Chapter 1: The Unknown Girl – Rocks Pirates Apprentice

The man had become a girl… and now, she was searching for a place to die.

"…………"

For the sake of her honor—no, his honor—let it be known:

She didn’t want to die because she had become a girl.

In fact, when she first took this form, she had even felt a flicker of happiness. Losing her male body was a shame, sure, but the sheer absurdity of it all was almost amusing.

But… she had let her guard down.

And so, she was captured.

By the most vile yet revered beings in this world—

The Celestial Dragons.

Enslaved. Beaten. Dehumanized.

She endured it all.

No ordinary girl, born into this cruel world, could have survived it.

Even with a one-of-a-kind Devil Fruit—one that shouldn’t even exist—it didn’t mean her spirit had grown stronger.

Her body had toughened somewhat. That was it.

She became a "durable slave," subjected to relentless torture, day after day.

Yet, by some miracle—whether it was her stubborn will or the pain itself forcing her to grow—she escaped.

And still, that wasn’t the end.

By then, she had already given up on living.

Born without parents, raised as an orphan on a lawless island outside the World Government’s reach…

She was smart enough to understand her situation.

But talent? Effort? Guts?

She had none.

At first, after eating the Devil Fruit, she thought, This is my way out. My ticket to freedom.

But reality wasn’t so kind.

No food. No nutrition. No strength.

No room to grow.

She was weak.

Even after consuming a Mythical Zoan-class Devil Fruit, she was still just a frail, malnourished girl.

Deep down, she knew. No—she pretended not to notice.

"If I train hard enough, I can get stronger."

Easier said than done.

If willpower alone made people strong, this world would either be overrun by monsters or filled with heroes.

But for her?

It was a wasted treasure.

Maybe someday, her talent would awaken.

Maybe she could become strong.

But after years of torture… after a lifetime of suffering…

She just didn’t care anymore.

A Death Worth Something

"——Huh? The hell’re you, brat?"

"…………"

And that’s why she came here.

An island of cutthroats. A town ruled by even worse men. A place far more lawless than the island of her childhood.

And now, she had sneaked into the hideout of a bounty hunter crew—more like a mafia—armed with nothing but a knife disguised as a twig by her powers.

"Hey, girlie… this ain’t a playground. Scram.""The hell? Who let her in? Where’s the lookout?"

"…………"

The men—about twenty of them, all burly and vicious—stirred slightly.

Their words were oddly… gentle.

Maybe, even as bounty hunters, they had some line against harming women and children.

Or maybe they just didn’t see her as a threat.

She didn’t care either way.

Grip the knife.

She lunged—swift, silent—and plunged it deep into the nearest man’s gut.

"——Gh!? Wha… the…!?"

"Oi, what’s wrong? You drunk or someth—…huh?"

The man beside him laughed at first, thinking his comrade had collapsed from booze.

Then he saw the blood.

The knife.

The pool spreading across the floor.

And then—

"THIS BRAT—SHE STABBED HIM!!?""YOU LITTLE SHIT!! YOU KNOW WHO WE ARE!?""WE’LL FUCKING END YOU!!"

"…………"

Their roars of rage filled the room.

Of course they did. She had just killed one of them.

She knew what she had done.She knew what would happen next.

"You killed my brother…! I’ll make you suffer the same way…!!"

Swords were drawn.

Their blades aimed at her.

And as she stared at them, she realized—

She felt nothing.

No guilt.No fear.

Just… emptiness.

She was already broken.

And soon, she’d be dead.

That was fine.

"DIE, YOU BITCH——!!"

"…………"

Yes.

This was her suicide.

A petty, spiteful suicide.

Killing a stranger for revenge against the world, then dying in return.

She didn’t care anymore.

This worthless world wasn’t worth living in.

And so, the girl who was about to die—

"——Hm?"

The Storm Arrives

"GYAAAAAAAA——!!?"

"!? The hell now!?"

"…………?"

Right before the blades reached her—

A man smashed through the wall.

A deafening crash.

Stepping into the chaos like a storm.

"The hell’s wrong with you…!?"

"────Oh…?"

The man—no, the giant of a man—stood before them, an iron staff resting on his shoulder.

Over two meters tall, his muscles rivaled the toughest thugs in the room. A hulking frame, two horns jutting from his forehead.

The girl quickly pieced it together. He was the one who had smashed through the wall, the one who had sent those men flying.

And then, a flicker of recognition.

Have I seen him somewhere before?

But more than that—she was annoyed.

Annoyed that her suicide had been interrupted.

In a way, he had "saved" her.

Fine. If she was going to die anyway, she might as well watch this brute’s rampage first.

Whoever won, she’d die afterward.

That would be the end of it.

But—

Watching him, something stirred.

A faint echo of the self she’d once been.

"Who the hell am I…? ────WHO GIVES A DAMN!!!"

"What…!?"

His roar shook the room.

The iron staff slung over his shoulder. A wild grin splitting his face.

"C’mon────LET’S START THE GREATEST WAR!!!"

"!?"

What the hell is he talking about?

That thought wasn’t just hers—the thugs looked just as confused.

Why pick a fight out of nowhere?

It made no sense.

But he didn’t care.

He charged.

"You little shits…! Surround him!! He’s just one guy!!"

"Oi!! I don’t know what you deal is, but we’ll make you pay!!"

"U・WO・RO・RO・RO・RO・RO!!!"

"…………"

──He was strong.

Stronger than her, at least.

But she realized quickly—

Not strong enough.

Not enough to take them all down.

Yet even as wounds piled up, he kept swinging. Kept laughing. Kept enjoying himself.

"Guh—!?"

"Dammit…! Why won’t he go down…!?"

"WORORORORO…!! MORE!! GIVE ME MORE!!"

He couldn’t win—but he refused to lose.

And for some reason, she couldn’t look away.

"Goddammit…! Let go…! I ain’t done yet…!!"

"Shut the hell up!! You bastard…! You really messed us up…! Hey!! Lock these two up!!"

"Y-Yes, sir!!"

"…………"

──Before she knew it, she’d been captured alongside him.

Not that it mattered. She had started this.

Now, chained in a dungeon—whether to be sold to the Marines or slavers—she’d failed to die yet again.

But for the first time in forever…

She’d forgotten about suicide.

Instead, her focus was on him.

In the dark, she spoke.

"…We got caught, huh…"

"GRRR…!? THE HELL’S IT TO YOU…!?"

──Yep. As violent as he looks.

She hadn’t spoken in so long, she was surprised he even heard her over the clattering of his chains as he thrashed.

But eventually, his rage subsided.

"…Aaaahhh… I need a drink… Sobered up now…"

"…You were drunk?"

"Hah…? The hell’re you…?"

"You just noticed me…?"

She didn’t have the energy to be sarcastic, so it came out flat.

But after that—they talked.

"…Why’d you go there? You knew they were dangerous, right…?"

"WORORORO… You’re one to talk… Killed one of ‘em before I even showed up…"

"…That’s… I just… wanted to die…"

No lies. No grand reason.

She had killed because she didn’t care anymore.

She wasn’t like him—someone who fought for the thrill of it.

But when he heard that, he grinned.

"SOUNDS JUST LIKE ME…!"

"…Huh?"

She hadn’t expected that.

She had assumed he had a goal—some ambition, some reason to fight beyond just… this.

But then he said it, grinning like a kid handed candy:

"You wanna go wild too, right…? Me too… I wanna fight until I die!!"

"…No, I just…"

"Bullshit. Your face says ‘I’m bored.’"

She stared.

…Now that he mentioned it, she had tried to enjoy this world once.

A brand-new world, nothing like the one in her memories—of course, she had been excited.

But reality crushed that fast.

New worlds stop being "new."

Daily survival took everything she had.

And the one time she had reached out—

She’d ended up a slave.

──Yeah.

It was boring.

Miserable. Painful.

That’s why she had tried to die.

But this man—even now, chained up—acted like death was the last thing on his mind.

"I’m gonna break out… and become the STRONGEST PIRATE!! Then—I’ll have the greatest fight of all!!"

"…Pirate."

Pirates.

Outlaws who lived free on these endless seas.

No World Government. No chains.

Just freedom.

And he had declared he’d be one—no hesitation, no doubt.

Somehow, she could see it.

But for her—

"────You ate one of those weird fruits too, didn’t ya?"

"……Huh?"

The sudden accusation made her voice crack.

Same as him?

"Saw your body change for a second back there… means you can transform, just like me."

"…Yeah, but…"

It was true.

The Devil Fruit.

Because of it, she had become this—gained this form, these powers.

And now he was saying… he’d done the same?

"Then quit stallin’. I’m breakin’ out."

"Wha—wait—"

In an instant, his body shifted.

No longer human—a blue Eastern dragon, scales gleaming, coiled massive in the cramped cell.

The chains shattered, unable to contain his new bulk.

Then, just as fast, he was human again, barely sparing her a glance.

"…You comin’ or not?"

"I—uh—"

"Dyin’ in a shithole like this? Borin’."

With that, he smashed through the cell door like it was paper.

And as he strode out—

"…W-Wait!"

"!"

She changed.

Her body twisted, limbs elongating, features sharpening—

—and just like him, she slipped free of the shackles.

By the time she reformed, human-shaped again, she was at his side.

"WORORORORO…! Now that’s a fun power!"

"…Not as weird as yours."

She tried to snipe back, but—no, hers was weirder.

Even among Mythical Zoans, hers stood out.

But that wasn’t the point.

The real question—

"…Your name. What is it?"

She already knew.

But she needed to hear it from him.

"────KAIDO."

"…!"

——Just as I thought.

There was only one "Kaido" in this world.

"Your turn."

"…I’m—"

A simple question.

But for her? Complicated.

She couldn’t remember the name she’d been born with.

So she had taken this one—the name of the form that had become her.

"────NUE."

——The Sealed Beast, Nue.

A name from another world, another myth.

Yet it fit.

The glossy black bob, asymmetrical and wild.

Crimson eyes, faintly pointed ears.

The three scythe-like red wings on her right, the arrow-shaped trio on her left.

No doubt about it—

The Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nue.

A Mythical Zoan.

A monster.

That’s what she was.

And Kaido?

He just laughed.

"Hōjuu? The hell kinda name is that?"

"…I get that a lot."

It stung, but—yeah. In this world, it was weird.

But whatever.

She had something more important to say.

"────I’m coming with you."

"…The hell?"

Kaido looked at her like she’d grown a second head.

She didn’t care.

"…Changed my mind. You’re interesting. Being a pirate with you might be fun."

"…Tch. Do what ya want."

No warmth. No welcome.

Just a grunt as he stomped forward.

She followed.

Would he just knock me away if I got too close?

She wouldn’t blame him.

After all—

This was Kaido of the Beasts.

The man who’d one day be called—

The Strongest Creature in the World.

And seeing him now, young and unrefined…

Something in her woke up.

How fickle.

How stupid.

But—

Maybe this form suits me after all.

"…Hey, Kaido."

"What."

"How old are you?"

"Dunno. Stopped countin’… Fifteen, maybe?"

"……What."

Younger than I thought.

Practically a kid.

——And so, the girl named Nue found herself walking alongside the future Emperor.

A suicidal monster and a battle-crazed dragon.

This’ll be a disaster.

And for the first time in years—

She couldn’t wait.