The old mayor kept marching ahead, stubbornly limping toward the ruined port. Luffy and Zoro followed right behind him without hesitation, Nami trailing reluctantly. Adam, of course, was the last one in line, walking with one hand rubbing his neck as if checking that his head was still attached.
But inside his head… something else was happening.
DING!
A glowing blue screen suddenly popped up in front of his eyes, floating in midair like some kind of hologram.
[System Update: Survival Threshold Reached.][New Functions Unlocked.]
Adam froze mid-step. "Ooooh… no way. Did the system just… upgrade? Please don't tell me it's gonna ask for a monthly subscription."
He quickly scanned the menu:
[Main Menu:]
Profile
Skills
Exchange
Quests
Inventory
"Inventory? You're telling me I can carry stuff around? Oh man, if I put food in there, Luffy will worship me as a god."
He tapped "Skills." A new window appeared:
[Skills:]
Underwater Breathing (Lv.1)
Stress Resistance (Passive)
Exchange (Locked – requires higher points)
Adam arched an eyebrow. "Stress Resistance? Well, system, you definitely know me. Too bad it's still level zero because I'm on the verge of a heart attack half the time."
Curious, he opened "Inventory."
[Empty.]
Adam sighed. "Really? Not even a sandwich? Or an apple? I risk my life and you can't spare me a snack?"
He kept walking, trying to look casual.
Luffy suddenly glanced at him. "Adam! What are you staring at?"
Adam slammed the menu shut in panic. "Oh, nothing! Just admiring the sky… and the… uh… rubble everywhere."
Zoro gave him a sideways look. "You're hiding something."
Adam grinned nervously. "Me? No way. Totally normal guy here. Definitely not someone with a glowing HUD in front of his face."
Nami sighed loudly. "He's been weird since the second we met him."
Adam ignored them and opened the "Exchange" tab.
[Exchange System:]
Available Points: 80
Items:
"Sturdy Rope" (30 points)
"General Map of East Blue" (50 points)
"Basic Medical Kit" (40 points)
"Skill: Quick Step (Lv.1)" (80 points)
Adam bit his lip. "Ugh, a med kit could've saved us a dozen times already… but Quick Step is sooo tempting."
The system chimed: [Reminder: Your choice will impact survival in upcoming battles.]
"Don't guilt trip me. I can barely survive lunch without stress."
After a minute of pacing, Adam chose the medical kit. A small white pouch with a red cross materialized in his hands out of thin air.
Adam nearly dropped it. "Holy—this is real?! Okay… okay… calm down…"
"Luffy!" Adam waved it in the air. "Wanna see a magic trick?"
Luffy zipped over, eyes sparkling. "WOAH! Where'd you get that?!"
Adam stuffed the kit into his pocket. "Secret magician business, captain. If I told you, it'd ruin the trick."
"HAHA! Awesome!" Luffy laughed and immediately believed him.
Zoro and Nami just exchanged looks. Clearly, they weren't buying it.
…
Later, as the group paused to rest near a broken-down house, Adam sat on a rock and decided to check the "Quests" tab.
[Current Quests:]
Main: "Defeat or Assist in Defeating Buggy."Reward: +200 points / Random Skill.
Side: "Earn Nami's Trust."Reward: +50 points / Unlock special dialogue.
Side: "Help the Mayor Confront Buggy."Reward: +70 points / Random Item.
Adam's jaw dropped. "Wait… Nami's trust is literally a side quest? Are you kidding me? What am I in, some weird dating sim DLC?!"
The system replied coldly: [Relationships are part of survival.]
Adam facepalmed. "Great. My life has turned into an RPG where friendship is an unlockable feature."
…
Still, he wanted to test one of his skills. Adam dunked his head into a nearby water barrel to try "Underwater Breathing."
One minute passed.Two minutes.
Luffy tilted his head. "Did Adam drown?"
Zoro shrugged. "If he did, that saves us a lot of trouble."
Adam suddenly burst up, gasping but grinning. "Guys! I stayed under for two whole minutes without suffocating! I'm basically… Fishman Adam!"
Nami rolled her eyes. "You're a clown."
But deep down, even she couldn't deny it: whatever this weird ability was, it could actually help in real fights.
…
That night, while everyone was preparing for what the mayor called "suicide by Buggy," Adam sat in a corner and opened "Profile."
[Adam – Level 1]
Strength: 6
Speed: 5
Endurance: 7
Intelligence: 9
Luck: 4
"FOUR?! My luck stat is lower than a college kid who forgot exam day."
The system calmly added: [Luck can be increased through bold actions.]
Adam groaned. "So I need to do stupid reckless stuff to get lucky? Fantastic. I'm basically being bullied by my own UI."
…
Suddenly, another alert popped up.
[Main Mission Activated: Confrontation with Buggy.][Condition: Stay alive and contribute to his defeat.][Reward: Unlocks new System Function.]
Adam's throat went dry. For the first time since arriving in this world, it felt real. Not a joke, not just fanfiction in his head. This was a line in the sand.
He looked at Luffy, sprawled out on the ground, grinning like he was at a picnic.He looked at Zoro, sharpening his swords, calm and focused.He looked at Nami, sitting off to the side, her face tense, torn between greed, survival, and something else.
Adam whispered under his breath: "Guess there's no going back. Okay, Buggy… let's see who's the real clown in this story."