Chapter 1: Death, Rebirth, and the Shock System
Pain.
It was strange, really. I always thought when my end came, it'd be on my own terms — sword in hand, surrounded by those too weak to kill me. I imagined a battle to be remembered, my name howled in defiance against death itself.
But no.
In the end, it wasn't some invincible foe or cunning rival that took my life.
It was money.
I lay dying in the gutter of a nameless city, blood spilling into the cracks of a forgotten street. The stench of oil, piss, and filth thick in the air. A job too valuable, a price too tempting. They sold me out for a bag of coins. My own partners, the same rats I bled and fought beside, turned on me without hesitation.
Thirty pieces of silver. Or its modern equivalent.
A coward's ambush. A poisoned drink. A rusted pipe through my abdomen when I stumbled into an alley, too sick to defend myself.
As my vision blurred and the night swallowed me, I laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because I realized it had always been this way. This rotten world spun on blood and coin. Strength meant nothing when a dagger waited in every shadow.
The darkness pulled me under.
And then —
[Host has been selected.]
A cold, mechanical voice reverberated through the void. A soundless, emotionless chime that echoed in the nothingness where my soul drifted.
[Initializing Rebirth Protocol.]
[Target Body: Dracule Mihawk.]
[Timeline Placement: Marineford War.]
[Unique System: Shock System Awakened.]
[Every instance of shocking others — through strength, action, or revelation — will award Shock Points. Shock Points may be exchanged for skills, abilities, and artifacts.]
[Objective: Carve your legend. Break the world.]
I would've blinked if I still had eyes.
Mihawk?
I knew that name. Who wouldn't? The world's greatest swordsman, a living legend in a world of monsters. A lone predator who bowed to no one. The perfect vessel.
The perfect weapon.
The void churned around me, a whirlpool of light and pressure pulling me down.
And then — breath.
Sight.
The world snapped into focus like the drawing of a blade.
A battlefield.
The clamor of war pounded in my ears. Screams, gunfire, the crash of waves against ice. Flames billowed into the sky, mingling with the unnatural cold. A thousand men fought and died, and at the center of it all… me.
No.
Him.
Dracule Mihawk.
I looked down at my hand — pale, strong, calloused from a lifetime of bloodshed. Yoru, the black blade, rested comfortably in my grip like it had always been there. The polished surface reflected my face: sharp golden eyes, raven-black hair, and a coldness that suited me far too well.
I smirked.
[Shock System Activated.]
A blood-red screen hovered before me.
> Shock Points: 0
Available Rewards: Locked
Shock Others to Earn Points
A thrill surged through my veins.
The old Mihawk? He would've stood aloof, playing the Warlord's role. Testing his blade in calculated, impassive duels.
Not me.
This world betrayed strength for money, loyalty for coin. I would repay it in kind.
A voice called out nearby.
"Mihawk! What are you doing just standing there?!"
Doflamingo.
The thread-wielding lunatic was grinning, a manic glint in his eyes as bodies danced on his strings.
I barely spared him a glance.
I didn't come here for camaraderie. Or allegiance.
I came for war.
A mob of Whitebeard's men charged ahead, bellowing threats, faces twisted with fury and fear. Swords raised, muskets aimed.
Pity.
I swung Yoru in a wide, casual arc.
The shockwave howled through the air like a banshee's scream. It cleaved through the pirates with savage ease, slicing through steel, flesh, and bone alike. Their bodies were flung back, colliding with one another like broken dolls.
The entire battlefield froze for a heartbeat.
Marines gaped. Pirates stumbled. Even one of the Admirals — Kizaru — raised an eyebrow.
[+50 Shock Points!]
I grinned.
That was it.
I wasn't just Mihawk. I was a storm cloaked in flesh.
The System's numbers ticked upward in the corner of my vision, and it felt good. Better than any gold or power I'd ever known.
Across the chaos, Whitebeard turned his gaze toward me. The old giant's face hardened.
"So… the Hawk spreads his wings."
I raised Yoru, pointing its blackened edge directly at the Sea Emperor.
"Whitebeard! From this moment on, I sever my ties to the World Government. I'll no longer carry their leash. I am a pirate — and today, I'll take your head!"
Gasps rippled like waves through the war.
Even the wind seemed to pause.
Marines shouted in disbelief. Pirates hesitated mid-strike. Sengoku's face contorted in fury upon the execution platform. Akainu clenched his fists, magma seeping between his knuckles.
[+300 Shock Points!]
I felt the points flood in.
Beautiful.
"And when your so-called world collapses," I continued, my voice carrying above the screams, "I'll tear open the sky and bring ruin to every world beyond it. I'll leave nothing but ash and fear."
They didn't get it yet. But soon they would.
[Shock Points: 350]
[First Reward Unlocked: "Shockwave Step" – Instantly propel yourself at supersonic speed, leaving a trail of shockwaves.]
Good.
Without a moment's hesitation, I activated it.
The ground beneath me shattered as I vanished. The air screamed in protest.
In less than a breath, I appeared before Whitebeard.
His eyes widened — a flicker of surprise in the eyes of a monster.
And in that precious instant, I struck.
Yoru came down like the hammer of an angry god, black energy arcing along its edge.
Whitebeard raised his bisento, blocking the blow with a grunt. The impact birthed a shockwave so violent it cracked the earth, split the ocean, and sent Marines and pirates alike flying in every direction.
A moment of perfect destruction.
The world would never be the same.
And neither would I.
[+500 Shock Points!]
I smiled as the System's numbers climbed.
And this was only the beginning.