaller with more landmass."

"That's honestly kind of hard to imagine." She noted, "What about pirates? Do you have to worry about them as well?"

"Not to the extent as here; at least not in the country I was from. It was relatively peaceful with little crime."

"Sounds like a nice place." Zoro noted, "So why did you leave that to come here?"

"I didn't come here by choice." I explained, "I was quite literally dropped into this world without any warning or my consent."

"How did that happen?"

"I died."

My response had everyone looking at me with wide eyes and silent stares that just screamed shock and confusion; not that I blame them for reacting in such a manner.

"Y-You died? Usopp asked, "W-What do you mean by t-that?"

"Exactly that. I died in my world, and woke up here." I gestured down to myself, "This isn't my actual body, either. I just found myself like this."

"Wait, so you don't actually look like that?"

"Nope, I looked way different before."

I rather keep the gender swapping thing to myself; and to be honest, I was already used to being referred to as a girl here.

"That's… I didn't…" Nami shook her head before looking at me with pity, "My deepest condolences. If I had known…"

"It's okay, I've long gotten over it by now." I assured her, "I'm honestly quite pleased to get a second chance in life."

"For someone who experienced death, you sure are treating it rather lightly." Zoro noted in surprise, "Does it not bother you at all?"

"I wouldn't say it doesn't; it's just that I've decided not to dwell on it more than I need to."

The first several weeks were hard, especially after I'd settled down on Temasek; there were nights that I found myself crying in my bed from remembering the moment of my own death and how my parents were handling it.

But after a while, I'd decided not to think too much about the topic and focused more on the present; not like I could change it anyway.

"Don't you worry, Rein~!" Sanji kneeled next to me in a knightly manner as he told me, "This humble cook will make sure your second life here will be as fruitful as your first~!"

"Uh… thank you…?"

"Anytime, mademoiselle~"

"Whoa, then are you a zombie!?" Luffy asked.

"…yes, I'm a walking rotting corpse that eats people's brains, Luffy." I said in a sarcastic tone, "Of course I'm not a zombie! Does this body look rotting to you!?"

"A rubber man, a former bounty hunter, a former pirate thief, a long-nose lying sniper, a swirly brow kicking chef, and now a dragon girl from another world…" Zoro noted with a chuckle, "Just when I thought this crew couldn't get any weirder."

"It's not going stop with just me." I pointed out with a grin, "There are going to be people way weirder than me in the future."

"Really? Like what?"

"Well…"

"Hey, Rein! No spilling!"

"Okay, okay."

The rest of breakfast had me answering any question they had on my current self and my knowledge of the world; specifically, information about the Grand Line and all that entails in the stretch of water.

I told them everything I could, though I was limited in what I could share under Luffy's new rule of me basically not saying any spoiler on the adventurers ahead; not that there was much to share to begin with.

Still, they had taken to my unique existence very well all things considered; Luffy was just psyched to have a 'Super Dragon' as a crew member.

And, it was really liberating to finally tell someone about my circumstances besides Sen; like a huge burden had been lifted off my chest—

"So, can you poop–"

""Shut it!""

…even if it meant getting asked such childish questions.

…
To be continued…

Yup, I am finally done with this chapter! Sorry for taking this long!

This is a little shorter than usual but if I carry on writing; this chapter will end up getting WAY too long if I keep up writing.

Hopefully, I managed to write their reaction to such a revelation to be in character and not too OOC…

I am pretty sure that my decision for Rein to reveal everything to the Straw Hats would rub some people the wrong way, but this is the direction I have decided on.

With that, I thank you all for reading this!