Chapter 1: A Flopped Author's Transmigration
Brain Check-in Station~One at a time!This book won't have too many ups and downs—it's all about lighthearted fun!Nami: Am I pretty?......tap... tap... tap... A flurry of frantic keyboard clacks finally died down as Ling Yan finished his update just before midnight on the last day of the month.
"Ah... finally done with the task. Getting that full attendance bonus sure isn't easy..."
After hitting publish, Ling Yan leaned back in his gaming chair, letting his mind unwind.
Thinking about how his reading hours this month had already surpassed two hundred, he figured the bonus was as good as his.
With that in mind, Ling Yan's heart swelled with sweet anticipation. Just as he daydreamed about cashing in his manuscript fees next month and treating himself to a "Happy Thursday" splurge, his consciousness began to blur and fade...
In the East Blue, somewhere in a vast expanse of sea, on a mysterious little island, the weather was sweltering. Today's sea breeze was strong, carrying a salty tang.
Atop a massive tree branch in the island's center—its trunk over fifty meters wide—Ling Yan stirred slowly under the relentless buffeting of the wind.
"Is it morning already...?"
Ling Yan sat up cross-legged on the enormous branch, rubbing his sleepy, half-lidded eyes.
"Where... is this?"
Once his eyes fully opened, Ling Yan finally sensed something was off!
"Holy crap... why am I up in a tree?!"
"And this tree—something's wrong with it. It's huge! Primeval forest?"
A jolt shot through him, and Ling Yan sprang to his feet, eyes wide with disbelief.
His heart racing, he scanned his surroundings, taking in the utter unfamiliarity of it all.
It took a while to calm down, but eventually, Ling Yan pieced it together: he'd transmigrated...
Right now, his age had regressed—he was back to ten years old, standing just 1.23 meters tall.
Glancing at his baggy short-sleeved hoodie and pants that dragged on the ground, a helpless expression flickered across his face.
"My KFC... my fifty-yuan KFC..."
Ling Yan's mood soured at the thought of missing out on that Crazy Thursday KFC feast.
Settling back onto the branch, he gradually accepted his transmigration. Still, he muttered under his breath about the delicious fried chicken wings.
"What world is this, anyway? Such a dense primeval forest—is it ancient times? Or some remote place?"
Ling Yan eyed the alien environment, his mind buzzing with questions. He'd transmigrated without a single memory of this world.
After all, he was a web novel author who'd devoured over three thousand books on platforms like Tomato, clocking more than five thousand hours of reading and penning three novels of his own.
He knew the tropes inside out, so once he confirmed the transmigration was real, panic didn't really set in.
"System?"
"System, you there?"
"Daddy?"
...
"Wait, no—that's not right. Aren't transmigrators supposed to be children of destiny? With their own systems or golden fingers?"
Ling Yan tried a few more times, even patting himself down for any special items. But... he seemed to have none?
No golden finger at all.
He was starting to believe it: he really didn't have one...
"So, which world is this?"
Ling Yan stood, scrutinizing his surroundings more closely.
It was a lone island, with a volcano-like peak at its center. He was perched on one of its colossal ancient trees.
The sea breeze picked up, the air thick and humid, leaving Ling Yan drenched in sweat.
Grrrrrr~
That's when his stomach decided to protest.
Rubbing his growling belly, Ling Yan sighed helplessly. "My KFC..."
Suddenly, his eyes caught something odd on a hidden twig nearby.
He froze.
"Holy crap!"
"Devil Fruit? This is the One Piece world?!"
"Hahaha, I knew it—transmigrators always get their perks!"
"Here it comes now!"
Ling Yan's spirits soared at the sight of the fruit etched with bizarre patterns. The tension in his chest eased.
Suppressing his excitement, he crawled slowly toward it.
Reaching the twig, he clutched the Devil Fruit tight to his chest and examined it closely.
It bore flame-like markings, shaped vaguely like a bird in flight.
Something like this?
"Fire-related? Not the Mera Mera no Mi, though..." Ling Yan muttered, cradling it.
The flame patterns immediately evoked the Mera Mera fruit, but this was clearly different.
"Eh~ Fire powers aren't bad. Probably has other abilities too—way better than that one even dogs won't touch." With that settled, Ling Yan chomped right down.
Blech~~~
"So gross! What the hell is this taste...?"
After forcing down the first bite, Ling Yan gagged—the flavor was revolting, sending shivers of disgust through him.
But remembering that finishing the whole thing boosted awakening chances, he gritted his teeth, pinched his nose, and wolfed it down.
"Cough cough cough~~ Blech~~~ So nasty!"
Ling Yan felt like his mouth was dying, that vile aftertaste refluxing from his throat.
He hugged the trunk tight, taking ages to recover.
"Hiss~~~"
"What's happening~~ It hurts so much~~~"
Suddenly, Ling Yan felt like every bone in his body was shattering, his muscles tearing apart!
"Ah~~"
"It hurts so bad!!!"
The agony sent him rolling along the branch. In his thrashing, he slipped—and tumbled off the tree.
"Ah!!!"
"Help! I just... just transmigrated!!!"
THUD. Ling Yan crashed hard to the ground, a metallic tang flooding his throat as he spat blood.
Overwhelmed by the excruciating pain, he blacked out.
Even in unconsciousness, his muscles twitched and writhed on the surface.
An hour later, the torment yanked his awareness back.
"I... didn't die?"
"Hiss~~~"
"Why does it still hurt like this? What kind of cursed Devil Fruit is this?!"
Bird-Bird Fruit, Mythical Zoan Model: Fire Phoenix?
Before Ling Yan could process the pain's source, the entire island shuddered violently!
"What's going on... an earthquake??"
Gritting through the agony, he staggered to his feet—only to collapse again as the ground heaved and his body screamed.
Rumble rumble~~~
The central volcano erupted in a fury.
Seafloor pressure blasted the magma skyward in a roaring plume!
Ling Yan stared, his face draining to ghostly white—whether from terror or pain, he couldn't tell.
"What kind of starting hell is this...?"