Chapter 1: We All Arrived a Bit Too Early

In the Pirate World, the sacred land of Mary Geoise.

In a dungeon where no light penetrated, Chu Yang listened to the cries echoing from outside his cell, his heart weighed down with dread.

Less than a month after being transported to this world, Chu Yang—now in the form of a boy—was kidnapped by traffickers and sold to the Shichibukai Islands, then chosen by a World Noble to become a slave.

Fuck, what bad luck.

Everyone else who gets transported gets a system, lives in luxury, eats well and drinks spicy food, but I’m about to be branded with the “Heaven-Soaring Dragon’s Hoof.”

At least this counts as leaving a specialty behind.

The smell of burning flesh in the air made Chu Yang extremely tense; even though he had spent years struggling in society before his transmigration, he still couldn’t remain calm.

In the cell next to Chu Yang, three girls of similar age sat quietly; unlike Chu Yang, they were far calmer, as if this were routine.

The three sisters had completely different hair colors.

The tallest and most robust was the one with green hair; the slender, tall one had brown hair.

The smallest in stature but strongest in presence, clearly the eldest sister, had black hair.

“Kid, Itachi’re new here, right? Listen: if they take Itachi out later, no matter what happens, Itachi must endure it—don’t scream. If Itachi anger those bastards, your fate will be terrible!”

Among the three girls, the black-haired one, relatively petite, spoke with a serious expression, warning Chu Yang; he nodded in acknowledgment, accepting her goodwill.

The girl’s icy, stern expression finally softened.

As the cries from outside gradually faded.

The once sinister, terrifying atmosphere eased somewhat, and the girls began chatting with Chu Yang.

“Kid, what’s your name?”

“I’m Chu Yang. Could Itachi please stop calling me ‘kid’? Itachi don’t look much older than me!”

“Chu Yang? What a weird name—so hard to pronounce. I’m Boa Hancock. Itachi can call me Sister Hancock, kid!”

Hancock emphasized “kid” again, seemingly trying to annoy Chu Yang, but Chu Yang had no interest in arguing over it.

Hancock?! The Female Pirate Emperor?!

Looking at the young Pirate Emperor still enslaved in Mary Geoise, Chu Yang realized the timeline—he was at least thirteen years before the main plot began. The exact year depended on when “Hero” Fisher Tiger burned down the sacred land.

With Mary Geoise’s defenses, Chu Yang had no chance of escaping—more impossible than climbing to heaven.

Thinking of this, Chu Yang’s face darkened.

The feeling of being utterly at the mercy of others, with his life and fate entirely in their hands, was unbearable.

Just as Chu Yang was about to extract more information from Hancock, he heard footsteps approaching from afar.

The jailers!

They were here to brand Chu Yang with the “Heaven-Soaring Dragon’s Hoof.”

Hancock’s expression changed instantly; she urgently warned again: “Chu Yang, hold on—don’t give in!”

On Chu Yang’s pale face, a forced smile appeared.

With a loud “Boom!” the cell door was kicked open, and a tall, muscular man stepped out of the darkness.

The man wore a black uniform, his head covered by a black cloth—resembling an executioner from ancient Western times.

Chu Yang took a deep breath, forcing himself not to show fear.

Without a word, the jailer grabbed Chu Yang like a chicken and lifted him up, sneering as he scanned him from head to toe, then dragged him out of the cell.

Hancock stared fixedly at their retreating backs; she didn’t want this boy, just arrived, to suffer harm.

Over the years, many slaves had been tortured to death by jailers’ “sudden whims.”

Most were ordinary humans like Chu Yang.

Other races were considered precious by the World Nobles; losing even one meant severe punishment for the jailers.

In terror, Chu Yang was hoisted up by a group of jailers, beside a furnace spitting sparks, its iron glowing red-hot.

The jailer picked up the branding iron and advanced toward him with a monstrous grin.

Chu Yang stared at him like a cornered beast; in that moment, all fear vanished, replaced by rage and hatred.

“I’ve seen that look before—everyone who gave it ended up worse,” the jailer sneered, raising the branding iron and slamming it hard against Chu Yang’s chest.

The burn was instantaneous; the unbearable pain that followed was indescribable.

As the jailer pressed harder, the iron sank into Chu Yang’s chest, forcing his body rigid, trembling violently.

From somewhere deep within, an unyielding will surged forth—Chu Yang did not cry out. He kept staring at the jailer, his eyes slowly turning a deep crimson.

That mad, frenzied gaze sent terror surging through the jailer’s heart!

His grip on the iron loosened; he instinctively stepped back several paces.

Only when he regained his senses did he realize Chu Yang had fainted.

“Hah, thought he was tough—ended up passing out so easily!”

Even as the jailer mocked him, Chu Yang’s soul arrived at a mysterious palace.

The palace stood grand and imposing, yet upon closer inspection, many parts were cracked and weathered, radiating the weight of ancient history.

Deep within the palace stood countless thrones—stretching as far as the eye could see.

The vast majority were broken and incomplete.

Only the twelve thrones nearest to Chu Yang remained intact.

The two central thrones glowed with terrifying red light, like spreading blood.

Sitting on one of them was a shadowy figure, who seemed to have noticed Chu Yang and immediately rose to his feet.

In the hazy dimness, they both saw each other’s faces—and froze in stunned shock.

They looked exactly alike!

In that instant of mutual gaze, a peculiar sensation filled their entire beings—an unparalleled sense of kinship, making them realize: they were the same person—both were Chu Yang.

Immediately, both minds were flooded with memories that did not belong to them.

Clearly, these were the other’s memories.

“So there’s another me who transmigrated to another world…”

“Our souls must have been split during transmigration—into many fragments…”

“And this palace seems to be our shared soul-space.”

After sharing memories, the two Chu Yangs began to reason through the strange events surrounding them.

The Pirate World Chu Yang stared at the other in amazement: “I didn’t expect Itachi ended up in the Naruto world…”

The Naruto World Chu Yang sighed bitterly: “The timing was terrible—I arrived way too early, lost all advantage of knowing the plot.”

The Pirate World Chu Yang sighed too: “Same here—I arrived thirteen years early, now stuck as a slave in Mary Geoise.”

“Then Itachi’re worse off than me—I didn’t end up as a slave,” the Naruto Chu Yang teased. “But I didn’t just arrive thirteen years early.”

The Pirate Chu Yang asked curiously: “Then how early did Itachi arrive?”

Though they shared memories, fully sorting them out would take far more than a moment.

The Naruto Chu Yang’s expression turned melancholy, nearly weeping: “I don’t know the exact year, but right now, no ninja villages have been established yet…”

The Pirate Chu Yang gasped in shock: “Holy shit—Itachi’re in the Warring States era!”

The Naruto Chu Yang said seriously: “In the Naruto world, I also have another name—Senju Yang.”

Please collect! Please follow!

(End of Chapter)