ALL NOVEL Chapter 1: A New Beginning in Windmill Village
East Blue, Goa Kingdom, Windmill Village.
"Maggie, I'm back!"
A simple yet sturdy figure pushed open the door of a small tavern, yelling boisterously.
The figure belonged to a boy no older than fifteen or sixteen, standing nearly 1.8 meters tall. He wore a white tank top and carried a massive wild boar, unconscious, over his shoulder. The boar was enormous, weighing at least 200 to 300 kilograms, yet it seemed weightless in the boy's grasp.
"You're back, Xiaojia!"
Maggie, with her dark green hair, a kind and gentle demeanor, and an air of grace, was tidying up the tables. She looked up with a smile at the boy's entrance.
"Get me a beer—the strongest one!"
Ye Jia tossed the wild boar to the floor with a loud thud, then sat down at the bar and ordered a beer from Maggie.
"It's already prepared for you!" Maggie smiled as she pulled a beer from the refrigerator and placed it in front of Ye Jia.
"Thanks, Maggie!"
Ye Jia grabbed the beer and gulped it down. Streams of beer trickled down the corners of his mouth, soaking his tank top as they dripped onto his shoulders and chest.
"Ah! That's refreshing!" Ye Jia exclaimed as he set down the beer glass. "Maggie, your bartending skills are getting better and better!"
"Just back from hunting? You must be tired. Take a rest," Maggie said with a warm smile.
"Alright!"
As he sank into the sofa, Ye Jia let his mind calm down, and a multicolored progress bar appeared in his vision.
"Progress: 99%."
It was strange, unbelievable even.
Even though Ye Jia had lived his past life on Earth and was used to all sorts of bizarre things, he had never encountered anything as peculiar as this!
The progress bar in his mind was ever-present, impossible to ignore or forget, as real as if it were part of his own body. Was there anything more bizarre than this?
Oh, right—there was!
The other even stranger thing was this: he was now living in the world of One Piece!
At first, Ye Jia couldn't believe he had somehow ended up in the world of One Piece. But when he saw the Marines, pirates, and heard news about "Monkey D. Luffy," along with stories about the Grand Line and the New World, he couldn't deny it anymore.
Especially after meeting Maggie, seeing Windmill Village, Ye Jia finally understood—he had traveled to the very village where Luffy was born. This was the place where Red-Haired Shanks gave Luffy his straw hat, marking the beginning of Luffy's legendary journey!
Ye Jia had been in the world of One Piece for over three months now—exactly 100 days to be precise.
Based on his knowledge of the series, the current timeline was right after Luffy's infamous raid on Enies Lobby. This event had caused a massive uproar across the world.
After this incident came the confrontation between Blackbeard and Ace. Fire Fist Ace, having lost the battle, would be captured by the Marines and imprisoned in Impel Down, awaiting execution.
Blackbeard, on the other hand, would gain recognition for capturing Ace and rise to become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
Moonlight Moria, the Celestial Dragons, Boa Hancock... Ye Jia could recall the chain of events that would follow with absolute clarity.
...
After spending three months in this world, Ye Jia had adapted to life without the internet or a smartphone. Though initially uncomfortable, he had grown accustomed to it and even found it not so bad.
"What is this progress bar in my head?"
Ye Jia pondered this question almost every day.
The progress bar increased by 1% daily, and today, after 100 days, it had nearly reached its full capacity.
"What will happen when the progress bar fills up?"
Ye Jia couldn't stop speculating.
Most of his thoughts leaned toward the negative.
What if the progress bar represented his lifespan? Would that mean he was going to die today?
Or perhaps it marked the time he had in this world, and when it reached full capacity, he would return to Earth, to his original life?
Ye Jia weighed all the possibilities in his mind.
Just then—
"Hey, boss! Bring us a dozen beers!"
The tavern door burst open with a loud bang, and a group of burly, rough-looking men swaggered in.
Ye Jia's eyes darkened immediately.
"Those guys again."
Ye Jia recognized them as the Windmill Village troublemakers.
These thugs were notorious for bullying the villagers. Anyone who dared to resist was beaten mercilessly—sometimes left severely injured, other times crippled or even killed. They had long become the scourge of Windmill Village.
Although Ye Jia had heard of their reputation, he hadn't had many encounters with them.
They rarely came to this tavern since it wasn't very lively or popular compared to others in the village. But to Ye Jia's annoyance, they had decided to show up today.
"Boss, bring the beer already! My throat's on fire!"
The group of eight sat down noisily, some with cigarettes in their mouths, others with their feet up on the tables.
The other patrons in the tavern quietly left, not daring to stay a second longer. Within moments, the tavern was empty except for the thugs.
"Here's your beer!" Maggie hurriedly brought out the beers.
The thugs laughed and joked loudly as they drank, their raucous voices making it impossible for Ye Jia to relax.
"These guys…" Ye Jia clenched his fists in anger. It was rare for him to get some rest, and now these thugs had ruined it.
But there was nothing he could do.
Despite his muscular build and months of training, which allowed him to hunt wild boars alone, Ye Jia wasn't strong enough to take on these experienced fighters.
Rumor had it they were former pirates who had lost their crew after encountering a far more powerful pirate group. Left stranded, they had settled in Windmill Village.
Even the local hunters, who were skilled fighters, avoided provoking them.
"If only I had a Devil Fruit! I'd crush them in no time!" Ye Jia grumbled in frustration.
Devil Fruits, a hallmark of the One Piece world, granted special powers to those who consumed them. The downside was a weakness to seawater and Sea Prism Stone.
If he could acquire a Devil Fruit, these thugs would be nothing more than a joke!
As Ye Jia fantasized, the multicolored progress bar in his mind suddenly reached completion.
100%
"Buzz—"
A silent current seemed to explode in Ye Jia's mind. His body shuddered as if electrified.
"System binding complete. Welcome to the Synthesis System. The strongest system you'll ever need!"
A sweet, mechanical female voice echoed in Ye Jia's mind, startling him.
"Wha—who's there?"
Ye Jia looked around in shock, but then his eyes widened as he realized something.
In his mind, he could see… a cauldron?
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