In a sprawling forest full of life, the scent of grass and wood permeated the air, the sound of birds could be heard from afar, the song of insects overlapped like a symphony, and just below a random tree lay a children sleeping.
The child had medium red hair, skin a little tanned by the sun, a loose white blouse with a faded collar, red shorts, and a straw hat on his head. He slept peacefully under the tree, and on his face a smile could be seen, probably the fruit of a good dream.
Unfortunately, the time for sleep was over, as the bright and powerful rays of the sun passed through the leaves of the tree and met the young man's eyes still closed.
''Urgh..''
With great discomfort, the boy moved into a position where the sun's rays would not interfere, and when he did, the smile returned to his face and he returned to the dream world.
As if the world itself were unhappy with the failed attempt to wake the young man, a high-pitched scream could be heard through the branches just above where the young man was.
*SPLAT*
A water sound was heard, and the boy woke up abruptly, sitting up and looking around, still groggy with a wet feeling in his face and a pungent stink in his nose. ''A-ah?-What?-Where? Uh?'', Still sleepy from the previous deep sleep, the boy takes a few seconds for his brain to start, and realize what was happening.
The young man subtly touched his face, where the wet sensation was, and from his fingers he could see a whitish, smelly solution. He had no idea what that was. Hearing the rustle of leaves and branches just above him, he instinctively lifted his head and looked at what it was doing that sound.
*KOOOOWK* *KOOOOWK* *KOOOOWK*
Looking up, he saw a strange looking bird. The bird was the size of a gull, had gray plumage from neck to feet, and from the neck up the plumage was red, but the curious thing was the bird's beak, which had a strange 'S' shape, but its tip it was straight and sharp, like a dagger.
Looking at the substance in his hand, and at the bird that was screaming as it looked at him like he was a joke, he understood what it was.
''YOU BASTARD!'' The boy got up and quickly tried to climb the tree with a furious glare, only to slip and fall.
''OUCH! Shit, my head.....''He complains as he massage his bruised head.
*KOOOOWK* *KOOOOWK* *KOOOOWK*
Looking up again, the boy saw that the bird was dancing strangely as it squealed and looked funny at him, infuriating him even more.
''JUST WAIT FOR IT YOU STRANGE CHICKEN! I WILL HAVE YOU FOR MY LUNCH!'' He yelled angrily at the bird, which with a strange bird's snort flew away.
He massaged his head a little more as he muttered curses directed at the strange bird, and then got up, and looked around where he was.
All he could see around were strange plants and huge trees. Well, he never studied about plants, so most plants were strange to him, and he never paid much attention to them either.
Resting one arm on the other and placing his hand on his chin, he reflected, ''Hmmm, I remember drinking sake until I passed out with the boys inside 'Red Force', like we always do after lunch....so where I am...and why am I young again?'' He says looking at himself.
(N / A: Red force is the name of his main Ship)
Putting his hand on top of his head and feeling a straw hat, he smiles, ''Well, I don't think it solves anything for me to stand there looking at nothing, as much as the forest is beautiful, I still smell...'' He says with disgust.
The boy then looked at the sun, and oriented himself through it, looking for the north. Finding the north direction, he started walking in search of a water source or some civilization.
The boy wasn't worried about wild animals, but he still kept his guard up and his steps firm but silent as he walked through the forest.
He's not stupid, on the contrary. After many life and death struggles in his life, and due to training with Haki, his mind and spirit are steady and powerful, and as he walked cautiously, he also thought about how he came to be here.
'This is certainly not a dream, nor is it the work of an illusion. I don't know of any Devil Fruit users who use illusions or dreams, and even if they did, my Conqueror Haki could dispel any illusions, unless the fruit user was at Whitebeard's level in power levels with the fruit, but I doubt that there is someone like that. Maybe...someone with the power to turn back time...? But if this is the case, why am I not in my old village or with Roger?' He thought as he went deeper into the forest.
He frankly wasn't scared. He already knew and understood his situation when he woke up from his sleep, specifically after the bird had shit on him. He heard his own young voice as he yelled at the bird, and saw its slender body as he tried to climb the tree, and most importantly, he couldn't feel any Haki in himself, including his main weapon, the Haki of the Conqueror.
This situation can be considered frightening, he doesn't know where he is, he has become a child, and has lost all his strength. Many would despair or be angry and confused in this situation, but he is different.
He's not afraid of the unknown, on the contrary, he wants to explore it. He's not afraid of death, he doesn't like to fight, but if any friend needs it, he'll face death for them, and he's not afraid to stay alone, as he is sure that at some point, he will return to his companions. This situation only made him curious and anxious, as he would have more places to explore, and more stories to tell his companions!
'And I'm not alone.' He thought with a smile on his face as he held his straw hat on his head.
-----[]-----
After some time wandering through the forest, he hears the sound of rushing water just ahead, and with a big bright smile on his face, he giggles and runs towards the sound while holding his straw hat.
He quickly reached the place where he heard the water and saw a crystalline stream, about two meters deep.
''Uhul!!'', And wasting no time, he jumped into the water, not paying much attention to his surroundings.
*SPLASH*
Feeling the refreshing sensation of the water over his body, he began to rub his face which was smeared with bird droppings. After scrubbing well, he was relieved to find that both the smell and the white goo were gone, so in euphoria he dives in holding his straw hat and explores a bit under the water, looking for edible fish or shellfish.
He had been in the forest for a while, and he was hungry. He wasn't confused about it, he understood that he's back in his child body, not his old body, which was full of life and vigor, he could probably go a long time without eating, but his child self couldn't.
''Puah!'' Poking his head out of the water, he smiled to himself.
'The water here is clean and crystal clear, the current is not very strong and it's also full of fish, I'm in luck, this is a great find!' He thought.
Aside from his friends and companions, very few people know this, but he was raised in a fishing village, so a stream full of fish for him is free food.
Filling his hands with water, he slowly brings them close to his mouth, ready to kill his thirst, but he feels a sense of danger in his back, and quickly dives to the side.
*SPLASH*
From under the water, he turns quickly and sees that a rock half the size of his head has fallen where he was.
It was a rock, so it was someone who threw it at him....or a monkey did, and it was with the intention of hurting him, otherwise he wouldn't have felt the sense of danger. He may have gone back to being a child and lost his strength, but the experience still stayed with him, and as much as his body doesn't feel the danger, his alert mind will.
Annoyed, he quickly comes out of the water, ''Hey! Who threw this at me?! Show up if you're a ma-!?''
However, to his shock, when he came out of the water and looked in the direction of where the stone had been dropped, there was a girl about the age he is now. She has big honey-colored hair, rounded green eyes, and a small, perky nose. He wasn't impressed with the girl, as pretty as she was, he was already an old man inside. What left him speechless was the situation he's in.
The girl was completely naked, her face completely red, and with an angry, tearful look on her face. And looking at her, he saw that her arm was outstretched, as if she had been shooting something. He understood that she was the one who threw the rock, but he couldn't be angry anymore, because in his situation now, no matter what he says or does, it's still his fault, and that's the irrational logic of a woman when she's angry or embarrassed, and if looks could kill without using the Conqueror's Haki, the girl would have killed him a few times.
Then, with just one way out, he smiled brightly and said, ''Sorry, I didn't know this place was being used!''
The girl didn't even hear him, with smoke coming out of her head and her face turning tomato red, she picked up a rock from who knows where and threw it at him.
''Don't look at me, you PERVERT!!''
He saw the stone coming towards him and...