Chapter 1: Rebirth in a Barrel
Under the sunny blue sky, amidst the calm sea waves, an oak barrel drifted leisurely.
Inside that barrel was a very familiar figure. Anyone well-versed in anime, comics, and games would instantly shout, "It's the future Pirate King—Monkey D. Luffy! The legendary Nika!"
It looked like the beginning of the original tale, with the protagonist sleeping peacefully inside the barrel. A passenger ship could even be seen on the horizon, suggesting he'd be salvaged soon.
But then—something strange happened.
A tiny black dot suddenly appeared on the barrel, right beside Luffy's head. Almost instantly, it expanded into a small black hole, swallowing him whole in the blink of an eye.
It was an eerie, terrifying scene—one that would've scared anyone watching. And yet, the strangest part wasn't the black hole itself… but the fact that in the very next blink, Luffy reappeared.
Nothing seemed to have changed. But in truth—everything had.
"Ugh... again? Still alive?"
The voice carried a strange mix of surprise and expectation, but there was no relief—only exhaustion.
As his senses slowly adjusted, he mumbled with a frown, "What is this stuffy place? Don't tell me I resurrected in a coffin? I can't be that unlucky..."
This "new" Luffy looked confused, even bewildered.
In his past life, he'd been a sickly boy. Hospitals were like a second home, and fighting off death was just part of his daily routine. He wasn't afraid of dying—if anything, he saw it as a kind of relief. But even in his weakest moments, he never gave in to despair. He never wanted to give up on life.
Now, in this strange, dark space, something caught his eye.
Though the surroundings were pitch black, there was one spot—a small hole—that looked even darker. Stranger. Almost… alive.
Curious, he reached out. His fingers passed through the black void effortlessly.
"What… is going on here?"
His confusion grew, and emotions bubbled up. His thoughts churned with urgency and panic.
And in that moment, something clicked.
He felt like a chain inside his soul had snapped—like his very essence surged forward toward the black hole.
"W-Whoa…!"
Shrrrp.
In an instant, the scene changed again.
He now stood inside a vast, eerie space. The same pitch-black darkness surrounded him, but within it floated four glowing specks of light. Fluorescent. Magical. Hypnotic.
He felt drawn to them.
His feet moved on their own. His mind went blank, save for one overwhelming desire:
Those lights.
Logic, time, and space didn't seem to apply here. In the next moment, he stood directly in front of them. His hand reached out, almost on instinct, and touched one.
A stream of information exploded in his mind. His expression shifted—confusion gave way to understanding, then excitement.
For an 18-year-old who'd lived his life in bed reading manga and watching anime… this was a dream come true.
"So I really died... and got reincarnated? And my cheat—it's seriously this considerate?"
He chuckled softly, a little guilty about what he'd done. After all, he had just devoured the world's original protagonist. But he only felt a little bad.
Even if he had reincarnated into a different body, his cheat would've eventually pushed him to confront the protagonist anyway. This way, things were just… simplified.
"As for questioning the source of this cheat? Please—just surviving was hard enough before. I don't care if I'm being used. With a power like this? I'd let a god plot against me every day."
Without hesitation, he reached out and absorbed the remaining three lights. One by one, they vanished into him, and the glowing space dimmed until only darkness remained.
But this time, he didn't fear the dark.
He welcomed it.
His eyes sparkled as the new concepts flooded his soul:
[Protagonist]: The world revolves around you. Your potential is limitless. Your charm is irresistible. Your luck is unrivaled. You are the universe's beloved child.
[Freedom]: You are free from death, aging, injury, limitations, space, time, causality, and more. You can also grant specific "freedoms" to others. Your control over your body reaches down to the atomic level.
[Willpower]: Your will is omnipotent. As long as your determination holds, you can manifest anything—even Devil Fruits. Reality bends to your will, limited only by the strength of your conviction.
[Ultra Instinct]: Your combat instincts are godlike. You instantly learn, improve, and even create new techniques. No opponent can match your fighting prowess.
These four concept-level powers turned him into an unstoppable being. Even Willpower, which sounded more "conditional," was no problem. His will was already immense—his own, combined with Luffy's unshakable spirit.
And now, with unlimited growth, his stats were already shooting upward like a rocket.
"Concept Creation Space…" he muttered in awe. "Even beings like the One Above All or The Presence would envy this kind of cheat…"
This black hole wasn't just a tool—it was a devouring engine that converted world-level traits into concepts under his control. The only limitation? His ability to use them depended on his life level: Mortal, God, Transcendent…
But even as a "Mortal," he was already beyond the reach of One Piece's strongest.
He could probably mass-produce something like the Mother Flame with a mere thought soon.
As he admired his newfound powers, the space faded. He returned to the barrel—now very aware of his transformation.
He could feel his stats rising second by second. Like a supercharged Superman, except he didn't even need sunlight.
As long as he was alive—as long as he was breathing—he'd keep growing stronger until he hit the world's ceiling. And then? Maybe, just maybe, with the concept of Freedom… he could break even that.
"If there's no tier above One Piece in this world, then I guess this universe caps at planetary level," he mused, rubbing his chin.
Lost in thought, he was suddenly jolted by the barrel slamming into something solid.
Clunk!
"Whoa! What a big barrel—it's heavy!"
"Must've floated in from some shipwreck… maybe it's full of wine!"
"Come help me lift it!"
"Oi! On it!"
The sailors hoisted the barrel together and rolled it into the ship's cargo hold.
Inside, Luffy—no, the new Luffy—smirked in the dark.
This new life... he was going to live it to the fullest.