Admiral Sengoku. Future Fleet Admiral of the Marines. A man of authority, prestige, and terrifying power.
Countless people in Marineford bowed and scraped before him, desperate to earn even a flicker of his approval.
And now, the system wanted Liam Ross a lowly janitor in the Navy Headquarters to pat him on the shoulder.
That wasn't a mission. That was a death sentence.
It was like asking the Grim Reaper to hang himself for fun.
Liam's face twisted with frustration, his expression pitiful enough to rival that of a wronged housewife. He'd only just arrived in this world, hadn't even had the chance to enjoy his new life, and now it looked like he was going to die for something as stupid as a shoulder tap.
"System," he muttered desperately, "can we, uh, talk about this? Maybe pick another target?"
"With the host's current power level, rejecting the task will automatically result in mission failure," the system replied flatly, devoid of emotion.
Liam's heart sank. "You've got to be kidding me…"
He clenched his fists. With Sengoku's strength, even a casual glance could turn him to ash. A single Marine Vice Admiral would be enough to beat him senseless, and now he had to physically touch one of the most dangerous men in the world.
Still, if he failed, he'd lose everything. And Liam Ross never turned down a reward.
"Fine," he grumbled. "I'll do it. But if I die, it's on your conscience."
Just as he was racking his brain for some ridiculous excuse to get close enough to pat Sengoku's shoulder, voices drifted in from the hallway.
"Hey, Sengoku, don't walk so fast! I only stole a few rice crackers, no need to get so mad!"
"'A few'? You ate my entire month's supply, you old fool!"
"Impossible! I distinctly remember only thirty bags!"
"Karp!"
Sengoku's voice thundered like a cannon. If it weren't for their decades of friendship, he would've already turned Vice Admiral Karp into a fine paste.
Moments later, the two legends of the Navy strode into the office.
Sengoku's sharp gaze immediately landed on Liam. "Who are you?"
Liam snapped to attention and saluted smartly. "Reporting, sir! I was ordered to clean your office!"
Karp squinted, then burst into his trademark laugh. "Wahahaha! Oh, it's you, kid! How's life in the logistics department treating you?"
Before Liam could react, Karp's massive hand came crashing down on his shoulder with the force of a cannonball.
Liam bit back a yelp, forcing out a pained grin. "Thank you, sir! Everything's… perfectly fine!"
"Hah! Weak little thing. That was barely two percent of my strength!" Karp roared with laughter and sauntered toward the desk. He yanked open a drawer, pulled out a fresh bag of rice crackers, and began munching away loudly.
Sengoku's eye twitched. "Karp! You're still stealing my crackers!"
"I'm not stealing," Karp said with his mouth full. "I'm eating them openly!"
Veins pulsed on Sengoku's forehead. Those rice crackers were his one indulgence precious, perfectly crisp, and imported. And now this idiot was devouring them like popcorn.
He took two furious steps forward, ready to wrestle Karp to the ground… and that was when it happened.
Sengoku froze.
He felt a light, deliberate tap on his right shoulder.
"What are you doing?" he asked coldly, turning his head slowly toward Liam.
The entire room went silent. Even Karp stopped chewing mid-bite. His gaze darted between Sengoku and Liam, a flicker of disbelief crossing his face. This kid had guts. Very few in the entire Navy would dare lay a hand on Sengoku.
And this janitor just did it.
Under the weight of their combined stares, Liam felt a bead of sweat trickle down his temple. His legs wanted to run, but his mouth moved first.
"R-reporting, sir! I noticed some dust on your shoulder and… couldn't help but brush it off!"
"Dust?"
Both men blinked.
Sengoku glanced down, and to his surprise, there was a faint layer of dust on his uniform. Probably from his long hours of paperwork.
He brushed it off himself, gave a curt nod, and said evenly, "You may go."
"Yes, sir!"
Liam saluted so fast he nearly hit himself, grabbed his mop and bucket, and bolted from the room like his life depended on it.
As the door closed behind him, laughter erupted inside.
"Wahahaha! Did you see that, Sengoku? The kid looked like he was about to pass out!"
"Shut up, Karp!" Sengoku's voice boomed, followed by the crash of a chair.
Outside, Liam leaned against the wall, wiping sweat from his brow. "That was too close…"
He exhaled heavily. If he hadn't come up with that excuse, he would've been a smear on the floor right now.
Just as his nerves began to settle, the familiar chime of the system echoed in his mind.
"Congratulations, Host. Mission complete. You have obtained a Mysterious Chest. Open now?"
"Not yet," Liam said quickly. "Something that good deserves a proper ceremony."
After finishing his day's work, he completed his evening sign-in.
"Congratulations, Host. You have obtained: One Premium Telescope."
He sighed. "Great. Another useless trinket."
He tossed the long single-lens scope into his storage space and hurried back to his small dorm room. This was no time to sleep. This was a sacred moment loot opening time.
After washing up and lighting a stick of incense (a habit from his past life, now repurposed for luck), he set the purple chest before him. Strange symbols glowed faintly along its surface, pulsing with energy.
Liam clasped his hands together dramatically and chanted, "Spirits of Heaven and Earth, bless this humble man. May this chest reveal only the finest of treasures!"
Then, with a deep breath, he commanded, "System, open it."
The chest trembled. A brilliant purple light flooded the room, swirling upward in a dazzling vortex.
Crack!
The box split open, revealing a swirling orb of light.
"Congratulations, Host," the system intoned. "You have obtained: Perfect Invisibility. Integrate now?"
Liam's jaw dropped.
A new skill? Not just any skill but that skill? The dream of every man alive?
His nose twitched. Then, without warning nosebleed.
"Integrate! Do it now!" he shouted.
Warm energy coursed through his body. Knowledge, instinct, and control flooded his mind.
Instantly, he understood why it was called Perfect Invisibility.
With a single thought, his body shimmered and vanished completely.
He glanced down. Nothing. Not even his clothes remained visible. He lifted a mop still invisible. He breathed silent. Even his scent and heartbeat were erased.
It was flawless. Far superior to the Transparent Fruit ability he'd read about.
The only limitation: ten minutes of invisibility, followed by an hour-long cooldown.
"System," he asked carefully, "can people with Observation Haki detect me?"
"Perfect Invisibility cannot be detected by normal Observation Haki. Only exceptionally advanced forms may perceive the Host's presence."
Liam grinned from ear to ear. "Now that's what I call a power-up."
He flexed his invisible hands and whispered, "With this… I can finally move freely in Marineford."
Then, after a beat, his grin turned mischievous.
"Heh… and maybe even sneak a few rice crackers from Sengoku's stash."
Outside, the waves of Marineford shimmered under the setting sun. Inside, an invisible janitor cackled quietly in the dark, already plotting his next move.