...

"Am I a sacrifice or something?"

Aslan was lying on the doorsteps of a deserted palace, as he spread his spiritual sense, amazement flashed through his eyes as its scale and craftsmanship had long surpassed what humans were capable of in this age. What creeped him out though was how despite the abandonment, the building didn't look any way in ruins.

Peeking through his eyes, Aslan almost gasped at the opulence of the temple. The bricks alone seemed to hold the mystery of the sea as they shone with an ultramarine glow, the likes sapphire could never hold a candle to. He wanted to feign death a bit more, but eventually he just got too caught up in the temple's wonders. Rows of ceremonial statues lead him further in though his body still laid on the doorsteps.

"Amazing! I need to find better sculptors when I go back. These statues really make me want to destroy my own out of shame..."

As his spiritual sense deepened into the inner chambers, a huge sculpture appeared in Aslan's awareness, at first he thought it was a woman but soon he found that it didn't matter. as his spiritual sense scanned it he felt that the statue was more like an extension of the shrine rather than the work of chisel.

The statue's material was the same as the temple but its brilliance was on a league of its own, with a frown it seemed to be looking down at everything. The face wore a devilish grin, to Aslan's surprise he found his spiritual energy grow chaotic under its influence so he quickly moved it to its hands.

It was just a trident and a small tree but Aslan still couldn't lock his awareness on them for more than a few seconds, before he felt his vast spiritual energy collapsing like sand. However it was enough, the tree had a familiar feel to it and to Aslan's shock he could recognise its fruits immediately!

"Devil Fruits... But there shouldn't be this many on just one tree."

And it dawned upon him that this was no common building but a temple whose scale had no equals on Earth, even the Demon God's statue was dwarfed by its majesty!

"Hell, I had to travel to the 4th abyss and face countless perils just to catch a glimpse of it and here I am, I didn't even move a finger and this priceless artwork appears before me!!"

“Get up, Aslan, We know you are awake. You have had enough fun with your tour.”

The statues' eyes suddenly glowed with a purple brilliance while a sweet feminine voice broke the silence, it had a compelling quality, each time it echoed there would be a slight twisting in the air.

Aslan was fairly confident in his Dead Opossum technique, yet to be seen through so easily was pretty embarrassing not to mention the sudden pressure boring into his soul, after trying to stand his ground Aslan's spiritual sense was forced back into his body.

Still he didn't show any signs of complying as he laid motionless, waking up on the doorsteps of a mysterious shrine was suspicious to say the least, especially If a moment ago you were giving a lecture in the comfort of your sect. At this point if he really followed up, it would be no different than submitting!!

Aslan knew the trick, would a corpse move just because someone said something? He cared a lot about the reputation of his technique, so he would naturally live up to its name, or rather die down for it. He had lost count of how many times he had turned the tables on the enemy after feigning death, it was troublesome enough that demons had finally wised up after they declared him dead thrice in a couple of centuries.

Remembering the disturbance back on Earth, Aslan didn't dare underestimate his enemy. The temple might be an illusion, but only a few powerhouses could have his soul under such pressure.

What creeped him the most though is that it didn't sound alive, the closest thing he had heard was the lapping of the ocean on the shoreline. Relentless, emotionless and a bit salty.

“We may have underestimated you.”

It didn’t seem like it came from somewhere nearby, more like it was in his head and he almost shivered at the thought but thanks to his prided technique he didn’t budge.

“GET UP!!!”

He didn’t move, at least that's what he thought, Aslan opened his eyes in shock as he suddenly found himself leaping to his feet. His muscles were sore from the sudden exertion and he almost fell down again due to the searing pain.

“Who...”

Aslan tried to steady himself with his hands as he looked for the culprit, yet to his surprise there was no one else besides him.

“What the hell!?!?”

However Aslan’s surprise was short-lived, there was indeed someone else keeping him company, but the awareness of his roommate filled him with sheer horror.

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

Looking down at the sea blue floor he had been lying on just a few moments ago, Aslan found that he was still there and this time he had truly outdone himself since his Dead Opossum technique had never been so lifelike! Or maybe he should say dead-like...

“What have you done to me!?”

Only then did Aslan realise that he wasn’t actually standing, more like floating mid air, while his new body had become ghostly pale with an azure halo breaking away in a grey smoke film. Soul projection was a very advanced skill, but to force someone out of his body required a big gap between their cultivation bases, not to mention the fact that he couldn’t resist in the least!

“We only need your soul for the task at hand, your body shall be kept safe here until the Quest’s end”

Aslan didn’t hear anything, he was too mesmerised by his own soul. in the middle of his chest there was a red rope connecting him to his body almost as the last proof of ownership between him and his body. Such a perfect projection was extremely difficult to achieve since the animal soul was always trying to latch one's spirit to their body.

He didn’t care about what he heard, but something about the whole safety thing ticked him off. Weren’t they just using his body as a hostage until he did their bidding? And would they really return him home when he achieved their mission?

“We hear your doubts, and you shall know that henceforth our mission shall be yours too. For failure would mean our end, and yours too.”

With these words, Aslan watched in horror as a blue ray darted from the statue's trident and severed the scarlet rope in half before burning it to ashes.

Emptiness creeped on him as the last bond to his mortal coil was severed, now it was a question of time before his soul gradually dissolved.

The azure halo around him shone with an eerie brightness, while the thin smoke film breaking away from his soul darkened as if the curtains of death had been pulled down. It took him all of his willpower to quell his fear and voice his doubts.

“Fair enough, you mean there is something that could threaten a being like you? And how could I help you since I am much weaker than your enemies?”

For the first time, he heard something akin to a chuckle, up until now he felt as if he was hearing pre recorded voice mail, Asian’s eyes lit with hope, if he was truly facing an all powerful God there would be no chips for him to bargain.

“Indeed, we require your help, but never belittle yourself Earthling; for you bear much potential and we shall nurture you as long as you stay true to your Pledge.”

Asian’s eyes shone with understanding, now he knew why they needed to go to such lengths, they were powerful enough to make him powerless but not enough to make him submit to their will. There were certain conditions to be met first.

“Tell me about the pledge, what do you require of me?”

He tried his best to match Their tone, Aslan sought a pact of equals to better protect himself and raise his chances of survival. He had to be prepared, and as his late master taught them, there was never enough preparation for life and death. The weight of his words rang strongly now, his master was a freak who had more tombstones than a few countries.

The voice seemed to become much kinder, it became as soothing as when he first heard it.

“We need you to restore balance, the Devil Fruit cycle has been disrupted by the mass production of artificial Zoans and the greed of Marshall D. Teach. Beware though, beings whose power rivals Ours, have sent their champions down to disrupt the Main Storyline.”

In the dead silence that followed, Aslan’s soul seemed to glow with understanding as he finally understood how crazy the whole set up was and his own place in this chess game.

“I am the equaliser, as long as the balance is not restored, this being needs me, yet if I tarry for too long I might get replaced with eager champions... and that’s assuming I have enough influence to change anything.”

While Aslan was lost in thought a purple seed suddenly descended from the ceiling and merged with his soul. The thin smoke covering his soul began to boil as it gradually branded itself into hundreds of violet geometrical patterns.

“This is Our blessing as the Sea Goddess’ champion, We won’t send you to your duty defenceless, yet with such power comes the Pledge’s binding vows.”

Now dark blue chains sprung from the shrine’s pillars and this time Aslan was forced to kneel, his soul was once again beyond his control.

As the chains dug deeper in his soul he found that the ritual had already started.

There was no turning back.

“Blessed earthling, in the name of the Sea Goddess Tethis.

You shall rise as our Champion against the false gods

Witness their downfall under your strength

Protect the world’s balance with our blessings

Fight for your Lord, Aslan.”

The chains seemed to shine brighter as the vow neared completion, now Aslan felt an intimate bond with the shrine as if its destruction would also mean his end.

At the same time he felt a mysterious strength surging within his soul, to his astonishment, Aslan found that the mysterious tree had disappeared from the sculpture!

“We have already prepared a suitable identity for you, As our new champion, you have 2 years to cultivate your strength, use this time wisely and our blessings shall be bountiful.”

Now Aslan knew he was but a pawn, the blessing was but a ruse. she too was trying to tilt the balance to her side, to favour her and assure her survival and prosperity. The main storyline was already broken, and he wouldn’t waste time trying to pick up the pieces. Yet the fact that he was the new champion, made him think, maybe there was a way around this game...

“May your ship sail to the end!”

The shrine’s gates opened up and a swirling vortex began to grow behind it. The chains had now tightly encased Aslan’s soul while a strong resonance seemed to call for him from beyond the gates, it was a new start.

“So I’ll be a marine... Not bad, upstart pirates would have a pretty hard time growing their fangs with Pacifistas patrolling the seas.”

The image had become clear, it was a young marine with a shaved head lying in a hospital, it seemed like he was a survivor of the Paramount War judging from the amount of bandages.

Though what really surprised him was the presence of Grand Admiral Sengoku next to the lad, he was clenching an old rusty badge while looking tenderly at his new avatar.

“Will I just be a marine? No, the world isn’t black and white. As long as it doesn’t break my bottom line, I’ll do whatever I can to turn the cards in my favor!!”

No, Aslan would shape his own story. Regardless of any Gods, marines or pirates!

"This might not be bad though, once I go back I'll have a nice stockpile of mangas to read through!"

Thus our adventure begins!!