The New World had been a circus lately.
Front and center was Big Mom, the freshly crowned Yonko, hosting her very first Tea Party on Whole Cake Island. She'd invited celebrities, monsters of the sea, and elite figures from every corner of the world. Naturally, every eye in the ocean was locked on Cake Island. Big Mom had even recalled all her children to make sure nothing would ruin her debut spectacle.
And right in the middle of it all… stood me.
I, Rorin D. Sol, was staring blankly at the scene before me. Teacups and spoons were bouncing around, dancing and singing like something out of a nightmare carnival. Creepy? Absolutely. Catchy? …Okay, maybe a little.
Wait a damn second—where the hell was I?
Ding!Congratulations, Host, you've entered the world of One Piece. I am the Shock System. Perform actions that astonish others, and I will evaluate you. Rewards will be distributed based on the grade of shock you cause.
…The world of One Piece.My chest tightened as reality sank in. I had actually landed in the world of One Piece!
As a lifelong fan, I knew exactly where I was. This insane, musical nightmare was none other than Big Mom's territory.
"Prometheus, what's wrong with you? You're acting weird," a lazy voice called out.
I whipped my head around. Floating toward me was a fluffy gray-white cloud with the most exhausted, drained expression imaginable.
Zeus. Thundercloud Zeus.
Wait—he just called me Prometheus.
…Don't tell me.
I froze, then quickly tried to sense my own body. Sure enough, power pulsed inside me like a raging furnace. Instinctively, I let it loose. My form swelled, flames roared, the ground beneath me cracked, and the air shimmered from sheer heat.
Ding! Thundercloud Zeus has been shocked. Evaluation: B. Reward: Complete soul fusion with Prometheus. Freed from Charlotte Linlin's control.Ding! News King Morgans has been shocked. Evaluation: B. Reward: Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!Ding! Underworld Queen Stussy has been shocked. Evaluation: B. Reward: Transformation Technique MAX!
Memories flooded my mind—techniques, hand seals, instincts I'd never had before. My head spun.
And then the ground shook.
Katakuri appeared, flanked by other powerful siblings. His sharp eyes locked on me, fury simmering.
"Prometheus, what the hell are you doing? Are you betraying Mama?"
Even though I'd calmed down for a moment, his words snapped something inside me. My voice thundered out:
"I'm not Prometheus! I'm Rorin D. Sol—remember that name!"
Whether it was the leftover temper from Prometheus's soul or just my own rage, I felt fire claw its way out of me. I opened my mouth wide—
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Flames surged forth like a blazing cannonball.
Katakuri's eyes narrowed. "Protect the guests! Don't let them get touched—Mama values this Tea Party above all!"
He swung his arm, coated in Armament Haki, and smashed the fireball apart. The explosion scattered across the ground, igniting a sea of fire.
Ding! Katakuri has been shocked. Evaluation: A. Reward: Beginner Armament Haki, Beginner Observation Haki, Beginner Conqueror's Haki!
My grin widened. Three colors of Haki, just like that? In this world, Haki was the entry ticket to true strength—and I'd just grabbed the whole set.
So all I had to do was keep doing outrageous, impossible things, and I'd keep leveling up…?
"Prometheus! I won't forgive you! How dare you ruin Mama's Tea Party—die!"
Katakuri's arm twisted into a gatling of hardened mochi. "Peerless Mochi Barrage!" he growled, unleashing a storm of bullets wreathed in Haki.
The air shrieked as they ripped toward me.
I didn't dodge. Instead, I laughed, eyes burning with confidence.
"You're the First Son of the Big Mom Pirates, Katakuri—and you still don't get it? Armament Haki can't even touch me!"
The barrage hammered into me harmlessly.
Ding! Katakuri has been shocked again. Evaluation: S. Reward: Heavenly Flame—Golden Emperor Flame Lv.1!
My eyes lit up. The Golden Emperor Flame… I knew that name. Even at level one, it was a nightmare-tier fire.
The instant it fused with my body, I felt like I could burn down the whole ocean.
"Katakuri!" I roared, fire blazing gold across my form. "Let's settle this right here!"
The heat warped the air, burning so hot that guests fled in terror.
Ding! Charlotte Brûlée has been shocked. Evaluation: A. Reward: Supreme Grade Blade — Kanbuzaku!
The system's voice echoed again, but I barely heard it. My entire focus was on Katakuri, a true monster of the New World. He wasn't at his future peak yet, but even now, his power was enough to terrify anyone.
I gathered golden fire in my mouth, the flames shining brighter, hotter.
Katakuri snarled, his mochi arm hardening further with Haki. "You won't get away with this!"
Our powers collided.
BOOM!!!The Golden Emperor Flame slammed against his strike, searing hotter than anything before. Katakuri's arm burned, blood dripping only to evaporate instantly against the scorched ground. If not for his Haki armor, the flame would have turned his limb to dust.
Meanwhile, I stood untouched, cloaked in an aura of blazing heat so intense that even breathing the air around me felt like inhaling fire.
Terrifying. Overwhelming. Absolute.
The New World had just gained a new sun.