The cold dawn light leaked through the broken shutters, painting streaks of grey across the bloodstained floor. The scent of rusted iron still lingered in the air, mixed with the damp chill of the sea mist drifting in from the distant coast. Lupin stirred, wincing at the soreness spreading through his battered frame. The sensation of pain grounded him in this foreign, dangerous world. A reminder that no, this wasn't a dream.
He wasn't Lupin anymore.
He was Donquixote Rosinante—or at least the world would still believe so.
Lupin's reflection in a shattered mirror caught his eye. The man staring back had sharp, pained eyes ringed with exhaustion. His disheveled blond hair framed a face smeared with dried blood. The dark red hood he wore cast a shadow over his features, heart-shaped trinkets hanging down against his chest. A tattered white shirt with pink heart patterns clung to his chest, marred by blood and grime. A dark purple feathered mantle hung heavily on his shoulders, the same kind his brother, Doflamingo, wore so arrogantly.
And yet the body beneath the clothes ached and pulsed with memories that weren't his. Lupin pressed his palm against the old wound on his side, hissing softly.
The system's voice pinged again in his mind.
[DING.]
[Daily Quest Completed: Stabilize Host Body – Critical Injury Status Removed.]
[Reward: 10 Edit Points (EP)]
It had taken all night. The primitive first-aid kits. The makeshift stitches. The pain. The system had offered no hints or guidance. Trial and error, blood and desperation. But he'd done it. He could move now. He could stand.
And now… he had a chance to make his first move.
[Edit Points Available: 10]
Lupin inhaled slowly, bringing up the system's menu in his mind. The interface flickered to life, stark text against the dark void of his thoughts.
[Wanted Poster Editing System]
The list of names and bounties scrolled before him. Pirates, criminals, outlaws—most of them small-time in this era, but future monsters in the making. Yet only one name seized his attention like a cold hand around his throat.
Donquixote Doflamingo – 130,000,000 Berries
It wasn't even close to the 340 million bounty he remembered from the anime, when Doflamingo had become a Warlord of the Sea. In this timeline, the man hadn't yet climbed to those heights. Fifteen years before Luffy set sail from Dawn Island, Doflamingo was still a rising force, consolidating power, and commanding the underworld with growing influence.
But Lupin knew what he'd become. He knew the blood on those hands. Knew the horrors waiting down the line.
And he wasn't going to let him reach it unchallenged.
His fingers brushed the wanted poster menu.
Current Bounty: 130,000,000 Berries
Edit Cost: 10 EP
Maximum Increase Allowed: 500,000,000 Berries
The temptation surged like a wave. Raising a bounty wasn't just a number game. It was a signal to the world. It turned the eyes of bounty hunters, rival pirates, and Marines toward the target. A heavy bounty meant you were dangerous. Worth chasing. Worth killing.
If he maxed it out, it'd be like setting a wildfire beneath Doflamingo's feet.
Lupin's lips twitched into a faint grin.
"Five hundred million," he murmured.
He confirmed the edit.
[DING.]
[Edit Successful. Updated Wanted Poster will disseminate globally within 24 hours.]
A surge of satisfaction ran through him. Ten Edit Points, gone in a heartbeat—but worth every one.
"Let's see how you handle this, Joker."
At Spider Miles…
The island fortress of Spider Miles bustled with activity. Gunrunners, smugglers, and mercenaries moved under the watchful gaze of Donquixote Doflamingo's men. In the heart of it, inside an opulent chamber dripping with velvet and gold, the man himself reclined in a luxurious chair.
Doflamingo twirled a wine glass between two fingers, his sunglasses glinting in the flickering light. He smirked lazily until a Den Den Mushi chirped with urgency.
"Speak," he drawled.
"Boss! It's bad! Your bounty… it's been changed!"
Doflamingo's brow arched. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"It's five hundred million now!"
The glass cracked in his hand. Wine spilled down his fingers.
"You're kidding me."
"No, boss! It's official! New posters everywhere! Marines are on the move, bounty hunters are mobilizing! The underground's losing their minds!"
A cold silence filled the room.
Doflamingo rose slowly, his grin warping into something darker.
"Who did this?"
"We don't know! No one's claiming it!"
"Get the ship ready," Doflamingo ordered, voice low and sharp. "We're leaving Spider Miles. Now."
"But boss—"
"Now!"
His underlings scattered.
Doflamingo's mind raced. Someone with access to high-level Marine records or the power to forge official bounties had just painted a target on his back. He didn't know who—but whoever it was had declared war.
He bared his teeth in a grin.
"Come on then… let's see you try."
Back in Lupin's ruined safehouse…
The faint scent of burning paper wafted from a cracked brazier in the corner. Lupin leaned against the wall, his pulse steadying. A notification appeared once more.
[DING.]
[Monthly Quest Unlocked: "Shadow in the Emperor's Court"]
Objective: Create a secret identity and successfully infiltrate the crew of a Yonko pirate.]
Reward: +1 Creation Point (CP)
His brows lifted.
"A Yonko crew…?"
This world's most powerful pirates. Whitebeard. Kaido. Big Mom. Shanks. None of them easy to approach, let alone infiltrate. But the quest wasn't optional.
Failure meant stagnation. And this system wasn't going to coddle him.
He let out a soft, humorless laugh.
"Bold of you, system."
He considered his options. Whitebeard's crew had strict loyalty. Kaido's was a monster's den. Big Mom? Insanity and family ties. Shanks? Possibly approachable, but wary.
And he had to build a secret identity, too.
No hints. No help.
He pushed away from the wall, moving to a small table where scraps of paper and ink sat. He sketched ideas. Names. Symbols. A persona. If he was going to get close to any Emperor, he needed a reputation—and a disguise no one could trace back to Rosinante.
Something to bait interest. A legend in the making.
And he would use his system to spread that name too, when the time came.
For now, one step at a time.
"Alright then," he murmured. "Let's decide who I'll be."
The dawn light brightened, the first true day of his new life beginning.
And somewhere far away, Doflamingo's world was already burning.