The sun beat down mercilessly on the small, dusty clearing. Birds chirped lazily as a breeze stirred the leaves, carrying the salty scent of the sea. But none of this mattered to the man sprawled awkwardly on the ground.
He blinked. Twice.
Then fired off a coughing fit.
"Oh… wow, this is definitely not my bed," he murmured, his voice hoarse and cracked from disuse. "Okay, okay, deep breaths. Let's think. Where am I?"
Slowly, he pushed himself up, groaning as muscles unfamiliar with morning movement protested. That was his first mistake.
His second mistake was the weight, no, weights, he noticed immediately. Six cold, metal hilts pressed against his back. Six swords. No, six shiny swords, each glinting viciously in the sunlight.
He froze and glanced over his shoulder. "Why the hell am I carrying six swords? And… who the heck am I?"
A sudden buzzing beep echoed inside his head, like a video game notification. He jerked, dropping to one knee to catch his balance.
A window? Inside my brain?
In front of his eyes, glowing holographic text floated:
[SYSTEM ONLINE]
[Welcome, user.]
[You have been reincarnated into the world of "One Piece" with the body of bounty hunter Kaito.]
[System powers: Lightning Breathing Template (inspired by Zenitsu Agatsuma).
Goal: Survive, gain bounty, unlock skills.
Status: 6 swords equipped.]
The man rubbed his temples. "Okay, that's a lot to take in."
He looked down at his hands. Strong, calloused, and steady. No doubt this wasn't his original body.
"I'm… Kaito? Bounty hunter? System? Lightning breathing…" He tried to say it out loud but it sounded weird. Almost like a game.
He exhaled sharply.
"Well, Kaito… time to find out if you're the swordsman this world needs… or if you're just asking for a swift reunion with the afterlife."
Stretching his arms, he tested the weight of the swords. They were surprisingly light, specially forged steel, probably. He slid a hand along a hilt. Smooth.
The system beeped again.
[NEW SKILL UNLOCKED: Lightning Breath - First Form: Thunderclap and Flash]
[Use this form to deliver an electrified slash at lightning speed.
Energy cost: low.]
"Alright, let's try it," Kaito muttered. He place his hand on one of six sheathed sword carefully, Clenching the hilt with trembling fingers, he focused.
"Lightning Breath - First Form: Thunderclap and Flash," he whispered.
Suddenly, a surge of electricity crackled in his fingertips. The air buzzed.
His sword moved, too fast even for him to see, slash!
A sudden jolt of electricity surged through his arm… and then backfired spectacularly. Kaito yelped, dropping the sword and stumbling.
"OW! What the hell?!"
He looked down at his arm, which was twitching uncontrollably from the electric shock he'd just sent back into himself.
"What the- the lightning i produces are real? they said it was just a visual effect… I need to practice."
But before he could try again, a rustling noise came from the nearby bushes.
Kaito's eyes snapped wide open. Instinctively, he reached for his swords again, hands one the hilt again in a dazzling blur. The remaining he strapped around his waist.
From the bushes emerged a small group of ragged pirates, wearing mismatched outfits and grinning like they'd just spotted a big, juicy bounty.
One pirate, a lanky man sporting an eye patch and a beard that looked like it had its own beeswax subscription, stepped forward.
"Well now, what've we here? Some poor sap wanderin' alone with way too many swords? That's gotta be worth a pretty penny!" The pirate chuckled darkly.
Kaito took a deep breath. His system chattered inside his head:
[ENEMY DETECTED: Low Threat]
Recommended action: Use Thunderclap and Flash to disable one enemy quickly.
Kaito gritted his teeth, His fingers trembled as he recalled the lightning breathing techniques.
"Lightning Breath - First Form: Thunderclap and Flash!"
with a flick of his thumb he unsheated his sword and disappear.
Zap!
A sudden burst of electricity jolted across the nearest pirate's collar, with Kaito now standing behind the pirate whose head now on the ground, blood spraying like a fountain
The other pirates froze in surprise.
"Whoa! What the heck was that?!" the pirate with the eye patch exclaimed, clearly shocked and terrified.
Kaito chuckled, but then winced as his arm felt the familiar tingle of feedback from the lightning.
"Gonna take a bit to get used to this," he muttered.
One pirate lunged forward, brandishing a rusty cutlass. Kaito barely had time to pivot, spinning one sword horizontally to block, the other slashing low and nicking the attacker's arm. A spray of blood arced in the sunshine.
"Hey! Not so rough!" the pirate growled.
Kaito blinked, then smirked.
"Sorry, but bounties don't collect themselves."
He flicked a third sword out smoothly, drawn from its sheath tied around his waist and placed it between his fingers, Damn this is so cool.
His six-sword style was awkward at first but looked dangerously impressive as he began to find a rhythm, not unlike a deadly dance.
The remaining pirates, now reconsidering their life choices, broke off and scampered away into the forest, yipping and hollering.
Kaito watched them go, then turned back to the clearing.
He exhaled deeply.
"Well, six swords and a lightning breath, huh? This might actually be fun."
The system chimed again:
[Bounty Gained: 5000 berries]
[Experience +50
New skill points available!]
Kaito's eyes gleamed.
"Alright, world of One Piece. Let's see what this bounty hunter thing can really do."
Over the next few hours, Kaito wandered toward a nearby port town, practicing the first lightning breathing skill over and over, usually failing hilariously, sometimes surprising himself.
Every attempt involved a little shock to the arm, an explosive spark, or an accidental, very loud "zap" that startled nearby merchants and children.
By the time he reached the bustling port, he was exhausted but grinning ear to ear.
He found a quiet alley to test wielding all six swords simultaneously.
"You've got to be kidding me," he muttered, arms aching, swords nearly crashing into each other. "How did Date Masamune make this look so easy?"
After several hours, and the near destruction of a vendor's produce stand, he finally managed a basic spinning slash that sent a gentle breeze through the air.
A little.
Not much, but it was progress.
"Alright," Kaito said to the air, "this is just the beginning."