West Blue, Sassi Island.
At the center of the island stood a somber, imposing estate, its architecture predominantly black. In the estate's garden, a young boy clad in a black training uniform tirelessly swung a wooden sword. It was a simple downward slash, but the boy poured his entire being into each strike. Sweat poured off him, soaking his clothes, until he could no longer lift the sword and collapsed onto the ground.
A stern-looking man in a black suit and sunglasses approached, carrying a black beverage. The boy gulped it down, savoring the relief. The aches in his body slowly faded; the dark drink had the effect of alleviating fatigue.
"Without a teacher, learning swordsmanship is completely directionless. All I can do is swing like an idiot," the boy lamented. "Heaven is so stingy! I transmigrate into the world of One Piece, and I don't even get a cheat. This is the One Piece world, where pirates kill without blinking!" He was understandably frustrated. He had inexplicably transmigrated into the One Piece universe, becoming none other than one of the Supernovas of the same generation as Luffy: Capone "Gang" Bege.
And not just any Bege, but five-year-old Capone Bege.
As a dedicated One Piece fan, he knew all about Capone Bege's details and abilities.
Capone Bege was the user of the Castle-Castle Fruit, his body essentially a living fortress capable of storing an army within. His greatest strength lay in his overwhelming numbers and firepower, thanks to his guns and cannons. However, his personal combat strength was severely lacking.
Bege's army was enough to deal with mid-to-low-tier pirate crews, but it was completely insufficient to contend with the top-tier pirates of the Grand Line. That was, after all, why he later submitted to the Yonko, Big Mom.
The world of One Piece was extremely dangerous, with most pirates being ruthless and bloodthirsty. Moreover, the West Blue, where he was currently located, was known as the sea with the most and strongest pirates of the four blues. With a bit of bad luck, he could be killed at any moment.
As a One Piece fan, he also harbored a pirate's dream. He had no intention of dying so easily. Determined to become stronger, he dedicated himself to arduous training, spending each day pushing himself to his limits.
"Bege!" A resonant, magnetic voice called out. The boy – no, Bege – looked up to see a short, stout middle-aged man in a black suit, his hair meticulously combed back, a cigar clamped between his teeth.
This was Bege's father, Capone Rod.
He was the Godfather of the Capone Family, the largest mafia family on Sassi Island, and the most powerful man on the island. Sassi Island was the Capone Family's base of operations. The family was involved in the arms trade, cooperating with over a dozen pirate crews and gangs, and even had under-the-table dealings with the Marines.
Standing next to Rod was a straight-backed middle-aged man. What caught Bege's attention most was the long sword hanging at the man's waist.
"Bege, you asked me to find you a swordsmanship instructor, didn't you? Well, here he is. This is your teacher, former Marine Commander, Modi. He's a master swordsman," Rod introduced the man with a smile.
Bege walked over, his gaze fixed on Modi. A Marine Commander... In the world of One Piece, that meant he was only capable of dealing with pirates with bounties in the thirty to forty million range.
"To become my teacher, you'll have to show me if you have the strength," Bege declared audaciously.
"Haha! Modi, this kid doesn't trust you. Show him your swordsmanship." Rod's large hand landed on Bege's head, ruffling his hair vigorously as he laughed heartily.
Modi, without a word, took a few steps forward. He moved with a burst of speed, a flash of white light followed, and a rockery in the garden split cleanly in half, crumbling into pieces.
"See that, Bege? Modi is a genuine Marine Commander. He even trained at Marine Headquarters. If it weren't for those filthy, corrupt bastards in the Marines framing him and stripping him of his rank, I wouldn't have been able to recruit him. Appreciate this opportunity," Rod said, giving Bege's head another satisfied ruffle.
"Stupid old man, stop messing up my hair!" Bege dodged Rod's hand, shouting in annoyance, which only made Rod laugh louder.
Bege, resigned, turned back to Modi and, with a surprising return to his earlier audacity, asked, "Can you cut steel?"
Modi's eyes flashed. "I cannot," he replied coldly.
"Oh well, not every swordsman can cut steel. Being able to cut stone is pretty good, I guess." Bege's face was a picture of regret, causing Modi's forehead to throb with visible veins.
Do you even know what kind of strength it takes to cut steel?
Whatever. Why am I getting angry at a child?
Modi slowly calmed himself, his expression returning to its usual impassive state.
Bege's next action, however, earned a nod of approval from Modi.
He bowed a full ninety degrees, his expression completely sincere. "Modi, from now on, you are my teacher. Please teach me everything you know about swordsmanship."
"Since I've agreed to Rod's request, I will teach you to the best of my ability."
And thus began Bege's torturous childhood.
"900, 901, 902... 9990, 9991, 9992... 10,000!"
Soaked in sweat, Bege gripped his sword, tirelessly slashing at the empty air.
Precisely ten thousand strikes. Bege set down his sword, stretching his limbs to revitalize his aching arms. After a fifteen-minute break, he continued practicing new sword techniques. Modi had taught Bege five basic sword movements, and he practiced each movement ten thousand times a day.
Only after finishing the last movement did Bege finally collapse onto the ground. Two young girls rushed over, wiping his sweat, massaging his arms, and feeding him water.
After resting for half an hour, Bege began his fist-fighting training. His target was a thick wooden post wrapped in heavy rope. Even with the padding, hitting it was incredibly painful. Bege endured the intense pain, throwing punch after punch, letting his sweat fly.
After fist-fighting training came running. Wearing weights, he ran laps around Sassi Island. Bege immersed himself in his own world, his breath rising and falling in rhythm.
His legs ached, numb to the point of losing all sensation. His sweat formed a damp trail on the ground.
Bege was determined to squeeze out every last drop of strength from his body. He wanted to become stronger, to surpass his limits every single day.
Bege stumbled and fell, sprawling on the ground, gasping for breath.
"Bege, that's enough for today. Your training regimen is already twice that of Marine soldiers. Your body can't handle it," Modi said sternly, standing beside Bege. In his opinion, Bege was being reckless. At this rate, his body would break down sooner or later.
"The Pirate King, Roger! The strongest man in the world, Whitebeard! The flying pirate, Golden Lion! And the other great pirates who shake the New World... Those are my goals. This level of training isn't nearly enough. I'm the man who will rule the four seas! My goal is to set sail before I'm 20, so I must get stronger every day." Bege slowly sat up, his breath ragged, but his eyes filled with a burning expectation and confidence.
Gritting his teeth, he pushed himself back to his feet and, facing the setting sun, continued to run.
Modi watched Bege's struggling figure in disbelief.
"To think he wants to compete with Roger and Whitebeard... Bege, what incredible confidence you have."
"If I were to hinder the future king of the seas, wouldn't that be my sin? Bege, since you want to become the king of the seas, I will use the most rigorous training to make you worthy." Modi's expression hardened with resolve.
Night had fallen. Bege soaked in a specially prepared medicinal bath. The concoction was designed to relieve fatigue and accelerate his body's recovery. Rod had purchased the expensive recipe from a renowned doctor.
"The man who will rule the four seas, get up! Don't even think about sleeping until you've done two thousand push-ups," Modi barked, standing in front of Bege's door, a leather crop in hand.
"Crap, I talked a big game, and this old guy took it seriously," Bege muttered gloomily, crawling out of the bath and starting his push-ups.
Despite the grueling and painful nature of his daily training, Bege didn't feel the pain. Or rather, the feeling of his strength growing little by little each day was the greatest joy for him.
It was this joy that allowed Bege to persevere, day after day, year after year. His physical fitness improved rapidly under the intense training.
Ten years later, on the Capone Family training grounds...
Two figures clashed in a flurry of attacks. With a thud, one figure was sent flying.
"Modi-sensei, you lost again." A somewhat short and stout young man, looking surprisingly mature for his age, chuckled, a cigar dangling from his lips. This was fifteen-year-old Bege.
Ten years of arduous training. Ten thousand swings of the sword, ten thousand downward strikes, every single day. Weighted training, physical conditioning, pushing himself to the point of collapse every day. He had persevered for ten years. Bege's physical abilities and swordsmanship had long surpassed Modi's. He was even able to unleash sword beams, though he had yet to grasp the "Breath of All Things" and the power to cut steel.
Moreover, during those ten years, he had learned Soru from the Rokushiki from Modi, and he could use Geppo, although he wasn't yet proficient.
The results of ten years of relentless training had made Bege grow tremendously. He was, however, quite dissatisfied with his appearance. Short and stout – he couldn't understand why he was still so fat despite his intense training regime.
Thinking about his equally portly father, he figured it might be a family trait.
Aside from that, he had developed a strong fondness for cigars. He was well on his way to becoming the same unappealing figure as in the original story.
Was this the appearance of a protagonist?
But then he remembered that he wasn't the protagonist, and he slowly came to terms with it.
"Bege, you are the most diligent and talented person I have ever met. Your future is limitless. I have nothing left to teach you," Modi said with a sigh. Bege had been able to defeat him three years ago, a level of strength he had rarely witnessed.
"Of course! I'm the man who will become the Godfather of the Capone Family," Bege said with a confident grin.
"Your old man isn't dead yet, and you're already trying to steal my position?" Just as Bege was basking in his own glory, a fist landed squarely on his head.
"Ow, ow, ow..." Bege clutched his head in pain, turning around furiously.
"You bastard! You ambushed me!"
"You dare call your old man a bastard? Kid, you're dead!" Rod roared, charging at Bege and raining down blows.
Modi was left speechless, finding it hard to reconcile the image of the ruthless Capone Family Godfather, feared by outsiders, with this... this comedic display.
After Bege surrendered, Rod took a satisfied puff of his cigar, his expression smug. "Bege, kid, come with me. Your old man has something good to show you."
Rod dragged Bege to his room.
"Close the door. Don't let anyone in," Rod ordered sternly, waving his hand. Two of his men quickly nodded.
Rod retrieved a box from a safe.
"Kid, take a good look." Rod winked, opening the box to reveal a Devil Fruit.
"Surprised? Your old man went through hell and high water to get this Devil Fruit for you."