"Ace… No! No! No!"
Jiang Lin stood at a crosswalk, clutching a One Piece manga and shouting to the sky in grief. The page before him depicted none other than the scene of Ace being killed by Akainu.
Ace was one of Jiang Lin's favorite characters in One Piece, and now he had been killed in the Summit War. At this moment, Jiang Lin's heart ached no less than Luffy's.
"Skrrt—Bang!"
Just as Jiang Lin's emotions collapsed from Oda's writing, the screech of brakes rang out behind him. The next instant, an unbearable pain tore through his body as he was flung high into the air before crashing heavily to the ground.
"Devil Fruit Infinite Copy System activated. Binding host… Binding complete. Host: Jiang Lin. Current Devil Fruit Card count: zero. Please continue to work hard and strive to collect all Devil Fruit Cards in the Devil Fruit Index."
A mechanical voice echoed in Jiang Lin's mind. When he opened his eyes again, he realized he was no longer on Earth. Towering in front of him was a massive Yarukiman Mangrove tree, its trunk bearing the bold number 27. That number instantly made Jiang Lin understand exactly where he was.
Sabaody Archipelago—the place where the so-called Worst Generation first began to make their names, and the closest point to Marine Headquarters along the Grand Line.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The rapid crack of gunfire, mixed with the chaos of fleeing crowds, snapped Jiang Lin back to his senses. Pirates were scattering in panic around him, while behind them charged ferocious squads of Marine soldiers.
"I… I transmigrated?"
Excited, Jiang Lin found a mirror and looked at his reflection. The man staring back wore a blue coat and a pointed leather hat—undeniably a pirate's attire.
Short, neat hair and a face without blemish. Well, at least he looked like a handsome background character.
Before Jiang Lin could admire himself for long, a middle-aged man draped in a white cape with the bold character "Justice" on the back stepped in front of him. His outfit was a dark yellow suit with pale yellow stripes. With a "kind" expression, the man leaned down toward Jiang Lin's face and asked cheerfully:
"Moshi moshi! Brat, I need to ask you something. I'm looking for a man named Sentomaru. Do you know where he is?"
The distinctive goatee, the yellow-tinted glasses, that commanding white cape—there was no mistaking him. He was one of the Navy's three Admirals: Kizaru (Borsalino).
"An… Admiral of the Marines!"
The instant Kizaru appeared, the nearby pirates scattered in terror. Within seconds, the once-crowded street was deserted—leaving only Jiang Lin.
"Don't tell me I'm going to die right after reincarnating?!"
Jiang Lin's mind went blank. As a die-hard One Piece fan, he needed no second glance to recognize the man before him. Normally, if he encountered Kizaru, he might have screamed "Idol!" in excitement—but right now, all he could think about was survival. After all, he was currently a pirate.
"So strange…"
As if oblivious to Jiang Lin's changing expressions, Kizaru casually raised his left hand and murmured into the black Den Den Mushi strapped there.
"You have encountered a Devil Fruit user. Please either battle with the target for one minute or remain within one meter of the target for one minute. After one minute, you will obtain a Devil Fruit Card corresponding to the target's Devil Fruit."
The familiar mechanical voice rang again in Jiang Lin's mind the moment Kizaru appeared. Copy a Devil Fruit simply by fighting or staying close for a minute? This system was ridiculously overpowered.
"Kizaru…"
Jiang Lin had no other choice. Gritting his teeth, he reached out and patted Kizaru on the shoulder. The moment his hand touched, two messages echoed in his head:
"You have attacked the user of the Glint-Glint Fruit, Borsalino. The system is copying the target's Devil Fruit. Please endure for one minute."
"You are within one meter of the user of the Glint-Glint Fruit, Borsalino. The system is copying the target's Devil Fruit. Please endure for one minute."
Both "attack" and "proximity" conditions had been triggered simultaneously.
"Hmm… Do you know where Sentomaru is?"
Kizaru lowered the Den Den Mushi and smiled at Jiang Lin.
"Y-yeah, I saw him head that way. How about I take you to him?"
Jiang Lin casually pointed at the empty street beside him.
"Oh? Is that so?"
Kizaru didn't seem convinced, but neither did he object. Instead, with mild amusement, he followed alongside Jiang Lin as they walked.
"Thirty seconds…"
As he led the Admiral, Jiang Lin kept his focus glued to the system's countdown. He had no abilities right now. If he couldn't copy Kizaru's Devil Fruit, he was finished.
"Moshi moshi! Brat, are you sure you know where Sentomaru is?"
Kizaru asked again as they walked.
"Almost there! Just around the corner."
Jiang Lin forced himself to sound confident. Completely absorbed by the ticking timer, he didn't realize he had steered Kizaru in a loop—bringing them straight back to Mangrove No. 27.
"Yo, brat… Are you trying to play games with me?"
A cold voice came from behind. When Jiang Lin turned, he was met with Kizaru's mocking yet angry face.
"One minute complete. The Glint-Glint Fruit has been successfully copied."
"Host has acquired a Devil Fruit Card. The Devil Fruit Loading Device has been activated. Please insert the Card to obtain the corresponding power."
"Glint-Glint Fruit has been loaded. Each Devil Fruit Card may be used for ten minutes, with a thirty-second cooldown period."
System prompts rang in rapid succession. At last, Jiang Lin had gained his first foothold for survival in the pirate world—the power of the Glint-Glint Fruit.
"Have you ever been kicked by light?"
Facing Kizaru's sharp gaze, Jiang Lin slowly raised his left leg. A dazzling golden light shone from his foot, stunning Kizaru so much that for once, the Admiral could no longer maintain his usual calm façade.
"Tsk… I only wanted to ask for directions…"
Kizaru muttered with a hint of exasperation, raising his left leg in response. A familiar golden light gleamed from his foot.
On the Sabaody Archipelago, two users of the Glint-Glint Fruit now stood opposite one another, preparing to strike.