REWRITE!!!
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Morning came faster than I expected in Shell Town.
I woke up not to the sound of roosters or shouting voices, but to the cold sea wind slipping through the cracks of the warehouse. The wooden floor beneath my back felt hard. My shoulders were sore, but this body recovered faster than my old one ever did. There was no lingering pain, no familiar stiffness that usually greeted me every morning.
I sat up slowly.
Sunlight filtered through the broken planks, dust floating quietly in the air. The smell of salt mixed with damp wood filled my lungs.
I was still alive.
The thought surfaced naturally. Simple. Undramatic. But important.
The system appeared without any warning sound.
—
[Daily Status Check]
Physical Condition: Stable
Mental Condition: Stable
Fatigue: Low
Threat Level: 0
—
I nodded to myself.
Day two.
I survived the first day. Today, I needed to adapt.
I stepped out of the warehouse carefully. The town was only half awake. Some shops were still closed. Marines were changing shifts. The morning air felt clean before the noise of the day settled in.
And then I saw him.
Even from a distance, the straw hat was unmistakable. He sat casually on the steps of a building, yawning without a care in the world. A short-haired boy stood nearby with his arms crossed, clearly annoyed.
Coby.
I stopped moving.
The system responded immediately.
—
[Canon proximity: High]
[Direct observation permitted]
[Interaction restricted]
—
I stayed in the shadow of a nearby building. Not too close. Not too far. A safe distance.
I watched them the way someone watches a scene they know by heart, except now it was playing in front of me in painfully high resolution.
Luffy was taller than I had imagined. His movements were sloppy, yet natural. As if his body had never learned the meaning of caution. Every step carried absolute confidence that the world would simply adjust around him.
Coby was different.
Nervous. Stiff shoulders. Hands that never seemed to know where to rest. Yet there was something in his eyes. A raw determination that had not yet taken shape.
I remembered exactly what would become of that boy.
He would change.
Just not yet.
I let out a quiet breath.
Watching them like this felt strange. I had always been an observer, safely behind a screen. Now I stood in the same world, yet had no right to touch the story itself.
The system sent a soft notification.
—
[Hidden Quest possibility detected]
[Condition: Emotional interference]
[Status: Locked]
—
I swallowed.
So even sympathy was dangerous.
I turned away for a moment and took a few steps back. I could not afford to stare at them for too long. The system was clearly monitoring my focus.
I headed toward the small marketplace on the other side of town. Activity was picking up. Stalls opened. Fresh fish were unloaded from boats. The sound of bargaining slowly filled the air.
I walked through the narrow paths with my head slightly lowered.
Once again, I noticed the same thing.
No one truly looked at me.
Not because I blended in well, but because my existence itself was being subtly suppressed. Eyes slid past me. Conversations did not pause when I walked by. Even when I stood too close to someone, they would simply shift aside without turning their head.
This was not invisibility.
It was as if the world collectively agreed that I was unimportant.
The sensation pressed heavily against my chest.
I stopped at a bread stall, picked up a small loaf, and paid. The seller accepted the coin without any particular reaction.
I ate as I walked.
The morning continued.
I returned to my observation point.
Luffy now stood in the middle of town, laughing loudly. His voice cut through the crowd. Several marines glanced his way with suspicion.
My body tensed.
This was approaching a critical point.
I knew what would happen today. I knew when Morgan would act. I knew when Zoro would appear.
And I knew my role was not to ensure it happened, but to make sure I did not interfere.
The system seemed to echo my thoughts.
—
[Main Quest reminder]
[Do not intervene]
[Deviation risk if interference exceeds threshold]
—
I rubbed my face.
Fine.
I climbed onto the roof of a low building using a wooden ladder beside the old warehouse. From there, I could see almost the entire town square.
I sat down and took a steady breath.
From up here, everything was clear.
Luffy talking to Coby. Marines gathering. The tension slowly thickening.
And I did nothing.
I felt guilty.
Not because I failed to help, but because I already knew the outcome. I knew Luffy would not die here. I knew Zoro would survive. That knowledge made me calm, and at the same time, frighteningly detached.
Was this what the system meant by maintaining mental stability?
I looked away toward the sea.
Small ships rested at the harbor. Waves rolled in softly.
I asked myself a question.
If I was forbidden from interfering, then what was the point of my existence here?
The answer came quietly.
I was here to watch.
To guard the moments that were never recorded.
To correct the small mistakes that should never happen.
I lowered my gaze.
And then the system sent a different kind of message.
—
[Observation Log updated]
[Target: Monkey D. Luffy]
[Evaluation: Anomaly beyond prediction]
—
A faint smile crossed my lips.
Even the system could not fully understand the protagonist of this world.
The day went on as tension continued to rise. I watched the marines move. I watched Morgan step out of the base. I watched the shadow of conflict take shape.
And I stayed where I was.
Silent.
Nameless.
The nameless day continued like this.
And I knew it was only the beginning.
—————
I was not sure when the tension turned into a burden.
Maybe when Morgan emerged from the base, his heavy steps matched by his inflated ego. Maybe when the marines stopped guarding and started suppressing. Or maybe it began the moment I chose to sit on the rooftop and let the world move without my touch.
I swallowed.
From where I stood, I could see everything too clearly. Luffy stood casually in the center of the square. Coby lingered behind him, his expression torn between fear and admiration. Morgan shouted orders. I could not hear his words, but his tone alone was enough.
I knew this scene.
I knew how it would end.
Knowing did not make it easier to watch.
The system remained silent. No warnings. No additional restrictions. As if it trusted me to obey.
I shifted my position slightly. The wooden roof creaked under my weight. My heartbeat quickened.
If I moved now. If I did something small. A distraction. A sound. A tiny disturbance.
Would that change anything?
The thought itself was dangerous.
I closed my eyes.
No.
I opened them again and forced myself to watch.
Morgan raised his weapon. The marines advanced. The tension snapped.
Luffy moved.
Too fast for someone who looked so relaxed. His body shot forward with power that few recognized yet. Shouts erupted. The crowd scattered.
My fingers dug into the edge of the roof.
Zoro appeared soon after.
Bound. Wounded. Yet standing tall with an overwhelming presence despite his condition. Something stirred in my chest as I watched him.
Not admiration.
Recognition.
These were the people who would change the world.
And I was nothing more than a shadow witnessing it.
The system finally responded.
—
[Canon event unfolding]
[Deviation tolerance: Narrow]
[Remain concealed]
—
I took a deep breath.
Understood.
The battle ended quickly. Brutally. Unevenly. Morgan fell. The marines panicked. Zoro was freed. Shell Town's fragile order collapsed and rebuilt itself almost at the same time.
I realized something I never felt as a viewer.
This was not heroic.
It was real chaos.
People were hurt. Buildings were damaged. Children cried. Freedom did not arrive beautifully.
It arrived through impact.
And I stood on the rooftop.
It was over.
Luffy laughed. Zoro stood bloodied but unbroken. Coby cried while smiling.
I finally exhaled, only then realizing how long I had been holding my breath.
Then something unexpected happened.
A marine looked in my direction.
I froze.
His gaze was unfocused. Uncertain. But it was aimed exactly where I stood.
The system reacted instantly.
—
[Alert]
[Existence fluctuation detected]
[Risk of detection: Low but present]
—
I stepped back on instinct.
The wood beneath my feet made a sound slightly louder than it should have.
The marine narrowed his eyes.
Time stretched.
I held my breath.
If he approached. If he pointed. If he questioned.
The system had not provided a solution yet.
I prepared for the worst.
Then another shout pulled his attention away. He turned back toward the square. His focus shifted. The world resumed without me.
The system sent a cold notification.
—
[Warning logged]
[Avoid elevated positions during canon climax]
—
I gave a small nod.
Lesson learned.
I climbed down quietly and slipped away before the town fully settled. I did not want to be here when attention returned to normal. Shadows were safest when the world was busy.
I walked toward the beach.
My steps felt heavy. Not physically, but mentally.
I sat on the sand at a distance from town. Waves brushed against my feet. The cold water grounded me.
I stared out at the sea.
Luffy and Zoro would leave soon. They would sail onward. The story would move forward. I would not follow them yet.
I looked down at my hands.
I had done nothing today.
But I survived.
And maybe that was enough for now.
The system appeared one last time.
—
[Daily Log]
[Canon event observed without interference]
[Stability maintained]
[Minor mental resistance increased]
—
A faint smile surfaced.
So even doing nothing counted as progress.
I closed my eyes.
The nameless day ended there.
No praise. No recognition. No trace left behind.
But I knew one thing.
If history ever stumbled.
If a mistake appeared where none should exist.
I would be there.
In the shadows.
Guarding the path of the story.
And slowly, perhaps, finding the reason why this world still allowed me to exist.