One Piece: Starting in God Valley as a Slave

The slave ship looked much like any other pirate vessel. Its structure was flimsy, and after the recent impact, a large hole gaped in its hull. The worst of it was that dense cracks now ran through the ship, and it was quickly sinking into the sea.

Jebber, seething with rage, shouted for his men to launch the spare boat. Laki, a Devil Fruit user, panicked at the thought of plunging into the ocean. As soon as the small boat was ready, he lunged toward it, only to be grabbed by Jebber and shoved aside.

With a fierce glare, Jebber growled, "Go and bring that fish up here first! If he's lost, we'll all walk away with nothing!"

Laki knew he had no choice and moved to carry Tiger, but his strength was limited. He shifted to his half-beast form to manage it. Meanwhile, two-thirds of the ship was already submerged, prompting Jebber to order the rest of the small boats into the water. He leapt onto one, with Laki and Tiger right behind him.

But with limited boats, not everyone could be saved. Low-ranking crew members, desperate to survive, flung themselves into the sea, clawing towards the small boats for a sliver of hope.

Jebber, looking back at his sinking ship with a mixture of fury and despair, turned on Laki. Gripping him by the collar, he snarled,

"What just happened? Who destroyed my ship?"

Trembling, Laki stammered, his legs barely holding him up. Jebber's grip lifted him higher, his legs dangling, as he tried to explain. But suddenly, something behind Jebber caught Laki's attention—a speedboat, hovering quietly by the debris.

Laki pointed and yelled, "Captain Jebber! It's him! He's the one who rammed our ship!"

"What?" Jebber turned sharply, his gaze landing on a young man standing calmly on the speedboat. The sight felt oddly familiar, though his focus was fixated on the wrecked ship.

Laughing bitterly, Jebber spat, "So he thinks he can run me aground and get away with it? Bring that guy over here!"

At his command, his men swam toward the stranger on the speedboat.

Carl, hands tucked into his pockets, looked down at the wreckage floating nearby.

"I just took a nap, and the next thing I know, there's a wreck?" he muttered. He could hear Jebber's men talking about "capturing" him, seemingly intending to sell him off.

"Ah, so slave traders…" he sighed. "Well, that simplifies things."

As Jebber's men swam closer, Carl lifted a hand and unleashed the Attraction. In an instant, the men were pulled toward him, their bodies slamming hard into his speedboat, leaving a few sprawled unconscious.

Jebber's face went pale as he saw his men scattered, realizing that Carl must be a Devil Fruit user of formidable ability. Laki sidled closer to Jebit and whispered,

"Captain, no matter how powerful he is, he can't fight the sea. We could fetch a high price for him!"

Jebber's grimace shifted into a smile. "Exactly. We'll just—"

But before he could finish, a powerful gravitational pull yanked Jebber and his boat toward Carl. Just as the small boat neared, Carl eased the force, letting the boat halt abruptly around him. Those without enough strength tumbled into the water, including the shaken Laki, who gasped and flailed against the current.

In shock, Jebber finally got a good look at Carl's face, his expression twisting with dread. Tiger, meanwhile, began to stir and groggily looked up at Carl, mistaking him for another unlucky soul caught by traffickers.

"Hurry, run! They're slavers!" Tiger warned in a daze, then froze as he noticed something unusual. How had the situation flipped like this?

Standing motionless, Jebber seemed to realize just who he was facing. His voice trembled as he stammered, "Black…Black…"

A flood of darkness erupted from Carl's side, swallowing Jebber, Laki, and their entire boat, leaving only Tiger, still bewildered, drifting on the water alone.

Carl leaned over, extending a hand to Tiger, and said with a slight smile, "Hey, want a lift?"

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+115 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg