Staring out at the endless sea calm, lifeless, without even a ripple stood a short-haired young man on a barren little island, his face twisted like he was constipated.
And who could blame him? Moments ago, he had watched a pirate starve to death right in front of him.
From the man's dying words, Rakuya learned the truth. This was the dreaded Calm Belt.
At first, he didn't believe he had actually crossed into the world of One Piece. But the terrifying sea beasts that surfaced from time to time, the tattered pirate flag flapping on the shore, and the half-rotten ship confirmed it.
He had transmigrated.
What kind of lunatic in the real world would sail around in a wreck like this? Only hardcore One Piece fanatics maybe… and if that were true, Rakuya had just one thing to say: MDZZ!
Watching the Sea Kings surface one after another, his guts twisted.
"So it's real. I actually crossed over into One Piece. I might be a fan, but I don't want to die here!"
He sighed, looking at the wrecked ship, wondering if he could escape the Calm Belt on it.
But no matter how he thought about it, it was impossible.
Row with his bare hands? Sure, he was strong, but rowing across this endless deathtrap? That was suicide. And even if he could, what about the Sea Kings? Right now he was as weak as any villager. He couldn't fight them at all.
The only real chance was for a ship to appear and rescue him. But as a One Piece fan, Rakuya knew exactly what that meant.
Almost no wind. Almost no ships. And a sea full of Sea Kings. Waiting for rescue here was about as likely as winning the lottery.
So in the end…
The conclusion was simple. Rakuya was going to die.
Option one: starve to death on the island.Option two: jump into the sea and feed the fish.
Other than waiting for death, there was nothing else he could do.
"In this blood-boiling, dangerous world of pirates, without strength, you're nothing more than an ant."
"This is a world where only the strong have a voice!"
"If I had power, even if I couldn't escape, at least I could kill a few Sea Kings for dinner!"
Growl!
Right as he was ranting about the laws of this world, his stomach rumbled loudly.
"Damn it…"
He had just watched a pirate starve to death. Was he about to follow the same path?
No way!
One look at the skeletal corpse beside him made his whole body shiver.
Before he crossed over, he had been a proud foodie. He might not have literally eaten his way around the entire world, but from street stalls to banquets, he had tasted everything.
To die of hunger… for him, that was the ultimate humiliation.
But on this barren island? What could he possibly eat?
He had already searched the ship from top to bottom. Aside from a few crumpled maps, some empty barrels, and the rotting corpse, there wasn't a scrap of food.
"Am I really going to starve to death in this world?"
Rakuya closed his eyes in despair, then tilted his head back and cursed at the heavens.
"You bastard heavens! Everyone else who transmigrates gets some cheat or golden finger. Me? You dump me in the Calm Belt with no food? If you're gonna kill me, at least give me a feast first, a few jars of wine, and maybe a couple of beauties to keep me company. Then I'll die happy! Don't tell me I'm gonna die a virgin too…"
He was still ranting wildly when.
Ding![System Notification: Max-Level System Activated]
"Eh?"
Rakuya froze, eyes wide.
"Did I… just unlock a system?"
Thinking back to all those webnovels he had read, he realized this was it! He must have gotten his own cheat.
Sure enough.
Ding![System Notification: Activation Confirmed. Host has successfully bound to the Max-Level System]
"Max-Level System, huh? Not bad." Rakuya tried to look calm, but inside he was trembling with excitement. A system alone was already incredible. But one called the Max-Level System? That had to be broken.
Hahaha, jackpot!
"System, can you explain your functions?" he asked, forcing himself to stay cool.
Ding![System Function: Any element or ability can be raised directly to maximum level]
"…Holy crap. That's insane!"
Ding![System Reward: Beginner Gift Pack Available. Claim now?]
"Wait, what? There's even a newbie gift pack?!"
...But just what kind of cheat awaited inside the pack?