"Did I travelled?"
Looking at the unfamiliar face reflected in the water, the vivid red hair on his head, the katana in his hand, and the straw hat resting beneath a nearby tree — the man quickly realized: he had indeed travelled.
"Red hair? Katana?"
As he looked more carefully at his reflection, an image surfaced in his mind — a red-haired figure: Shanks.
"No way… I travelled into One Piece? And I'm Shanks?!"
In that moment, he felt a strange energy in his body. Calming his mind, he allowed it to spread.
His vision expanded — he could suddenly sense every creature within a kilometer radius.
That settled it.
"Observation Haki? I'm really Shanks?"
As a traveller, he quickly accepted his identity — but still, he was completely confused.
One second, he had been ranting with a friend about how One Piece's plot had been going downhill — the next, he became Shanks.
No warning. Not even karma hits this fast.
But the red hair, the strange sensation, and the straw hat — though slightly different than he remembered — were all there.
He had really travelled, and really become Shanks.
"Now I just need to figure out where in the timeline I am… My Observation Haki seems pretty decent, but there's another energy inside me I don't know how to use."
"Shanks never had a Devil Fruit, but his swordsmanship and Haki are top-tier in the One Piece world."
"But right now, I can't use Conqueror's Haki or Armament Haki, and…"
He touched his face — no stubble. He was still very young.
Probably just disembarked from Roger's ship not long ago.
He picked up the straw hat lying on the ground. The hat was significant — but the original body had casually tossed it there.
Then again, it was Shanks. That level of carelessness was on brand.
Hat on, he looked up.
The forest around him was filled with towering trees — far greater than anything in his past life. Even wilder than any so-called "primal forest".
This was the One Piece world.
Ordinary people didn't survive here easily. Even as Shanks, he'd have trouble — because this world was dangerous.
Pirates, Marines, Sea Kings… even bizarre beasts on random islands could easily kill him.
"Still, with my talent, I just need some time to get stronger. Once I fully master Haki, I'll at least have a shot at survival."
He wasn't the main character. That was Luffy — who went to sea in a rowboat without a care.
"If this is right after Roger's death, the World Government must still be hunting his former crew. I'd better keep a low profile."
Thinking this through, he calmed down.
As a traveller, caution was essential.
He had no cheat system — just pure effort. Even as a pirate, he couldn't just wing it and hope for the best.
The good news: even if he didn't have Shanks's memories, the body had its foundation.
"I'll settle down here for a while. Train until I'm ready to set sail."
Being able to train was already a blessing. If he had no base at all, he'd be stuck just building muscle.
And in the One Piece world, Haki was king.
Of course, physical training was also vital. The physical limits of people here were insane — as long as you believed in your muscles, you could become strong.
Looking at the massive trees in the forest, Shanks didn't reach for his sword — instead, he clenched his fists.
"Haaah!"
With a roar, he summoned the strength in his muscles.
Boom!
His punch struck a tree over three meters thick. The trunk cracked with deep fissures, the impact zone dented inward.
Crack!
The giant tree toppled with a loud crash.
Watching this, Shanks smirked.
"The body's raw strength is incredible. As expected of a One Piece character. But this isn't enough. This is my current limit — but I can keep growing."
"Time to try swordsmanship."
He grabbed his katana. In his memory, Shanks used a Western-style longsword — but he hadn't acquired it yet.
Holding the katana, it felt completely unfamiliar.
"Just as I thought. I don't know any sword techniques. I'll have to start from scratch."
He slashed at a tree — and couldn't even cut it down.
"Better focus on training my sword skills first."
Now he understood his weaknesses. His physical stats were fine, but his swordsmanship? Absolutely lacking.
No prior knowledge — so he'd have to begin at the basics.
Stabbing, slashing, and cutting — those three moves would be enough for now.
It was frustrating — even those felt awkward. He'd have to grind them step by step.
By day's end, he had built a rough wooden hut. Crude, but livable.
He was exhausted, but pleased. At least now he could properly grip a weapon.
"I'm starving. But I made a little progress today… Becoming a true powerhouse is still a long road."
"I may have talent — but Luffy reached Emperor level in just a few years. You really can't compare to the protagonist."
Shanks laughed bitterly. It had taken him nearly twenty years to become a Yonko. Luffy did it in a fraction of that.
Sure, he was a genius — but Luffy had protagonist privilege. There's just no comparison.
"Time to eat."
He shrugged it off. No point thinking too hard.
Soon, he had a fire going and started roasting fish.
There was a lake nearby, full of fish — at least he wouldn't starve.
As for taste? He wasn't picky — if it was edible, it was fine.