The void was... peaceful.
I floated in nothingness, unable to tell if I'd been here for millennia or just a single second. Time meant nothing in this place. Maybe this was what I'd been searching for all along—eternal rest after that lightning bolt decided my beach storm-watching hobby was a bad idea.
Twenty-four years of debugging code and fixing servers, gone in a flash. Literally.
Maybe I could sleep here forever. No deadlines, no angry clients, no—
THUD.
Sand. Warm sand against my face and the sound of waves lapping nearby. My eyes snapped open, blinking against sudden sunlight.
What the hell?
I pushed myself up, spitting out gritty particles. Ocean stretched endlessly before me, crystal blue and definitely not the gray storm-tossed sea from my last memory. Behind me rose a forest that looked like something out of a fantasy novel—trees so massive they seemed to scrape the sky itself.
And the sounds. Oh, the sounds coming from those woods were definitely not normal. Deep growls, crashing, and what sounded suspiciously like... roaring?
I caught a glimpse of something massive moving between the trees. Something with a very long neck and teeth that gleamed in the filtered sunlight.
"Please tell me that wasn't a dinosaur," I muttered, scrambling to my feet. "I mean, what's next? Are we in the stone age now?"
My clothes felt different—heavier, more elaborate. I looked down and nearly jumped out of my skin. Gone were my simple jeans and t-shirt. Instead, I wore an intricate outfit in deep crimson and black, with ornate details that screamed 'gothic nobility.'
My hair. My freaking hair was now long and crimson, flowing past my shoulders like liquid fire.
I stumbled toward the water's edge, needing to see my reflection. The face staring back at me from the gentle waves made my jaw drop.
"Guy Crimson?" I whispered, recognizing the distinctive features from That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime. The sharp, almost ethereal beauty, the crimson hair, the piercing gaze. "But... how?"
Before I could process this further, something incredible happened.
A translucent blue screen materialized in front of me, floating in the air like some kind of holographic interface.
[SYSTEM INITIALIZED]
Name: Slytherin D. Rouge
Age: 20
Devil Fruit: Mythical Zoan - Maho Maho no Mi, Model: Rouge
Skills:
- Confringo (Blasting Curse)
- Expelliarmus (Disarming Charm)
- Observation Haki (Basic)
Current Stats:
- Strength: 15
- Stamina: 30/30
- Vitality: 25
A map appeared in the corner of my vision, showing a tiny revealed area around my current position. Everything else was gray, unexplored territory.
"Well," I said aloud, my voice carrying a slight echo I didn't remember having. "This is either the most vivid coma dream ever, or I've somehow landed in the weirdest crossover fanfiction possible."
Guy Crimson's appearance from Tensura. Harry Potter spells and Slytherin for god sake. One Piece devil fruits and that distinctive 'D' in my name.
My attention was drawn to an item listed in my inventory: Focus Ring. I looked down at my right hand and found an elegant silver band I hadn't noticed before.
"Focus ring... that's basically a wand for American wizards, right?" The Harry Potter fan in me was practically vibrating with excitement. This was it—my childhood dream of casting magic was literally at my fingertips.
I pointed toward the ocean, ring gleaming in the sunlight.
"Confringo!"
The effect was instantaneous and spectacular. A blazing fireball erupted from my hand, streaking across the water before exploding in a brilliant burst of flame and spray. The sound echoed across the beach like thunder.
"Holy shit, it actually worked!" I laughed, the sound coming out more melodic than my old voice ever was. "No cooldown, no complex wand movements—just pure magic!"
I fired again. And again. Each blast felt as natural as breathing, the magic flowing through me like it had always been there. By the tenth shot, though, I was starting to feel sluggish. My stamina bar showed 15/30.
"Okay, so there are limits," I noted, settling onto the sand to catch my breath. "But still way better than any video game I've ever played."
I explored the system interface more thoroughly. The skills tab confirmed my spells and showed Observation Haki with an 'Enable' option. Curious, I activated it.
The world exploded into clarity.
It was like switching from a blurry 240p video to 16K ultra-definition. I could sense everything in a perfect 360-degree sphere around me—every grain of sand, every movement in the forest, even the fish swimming in the nearby shallows. The improvement was so dramatic I actually gasped.
"This is incredible," I breathed, watching a crab scuttle behind a rock I couldn't even see with my normal vision.
The spell chart tab showed a probability wheel with various Harry Potter spells, all currently at equal chances. A note explained that I'd unlock a new spell every six months, with daily tasks affecting the probabilities.
Speaking of which, the daily tasks were listed clearly.
Task:
- 100 Push-ups
- 100 Sit-ups
- 100 Sword Slashes
Rewards:
+2 Strength, +10 Vitality, +5 Stamina, +0.1 spell probability
"Sword slashes? I don't even have a—"
A weight appeared at my hip. Looking down, I found an elegant blade in a crimson sheath that perfectly matched my outfit.
"Of course. Magic system provides everything I need." I drew the sword, admiring its perfect balance. "Though I've never used anything more dangerous than a kitchen knife in my previous life."
The forest behind me rustled ominously, reminding me that I wasn't alone on this island. Whatever was making those sounds probably wasn't interested in a friendly chat.
I stood, brushing sand from my ornate clothes. The system had given me tools—magic, enhanced senses, even a weapon. But the most important questions remained unanswered.
Where exactly was I? This definitely looked like somewhere in the One Piece world, given the massive trees and dangerous wildlife. But which island? When in the timeline?
And more importantly—why me? Why had I been chosen for this second chance?
I stared toward the forest, then back at the endless ocean. The gray areas on my mental map beckoned, promising answers and adventure in equal measure.
"Well, Slytherin D. Rouge," I said, testing the name out loud. "Looks like your adventure is just beginning."
A distant roar echoed from the trees, followed by the crash of something very large moving through the underbrush. My Observation Haki picked up movement—something big was heading this way.
I gripped my sword handle and grinned. Maybe it was time to start those daily tasks sooner rather than later.
"Come on then," I called toward the forest, magic crackling around my ring finger. "Let's see what this world has to offer."
The adventure was about to begin.