Leo spent the entire night figuring out how this so-called God-Tier Pirate Treasure Chest System worked.
According to the system's description, its ultimate purpose was—to cultivate the strongest Pirate King in history.
But… wasn't this the Naruto world? The genres didn't even match!
The system's method of use was simple and crude: treasure chests would randomly appear in different locations, and as long as the host opened one, he could obtain various items from the One Piece world.
These items might be things like last night's Haki Comprehension Card, or they could be Weapon Cards,Character Cards, and all sorts of mysterious things.
Of course, it was also possible to get something ordinary—each opening was a gamble of luck and fate.
Leo opened his system panel:
Host: Leo
Abilities: Conqueror's Haki Lv. 1, Observation Haki Lv. 1, Armament Haki Lv. 1
Next Level: Requires 100 EXP
Current EXP: 5 / 100
This status screen only covered abilities related to the pirate world; it didn't record his ninjutsu.
As for how to gain experience points, there wasn't any fixed rule.
According to the system, even breathing would grant a little EXP—it was just a matter of speed.
Leo was still experimenting with how to increase it efficiently.
Now that he had awakened the Three Colors of Haki, he finally had a bit of confidence to survive in this dangerous world.
Before dawn, Leo was already running laps around the Hidden Leaf Village.
Even after obtaining a golden cheat system, he didn't slack off.
True strength wasn't forged in a day or two. The system was only a tool—the most important thing was having the heart and discipline of a strong man.
At this hour, Konoha was utterly quiet. The moon still hung in the sky, and the stars twinkled faintly above.
During his run, Leo came across a rather strange person.
The man was wearing a tight, green jumpsuit, with a perfect bowl-cut hairstyle that gleamed under the moonlight.
He looked so familiar—so very familiar—but Leo couldn't place him for the moment.
That man flashed him a bright, dazzling smile—the glint of his teeth almost sparkled.
After finishing his morning workout, Leo returned to his small wooden hut—a simple, modest shelter.
He found a wooden post, took out a kunai, and began practicing his shuriken techniques.
Perhaps due to awakening Haki, his accuracy seemed noticeably improved—each throw struck the target dead center.
After completing his kunai drills, Leo washed himself off with cold water, changed into clean clothes, and sat down for a simple breakfast before heading to class.
Most kids his age had parents to take care of them. But as a war orphan, he had to rely on himself.
Konoha provided basic rations for survival, but that was about it.
After finishing breakfast, he grabbed his ninja pouch, shut the door behind him, and made his way to the Ninja Academy.
The Ninja Academy, founded by the Second Hokage, was an institution meant to train future shinobi.
At this point in history, it had only been around for about ten years, and many parts of it were still far less developed than in Naruto's era.
The Senju Clan was only beginning to decline, while the Hyūga Clan had yet to rise to dominance.
They weren't yet the powerful "Number One Clan of the Leaf." Despite the Byakugan being said to rival the Sharingan, the Hyūga mostly used it for Gentle Fist strikes and vision—its development was honestly rather disappointing.
Of course, Leo was far too weak right now to even dream of competing with such families.
"Leo!"
A clear, friendly voice called out in front of the academy gates.
Looking up, Leo saw a handsome young boy with golden hair walking toward him.
Namikaze Minato—the genius of the academy!
It was said that though he was still a student, his strength already matched that of a chūnin; he could graduate at any time.
To be honest, Leo had always been a loner and didn't have much interaction with Minato.
As a refugee from another village, he often faced discrimination and ridicule from his peers.
Minato was the only one who ever went out of his way to talk to him.
Faced with the future Fourth Hokage's kindness, Leo simply nodded and said calmly,
"Hello."
Then he walked past and entered the school grounds. Along the way, several students whispered and pointed at him, calling him weird.
Minato stood there scratching his head, smiling helplessly. "Cold as ever, huh?"
"Minato, why bother being nice to that stuck-up guy?"
Three figures approached from behind, each with distinct builds.
"Shikaku, Chōza, Inoichi—you guys are here!" Minato turned and greeted them.
They were none other than the first generation of the Ino–Shika–Chō trio, future pillars of Konoha.
"I don't get it, Minato," Inoichi said. "Why are you so concerned about that guy?"
"He's… a very hard-working person," Minato replied softly.
"What do you mean?" Shikaku asked.
"Nothing," Minato smiled. "Let's go. If we don't hurry, we'll be late for class."
The four of them headed into the academy together—a small group of future legends in the making.
The classroom was lively and noisy before the instructor arrived.
Leo sat in the back row, alone as usual. No one bothered talking to him, and he preferred peace and quiet.
While waiting, he closed his eyes and reviewed the Three Basic Techniques, the Shuriken Technique, and his Three Colors of Haki.
Opening his system panel again, he noticed his experience had risen from 5 / 100 to 20 / 100.
Reflecting on his morning routine, he realized he'd gained fifteen EXP in just that short time—far more than the entire previous night.
"So physical training increases experience points too," he thought. "Good. That means I'll have to double down on exercise."
Just then, the classroom suddenly fell silent—the instructor had arrived.
The man surveyed the room with a strict expression before speaking in a steady voice:
"Before we begin today's ninjutsu lesson, I have an announcement to make. We have a new student joining us. She comes from our allied nation, the Land of Whirlpools, from the Uzushio Village. Let's welcome her!"
Applause filled the classroom; everyone seemed curious and excited.
"A new student from the Land of Whirlpools? Could it be…?" Leo thought, his heart stirring.
A small figure appeared at the doorway.
She was a cute little girl, maybe seven or eight years old, with large, bright eyes and long crimson hair that shimmered like fire. She wore a light yellow dress that made her look even more radiant.
A wave of gasps rippled through the class—red hair was an extreme rarity in this era.
"Hello, everyone. My name is Uzumaki Kushina. Please take care of me from now on."
Her voice was a little nervous, but her eyes swept over the room—and for just a fleeting moment, they landed on the quiet boy sitting in the back corner.
Her pupils trembled ever so slightly.
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on P@treon if you're interested: patreon.com/HorizonStudios0