I stood in front of a camera. Recently, I gained a lot of muscle, making my body bigger and more muscular.
Of course, these muscles weren't just for show. They packed real strength.
But I had something more important to do, more important than admiring my muscles.
"Today! What I am about to say might sound impossible and stupid at the same time. Three years ago I was pulled into a dream world."
"For you and me, it was a fictional world where I found myself with the main character. Doesn't that sound like an idea for a fan fiction?"
"Maybe it is. But if I start believing that, how am I supposed to live? That's why for me, they are real; they exist, maybe not here, maybe somewhere else."
"For three years, I didn't suddenly disappear from this world. I was still living a normal life here, but then, I pulled back."
"It felt like a dream, but is it?"
I said as I took out a small metal coin and started bending and molding it into a small ball.
"For a guy who spent most of his time studying and watching anime, this should be impossible, right?"
"No, even for other people, this is impossible. Because this is iron. A normal human can't do this."
"So, you might ask why I am making this video?"
I paused. I looked at the ball in my hand, and a bright smile appeared on my face.
"Because I will soon leave this world. No, I am not dying. I just made incredible friends."
"No matter where I am, as long as they have a single opportunity, they will come running into my room to take me to their world."
I paused again. I looked at the desk in the corner.
There was a picture of me with my father, mother, and a little sister.
Looking at that picture, I paused quite a while.
Soon, I looked back at the camera and tried to smile.
"I'm sorry for making this decision. I shouldn't make such a decision, but I just can't stop it. After I went through it, I can't look back."
"There are people waiting for me to complete my adventure. Don't worry, our journey will be fast."
"Once I finish my journey, I will return."
Although I said that, I knew the return journey would not be easy or even possible.
This world was separated from the One Piece world. Even the thought that my crew would find me here was nonsense.
But I desperately wanted to believe it.
Because I wanted to be reunited with them. I want to go back.
After I finished speaking, I closed the camera and put it in my wardrobe.
If I tell them myself, they will definitely think my brain has gone mad.
But I know what I have experienced. My strength might not be the same as that world, but it is slowly increasing.
After my confession in the camera, nothing changed.
I still had to continue my college. I continued reading the One Piece story.
Watching them go through those adventures without me felt strange.
I knew I was not a part of the main story.
I am just an extra.
But I did succeed in achieving something.
I saved Ace.
I didn't regret saving him. Because I believe I was sent there for a reason.
There are eight billion people in the world. One Piece had sold over six hundred million copies.
So, why was I chosen to enter that world?
I didn't know the answer, but I knew I went to the One Piece world to change something, and I did that.
One Piece is my favorite story, but it's not the only story I like.
There is also Naruto and Marvel Comics.
I love their stories. Even DC was something I enjoyed.
But there was something about those works that didn't touch me as deeply as One Piece.
Maybe it was the humor in One Piece, or maybe it was Luffy's attitude towards saving people.
I didn't like heroes that much.
Maybe it was because I grew up watching anime and then transitioned to superheroes and comics.
That sounds weird considering I am not from Japan, but that's how things were.
Except for Spider-Man movies, I didn't really watch other Marvel movies before I watched anime.
Even though I touched both of them after I attended high school.
I know why I don't like superheroes. I started watching anime to escape depression. I watched One Piece to laugh and cry, but out of sadness, not out of depression.
Watching the superheroes go through similar struggles, losing their loved ones, only to send the villains to jail for them to escape again.
That didn't feel good. What's the point of reading those stories if I was just going to get sad and not feel relieved knowing that the villain didn't get proper punishment?
Even Naruto felt better despite the fact that Naruto forgave Obito, the man who was responsible for the death of his parents.
Because Naruto achieved something. He achieved peace. He married the most beautiful woman in that world.
He achieved his dream and started a new family. I felt gratitude towards Kishimoto for ending Naruto the way he did.
It felt complete for me. Even the frustration of Obito's death didn't faze me.
Unfortunately, since it ended before I started watching it, I continued enjoying One Piece.
It hadn't reached its end, and the story was only getting better.
Because of that, I loved One Piece.
I never thought I would get a chance to live in that world, even if it was just for a few months.
Yes, a few months!
Although my real body was here for three years, I was only there for a few months.
I changed a few things, and I know that wasn't a dream.
Even if I couldn't change the main world, at least I changed one world.
At least, in one of the parallel worlds, Luffy has his brother and his strength is enough to keep the crew safe.
That's how my life continued.
Every day my strength grew.
This also meant my food consumption increased. This was a huge problem for me.
This world didn't have powerful creatures that could provide a lot of nutrients.
If I wanted to receive enough nutrients, I had to eat a lot, but I couldn't just do that.
Because to eat so much, I need a lot of money or start hunting.
I chose the second option but only temporarily. I knew I couldn't escape my college.
Fortunately, this was already my last year. So, once I finished college, I quickly took a flight to one of the empty islands.
It cost some money, but I was able to get an online job to pay for that.
Once I got there, I started hunting marine life, using them to fill up my stomach.
At the same time, I also started working on some condensed nutrition products.
I may not be a genius, but my strength has made my brain work more and faster.
I was able to consume knowledge at a rate I never thought I could.
Within just three months, I was able to make a product that immediately got a lot of attention thanks to its high protein content within a small size.
That solved some of my food problems.
Even so, it was clear that this wasn't enough to help me continue my training.
Instead, it only helped me sustain myself as I regained my full strength. Thankfully, after making that product, I was able to return home.
Not only did I make my wealth explode, but I also solved the food problem, which was a good thing.
As my strength increased, I felt more and more excited to enter that world.
I won't be able to do that by myself.
I tried searching for myths and legends on Earth, hoping to find a single breakthrough from that.
I even tried punching the air, hoping to create a spatial gap through a punch.
Although I didn't succeed, that almost exposed my strength.
Maybe that was it.
Maybe I will never be able to return to that world.
Maybe I should just forget about them.
Maybe this is my life now.
Near the end of the second year, I started losing confidence. I finally wavered and even decided to find a girlfriend.
I couldn't forget Nami, but I knew if I couldn't go back, I had to find a girlfriend here.
After all, for two years, my hands have been my only support.
One day, I was just sitting in my chair, turning the latest chapter of One Piece.
I saw Imu impaling Luffy, saw Gaban fighting Imu. My eyes blazed with fury as I watched Gaban scold Luffy.
But deep down, I knew he was right.
Just then, I heard a loud thud and turned around.
When I saw a man that look strangely like Inaki Godoy, I froze.
He stood up, raising both of his hands with the straw hat on his head as he shouted.
"Yo, Liam! We're here to pick you up."