"Wait... let me think."
Yemu considered himself a proper anime fan and knew One Piece pretty well. He hadn't followed the anime or manga since the Summit War arc, but he'd watched plenty of clips, short videos, and read loads of fanfiction.
Still, he never imagined something like transmigrating would actually happen to him.
"Skypiea... isn't that Enel's territory? Damn it, I don't even have money for the toll! If a Blue Sea person like me shows up in Skypiea, what if I end up like Luffy's crew and get wiped out by Enel's people...?"
Sure, in the series, whether it was due to plot armor or something else, Enel's Goro Goro no Mi never actually killed anyone—but Yemu wasn't about to test that theory. He seriously doubted he'd survive a lightning strike.
"If they're going to make me transmigrate, couldn't they at least give me a powerful Devil Fruit? How the hell am I supposed to survive like this...?"
He sighed.
"Forget it. What matters most now is figuring out what point in time I'm in."
To his credit, even after going through something as wild as transmigrating, Yemu's mind stayed sharp. He quickly pieced together the situation.
Turning to the little boy in front of him, Yemu softened his tone and asked gently,
"Hey, kid, can I ask you—who's the god of Skypiea right now?"
That question was top priority. If it was Gan Fall, great—he was at least half-decent, and safety wouldn't be an immediate concern. But if it was Enel—the guy who nearly blew up the island—then Yemu figured he'd better start planning his funeral.
The moment the words left his mouth, the little boy's expression changed. He stared at Yemu with sudden wariness.
Yemu even felt a dangerous aura coming off the kid.
"Am I imagining this?"
Cold sweat ran down his back as the thought crossed his mind.
In his current weakened state, if the boy wanted to kill him, Yemu wouldn't stand a chance.
Luckily, that sense of danger faded quickly.
"Why do you want to know?"
The boy asked coldly.
"No reason... no reason at all..."
Yemu wiped his forehead instinctively—even though there wasn't any real sweat—and forced a smile.
After a brief pause, the boy finally answered, "An old guy named Gan Fall."
"Oh, thank god..."
Yemu breathed a sigh of relief.
But another thought popped into his head, and he asked the boy again,
"Hey, do you happen to know someone named Enel? A really strong guy?"
"...How do you know my name...?"
"Uh..."
The two boys just stared at each other in shock—wide-eyed, face to face.
...
Half an hour later...
"Kid, let me ask you again—are you really named Enel? Not Enu, or En, or maybe Nilu or something?"
Yemu still couldn't accept it.
He just couldn't wrap his head around the fact that the arrogant, god-complex, lightning-wielding guy from the anime could be this shy little kid standing awkwardly in front of him.
"How many times do I have to say it? My name is Enel."
Little Enel was already getting fed up with Yemu's endless questions. What really annoyed him, though, was being called "little guy" every time—something that seriously bruised his pride as a man.
Yemu kept gesturing at the boy in front of him. Barely a meter tall, with a thin face and scrawny frame—he looked nothing like the Enel from his memories.
"Alright... hey... Enel, got anything to eat?"
After thinking it over for a while—and considering how weak and starving he felt—Yemu finally asked.
At this point, whether the boy was really that Enel or not didn't matter anymore. If he was, fine. If he wasn't, fine. Right now, food came first. He could deal with everything else once he had the strength to move again.
Enel gave him a sidelong glance and replied with clear annoyance.
"No! I was out looking for food myself when I stumbled on you."
"Ugh... what now? I can't even stand, I'm so hungry."
"Hmph. Then find something yourself. I'm leaving."
Enel had already been away from the village for quite a while. If he didn't head back soon, someone would notice—and they'd definitely give him grief about it.
"Hey... wait... don't go! What am I supposed to do if you leave?"
Yemu panicked. He couldn't let Enel just walk away. In a place this unfamiliar, the last thing he wanted was to be alone again—especially after finally running into someone, even if that someone was Enel.
But Enel clearly had every intention of leaving, which only made Yemu more anxious.
Then...
Growl—
Both of their stomachs rumbled at the same time.
"Ah, right."
An idea popped into Yemu's head.
"Hey there, little guy—are you hungry too?"
He figured he could tempt the kid to stay with the promise of food. But as soon as he said it, Enel's expression turned furious, confusing Yemu completely.
"I told you—stop calling me little guy, or I'll punch you!"
Enel raised a tiny fist to prove his point.
"You're the same age as me, so why are you calling me that?"
Only then did Yemu realize that Enel had a bit of a pride issue. He was actually mad over something like that. Still, that fist pump... yeah, that did look a little like the Enel he remembered.
Yemu glanced down at himself. With a body this small, he really wasn't in a position to be calling anyone else "little."
"Alright, alright. Let's start over. My name's Yemu. Just call me Yemu from now on."
"Yemu? What a weird name."
Enel tilted his head.
"Yeah, well, don't get hung up on names."
Yemu waved it off. Honestly, using his real-world name in the One Piece universe did feel a bit off—but now wasn't the time to worry about that. His stomach was still the top priority.
"Anyway, now that we've met, how about I cook you something as a welcome gift?"
Yemu clapped a hand on Enel's shoulder like they were old friends. Enel squirmed a little but didn't shake him off.
"Fine... Yemu, little guy."
Maybe it was the word "cook" that caught Enel's attention—or maybe he knew the villagers wouldn't be back for a while—but he finally nodded and agreed.
Still, he made sure to call Yemu "little guy" right back, just to get even. Yemu could only laugh it off helplessly.