Chapter 2: The Calm Sea Key
From the memories of his past life, Kaizen Reiya knew the process. At the very moment the One Piece world began to consume the modern world, the initial fusion was rapid, slowing only after reaching 20% completion. That first fifth would form a new One Piece world, twenty times larger than the original Earth.
Once this new world was born, humans who entered as "players" started as insignificant minnows. To seize resources and survive, they turned on each other in a brutal, bloody free-for-all.
Only the wealthy "players" could exchange their vast fortunes for the new world's currency—copper, silver, and gold coins. With this capital, they could establish their own forces, claim territories, build fleets and cities, and finally put down roots. Only then did they gain a sliver of ability to survive in this dangerous new reality.
Yet, even with all their wealth, these modern players could only carve out a existence in the weakest of seas, the East Blue, in its most remote and resource-poor corners. They stood no chance against the powerful native factions and would be swiftly crushed if they dared to compete.
The One Piece world's consciousness was far more potent. Before devouring the modern world, it had undergone an upgrade. Treasures, water, soil, air, plants, animals—everything was enriched. The number of Devil Fruits increased dramatically, meaning more humans would gain Devil Fruit powers, and those powers would be stronger.
The gap between the new world and the old was immense. Some Devil Fruit users possessed power enough to slaughter tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, even millions. In the face of such might, modern humans were less than ants.
However, possessing the Calm Sea Key would change everything. A modern human who held this key could unlock all hidden treasures and skills upon entering the new world, building their own force and accessing all manner of novel abilities.
For instance, the ability to learn could be amplified tenfold, a hundredfold, a thousandfold. A skill or martial art that took others ten days, a hundred days, or a thousand days to master could be learned in one. With the Calm Sea Key, one's growth rate could outpace others by ten times, a hundred times, a thousand times, ten thousand times—even a hundred million times.
At that rate of growth, no one could compare—not the countless modern "players," nor even the local forces of the new One Piece world.
In his previous life, the man called Xie Chun had used the power of the Calm Sea Key to destroy countless countries and eradicate every faction that defied him, ultimately reigning as the supreme emperor of the four seas.
And now, Kaizen was about to seize that very chance for himself, to defy the heavens and change his destiny.
He sprinted up to the Foxconn roof in one breath and looked up at the sky. From the clear blue, the faint sound of tides grew from a distant whisper to a pervasive roar. The devouring had begun. A visible, vast power, ebbing and flowing like a tidal surge, swept across the entire Earth. Every metal object it touched—satellites, airplanes, cars, TVs, computers, mobile phones, rice cookers—rippled like water before disintegrating into dust.
Countless scrolls rained down from the sky, each flying toward its intended recipient. One landed directly in Kaizen's waiting hands.
He knew this was the invitation—the New One Piece World Landing Scroll.
Everything was identical to his previous life. His rebirth had changed nothing; the world of One Piece had arrived right on schedule. The two world-consciousnesses were locked in a battle of consumption and merger, with the One Piece world gaining the upper hand to form a new, unified reality.
For humanity, this fusion was a cataclysmic disaster. A new world was being born from the throes of doom.
"My God, help! The plane's gone!" A high-flying aircraft turned to dust, its passengers—tiny specks against the sky—screaming as they plummeted.
Moving cars vanished, their occupants tumbling out onto the road.
Ships at sea disappeared, leaving the waters churning with struggling figures.
Power plant generators and electrical cables ceased to exist, plunging the world into panic and darkness.
"Oh my god, are my eyes fooling me? Is that... the ocean in the sky?" Someone was frantically rubbing their eyes.
There, high in the atmosphere, light and shadow swept through the air, projecting a vast, waveless ocean. White sails dotted the seascape as pirate ships bearing bloody skull flags appeared. In the mountainous waves, scaled Sea Kings moved with the tide, and gigantic strange birds flew over the water. Then, Devil Fruit powers flashed into action, scenes of rolling combat and bloodstained seas unfolding—a shocking, violent tableau.
The world was tinted blood red.
The end had come.
Kaizen watched the world transform. Though he had lived through this once before, a nervous tension still coiled within him, mixed with a potent thrill of anticipation.
The ocean in the sky, the pirate ships, the Devil Fruit users, the Sea Kings—this was the birth of the new One Piece world.
Suddenly, a pillar of golden energy, piercing through both heaven and earth, pressed down from the oceanic sky high above. Its target was the roof of the Foxconn building.
"The Calm Sea Key!" Kaizen reached out to meet it, his hand grasping as the golden energy condensed into a haze of light and fell into his palm.
He opened his hand. There it was: a golden key, its body scattering golden light, etched with countless beautiful, star-like runes.
"The Calm Sea Key is mine." A shiver of pure excitement ran through him. Following the memories of his past life, he pricked his finger and let a drop of blood fall onto the scroll, completing the identity authentication for the new One Piece world. The scroll shimmered, turned into a gleam of green light, and vanished into his mind.
Ding. Ten percent. Thirty percent. Eighty percent of the Calm Sea Key is bound.
Ding. The binding of the Calm Sea Key is complete. Congratulations to Kaizen Reiya, a new One Piece World player, for obtaining the supreme treasure, the Calm Sea Key.
The Calm Sea Key, the supreme treasure of the new One Piece world. Its function allows the player to discover all hidden attribute treasures and enhances learning ability: tenfold, a hundredfold, a thousandfold, ten-thousandfold, a hundred-millionfold.
At its peak, the Calm Sea Key will allow the player to become an existence surpassing even the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, and gain the potential to control the consciousness of the new world itself, enabling the continuous devouring of higher-level worlds.
Player entering the New One Piece World for the first time. The power of the Calm Sea Key is now officially activated. Will you enter the New World?
"Enter." Kaizen's chest heaved. He had waited a long time for this—the moment to defy the heavens, change his life, and reach its peak.
Just then, he glanced back and saw a figure with golden hair approaching.
Xie Chun?
Kaizen gave him a strange, knowing smile. You're too late. The chance that was once yours now belongs to me.
With a sound like splashing water, Kaizen Reiya's figure vanished.