Strategic Choice
I stopped dead in the middle of the beach, a thought suddenly striking me.
"Wait a second."
[YES, DIRECTOR?]
"This world... it's One Piece. People here can literally break mountains with their bare hands with enough training. There are guys who cut ships in half with one sword strike, others who manipulate natural elements thanks to Devil Fruits..."
[EXACTLY. THIS WORLD POSSESSES A LEVEL OF PHYSICAL POWER FAR EXCEEDING THE STANDARD HUMAN NORM.]
"And me, right now... I'm just a normal guy in a twenty-year-old body. Without training. Without power. Without anything."
The system's silence was eloquent.
"If I start capturing anomalies, sooner or later, someone will notice. Pirates. The Marines. Maybe even the World Government. And if they ever discover my Foundation, what I can do..."
[YOUR CONCERN IS LEGITIMATE.]
[PROPOSAL: FREE INITIAL CONTAINMENT OF A SAFE-CLASS SCP ENTITY.]
[RESTRICTION: SAFE CLASS ONLY.]
[UNIQUE CHOICE. IRREVERSIBLE.]
I sat in the sand, gaze lost on the horizon. A Safe SCP. Just one. To help me survive in this crazy world.
The possibilities scrolled through my mind, drawn from my fan knowledge.
"SCP-038, the Everything Tree... I could clone anything. Devil Fruits, infinite food, weapons..."
[VIABLE CHOICE. HIGH LOGISTICAL UTILITY.]
"But it doesn't protect me. If a guy like Don Krieg shows up and wants to kill me to steal my power, I'm dead. And if word gets out that I can duplicate Devil Fruits..." I shivered. "Every lunatic in this world would come after me."
[CORRECT ANALYSIS. PERSONAL SECURITY SHOULD BE A PRIORITY.]
I stood up and started pacing, thinking aloud.
"I need something that protects me. Something discreet, if possible. Something that won't attract attention but can save my life when things go wrong..."
Dozens of Safe SCPs came to mind. Some offensive, others defensive, a few completely useless in this context.
Then an idea germinated. An idea that solved several problems at once.
"System, I want..."
I detailed my request. The system remained silent for a few seconds, as if analyzing the request.
[CHOICE VALIDATED.]
[SELECTED ENTITY: [REDACTED]]
[CLASS: SAFE]
[IMMEDIATE CONTAINMENT INITIATED.]
[PLEASE PROCEED TO THE CONTAINMENT QUARTER.]
My heart accelerated. This was it. No turning back.
I summoned the door and entered the Foundation. The empty corridors echoed with my hurried steps as I headed to the containment quarter. The system guided me to a specific cell, at the end of a side corridor.
CONTAINMENT CELL 017
CLASS: SAFE
ACCESS: LEVEL 5 REQUIRED (AUTHORIZED)
I placed my hand on the biometric scanner. The door slid open with a pneumatic hiss.
Several Hours Later
The Foundation door materialized on the beach and I stumbled out.
I was soaked. Head to toe. My clothes were dripping, my hair stuck to my forehead, and a small puddle was forming under my feet.
But I was smiling.
A wide, confident, almost euphoric smile.
[FAMILIARIZATION PROCESS COMPLETE.]
[SYMBIOSIS ESTABLISHED: 47%]
[ESTIMATED TIME FOR COMPLETE SYNCHRONIZATION: 72 HOURS]
"It's perfect," I murmured, wringing out my shirt. "It's exactly what I needed."
I raised my hand in front of me, observing it carefully. In appearance, nothing had changed. But I felt it. That presence. That connection. That power now sleeping within me, ready to react to the slightest danger.
"With this, I can survive. I can protect my Foundation. And above all..."
I clenched my fist, feeling a new strength circulating within me.
"I can accomplish my mission."
The sun had almost completely disappeared behind the horizon. Night was falling on East Blue, and somewhere in this vast ocean, a boy with a straw hat was beginning his journey to become the Pirate King.
And me? I was going to join him.
Not as a simple crew member. Not as a rival.
But as someone who had his own mission. His own reason for being there.
"System, can you locate Luffy?"
[NEGATIVE. MONKEY D. LUFFY IS NOT AN ANOMALY.]
[SUGGESTION: GO TO KEY LOCATIONS OF HIS JOURNEY.]
[NEXT PROBABLE DESTINATION: SHELLS TOWN]
"Shells Town... the guy with the axes, right?" I vaguely remembered. "Luffy recruits Zoro there."
[INFORMATION CORRECT.]
[ESTIMATED DISTANCE: 40 KM NORTHEAST]
[TRAVEL TIME ON FOOT: 8-10 HOURS]
I looked at my wet clothes and sighed. "Well, first find dry clothes and a means of transportation. Then, direction Shells Town."
I began walking along the coast, my steps more assured now. Something had changed in me in that cell. I was no longer just a fan reincarnated in a fictional world.
I was the Director of an SCP Foundation.
And I had work to do.
[END OF CHAPTER 6]
[ANOMALIES CAPTURED: 1/???]
[CLASSIFICATION: ████ - SAFE CLASS]
[SYMBIOSIS: 47%]
[NEXT OBJECTIVE: LOCATE MONKEY D. LUFFY - SHELLS TOWN]