He knew he was dead.
There was no pain. No body. No sound.
Just darkness.
It wasn't scary. It was empty. Like standing in a room before it's built.
He tried to move.
He couldn't feel legs.
He tried to breathe.
He didn't need to.
Interesting.
"So," a voice said.
It didn't come from any direction. It was just there.
"You're handling this better than most."
He didn't answer right away.
Instead, he asked, "Am I dead?"
"Yes."
"Is this judgment?"
A short pause.
"No. This is opportunity."
That made him smile slightly.
"What kind?"
The darkness shifted. Not visually. Just… pressure changed.
"I watch worlds," the voice said. "Stories. Wars. Heroes. Villains. I enjoy movement. Conflict. Change."
"You're bored."
A quiet laugh.
"Yes."
"And I am entertainment?"
"You could be."
He thought about that.
No anger. No fear. Just analysis.
"What's the offer?"
"A new life. Different world. Power. Influence. A stage large enough to matter."
"And the cost?"
"You create chaos."
He tilted his head slightly.
"What kind of chaos?"
"Any kind. As long as it's interesting."
That was vague.
He didn't like vague.
"What world?"
Images appeared in the dark.
A man in red and gold armor flying through the sky.
A green giant smashing buildings.
A god with a hammer calling lightning.
Aliens. Armies. Cities under attack.
He recognized some of them.
Marvel.
So that's where.
"What kind of power?" he asked.
In front of him, several symbols formed.
Different abilities. Different systems.
Magic.
Technology genius.
Telepathy.
Energy control.
Reality bending.
And then—
A strange fruit.
Heart-shaped patterns on its skin.
He stepped closer.
Information filled his mind.
Spatial control within a defined area.
Surgical manipulation of objects and bodies.
Precise, controlled authority.
High mental cost.
Growth through mastery.
He understood it immediately.
This wasn't loud power.
This was control.
He looked at the other options again.
Magic was flashy.
Telepathy was tempting.
Reality control was dangerous.
But this…
This required intelligence.
It rewarded planning.
It allowed subtle change.
He asked, "Can I choose?"
"Yes."
"Will you interfere after?"
"No. I watch. I don't guide."
"Limits?"
"You start small. You grow."
That was fair.
He reached out and touched the fruit.
"I'll take this one."
"The Ope Ope no Mi template," the voice said. "Interesting choice."
"It allows correction," he replied calmly.
"Correction?"
"Yes. Chaos is messy. I prefer structure."
The darkness felt amused.
"Structure creates resistance."
"Good," he said. "Resistance makes growth measurable."
Silence.
Then the voice asked, "What do you want?"
This time he answered without hesitation.
"Authority."
Not fame.
Not destruction.
Not revenge.
Authority.
The darkness pulsed once.
"Very well."
The fruit dissolved into light and entered him.
A strange pressure formed around him, like invisible walls stretching outward.
He felt something new.
A boundary.
A sphere.
Inside it, he sensed space itself.
Positions.
Distance.
Weight.
Control.
It was faint. Weak. But real.
"This world you're entering," the voice said, "already has powerful beings."
"I know."
"Some will try to stop you."
"Of course."
"And if you fail?"
He smiled.
"Then at least you won't be bored."
The voice laughed.
For the first time, it sounded genuinely entertained.
"Go then."
The darkness cracked.
Light flooded in.
Sound exploded.
Cold air filled small lungs.
He screamed.
Not from fear.
From shock.
Hands lifted him.
Voices spoke quickly around him.
A woman cried softly.
He opened his eyes.
Bright hospital lights.
Blurry faces.
A new body.
Small.
Weak.
But alive.
Somewhere deep inside his mind, something waited.
A system.
Dormant.
Growing.
He stopped crying before other babies did.
He stared at the ceiling instead.
Watching.
Listening.
Learning.
The world thought it had welcomed a child.
It had not.
It had welcomed a future problem.
And he was already smiling.