Year: 2057, February 8, 11:03 AM
"Rui, wake up."
A voice called from the doorway. It belonged to a woman in her forties, standing framed in the light.
Rui didn't move.
"Wake up, Rui!" she shouted again, louder this time.
Rui lay sprawled across his bed like a starfish, one arm flopped over the edge and the other curled under his head. His hoodie was half on, half off, and his socks didn't match. The blanket was tangled around his legs in a chaotic mess that could have been classified as modern art.
Rui groaned and rolled over. "Five more minutes," he mumbled.
"You've been saying that for an hour!" his aunt snapped. "Today's the winter break ceremony you agreed to attend with your classmates. They're waiting downstairs. If you're not waking up in one second, I'm gonna tell them you are not going."
Rui groaned and rolled onto his side. "Really?! That would be a great help if you do," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. His aunt crossed her arms, unmoved.
He hated going out, especially with them. Before the winter break, they had cornered him into agreeing to attend the ceremony, forcing him—as they always did—to do things he didn't want to. But now that he'd made a promise, he had to keep it, or endure more of their nonsense later.
"I will count to three," his aunt warned.
"One… two… thr—"
Rui shot out of bed like a missile. Even though he hated going out, once he made a promise, he never broke it—a stubborn trait he inherited from his great-great-great-grandfather's favorite idol, Luffy.
He stumbled over a pile of clothes on the floor, narrowly missing a tower of empty snack wrappers stacked on his desk. As he scrambled to his feet, his eyes flicked to the posters of the Strawhat Crew on the wall, and he gave them a quick glance.
Rui yanked his clothes from the chair piled high with more discarded clothes, scattering some onto the floor, and immediately threw something on. His aunt looked the other way; there was no shame here. She had been like a mother to him since his parents died in an accident when he was only two months old—she had seen everything anyway.
He grabbed his backpack and phone from the cluttered desk, shoving aside half-empty soda cans, scattered notebooks, and Luffy's small figurine.
As Rui hurried, the small Luffy figurine wobbled at the edge of the desk.
He caught it instinctively, holding it gently in his hands for a moment. "Can't let you fall." he murmured.
Rui grabbed his backpack, slung it over one shoulder, and stepped out of his apartment. The hallway was clean and bright, with soft neon lights along the walls. He took the elevator down, and the doors opened with a quiet whoosh.
When he stepped onto the street below, the city of 2057 spread out before him. Tall glass buildings reached into the clouds. Floating roads moved silently overhead, and hovercars zoomed past, leaving streaks of colored light. People wore sleek clothes with glowing trims, and many had gadgets on their wrists. Everything looked amazing, futuristic... and a little too much.
At the bottom of the building, his classmates were waiting. They stood below his apartment, whispering, smirking, and looking up at him.
"Finally decided to show up, Macher?" one sneered.
"Thought you'd chicken out again," another said, leaning against a shiny hoverbike.
Rui's stomach twisted. They weren't here to be nice — they just wanted to boss him around, as usual. They had made him agree to come to this winter break ceremony, and now they acted like he owed them for just showing up.
He swallowed and looked down, holding his backpack tightly. Neon ads flashed on the walls, hovercars whooshed overhead, and the city buzzed with life. Rui felt small in the middle of it all.
"Hey, don't just walk by!" one called. Rui forced a small nod. "I'm here," he said quietly.
Rui tapped the small device on his wrist. A soft whirring sound answered him almost immediately. A sleek school hoverbike appeared in a shimmer of light at the nearest port, linking automatically to him as the passenger. With another click, the bike hovered toward where he was standing and landed softly at his feet.
He climbed onto the hoverbike, the metal frame humming beneath him. With a push of a button, it lifted off the ground, gliding smoothly through the city streets. Neon signs flashed past, pedestrians moved in streamlined fabrics, and other hover vehicles zipped around like glowing fireflies.
The ride was fast, the wind brushing against his face, but Rui hardly felt free — his stomach twisted with the thought of facing his classmates again. After just three or four minutes, the hoverbike descended, landing softly in the front courtyard of Harborview Tech Institute.
The massive glass-and-metal building gleamed under the morning sun, holographic banners announcing the *Winter Break Ceremony 2057!* swaying gently above the entrance. Rui sighed, tugging his backpack straps tighter as he joined the crowd of students shuffling toward the hall.
He dropped his backpack by a seat and tried to focus on the stage. Everyone took their own seats, busying themselves — some chatting in groups, others checking their wrist devices. Rui, of course, had no one to talk to.
He sighed and pulled out his phone to scroll. "This is so boring," he muttered.
Rui reluctantly lifted his gaze from his phone and tried to focus on the stage. A voice boomed through the hall.
"Students of Harborview Tech Institute, please welcome our honored guest — the nation's top tech engineer, Dr. Kael Voss!"
Polite applause filled the grand hall. Rui shrugged and went back to scrolling. Famous engineers? Holographic displays of inventions? Not his idea of fun.
Dr. Voss walked onto the stage, adjusting his glasses, and began speaking about advanced AI, sustainable tech, and innovations in hover systems. Rui yawned, scrolling absentmindedly.
A moderator stepped forward, mic in hand. "Mr. Voss, everyone's been talking online... is it true you've actually finished creating that super-anticipated VR game?"
Dr. Kael Voss pushed his glasses up and grinned slightly. "Yes, that's true. After years of development, the project is finally ready for public reveal."
Rui barely glanced at the polite applause. Famous engineers and their fancy inventions? Not exactly his thing.
Dr. Voss leaned closer to the audience, his eyes sparkling. "And today, I'm proud to announce my latest VR creation — a game where you can actually choose the world you want to live in, explore it freely, and experience adventures like never before."
Rui froze mid-scroll. Wait… did he just say 'choose the world you want to live in'...?
Rui blinked, trying to process what he'd just heard. He raised his hand almost instinctively. "Uh… when will it be available?"
A few snickers ran through the hall. Everyone knew Rui as the quiet, nerdy kid — the one always buried in manga or anime, barely talking to anyone. And now here he was, a One Piece fan daring to raise his hand at a school event. In their eyes, that was... weird.
"Wait, did he just ask a question?" one whispered, nudging his friend.
"Ha! Who even cares what he thinks?" another muttered, rolling their eyes. But honestly, Rui couldn't help thinking about choosing the One Piece world — of course, that was where his mind went.
Rui felt his cheeks heat up, but he didn't lower his hand. He kept his eyes on Dr. Voss. Let them laugh — he wasn't about to let it stop him.
Dr. Voss gave a small smile. "The official release will be in exactly one month. Only a limited number of people will get access at first, so you'll have to be quick."
Rui's hand slowly dropped to his lap, but his mind was racing. One month. That wasn't long, but would he even get a chance? And more importantly… could he afford it?
The ceremony ended shortly after. Students filed out, buzzing about strategies, who they'd team up with, and how they were going to be among the first to play. Rui shuffled along with the crowd, keeping his head down. The chatter around him made him feel even smaller — but he couldn't stop thinking about Dr. Voss's words: Choose the world you want to live in…
By the time he returned home, the afternoon sun was already dipping. His aunt Mara was preparing dinner, the aroma of roasted vegetables and grilled protein filling the small apartment. His uncle, Darian, was scrolling through a tablet at the kitchen counter, occasionally making notes on a work project.
"Back already?" Mara asked casually, not looking up.
"Yeah," Rui mumbled, dropping his backpack by the door. He hung his jacket and went straight to the kitchen table.
Darian glanced up. "How was the ceremony?"
Rui shrugged. "Fine." His mind, however, was somewhere else entirely.
Dinner passed quietly, punctuated by the hum of the city outside and the occasional clink of cutlery. Rui barely touched his food, his thoughts circling the VR game. He wondered how much it would cost, how he could get access… and whether it would really let him choose a world.
One month passed like that.
The next morning, Rui woke with a sense of anxious excitement. He didn't bother with breakfast and immediately booted up his laptop. His fingers flew over the keyboard as he navigated to Dr. Voss's official website.
And then he saw it.
Product: Drexus
About Drexus:
The world's first Neural Reality Interface (NRI). Drexus uses direct synaptic synchronization to convert human consciousness into quantum-coded data.
Once inside, you live, feel, and exist within the selected world. No VR gear, no headset needed.
Price: 150,000,000 USD
Rui froze.
One hundred fifty million. Dollars.
He leaned back in his bed, staring at the screen in disbelief. His stomach sank, a mix of frustration and hopelessness twisting inside him. Of course — a game that promised living in any world you wanted couldn't be cheap. Not in a million years.
He sank his head into his hands. "There's no way…" he muttered.
But even as despair settled in, a tiny, stubborn spark of determination flickered. There has to be a way…
Rui scrolled down the page, almost on autopilot. That's when he saw a link, tucked away at the bottom of the page: [Exclusive Access — Contact Here.]
He hesitated. It looked sketchy — almost like it belonged on the dark web. But the promise was too tempting. A world where he could live freely, have adventures… maybe even see the Strawhat Crew in real life.
Rui swallowed hard. His heart pounded in his chest. "I have to try," he whispered to himself.
With trembling hands, he clicked the link. The screen flickered, a warning message flashing briefly before disappearing. A download bar appeared, moving slowly across the screen.
Buy Drexus.acc085
Price: $100
Version: Full Unlock Access
Rui blinked, confused. "Wait… what?" he murmured.
A hundred dollars? That couldn't be right. Wasn't the official price one hundred and fifty million?
He scrolled up and back down again, rubbing his eyes as if he'd misread it. The link looked completely different from the main site — no fancy layout, no glowing interface, just plain text and a payment button. It didn't even have Dr. Voss's logo on it.
It looked sketchy. Maybe even dangerous.
But his heart was pounding anyway.
"One hundred bucks…" he whispered. "That's… that's actually possible."
Rui bit his lip. His brain told him it was probably a scam, but his heart — the same one that dreamed of sailing with the Strawhat Crew — told him to risk it.
He stared at the blinking cursor on the *Buy Now* button.
A long sigh escaped him. "Screw it," he muttered under his breath. "If it's fake, it's fake. But if it's real…"
His hand trembled slightly as he clicked Purchase. "IT'S REAL...."