REWRITE!!!
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I left Shell Town before the sun climbed too high.
The town was still busy cleaning up the aftermath of yesterday's chaos. Damaged buildings. Confused Marines trying to figure out who was in charge now. Civilians whispering, arguing, laughing nervously as if they had all survived the same strange dream.
A small town shaken by a man in a straw hat who laughed far too loudly for someone who had just torn down authority.
I walked away without looking back.
There was no reason to return.
Shell Town had finished its role.
So had I.
The eastern shoreline was quiet. Fishing boats rested near the sand, unattended, rocking gently with the waves. I sat on a piece of coral-streaked rock and stared out at the sea. The morning wind was stronger today, carrying salt and cold with it. Waves struck the rocks in a steady rhythm, almost like breathing.
I inhaled slowly.
I had seen the beginning of the story with my own eyes. That alone was enough to confirm something important.
This world would not wait for me to be ready.
If I only observed, if I continued doing nothing but surviving, I would eventually fall behind. Not because of the story, but because I would remain weak while reality moved forward.
The system responded as if it had been waiting for that thought.
—
[Hidden Quest Unlocked]
Quest Title: The First Shadow
Description: Perform minimal intervention without triggering canon deviation
Conditions: Must not be seen by main characters or the public
Reward: Passive Skill
Failure Penalty: Existence instability
—
I swallowed. So this was it.
No longer just survival. No longer mere observation.
The system was asking me to move. Carefully. Quietly. But decisively.
I closed my eyes for a moment.
Minimal intervention.
I replayed the timeline in my head. Luffy and Zoro would leave Shell Town soon. Their destination was Orange Town. But between here and there existed countless unrecorded variables. Small pirate crews. Opportunistic criminals. Threats too insignificant to appear on the main stage.
That was my space.
I stood up.
My body felt different than it had two days ago. Not stronger in any dramatic sense, but more aligned. More composed.
I walked along the shore until I found a small fishing boat that looked rarely used. I inspected it. No one nearby. No clear ownership marks.
I was not stealing.
I was borrowing.
I pushed the boat into the water and climbed in carefully. The wooden oars felt rough against my palms as I began rowing away from shore.
Not toward the main route.
Slightly off to the side.
I was not going to follow Luffy. I only needed to be close enough to observe. Close enough to intervene if necessary. Far enough to remain invisible.
The open sea felt different from the beach. The wind was freer. The waves more honest. No buildings. No crowds. Only water and sky.
I felt small.
And maybe that was a good thing.
The system stayed silent as I rowed. I focused on my breathing, on the steady movement of the oars.
Until I heard them.
Rough voices. Crude laughter. The sound of wood scraping against wood.
I stopped rowing.
Turning my head, I saw another small boat in the distance. Poorly maintained. Three men stood on it, armed with crude weapons and wearing worn clothes. Their presence was hostile even from afar.
Small-time pirates.
Exactly as I expected.
They had not seen me.
I checked the wind. It was blowing from them toward me. Their voices carried, but mine would not.
I listened carefully.
They were waiting for a ship.
They wanted to rob someone.
And the route they were watching was the same one Luffy and Zoro would soon pass through.
My chest tightened.
I knew how that encounter would end. Luffy would win easily. But it would still be a fight. A risk. Damage that did not need to happen.
And the system had given me permission.
I inhaled slowly.
Fine.
I would act.
But not like a hero.
I rowed sideways, keeping my distance, then picked up a small stone from the bottom of my boat. I tossed it into the water some distance away.
Splash.
One of the pirates turned his head.
"What was that?" he shouted.
Their boat shifted direction. They rowed toward the sound.
I held my breath.
I threw another stone, farther this time, carefully guiding their attention away from the main route.
They laughed, thinking it was prey. Maybe a small boat. Maybe an easy victim.
Their course drifted.
I continued, spacing the sounds just enough to avoid suspicion.
Slowly, deliberately, their position changed.
Then I stopped.
I waited.
Minutes passed.
From the corner of my vision, I saw another small boat pass through the route they had abandoned.
The straw hat was unmistakable.
Luffy sat casually, laughing. Zoro rowed with a bored expression.
They passed unharmed.
My chest loosened.
The system appeared.
—
[Hidden Quest Progress Updated]
[Intervention Successful]
[Deviation Level: Negligible]
—
I closed my eyes briefly.
I had not fought. I had not struck anyone. I had not revealed myself.
But something had changed.
Small. Unrecorded.
And maybe that was how I would survive in this world.
The pirate boat eventually realized there was nothing there and turned back. They never knew their opportunity had been erased by someone they never saw.
I rowed away quietly.
Not chasing. Not watching too long.
The system delivered its final message.
—
[Skill Acquired]
Shadow Sense Lv 1
Effect: Increased perception of hidden threats within a limited radius
—
I opened my eyes and allowed myself a faint smile.
My first shadow had moved.
And I remained unseen.
I continued rowing until the pirates' voices vanished completely, swallowed by wind and distance.
Only then did I let the oars rest.
The boat drifted gently. The sun had begun to sink, painting the sea gold.
I took a deep breath.
Relief mixed with weight.
I had intervened.
Barely. But it still counted.
The system remained silent, and that silence made me uneasy.
I looked at my hands.
They had not harmed anyone. Yet they had altered the flow of events.
Was that truly safe?
Before I could answer, my perception shifted.
Sharper. More alert.
I turned instinctively.
To my right, far from the boat, the water rippled unnaturally. Not waves. Not fish. Something moving with intent.
My heart quickened.
The system had already activated.
Shadow Sense.
I focused. The disturbance moved away. Not toward me. But the awareness lingered.
I was not alone out here.
The system finally spoke.
—
[Skill Synchronization Complete]
[Shadow Sense Lv 1 Active]
[Warning: Mental Load Increased]
—
I rubbed my face.
Of course there was a cost.
A dull pressure formed behind my eyes. Not pain. More like my mind processing more information than before. Every sound, every shift in wind, every shadow on the water felt amplified.
Useful.
Exhausting.
I closed my eyes and slowed my breathing.
Calm down.
I was not in immediate danger.
When I opened my eyes again, the sky had begun to darken. Night was coming.
I had not planned this well. No supplies. No shelter.
Movement had consequences.
The system activated again.
—
[Survival Sub Quest Triggered]
Quest Title: Night at Sea
Description: Survive until dawn without being detected
Reward: Minor Willpower Increase
Failure Penalty: Severe Fatigue
—
I exhaled softly.
Naturally.
I secured the oars so they would not drift away and lowered my posture to keep the boat stable. No lights. No sound.
I let the boat drift with the current.
Night fell slowly.
The sky filled with stars. No city lights. No noise. Just countless points of light that felt uncomfortably close.
I stared at them for a long time.
In my old world, I rarely saw stars like this. Always hidden by buildings and exhaustion. Here, they stared back openly.
I felt small.
And for the first time since arriving in this world, that feeling was not entirely frightening.
I thought of Luffy's carefree laughter. Of Zoro standing tall despite his wounds. People like them did not overthink the future. They moved, and the world followed.
I was different.
I moved while watching both the past and the future at the same time.
I did not know which burden was heavier.
The night wind grew colder. I pulled my clothes tighter around myself. This body was young, but the sea was unforgiving.
Shadow Sense remained active. I could feel movements far below. Large fish. Maybe something else. Not threatening. But present.
The awareness kept me awake.
I endured the night with half-closed eyes, dragged back to alertness every time I drifted too close to sleep. Not punishment. Just consequence.
When the eastern sky finally lightened, I nearly laughed in relief.
Dawn.
The system appeared.
—
[Survival Sub Quest Completed]
[WIL +1]
[Fatigue Applied: Mild]
—
I breathed out deeply.
I was tired. My eyes burned. But there was a quiet satisfaction in my chest.
I rowed toward a small island barely visible on the horizon. Not Orange Town. Not yet. I needed rest. Time to stabilize myself.
This boat would be abandoned soon. I could not keep using it.
As the shoreline grew clearer, the system delivered its final message.
—
[Hidden Quest Completed]
The First Shadow
Reward Confirmed
Passive Skill Retained
Existence Stability: Stable
—
I allowed myself a faint smile.
So this was how it began.
Not as a hero. Not as a spectator.
But as something in between.
Someone who moved just enough to make a difference, yet wise enough not to claim it.
I looked toward the land ahead.
My journey had only just begun.
And I knew it would only become harder from here.
But for the first time since awakening in this world, I was no longer merely surviving.
I was moving.
In the shadows.