My name is Dean D. Dollars.
And I'm a transmigrator.
Among the countless people who cross into other worlds, I might not be the strongest—
But I am definitely the most reckless.
That's Dean's honest summary of the first half of his life.
...
...
In his previous life, Dean died because he pushed his luck too far.
And then—
He crossed over.
Straight into the pirate world he used to obsess over.
More precisely, he arrived forty-six years before the main storyline began.
As a hardcore One Piece fan, Dean knew exactly how dangerous this world was.
Sure, it wasn't some high-tier mythological universe—but Devil Fruits, bloodthirsty pirates, and corrupt nobles were more than enough to get you killed.
Having already learned the hard lesson of "play stupid games, win stupid prizes" in his previous life, Dean planned to lie low.
Grind levels quietly.
Stay alive.
Grow strong in secret.
Unfortunately—
The system had other ideas.
As a proper transmigrator, how could he not have a system?
And the one bound to him was called:
Die and Become a God.
Its opening speech went something like this:
—Do you wish to understand the true meaning of life?
—Do you want to become the strongest in the world?
—Do you want to transcend worlds?
—To step beyond the Three Realms and escape the Five Elements?
—Do you want to become a god?
If so—
Then go die.
The "Die and Become a God" System will elevate you to godhood upon death.
As long as you die, you will become an omniscient, omnipotent God!!!
That was the system's introduction.
It sounded like a pyramid scheme recruiter on steroids.
Dean's facial expressions at the time went from confusion—
To disbelief—
To flipping the mental table.
I just died once.
I finally made up my mind to never die again.
And now you want me to die a second time?!
You become all-powerful by dying?
Yeah, right.
If it were that easy, why would every genius in every novel struggle their entire lives trying to become a "god"?
Since I've been given another shot at life—
I, Dean D. Dollars, am not dying again.
He immediately crossed "suicide" off the list.
Ignoring the system's nonsense, Dean began training.
He walked along the coastline, hoping maybe he'd get lucky and stumble upon a stray Devil Fruit.
Reality had other plans.
Three days after arriving in this world, he hadn't found a Devil Fruit—
But he had found trouble.
A group of primitive island tribesmen captured him.
Dean, looking far too tender and out of place, was promptly tied up and placed over a bonfire as a sacrifice.
Flames rose.
As Dean mentally prepared for the shortest isekai run in history—
He realized something strange.
He wasn't dead.
The fire burned.
The heat felt like it was searing every cell in his body—
But he wasn't dying.
Not only that—
His body began adapting.
Resistance to fire.
Resistance to extreme heat.
When the ropes burned through, Dean didn't run.
He jumped straight into the flames.
Sparks exploded around him.
Lightning-like arcs danced in the firelight.
The terrified tribesmen immediately dropped to their knees and began worshipping him as a god.
After that incident, Dean started reconsidering the system's pitch.
Everyone else who wanted to "become a god" had to fight tooth and nail just to survive.
One mistake—and it was over.
Dean's system worked the opposite way.
He had to break through the boundary of "living."
Becoming a god through life was hard.
Apparently, dying wasn't as simple as it sounded either.
The more he thought about it, the more the dangerous curiosity inside him stirred.
After a full day and night of mental back-and-forth—
Dean made a decision.
If he wanted answers—
He had to test it.
He grabbed a crude stone blade from one of the tribesmen.
And slit his own throat.
Darkness.
For a few seconds, his consciousness faded.
Then—
He came back.
The wound on his neck was completely healed.
His vitality was stronger than before.
The only evidence of what he had done was the blood on the ground and the blade at his feet.
That first failed suicide attempt changed everything.
Dean fully believed the system now.
And so began his path toward godhood.
A path paved with death.
A path that would earn him a new title across the seas—
The Death King.
A path that would make countless powerhouses question their sanity.
The future Pirate King, Gol D. Roger.
The Dark King, Silvers Rayleigh.
The Hero of the Marines, Monkey D. Garp.
The strategist Sengoku.
The future Emperors—
Edward Newgate.
Charlotte Linlin.
Kaido.
The sea overlord Rocks D. Xebec.
And even—
The King of the World himself, Imu.
No one was spared.