East Blue.
Approximately three hundred nautical miles east of the Conomi Islands.
On an unnamed island.
A beast as massive as a small mountain was sprinting for its life through the forest, kicking up clouds of dust in its wake.
Behind it trailed a youth who looked to be about fourteen or fifteen. With every step he took, he seemed to teleport, appearing ten meters ahead in an instant.
He remained glued to the beast's heels.
Despite the swirling dust ahead, not a single speck could touch the youth; it was as if he were shielded by an invisible wall.
'Sigh, my Shunpo training is still too lacking. Eighteen meters per step is my current limit.'
"Hey! I just want to carve off a piece of leg meat to fill my stomach! It's not like I haven't done it before, so why are you running!"
"Just stop already! A quick pain is better than a long one, right?" the youth shouted, sounding utterly exasperated.
Over the past three years, this scene had played out countless times.
The youth's name was Sean Campbell.
Of course, this wasn't his original name, but that of the previous owner of this body.
Beyond the name, Sean knew nothing else, as there had been no "memory fusion" upon his arrival. He had only discovered the name "Sean Campbell" because it was embroidered on his clothes.
'What kind of person is twelve years old and still has their name sewn into their clothes?'
Sean truly found himself unable to comment on that.
A few minutes later, after the giant beast had spent a long time running at full tilt, its stamina depleted and its speed began to drop.
This finally allowed Sean to close the gap.
In one fluid motion, he delivered a whip-kick to the creature's massive head, sending it flying ten meters back.
In the next instant, Sean appeared beside the unconscious giant beast. With a satisfied grin, he pulled out a masterpiece of the Stone Age—a crude stone knife—and began cutting into a hind leg, specifically at a spot that looked different from the rest, where a bit of downy fur had just started to grow.
"Don't worry. I always cut from this spot; it'll all grow back in a few months."
"Speaking of which, you beasts have incredible recovery power. To think a chunk of meat this large can actually grow back."
A faint emerald glow emanated from his hand, and the freshly cut wound on the beast's leg began to stop bleeding and heal rapidly.
However, with Sean's current healing level, this was the limit. As for actually regrowing the missing meat, he had to rely on the beast's own regenerative abilities.
"System, open status panel."
[Sean Campbell]
[Slash: Lv.2 (50/300)]
[Punch: Lv.3 (200/1000)]
[Step: Lv.3 (400/1000)]
[Spirit: Lv.2 (20/300)]
[Spiritual Power: 1592]
[Zanpakutō: None]
He sighed softly.
Despite having a system, he was trapped on a deserted island. He didn't even know exactly where he was.
Looking at the panel, he assumed he had transmigrated into the world of 'Bleach', as this was a Shinigami-style status screen.
However... he didn't recall any giant beasts like this being mentioned in the 'Bleach' series.
Then again, the series only ever depicted one city in the World of the Living. There was no mention of what the rest of the world looked like.
Thus, Sean didn't overthink it. He simply assumed he had transmigrated to a place in the 'Bleach' world outside of Karakura Town.
As for the surrounding ocean? It would be weirder if Earth 'didn't' have an ocean.
Once his strength improved, he should be able to leave the island on his own.
"System, I want to Claim today's Reward."
[Host, please select the items to use.]
"Hmm, let's go with that piece of meat I just cut. Use quantity as the basis. Kuro's hind leg needs to last me until it grows back, so let's start!"
[Reward item confirmed. Determining random multiplier...]
[Ding! Multiplier is 100x. Reward complete.]
In the next instant, Sean's vision blurred. When it cleared, a hundred large chunks of meat appeared before him—identical in size, shape, and freshness.
While such a scene was bizarre, Sean was long since used to it.
Along with his transmigration, he had received this "Multiplier System" cheat. Its function was crude and direct.
He had one multiplier opportunity per day. Sean could multiply any gain he had acquired through his own efforts within a certain timeframe in any way he desired.
The keyword was 'gain'—it had to be something earned through his own hard work.
Furthermore, each use came with a random multiplier ranging from 0.01 to 100.
Based on three years of experience, although the system claimed it was random, the 1 to 20 range appeared most frequently.
There had been one time, similar to today, where Sean had carved a piece of meat from Kuro.
But the multiplyment had gone wrong...
0.01x...
Not only did the meat not increase, but the original piece had shrunk to one-hundredth of its size. It was absolutely insulting.
As a result, Sean had been forced to grit his teeth and, in pain, carve another piece of meat from Kuro's other hind leg!
He had even screamed on behalf of the unconscious Kuro, who couldn't make a sound...
What a sin!!
Of course, what Sean multiplyd most often were the results of his training.
However, despite having a Shinigami panel, Sean possessed no Zanpakutō. Because of this, he couldn't even begin to train the "Zanpakutō" category. Even the "Slash" skill was practiced using tree branches, which yielded very poor results.
"Tsk tsk, a hundred times! I haven't seen this multiplier in three months. Looks like Kuro can get a few more months of rest."
Looking at the hundreds of meat chunks, Sean felt genuine happiness for Kuro.
But soon, his expression soured.
"A 100x multiplier is great, but processing all this..."
Indeed, processing a hundred chunks of meat—cleaning them, roasting them, and then wind-drying them for storage—was a monumental task.
He had originally planned to process a few pieces, maybe ten or twenty at most, but now...
Sean suddenly felt the urge to slack off and only process a portion of it. The rest could just go to waste.
At most, he would just have to "apologize" to Kuro by carving into him a bit earlier than planned.
'Yeah, I'm sure Kuro will understand...'
Sean nodded slowly, stroking his chin.
'''
The next day.
After completing his morning Shunpo training, Sean went to the shore to gaze into the distance, as he did every day.
Over the past three years, this had become a habit.
Unfortunately, as far as the eye could see, there was nothing but the endless expanse of the ocean. Nothing else.
After enjoying the sea breeze for a while, Sean turned to leave and continue his daily training.
However, halfway through his turn, his body froze. He snapped back around and stared intently at the horizon.
"I'm not seeing things. It really is..."
"It's a ship!!"
It was still far off.
It was still tiny.
But Sean was certain: it was a ship!
This was the first time in three years that Sean had seen a vessel.
'What should I do? Should I just use my spiritual power to walk on air, or maybe try some water-walking technique?'
'No, no, that would scare them. After all, the World of the Living is full of ordinary people!'
'A signal fire? Yes, a signal fire!'
'But I don't have any wolf dung. How am I supposed to make a signal fire?'
'Right! I'll use a Hadō. Hmm, Number Thirty-Three: Sōkatsui should work. I can pretend it's a firework to fool them!'
After agonizing over it for a while, he finally made up his mind.
"The King of the World! Mask of flesh and blood, all creation, soaring wings, the one who wears the name of humanity! Truth and Temperance... huh?"
Just as Sean was halfway through the incantation, he suddenly noticed something...
The ship seemed to be turning. It was heading straight for him!
A minute later, Sean could confirm it: the ship was definitely coming his way.
'Did someone on board see me with a telescope?'
That worked out well; it saved him from having to expose himself.
However, a look of confusion crossed his face. Because this ship...
No matter how he looked at it, it was a wooden sailing vessel.
The World of the Living in the Shinigami world was a modern society. There shouldn't be any antiques like this sailing the seas, right?
Moreover, that seagull pattern on the sail... didn't it look incredibly familiar?
As the ship drew closer, Sean was instantly stunned.
'Holy crap...'
Isn't that the logo of the Marines from One Piece?
He had spent every waking moment believing he had transmigrated into the world of Bleach, dreaming of the day he could leave this godforsaken deserted island, find a way to sneak into the Seireitei, and then...
What, you're asking what he'd do in the Seireitei?
He was going to find a way to get his hands on an Asauchi, and while he was at it, check out some of his favorite Shinigami beauties from his past life.
People like Rangiku Matsumoto or Retsu Unohana, for instance.
Yes, just looking!
And only as a side project!!
As for the other girls?
Sorry, but Sean had zero interest in "flat chests" or lolis.
But now?
All of that was gone!!
'Wait... if I think about it, there are actually more female characters in the One Piece world who fit my criteria than in Bleach?'
Amidst his grief and indignation, a thought suddenly struck him. He rubbed his chin, muttering to himself...
After all, there were far too many "flat chests" in Bleach.
In One Piece, however, almost every single girl was... well, blessed with ample curves.
Now 'that' was the most critical point!!
'''
The naval technology of the One Piece world was truly primitive.
Of course, some specially designed ships could be advanced in certain strange ways.
But that definitely did not include standard Marine warships.
This sailing vessel could only reach a speed of seven or eight knots. It took another half hour before it finally reached the deserted island.
Most amusingly, the figurehead of the ship was a dog's head chomping on a bone.
In the entire One Piece world, there was only one ship with such a bizarre figurehead.
"Kid, what's the deal with you?"
Garp stepped off the warship with a boisterous stride. He looked at Sean, who was shirtless with a single leaf wrapped around his lower half, and asked bluntly.
Garp had happened to spot someone on the beach of the deserted island while passing by, which is why he had ordered the ship to turn around and investigate.
One had to admire the vision of the powerhouses in the One Piece world; they could see a person from over ten kilometers away.
"I don't know. I have no memories from the last three years."
"Three years? You mean you've been on this deserted island alone for three years?"
"That's right," Sean nodded.
'Hiss...'
Several Marines who followed Garp off the ship collectively gasped.
Alone!
A deserted island!
Three years!!
This wasn't something an ordinary person could achieve.
Securing a food source for three years alone would be a massive problem.
Furthermore, islands like this usually harbored giant beasts. Even trained Marines wouldn't dare claim they could survive alone for three years.
"Kid, do you have a name?"
"Sean Campbell. That's the name sewn into my clothes when I first woke up on the island, but I'm not sure if it's actually my name."
"Sean Campbell... Bogard, does the name Campbell sound familiar?"
Garp asked his adjutant with a look of confusion.
Beside him, Bogard, dressed in a gray suit and wearing sunglasses, quickly provided an answer.
"Vice Admiral, three years ago, a high noble of the Zumeida Kingdom, the Campbell Family, disappeared at sea. It was suspected to be a shipwreck, although it was said that the only son of the Campbell family was a bit..."
As he spoke, Bogard looked at Sean with a puzzled expression.
He had heard that the only son of the Campbell family was as arrogant as the Celestial Dragons—not only overbearing but also not particularly bright.
But looking at him now, he didn't seem like that at all!!
"No wonder it sounded so familiar. I happened to be heading back to the East Blue to check on Luffy back then, and that old geezer Sengoku actually asked me to help look for them. Luckily, I was smart enough to dump the job on Nezumi from the Sixteenth Branch."
"Yes, Vice Admiral. In the end, you told Fleet Admiral Sengoku that you searched for an entire month, and used that as an excuse to take another month of vacation. In reality, you spent that entire month in Foosha Village without leaving!"
"Puhahaha! I guess that's how it went. Sorry about that, Sean!"
Looking at Garp's completely shameless laughter, Sean's face was covered in black lines.
That guy Sengoku...
How could he entrust such an important mission to this unreliable idiot?
And Garp was even worse, handing it off to that guy Nezumi?
But a shipwreck?
Speaking of which, Sean recalled the scene when he first transmigrated.
"This Garp... is a Vice Admiral?"
"You said my family encountered a shipwreck back then?"
"Although I lost my memories when I woke up on the island, but..."
"I am very certain that at the time, I had several sword wounds and even gunshot wounds!"
"Yeah, like this bullet!"
That was right. If the system hadn't existed back then—and if Sean hadn't set his goal as a one-hour injury recovery effect and randomly rolled a hundred-fold multiplier...
He probably would have died shortly after arriving.
At that time, he had been severely injured. Even if the beasts on the island hadn't eaten him, he wouldn't have survived more than a few hours.
As he spoke, Sean removed a bullet from around his neck—one he had worn for three years.
It was a flintlock bullet.
To be precise, a spherical lead ball.
Upon hearing this, Garp's expression became much more serious.
Bogard stepped forward and took the bullet from Sean's hand.
While bullets in this world looked similar, there were subtle differences.
"Vice Admiral Garp... this is a bullet manufactured by our Marines!"
Indeed, Marine bullets were marked upon production, though the markings were faint.
But Bogard could recognize them instantly.
This was a huge problem.
The Campbell Family, high nobles of the Zumeida Kingdom, had disappeared three years ago.
Originally, everyone believed the Campbell Family had suffered a shipwreck. But now...
After all, Nezumi had reported back then that he only found a few pieces of wreckage engraved with the Campbell family crest and no survivors.
But now, because of the bullet Sean provided, there was a hidden connection to the Marines!!
"Kid, the Marines will investigate this thoroughly. But what do you plan to do next?"
The Justice that Reigns Over All
"If you want to return to the Zumeida Kingdom, I can take you there!"
Return to the Zumeida Kingdom?
Was that even worth it?
Based on what Garp had said, the Campbell Family were high nobles of the Zumeida Kingdom. But three years had passed; any unclaimed assets had likely been devoured by other nobles long ago.
If he went back now, not only would those nobles refuse to give back what they had stolen, they would probably find a way to kill him just to tie up any loose ends.
Besides, since he had the rare opportunity to be in the world of One Piece, he had to pick a side: either the pirates or the Marines.
However, having been raised with the values of his previous life, Sean had a very strong moral compass. He couldn't bring himself to walk the path of a pirate—even if it was just to sail the seas for adventure.
Actually, thinking about it made Sean want to complain.
'If you're just adventuring, why on earth do you insist on calling yourself a pirate? Are you out of your mind?!'
"Vice Admiral Garp, if I go back to the Zumeida Kingdom, I suspect I wouldn't even survive three days, would I?"
"You've got a sharp head on your shoulders, kid. So, what do you plan to do?"
Garp was slightly surprised. He had naturally deduced that outcome from the start, but since he had an innate dislike for nobles, he hadn't bothered to warn him.
"I want to join the Marines!"
"Oh? Join the Marines... In that case, kid, let me ask you one thing: what is your Justice?"
This answer actually caught Garp off guard. If Sean were an ordinary person, Garp wouldn't have thought twice about it and would have been more than happy to bring him into the fold. But a noble—especially one from a powerful family in the Zumeida Kingdom with a rather poor reputation—that was another story.
That was why he asked.
'Justice, huh...'
To be honest, Sean hadn't actually considered this question. There were many versions of "Justice" in this world, and many of them were absurd. things like "Lazy Justice," "Ambiguous Justice," or "Strategic Justice"... it was almost like a joke.
The only one that seemed remotely normal was Akainu's "Absolute Justice."
But Akainu's version was too extreme—and it wasn't actually absolute. If a Celestial Dragon shot a civilian right in front of him, would he dare to arrest the Celestial Dragon?
If not, how could that be called "absolute"?
To him, if one were to speak of Justice, that Justice should tower above everything else.
Including the Celestial Dragons.
Including the Five Elders.
And even including Imu.
Otherwise, the word "Justice" was utterly meaningless. From another perspective, only something that stood above all else could truly be called Justice.
Doflamingo had put it correctly once: 'Justice will prevail? Of course it will! Because whoever wins becomes Justice!'
So, if he had to define his own view of justice, it would be...
"A Justice that reigns over all!"