The blazing sun shone over the vast sea, its shimmering waves reflecting the light. Amidst the storm's fury, a small, worn-out boat struggled against the strong waves.
With a loud crash, the boat was swallowed by the large waves, leaving behind only scattered wooden planks and foam drifting across the endless sea.
In a remote corner of the ocean, a tattered young boy clung to life inside a wooden barrel, floating aimlessly. His eyes held a mix of fear and determination.
—
Warm sunlight filtered through the dense treetops, casting dappled shadows on the ground. The boy slowly regained consciousness, bringing a hint of life to this deserted island.
"Ugh… Where am I?" Lind felt the weakness and pain in his body, but at least he was alive.
"I must be the worst fisherman ever. Not only did I catch nothing, but I also fell into the water!"
"Next time, I'm bringing someone with me. Luckily, I survived, or I'd be done for." Lind took a deep breath, relieved at his survival.
Lind had been working on an experimental farm partnered with his university as third-year agricultural student.
One weekend, he went fishing alone by a nearby river, constantly switching spots due to his bad luck. In one careless moment, he slipped and fell into the water.
Looking up at the familiar blue sky, Lind thought, 'I must have been washed ashore. The gods must be watching over me.'
Having no prior experience with drowning, he assumed, like in TV shows, that he had simply been carried to shore by the waves.
"How long was I unconscious? I hope Mr. Wang is okay… I need to hurry back."
Then, he realized something was wrong.
Had he… been transmigrated? Or had he traveled to another world?
Staring at his shrunken hands and arms, Lind had a sinking feeling that Mr. Wang wasn't doing too well right now.
As the farm supervisor, Mr. Wang was probably frantic over Lind's disappearance.
Luckily, Lind had no close family in his past life, only some minor connections at the orphanage he had grown up in. His disappearance would cause some trouble for Mr. Wang and the school, but nothing catastrophic.
Still, he felt bad about it. Mr. Wang had been good to him. Drowning while fishing was sure to cause a headache for the man.
"Too bad about my thesis… I wonder which junior will get lucky and take it."
"Or maybe the school will use my case as a warning for future students."
Lind sighed, briefly considering how his disappearance might serve as an educational example. After all, agriculture students often worked in farms near rivers and lakes—carelessness could be dangerous.
But there was no point dwelling on the past.
"I should focus on surviving first."
He picked up a handful of sand, feeling its texture.
"The salty sea breeze… the soft beach… This body must've been in a shipwreck."
"I just hope I didn't end up on some deserted island."
"Even though I've read Robinson Crusoe and know a thing or two about farming, surviving in the wild is on a whole different level."
The thought of his potential predicament made Lind's head ache.
"Well, I'll take it one step at a time. Let's see what's around here."
Just as he tried to get up and explore, a sudden, searing pain shot through his head.
"Aghh—!!"
A flood of chaotic memories surged into his mind, colliding and merging. His body trembled from the pain, and only after several minutes did the agony finally subside.
"This world… seems familiar. No, it's very familiar!" Lind gasped as he processed the scattered memories.
There were no characters from the anime yet, but the World Government, the Navy, pirates, and the New World—this was that world.
"The year is 1477… It's early, but that means I have more time to grow stronger."
Sorting through his thoughts, Lind muttered, "Hilt Lind… Another orphan from the starting line, huh?"
"With no family or connections, no one's coming to save me. I'm on my own."
"This world doesn't have large continents… I just hope I've landed on an island with people."
"If so, I can find a job and stay under the radar until I'm ready."
He lay on the ground for a while, gathering his strength. Eventually, he forced himself to stand and began exploring the island.
Time passed, and the sun climbed higher, growing hotter.
Lind returned to the beach, holding some fruit he had picked from the jungle.
"My luck is really something…" he muttered, staring at a purple fruit in his hands, covered in swirling patterns.
After two hours of exploration, he confirmed that the island was small—barely a kilometer across. It seemed he'd be living the life of a wild man for a while.
Ideally, it would've been a large, inhabited island where he could lay low and make plans. But things didn't always go as hoped.
Still, his luck wasn't that bad.
The island had plenty of fruit trees—coconuts, bananas, durians, and more. There were even small animals like squirrels and rabbits, meaning food wouldn't be a problem.
As for water, he had found several small ponds.
It might not be perfectly clean, but people in this world weren't as fragile as in his previous life. If necessary, he could always boil the water first.
Survival wouldn't be too hard.
Especially with the fruit in his hands.
"I haven't noticed any 'golden finger'—guess I don't have one. This Devil Fruit might be my only shot at changing my fate."
"If this body is just an ordinary person, without a Devil Fruit, I'd probably struggle my entire life."
Lind turned the fruit over in his hands, deep in thought.
"There's no use dreaming of legendary Devil Fruits from the anime."
"I only get one chance. If I'm going to survive in this world, I have to take control of my future!"
With firm resolve, he took a big bite.
"Ugh!! This tastes worse than I imagined!"
His initial determination vanished, replaced by instant regret.
Suppressing his disgust, Lind forced himself to eat the entire fruit.
'Better safe than sorry. Maybe you do have to eat the whole thing to activate its power.'
As soon as he was done, he grabbed a coconut he had prepared earlier and chugged the juice, desperately trying to wash away the awful taste.
"Good thing I planned ahead… Otherwise, I might've thrown up everything I just ate."
Gulping down the last of the coconut water, Lind finally felt human again.
He sat down, chewing on coconut flesh, and waited.
A moment later—
"Whoa… This fruit is insane."
Lind's eyes widened in shock.
"This wasn't in the anime… It's a mutation-type ability!"
If developed properly, it could rival even the most powerful fruits.
But as he quickly realized, the fruit had its downsides.
Mutations were random. Their effects were weak. And they were hard to develop.
These three sentences summed up the flaws of this fruit.
First, the mutation was uncontrollable, which meant Lind had no way of using it on himself.
A beneficial mutation would be fine, but what if it was harmful?
What if he mutated into a mindless zombie or something even worse? The thought alone made him shiver.
Maybe in the future, Kaido and Shiki would love this fruit. They could have a loyal subordinate eat it and gamble on the odds.
With a large enough number of test subjects, they could eventually form a powerful mutated army, one that wouldn't be much weaker than Kaido's Beast Pirates or Shiki's legion of wild beasts from the anime.
Unfortunately, Lind's goal was to increase his own strength, so that approach was out of the question.
Next, the mutation's effects were weak. Even if he got a beneficial mutation, the improvements were limited.
Compared to an ordinary Zoan-type Devil Fruit, which enhanced the user's overall physical abilities and could be developed beyond an animal's natural limits, mutations were much more restricted.
For instance, a cheetah's speed, a tiger's strength, or a wolf's claws—these might seem impressive, but in this world, even some basic technology could easily surpass those abilities.
Take wolf claws, for example. Even if they were considered a positive mutation, what use were they? A simple kitchen knife might be more effective in battle.
Lastly, the mutation's effects were incredibly difficult—if not impossible—to develop further.
If he mutated and grew wolf claws, they would most likely remain just wolf claws forever.
Unless someone like Dr. Vegapunk personally modified them, there was no way they'd evolve into something like Wolverine's.
And if he did end up in Vegapunk's hands, then the wolf claws would probably be the least of his worries.
"Until I find a way to control the mutation, I absolutely can't use it on myself!" Lind growled.
After realizing the fruit's limitations, he abandoned any hope of instantly mutating into a superhuman like the Hulk or Magneto.
If he wanted to become stronger, he would have to rely on traditional methods—martial arts, swordsmanship, and disciplined training.
For now, the only way to make use of the mutation fruit was by mutating other things to aid his growth.
"Counting on mutation alone to grant me immense power isn't realistic. I need another approach!"
"Given the situation, I should stick to what I know best. Hopefully, the plants on this island can produce something useful."
"After all, this body's talent is limited. Without external help, my physical training alone might, at best, put me on par with pirates who have a bounty of a few million."
Lind considered how best to utilize the mutation fruit. His past knowledge and experience gave him plenty of ideas for Devil Fruit development.
From his years of reading novels, he knew that in cases like this, the best strategy was farming.
He could mutate plants—some flashy, some unassuming—to gradually strengthen himself.
If things went well, he could refine his techniques over generations of mutations, until eventually, a single grain of rice could grant a thousand years of life, or a single peach could allow him to ascend as an immortal.
"Although the road ahead is tough, the future is bright. I'll stay hidden until I become invincible!"
Swallowing the last bite of coconut flesh, Lind stood up and shouted.
He gazed at the vast ocean before him, his eyes shining with determination.
"First, I'll gather resources, build my own forces, and develop my strength. Once I'm ready, the world will hear my name!"