A day ago, Xiang En died suddenly at his computer desk after pulling an all-nighter for overtime work.
When he opened his eyes, he found himself in another world.
Before he could even fully come to his senses, a sack fell from the sky.
His vision went black again.
When he woke up again, he was in an unfamiliar environment, and one that was even worse than before.
A chain collar was fastened around his neck, and he was locked in a dungeon. Surrounding him were all sorts of bizarre cellmates.
There was a giant over ten meters tall, a weirdo with a fish head and a human body, a mermaid soaking in a water tank...
In short, they were all fantastic species that one would only see in fantasy works. For a moment, Xiang En stared blankly, thinking he was either dreaming or had eaten some psychedelic mushrooms.
That is, until the somewhat familiar mermaid girl in the water tank was pushed out by the guards.
Soon after, the cell door rattled, and at the same time, an angry roar came from afar, transmitted through the cell wall.
"Caimie, we've come to save you!"
Immediately following, there were shouts of "Gomu Gomu," "Three Sword Style," and so on.
Xiang En suddenly had a feeling of intense familiarity; he felt like he had seen this scene somewhere before.
Wait, giants, fish-men, a mermaid, and an auction house... how does this combination of factors sound so familiar?
One Piece?
"Hey, kid, are you short on cash?"
Suddenly, an old but magnetic voice by his ear interrupted Xiang En's thoughts.
Cash? Why would someone suddenly ask that at a time like this?
Xiang En turned his head, somewhat bewildered.
What greeted his eyes was an old man with white hair, an incredibly muscular physique, and a mental state completely different from the other items up for auction in the dungeon.
In fact, there was still liquid clinging to the whiskers at the corner of the old man's mouth. It was only then that Xiang En realized: this guy, who was an auction item in the same cell, had such good treatment that he was even holding a liquor flask.
He himself had been thoroughly searched when he was locked up. Even the chewing gum he used to stay awake for work was snatched away by the guards here.
Seeing no response, the old man tilted his head back and took another large gulp from the liquor flask, drinking every drop of the alcohol inside.
The mouth of the flask pointed down, but not a single drop was left.
"Sigh, the flask is empty too. How is an old man with nothing to do supposed to stay here?"
This sight made Xiang En feel an intense craving; his mouth was dry and uncomfortable. He hadn't had water for almost a day since being captured. If he had known the old man had liquor, he would have snatched it to take a sip, even if he had to fight for it.
But in the next moment, the old man's actions completely dispelled his idea.
The old man tucked the empty flask into his waist, then rotated his neck and flexed his wrists.
Immediately after, under Xiang En's utterly astonished gaze, the old man casually reached out and grabbed the collar restricting his neck.
With two "crack" sounds, the iron collar, which Xiang En thought was solid and tough, shattered in the old man's hands as if it were made of paper.
"How about it, kid? Want to go out and stretch your legs with me?"
The old man stood up, glanced at the utterly shocked Xiang En, and asked very calmly.
"You..."
Xiang En was stunned for a long time before recovering. He looked at the old man with complex emotions, licked his dry lips, and spoke the first sentence since transmigrating to this world:
"Before you steal money, could you please steal some water first, Silvers Rayleigh-san?"
...
...
A few minutes later, Xiang En got his wish and drank some water.
"Hiss... Ah, that's refreshing!"
After greedily drinking half a bottle of water, Xiang En stepped over a guard who had been knocked out by Conqueror's Haki, followed Rayleigh's steps, and entered the vault where the human auction house stored its auction funds.
Crystal walls shimmered, and gold glittered.
Piles of jewelry dazzled the eye, and the chests filled with Beli banknotes were countless.
"Looks like not only can I fill my liquor flask, but I can even go to the casino again."
Rayleigh grabbed a stack of banknotes from a box and put it into his pocket, a satisfied smile on his face. After stuffing his body full, Rayleigh seemed a little regretful:
"Too bad, I wish I'd brought a sack with me."
A sack? Xiang En felt some resistance to that word; he was brought in after being caught by a sack.
But if he hadn't been caught here, he wouldn't have met Rayleigh, and if he hadn't met Rayleigh, he wouldn't have had the chance to get close to so much... money in a short time. And the moment he touched the money just now, his Golden Finger (System/Cheat) also awakened.
[Current Summon Condition: Ten Million Beli]
[Detecting sufficient Beli near the host. Absorb?]
System, you're finally here.
A happy smile formed at the corner of Xiang En's mouth. I knew it, how could a transmigrator not have a Golden Finger? Is a transmigrator without a Golden Finger even legitimate?
"Mr. Rayleigh, if you permit it, I can take all the rest of this."
Before activating his Golden Finger, out of respect for this savior and world-class powerhouse, Xiang En decided to report it first.
"Oh?" Rayleigh raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Kid, are you a Devil Fruit user?"
Hearing this, Xiang En hesitated for a moment. After thinking it over, he felt that describing his Golden Finger as a type of ability wasn't too much of an exaggeration. So, he mentally organized his words and nodded slightly:
"You could put it that way. My ability is to use money as a price to summon partners from far away to my side."
"Wow, that truly sounds like an incredible ability."
Rayleigh played along with an expression of amazement, then beckoned with some expectation:
"Don't worry about me. What I've gotten this time is completely enough. Besides, this auction house won't suddenly go bankrupt. At worst, I'll just drop by a few more times after spending it all at the casino."
"Alright then."
With Rayleigh's permission, Xiang En didn't hesitate. He placed his hand on a box full of Beli and silently chanted: Start absorption!
The next moment.
Without any warning, all the Beli in the warehouse, including the gold and silver jewelry, instantly vanished into thin air.
It all happened too fast. Even Rayleigh, whose eyes flashed red as he activated Observation Haki, couldn't see clearly. He could only inwardly sigh that the abilities of Devil Fruit users were indeed special.
[Obtained 1,032,000,000 Beli!]
[Current summon condition has been met. Initiate this summon?]
"Initiate!" I'm a billionaire already? Briefly marveling at the astronomical figure, Xiang En continued to chant mentally.
[Summoning is about to begin. This is a Character Summon. Please prepare one of the following three summoning mediums for the host:]
[A. Parasol (Sun Umbrella)]
[B. A bomb sufficient to kill a normal Sea King]
[C. A scale from a Dragon species]
I need a summoning medium? I knew it wouldn't be that simple.
But where am I supposed to find a bomb that can kill a Sea King in this situation? Even if I found a bomb, how would I know if it's capable of killing a Sea King? And this Dragon scale... Uh, I had plenty of Fish-Man cellmates, but I didn't see a trace of a Dragon.
Wait, at this time, there seems to be a guy on the Sabaody Archipelago who is a Dragon. I just don't know if a Dragon created by a Devil Fruit counts.
But even if I found him, with my current strength, I probably couldn't even scratch his skin, let alone pluck off a scale.
So, considering the practical circumstances, I can only choose the comparatively simpler option A.
But forcing me to find a parasol in this human auction house is asking a bit too much... Eh? They actually have one.