ONE PIECE: THE RED LION - CH 1

I opened my eyes to find myself staring at the blue sky above. A gentle breeze teased through my hair as the scent of saltwater and fresh greenery filled my nostrils. Startled, I sat up, looking around.

Where… am I?

I was on a beach…

 The waves lapping gently at the shore. To my right was a thick forest, trees reaching sky-high, their leaves rustling with the wind. To my left was an open sea, its endless expanse glittering under the sunlight.

I groaned, clutching my head as memories flooded back, flashes of a burning building, pain, darkness, and then... nothing. The last thing I remembered was the sensation of falling, the world spinning out of control. And now here I was, sitting on a beach in some unknown place.

Perhaps this was heaven?

I looked around, trying to see if I had missed something. But it was all the same, trees, sand, and the ocean. And, according to my church, heaven should have angels and pearly gates, not sandy beaches and towering trees, so perhaps my first assumption wasn’t quite right.

As I pondered about my… well, quite honestly; stupid ideas, I noticed my reflection on the surface of the water, flaming red hair, piercing crimson eyes, a muscular stature.

I blinked a few times, narrowing my gaze on the reflection, a single thought crossing my mind.

This wasn’t right…

I was neither 7 foot tall, nor I had red hair and red eyes…

And the muscles… I was nowhere near this level of ripped… I had abs and that was it.

"What is the hell is going on?" I muttered to myself, my voice sounding unfamiliar to my ears. It was a deep rumble, a fierce contrast to the casually laid-back tone I was accustomed to. It had an edge to it, a rawness that could easily intimidate anyone. Hell, that shit was one decibel away from being a growl.

What was happening.

First the beach…

Then the body…

And now the voice?

Overwhelmed, I finally let out a frustrated grunt and kicked at the sand beneath me, if anything to drain my frustration. That was the objective of my little kick, however. To my surprise, it felt as though my foot collided with a solid object rather than loose grains of sand. Before I got a chance to even register what happened, there was an explosion of sand in the air, blinding me momentarily.

As my eyes readjusted, I stared at the place where sand I had kicked used to be. Instead of a gentle slope leading to the water, there was now an unsightly hole roughly five feet deep. As the reality of what just happened began to sink in, I couldn't help but let out a raucous laugh.

Well fuck.

Super strength as well…

Wait…

Is this an Isekai?

A grin split my face. "Please let this be an isekai," I muttered.

I know what you’re thinking? Shouldn’t this be the moment the protagonist starts to have a mental breakdown because they probably died, and are in a completely different universe?

Well, allow me to answer that my little ravioli.

Fuck no.

I had nothing to miss back on my world.

I had no love life.

My family was dead.

My pets were dead.

Even my plants were dead. I killed a cactus, for God's sake. A freaking cactus.

I was buried so deep in student loans that not even my corpse would recover. To top it all off, I had been working in a soul-sucking nine to five job, and let's not even talk about the boss from hell. So, yeah, if this is indeed an isekai situation, I'm not mourning my old life one bit. I'm all in.

I’m ready for all the pussy that comes with being reincarnated.

As I was entertaining those thoughts, the soft sound of a fluttering piece of paper caught my attention. Confused, I looked up, squinting against the sun's glare. Barely a moment later, something gently rapped against my skull, and a crisp sheet of parchment fell onto face.

"What the...?" I muttered, pulling the paper off my face. It was a thick parchment, rough under my fingertips and smelling of fresh ink. Unfolding it, I squinted at the neat print that filled up the page. My eyes widened as I read the opening line.

~To Valor Redford,~ It began, and I frowned. ~By now you might have realized you are not in your world.~ FUCK YEAH, ISEKAI! ~But worry not, you have been given a second chance to live, to grow, and this time, you are a part of the Red Lions of Magi, you are part of the Fanalis race. You were an ordinary man, with a pathetic life.~

I paused, taking in those words. "Pathetic life?" I muttered, mildly offended. Sure, my life wasn't exactly glamorous, but calling it pathetic was a bit harsh. I would use the word boring, if anything.

~Let’s be honest here,~ The letter continued, almost as if it could hear my thoughts. ~You were a walking disaster. You killed a cactus, remember? A plant that requires minimal care, and you still managed to murder it. And your pet rock, who despite never being alive, managed to commit suicide.~

"Hey, that's uncalled for!" I snapped at the parchment indignantly. The letter had a point, but it didn't need to rub it in.

~And don’t get me started on your love life, or rather, the complete lack thereof. You were truly Maidenless, and no, your ex doesn’t count, you broke up with her five years ago.~

"Alright, alright!" I groaned, rubbing the back of my neck. "Geez, who wrote this thing, my ex?" I grumbled under my breath, my frown deepening as I continued reading.

~But enough about your sad, lonely existence. Now, you have a chance to become something greater, to be someone who matters. As a Fanalis, you possess extraordinary strength, speed, and combat abilities. Use them wisely, and you might just survive.

With Love.

Your creator.

God.~

I looked at the signature at the end of the letter. God? Really? I let out a snort of disbelief. I crumpled the letter and tossed it aside, only for the crumpled letter to take a sharp turn midair, hitting me square in the face with enough force to knock me over.

"Ok, the guy behind the letter might be God," I admitted, rubbing my throbbing nose. I picked the letter back up, looking at it warily before tearing it apart, tossing the remains into the sea. "Alright, point taken."

…

Now what?

Usually by this point something would’ve happened in an Isekai… something like a girl screaming for help, or something along those lines, giving me the opportunity to abuse the cheats given to me, swooning her over and stuff.

Hmm…

I hear no woman.

I stood there for a moment, listening to the waves and the rustling of leaves, feeling a bit disappointed that my isekai fantasy wasn't playing out exactly as I had hoped. But just as I started to consider exploring the forest, a piercing scream echoed through the air.

My head snapped in the direction of the sound, and without thinking, I dashed towards it. The speed at which I moved took me by surprise. Trees blurred past me as I sprinted, the ground beneath me barely seeming to touch my feet. I couldn't help but marvel at my newfound agility and strength.

"This is amazing!" I thought, a grin spreading across my face. I felt like Superman, if he was ginger, and couldn’t fly.

As I emerged from the thick forest, the scream became clearer, more frantic. I pushed myself faster, breaking through the last of the trees to find an unusual sight.

A female with dog-like features, long ears, a furry tail, and paws instead of hands, was running ahead with a wide, playful smile on her face. Chasing her was a male with similar features, barking and laughing as he ran after her.

I skidded to a halt, staring at the scene in confusion. They didn't seem distressed; if anything, it looked like they were having fun.

"Okay, I draw the line at furries," I muttered to myself, shaking my head.

The anthropomorphic dog turned her head, noticing me for the first time. Her eyes widened with curiosity as she slowed down, eventually coming to a stop. The male caught up to her, panting slightly as he eyed me with a mix of suspicion and intrigue.

"Who are you?" the female asked, her tail wagging slightly.

I opened my mouth to answer, but I was still processing the fact that I was talking to what looked like characters straight out of an anthropomorphic fantasy. "Uh, I'm Valor. Valor Redford," I managed to say, scratching the back of my head. "I, uh, just got here."

The male frowned, tilting his head. "Just got here? From where?"

"It’s complicated," I said, waving a hand dismissively. "Let's just say I'm new to... wherever this is."

Why did it have to be furries?

The female laughed, a light, tinkling sound that made her ears twitch. "Well, welcome, Valor! I'm Lila, and this is my brother, Lilo."

"Nice to meet you, Lila, Lilo," I replied, still trying to wrap my head around the situation. "So, what exactly are you two doing?"

 "Training!" Lilo barked enthusiastically, seemingly forgetting he was suspicious of me all of a sudden. "Gotta stay fit and ready for anything!"

I nodded slowly, glancing around the forest. "Right. Training. Makes sense."

Wanda grinned, her eyes twinkling. "Wanna join us? It's always more fun with more people!"

I hesitated for a moment but then thought, "Why not?" If this was indeed an isekai, then embracing the weirdness was part of the package, right? "Sure, why not?"