2 -The start of a new journey

Ian Louis was a very smart child raised on an island of which so far, he still doesn't know the name of.

He did not remember how he got to this island as he was just a baby at the time. But as he grew up he did come to remember memories that indicated that he was not a person from this world. And that he had died in his previous life. But he didn't know how he lived nor how he died, he did remember however that he was an orphan, just like in this life. As he was alone in both lives he always wondered what it was like to have a family.

He also knew that this world was only a product of fiction in his old one, and how it was his dream to live in it after dying. His wish had been achieved and he was happy about it, even if he felt something was missing.

Thankfully, a person from the village adopted him at a young age from kindness. He was one of the strongest people in the village and was also a single man. And he always talked about how Ian would someday leave this island whether he liked it or not. As such he forced Ian, once he reached an appropriate age, to do a training regime that Ian still considers as being worse than hell. Not that he knew how hell is.

Of course, he was thankful to him, as he was at the present time pretty strong for a 15 years old young man and when comparing that with his knowledge of this world, he was very strong for his age group.

He along his stay had noticed how this island was strange than the rest. On his training, he of course visited many islands with his 'father' who he had grown attached to. He had even gone hunting with him on some days. Not that the island did not have enough beasts to hunt. It was just that some nearby islands had a specific type of food that his father would like to eat occasionally.

At those times he noticed how the island is surrounded by a fog that hid it from the surroundings. His father explained that the fog is a sort of protection that had always been there, since hundreds of years ago according to the village history.

He even explained how every time the people tried getting out of the island they would find the islands nearby have changed. With time they have thought of a possibility and that is that the island is always moving.

Ian of course thought it was cool and amazing, he was always a fan of such weird islands as shown on the manga in his original world.

Once Ian was 15, his father brought him to two graves and spoke to him about them.

Allyssa. And Roan.

Saying they were his parents, and how he had found them injured in a nearby island at the time and how they entrusted Ian to him as a baby. And he also spoke to him about what his parents did while still alive, their dreams, and their personalities. They talked about them a whole lot deal until Ian was made to go to bed.

Ian, who was emotionally starved for parental attention, had cried himself to sleep that night even with how big he was, after all, they were his parents in his new life but he couldn't even meet them. They gave birth to him, but were not able to love him as he grew up, even if he had memories of another life, he was still born in this world, as such he was affected badly.

one could say that since he did not know them, he shouldn't be affected, but Ian was sad for the fact of being robbed of his family in two lifetimes.

But as he woke up the next day he was determined to let his parents' dream continue through him, to honor his parents of this life. That was the least he could do for them as they had made his dream possible by giving birth to him.

Besides, he shared the same dream as them even when he was still alive in the other world, which is to go on adventures and unearth the mysteries of this world. and he also came to remember that he had his adopted father there for him. having raised him, he earned a place in his heart.

That day he came to the study at their house determined and shared a talk with his father Geo.

"Father, I want to sail the seas and experience adventures just like my parents did." Ian said.

"Haha, Ian, you brat, why do you think I kept saying that you would one day leave this island to see the world?" Geo his father replied to him with a small smile.

Ian remembered hearing this a lot as he grew up so he nodded.

"However, to leave you would have to reach a certain level before I let you" He then told the young man as his eyes shone dangerously.

Geo was a tall man reaching 197cm. he had broad shoulders, a heavily muscled body with long arms and legs. his overall look will give you the image of a gallant warrior that fears nothing. But he was, by no means average looking, Rather he was quite the charming person with his light golden brown hair and green eyes that added to his handsomeness.

His hair was tied in a ponytail, while his beard was trimmed nicely, giving the impression of someone that take good care of his looks and person.

So after that talk, his father had asked him to stay at least another 2 or 3 years so that he can train him to be strong enough to sail alone and fulfill his dream.

His father told him that he would take him to a place with much stronger beasts than here or any of the islands they went to before to train him well. They would be using a vivre card of a friend who stays there alone considering the island's strange circumstances.

As he was educated by his father he knew a lot about the sea and knows the basics of navigating which would be enough at first but he would need to be much stronger to sail alone and so he took his father's words to heart and promised to train hard from that day onwards.

****

Which leads us to this day, when Ian reached 18 Years old. The day he would set sail.

Ian had black hair reaching until his neck, and a handsome well-defined face, with a sharp jaw and angular cheekbones. The complexion of his skin going well with his light brown eyes. He was wearing black shorts reaching just a bit past his knees, and a white shirt reaching his elbows that had three buttons above his chest which he left unbuttoned. As such one could see he was a robust young man with well-toned stacked muscles.

He was currently looking at a ring belonging to his adopted father that he had given him along with a sword that belonged to his real parents apparently. His adoptive father knew the swords name as he had seen it before, and that it would rank among the 50 skillful grade swords.

Its grade did not matter for him as he was not well versed into swordsmanship, although it couldn't be said that he was weak at it as he could use a flying slash attack by swinging the sword with sufficient force and speed, which creates a powerful pressure in the form of a compressed air blade, allowing him to cut at a long distance, even so, it was not his main fighting style.

He would treasure it along with the ring. His father named Geo was at the side standing smiling gently at him.

"Ian, this ring is special, you need to drip a bit of blood on it so that you can see its true worth, go ahead and try it" Geo spoke his voice powerful yet also gentle. His eyes held a warmth that Ian was all too familiar with, but he could also notice the bit of sadness in them. Probably because he was leaving on this day. Geo was close to being 40 years old but he was still single and had no one apart from Ian.

Although puzzled and confused, Ian did as he asked of him. And watched with amazement how the ring turns from an ordinary sliver color to a golden shiny ring with beautiful engravings.

But what surprised him was how there appeared a bunch of information in his mind telling him what the ring is for.

He had had a guess that the ring was an Inter-spatial Ring, but he dismissed it as impossible in the one-piece world. But it turned out to be real. And rather than question how was it possible only to find no answer, he directly tried to use it by storing the sword.

It was with just a thought that the sword was gone.

His father at the side seeing his dumbfounded expression laughed lightly.

"You should know, that this ring is an artifact that you can't find even if you search for it for your whole life. I only got it by chance and so far I have seen no second one like it" Geo said, and there was a nostalgic expression on his face along with a faint smile as he stroked his beard with his left hand.

"Father, this too precious I cannot take it," Ian said and tried to give it back but his father refused.

"It's yours now," Geo said it with a tone of finality.

And Ian couldn't say or do anything about it except watch as his father put the ring on his left middle finger.

"As far as it's space size ha-ha you would find out that you can even store a battleship inside with plenty of space left, don't ask me how even I don't know. Also, I have left some things you would need on your journey inside" Geo said.

"Now follow me, I, and the villagers, have built a small caravel for you to start your journey with, you should thank them before you go." He said with a small grin.

And so Ian followed him to the place where his new ship is placed.

He had already made his mind to start his journey, and even as he felt sad to part with his father, he was excited to start his dream. When they reached there he saw how the villagers were waiting and smiling gently at him while some of them held crates by their feet...

Looking at them he felt warm, they were all nice people who took care of him growing up.

He thanked them all and followed his father so that he can give him a tour, and re-explain some basic things about sailing.

Once done with that he went around and hugged the villagers that came to see him off, one by one and afterward watched them load various types of food including meat, which was his favorite although not as much as the MC of this world Luffy. Once they did so they helped him get the ship ready. He had always been nice to them and helped them whenever he was not training so they all liked him.

Then as he stood next to his father as he shared a hug with him.

"Ian remember. Never let your guard down. Never stop striving to improve yourself. If you want to know about the mysteries of the world, then you should be strong enough to do so. and remember, in this world, there are even stronger beings than the humans" His father gave Ian his last warnings.

And Ian had a brief vision dating years ago when his father showed him something. It was a huge monster, on an even larger island. The beast had been hunting its prey, that was a huge mammoth and fierce on its own so much that Ian knew he would die if it attacked half-heartedly, but the beast had simply swung its claws killing it and destroying a huge part of the earth in the process.

Though this did not show him the topmost of its strength, the feeling he had when watching the monster toy with the other beast, was enough to convince him.

His father told him that no human had ever been able to take down this beast. And considering how strong Geo was, he was inclined to agree.

Since that day Ian started thinking of this world as more dangerous than the original anime world. And to be able to understand the mysteries surrounding this world, he needed enough strength. This world being an unknown for him, had him motivated to grow stronger and reach the top of the world so that he can chase after his dreams, and if in the way he got some company, he would do his best to protect them.

'For my dreams, I have to get stronger... and reach the top of this world...' he thought to himself.

Ian gave a nod to his father. before he separated from the hug. He then jumped to the ship.

Then he took off to the sea waving and smiling at his father and thanking him and the villagers for all their troubles these years, and soon he had passed the fog surrounding the island.