[Brain Storage!!!]
[Store it or get diarrhea!!!]
[This novel features multiple female leads. If you dislike this, please do not enter. Every named female character, one by one, I want them all!]
...
The salty sea breeze, carrying fine sand, swept across Cheng Xiaoyu's face, and he opened his eyes amidst the stinging sensation.
A dull ache in his temples made him instinctively curl his body, his nails digging deep into the damp sand.
"What's going on? Where did this take me?"
The rhythmic sound of tides reached his ears, and seagulls cried "Oh oh oh" in the sky—these were definitely not sounds one would hear in an ICU.
When his vision finally focused, his pupils suddenly contracted.
Under the indigo sky, flocks of albatrosses swept across the pearlescent sea, and the kaleidoscopic glow refracted from the distant coral reef painted the entire shallow beach into a dreamlike palette.
This scene was too familiar. The looping opening sequence of One Piece was now enveloping him in a 6D surround experience.
"So... this is the world after death?"
Right after graduating from college, he joined the 996 'blessing' army, ultimately dying suddenly during an overtime shift late one night.
What kind of failed life was this...
He looked down at his intact hands; the bruises from countless needles were gone without a trace.
The sudden surge of ecstasy was interrupted by a sharp whooshing sound, and something hard struck his forehead.
"Thump!"
A black fruit rolled to his feet, its spiral patterns gleaming with a metallic luster in the sunlight.
Cheng Xiaoyu's breathing hitched—as a casual fan who had only watched two episodes on TikTok, he would never mistake this forbidden form...
The dark purple glow emanating from the fruit's skin was exactly like the close-up shot of Blackbeard showcasing the Dark-Dark Fruit in the manga.
Holy crap! A Devil Fruit?!
Even though every Devil Fruit looks different, he recognized it at first glance.
Just then, a voice boomed in his mind!
[Consume the Shadow Fruit to activate the Shadow Monarch System.]
The mechanical voice directly exploded deep within his brain, yet Cheng Xiaoyu laughed, tears welling up.
What was this?
A free fruit and system right at the start?
Compensation for a social animal who died from overtime?
A Devil Fruit means it's the world of One Piece.
Shadow, judging by the name, should be a Logia Devil Fruit!
He was also familiar with Shadow Monarch, the protagonist of Solo Leveling, who shared his name!
"What if I don't eat it?"
[I'll send you back, from whence you came.]
"Go to hell!"
He tremblingly picked up the fruit and took a big bite!
The moment his teeth pierced the skin, an indescribable taste shot straight to his brain!
It was like octopus tentacles soaked in formaldehyde, like Northeast Auntie Yu's sweaty size 43 feet, like a moldy takeout box in the corner of a rental apartment—all the nauseating smells detonated on his taste buds.
"Ugh..."
Cheng Xiaoyu covered his mouth, dry heaving a few times with a pained expression, his stomach churning.
[Host has consumed the Shadow Fruit and successfully bound the Shadow Monarch System.]
"Ygritte!"
Cheng Xiaoyu instinctively called out the name.
However, besides the sound of waves and birds, there was only silence around him; nothing happened.
[Host level is too low. Please try again after increasing your strength.]
"What level do I need?"
[Level 100 will allow you to establish a link with another world, gain the skill 'Shadow Share', and summon all extracted Shadow Legion Commanders from that side.]
Immediately after, a translucent panel appeared before Cheng Xiaoyu's eyes:
[Name: Cheng Xiaoyu]
Level: 1
Strength: 5
Intelligence: 5
Agility: 5
Stamina: 5
Spirit: 5
Height: 1.78
Weight: 90
Length: 5-18 (?)
Devil Fruit: Shadow Fruit (Unawakened)
Fruit Abilities:
1. Shadow Extraction: Extract shadows from deceased living beings and turn them into Shadow Soldiers who are absolutely obedient to you.
Note: Extracted shadows retain their full strength from before death and grow in strength as the protagonist's strength increases. The success rate of shadow extraction is only related to the host's level.
Level 1: Can extract shadows of ordinary people, Shadow Combat Rating D.
Level 10: Can extract shadows comparable to ordinary Marine soldiers, Shadow Combat Rating C.
Level 30: Can extract shadows of Marine Colonels, Shadow Combat Rating B.
Level 50: Can extract shadows of Marine Rear Admirals, Shadow Combat Rating A.
Level 60: Can extract shadows of Marine Vice Admirals, Shadow Combat Rating S.
Level 80: Can extract shadows of Admirals, Shadow Combat Rating SS.
Level 100: Can extract shadows of Fleet Admirals, Shadow Combat Rating SSS.
[The above level divisions are only approximate strength classifications and are not exclusively for the Marine! They are merely examples using Marine ranks!]
[And do not include characters whose strength far exceeds their rank, such as Garp, who would require Level 100 to extract, belonging to the same level as Sengoku!]
[All of the above is nonsense; the final determination is based on actual strength!]
Damn it!
Extracted shadows can be strengthened, for example, by consuming Devil Fruits, or Haki enhancement, which can break through their original rating.
2. Shadow Preservation: Shadow Soldiers are stored within the caster's shadow and can be summoned at any time.
3. Shadow Exchange: The user swaps positions with a designated Shadow Soldier, CD 5 seconds.
Armament Haki: None
Observation Haki: None
Haoshoku: None
Cheng Xiaoyu's mouth twitched as he looked at the bizarre "Length" item on the panel. What did the question mark after the unit mean?
"Detecting extremely poor host physical condition, please begin training immediately!" The system's voice rang out again, interrupting his thoughts.
Daily Training Missions:
Push-ups...[0/100]
Sit-ups...[0/100]
Pull-ups...[0/100]
Squats...[0/100]
Running...[0/15 kilometers]
As long as daily training missions are completed, experience points and rewards will be gained.
Seeing these tasks, Cheng Xiaoyu felt his scalp tingle, his fingertips digging deep into the sand.
As a former sub-healthy individual who would pant just climbing stairs, these tasks were nothing short of torture.
But as he gazed at the handsome yet hollow face reflected in the sea, something fervent reawakened in his chest...
It was the passion buried by PPTs, the chuunibyou spirit strangled by Excel spreadsheets.
This mission, I accept!
"At least... this time I can truly live for myself." He ripped open his tattered hospital gown, revealing a chest as pale as paper.
When he did the seventh push-up of the first set, there was a crisp tearing sound from his shoulder blade!
After a three-kilometer round trip run, the metallic taste of blood in his throat reminded him of a certain early morning spent staying up late to revise a proposal!
The difference was, this time every drop of sweat transformed into data flowing into his body:
[Strength +0.1]
[Stamina +0.3]
[Ding, today's missions are all complete!]
"That's it, that's it?"
"Since that's the case, why not reward myself..."
[Length +0.01]
...
In the early morning, when the first ray of sunlight hit the beach, Cheng Xiaoyu had already begun his training.
Push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups...
Every movement caused him immense pain, and his posture was often distorted, but thankfully the system didn't scrutinize whether he did them perfectly.
This was a small, uninhabited island; there was no one else but him.
Only the sound of waves, birds, and his own panting and cheering.
Sweat soaked his clothes, dried by the sea breeze, and then soaked again.
As time passed, Cheng Xiaoyu was surprised to find that his body was undergoing incredible changes.
The former office worker was now a muscular man with an eight-pack.
The time it took to complete the missions also became shorter and shorter!
From the initial dozen or so hours, it shortened to ten hours, eight hours, five hours...
Finally, he could complete all the training with standard movements in just three hours!
Three months later, his level rose to 10, and all his attributes had significantly improved.
Surprisingly, even his height and length increased by 10 centimeters!
Cheng Xiaoyu looked at the data on the panel and nodded with a smile.
Hehe, this damn charm.
If I meet Empress Hancock, wouldn't she be completely smitten and call me husband?
Clap~ clap~ clap!
After finishing a set of calisthenics, Cheng Xiaoyu skillfully rubbed a fire to life and skewered a sea fish on a branch to roast.
"Sizzle sizzle sizzle..."
Wreaths of cooking smoke rose, and the aroma of roasted fish filled the air.
Ah~ this damn happy life!
No 996, no KPIs, it's absolutely awesome!
Oh right, System, what year and month is it now?
I wonder if that kid Luffy has set sail yet. It would be great to cling to his leg then.
The system is here to kindly provide the time for you~
It is now Marine Calendar 1520!