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Pirate World.
Naval Headquarters.
Marineford.
A cell made of seastone looks inconspicuous, yet it's encircled by layers of soldiers in crisp, white Marine uniforms.
Two Marine Vice Admirals stand guard with sabers drawn, their faces cold and unyielding, stationed at the prison gate.
All this for a single person inside the cell—a high-profile prisoner set for execution tomorrow.
...
Inside the cell.
The young man lying on the cold, unyielding stone slab suddenly sits up, his expression shifting from calm to confusion, and then to intense shock.
His bleary eyes widen, and a stunned exclamation escapes him, filled with disbelief.
"Who am I?"
"Where is this?"
"What happened?"
The classic trifecta of bewilderment.
Yet the surroundings are empty—no one to answer him.
As the young man rises, the seastone handcuffs on his wrists clink ominously in the silence, the sound piercing and unsettling in the otherwise empty cell.
Dazed, he stares at the handcuffs binding him as memories flood his mind...
A "Three Noes" youth from 21st-century Blue Star.
The so-called "three noes": no house, no car, no family.
Playing an epic online game called Xinghai in a rented room, he was mercilessly mowed down as a "leek" by the NPC "Black-hearted Old Boss," Black jack.
Then...
He found himself here.
In a cell. Handcuffed.
Feeling weak all over, as though he might collapse at any moment.
But...
After merging the memories in his mind...
The young man takes a sharp, shuddering breath.
"Hiss--"
Finally, he grasps the situation!
"Did that crossing tide really pull a trick on me?!"
"I'm Ace from One Piece now?!"
He's crossed over! ! !
This realization dawns as Ace becomes fully aware.
Even though traveling through realms is unimaginable, it has happened to him, and it feels utterly surreal.
But as he comprehends he's now Ace, a smile spreads across his face.
Thankfully, he didn't start off as some nobody.
This is Gol D. Ace!
Beloved of One Piece fans!
The adopted son of a Yonko!
Bearing the bloodline of the Pirate King, captain of the Whitebeard Pirates' 2nd Division, and the wielder of the Logia Mera-Mera Fruit, famously nicknamed "Fire Fist," Ace has a bounty of 550 million Berry—a true force among pirates!
"From now on, the future Pirate King better call me 'big brother.'"
These thoughts flash through his mind in an instant.
Ace not only accepts the reality of his time-traveling fate but already looks forward to the thrilling world of piracy he's about to face.
On Blue Star, he was an orphan.
No identity, no background, and no power.
Now, though, everything is different.
He possesses the blessing of Gol's blood!
Backed by Whitebeard, the strongest man on the sea!
And he's the foster brother of the future Pirate King, Luffy!
"Life can't get much better than this!"
"As long as I steer clear of Blackbeard and avoid his path, the Marines won't be able to touch me!"
"But...where am I? This doesn't seem like a scene I remember..."
"These look like seastone handcuffs??"
As realization dawns on him, Ace's mind briefly blanks.
Then, casting caution aside, he shouts with unrestrained frustration,
"To hell with you!"
"I'm in Naval Headquarters?! I'm going to be executed tomorrow!!"
"Did this dump me into Pirate World with a one-day experience card?!"
Indeed, Ace was now confined at Naval Headquarters, awaiting execution the next day.
A moment ago, he had resolved to steer clear of Blackbeard, but it was far too late. Fate's trajectory was careening down the final track, and he was already locked in its grip.
An imminent derailment... Passengers, please unbuckle and prepare for reincarnation.
He'd traveled back to the eve of the Summit War.
It could only be said that his luck was as dreadful as it could possibly get.
Because...
Without a doubt.
Ace was set to die tomorrow.
This was beyond the intervention of any powerful connections.
Moments ago, his spirits had been high, but now it felt as though ice-cold water had been poured over him, dousing his joy, and an intense wave of disappointment washed over him.
"It's absurd... two lives, both ending in oppression and injustice, never once given the chance to take control."
Ace slumped against the frigid wall, venting his frustration and sense of unfairness toward fate in a tired whisper.
Then suddenly, his eyes widened with a sudden thought, and he muttered in excitement:
"Wait!"
"The Mera-Mera Fruit!"
Recalling the power of his Devil Fruit, Ace focused inwardly, trying in vain to ignite that familiar power.
As everyone knows, the Mera-Mera Fruit is a rare Logia-type Devil Fruit.
However, an overwhelming sense of helplessness spread through him.
"Damn! Forgot about the seastone!"
His hopes, so newly kindled, plummeted back down. The seastone shackles around his wrists were perfectly nullifying his abilities. In this prison, no help would come.
Leaning back against the unyielding wall, Ace's face fell, surrounded by the dark and empty cell filled with despair.
As he calmed, the memories of this life flashed across his mind: swearing brotherhood with Sabo and Luffy in his youth, venturing to the sea to find the Devil Fruit, joining the Whitebeard Pirates, and ultimately rising to become a captain...
"What a wonderful life!"
Ace smiled, unable to suppress a pang of emotion.
Compared to his previous life, this one had undoubtedly been more vibrant, thrilling.
It was worth it.
Unbeknownst to him, subtle shifts had taken place between his original soul and this body.
At that moment, a clear notification sounded out of nowhere,
"Ding!"
"Sign-in system activated!"
"It has been detected that this is the Host's first year in the Pirate World. Do you wish to sign in?"
The unfamiliar voice caught Ace off guard for a couple of seconds, before his eyes lit up with fiery excitement.
"A system!!"
"I could kiss you! The timing is perfect. I was starting to think my luck was cursed."
The appearance of the system was like a lifeline cast into his despair, a glimmer of hope amid the encroaching darkness, igniting a renewed chance at survival.
"Do you wish to sign in?"
The prompt echoed again in his mind.
"Sign in! Yes, absolutely!"
Ace's face was alight with hope, and a thought crossed his mind,
"First-year sign-in for the Pirate World... Does that mean I might go to other worlds too?"
After his instruction to sign in, a slight pause followed before the system's notification resumed.
"Ding!"
"Sign-in successful!"
"Sign-in reward: Evolution Rubik's Cube."
Ace was stunned, muttering in confusion.
"Evolution Rubik's Cube? What on earth is that?"
Even before he finished speaking, a stream of information poured into his mind.
[Evolution Rubik's Cube: Allows the Host to evolve any ability, with each ability capable of multiple evolutions.
Each evolution also grants an additional opportunity for use by others.
Cooldown between uses: 30 days.]
A glimmer of hope reawakened within him.
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If you enjoy please support me on my patreon Future 80+ chapters at patreon.com/Phoenizbeelze
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