Chapter 1: System Activated, Sign In on the Thousand Sunny
Grand Line.Sea near Impel Down. Aboard a golden, opulent ship.
"Tch, wouldn't it have been easier if you just gave in to this princess earlier?" "The Navy is just a bunch of lowly humans. Letting you be my slave is your good fortune!"
At this moment, Celestial Dragon Saint Charlos's sister, Shalria Palace, clad in the special attire of World Nobles and wearing a bubble hood, looked down contemptuously at the young Marine collapsed on the deck.
Cough, cough… "Damn it, Vice Admiral Momonga, what the hell are you doing?!"
Rock ignored Shalria and, enduring the searing pain in his body, glared at the Marine Vice Admiral Momonga standing beside the Celestial Dragon.
Earlier, he and Momonga had been escorting a batch of pirates to Impel Down. Unexpectedly, they ran into Shalria Palace, who had come to pick slaves. Absurdly, she took a fancy to him and insisted on dragging him to Mariejois to be her sex slave!
For real? Being handsome is a crime now?
Rock had flatly refused and knocked out Shalria's slave bodyguards. Just as he was about to punch Shalria herself— Momonga ambushed him from behind.
Though Rock reacted in time and only suffered a shallow cut, the blade was coated with a strange poison. The toxin was terrifyingly potent. It rapidly ravaged his body.
"Sorry, Colonel Rock. You know the rules—Celestial Dragon orders cannot be defied, not even by the three Admirals!"
Vice Admiral Momonga's eyes were cold, gripping his sword, ready for any counterattack. This 17-year-old Marine Colonel was a tough opponent—Teacher Zephyr had called him one of the greatest prodigies in Naval Academy history. Too bad. From now on, the Marines would no longer have a "Rock."
The poison on his blade? A special weapon developed by the World Government, personally overseen by Impel Down Warden Magellan. Once it entered the bloodstream, it destroyed the victim's physique, turning them into a cripple!
"Momonga… one day, I'll cut you down!"
Rock cursed, desperately suppressing the poison coursing through him.
"Tie him up and lock him in the cabin. We'll train him properly once we reach the Holy Land!"
Seeing the situation under control, Shalria gave the order and turned back to her cabin. Momonga didn't hesitate. He led a squad of Marines to surround Rock.
"Rock, surrender. Your fate is sealed. Further resistance only dishonors you."
Momonga raised his sword, voice icy. The Navy wasn't a monolith. Where there are people, there are factions. He and Rock were not allies. As a rising star, Rock was likely to become a rival faction leader in the future. Eliminating him? No guilt. Even if headquarters blamed him, the Celestial Dragon would take the fall.
"Honor? Your honor is being a Celestial Dragon's dog? Momonga, I pity you. You're pathetic!"
Rock forced himself upright, leaning on his battle sword, expression frigid. A soul from another world, he had seen pirates' atrocities and originally planned to lay low under the Navy's protection. But the Navy was this rotten? The banner of justice? Just a tool for the privileged!
[Ding! Host has seen through the true nature of the One Piece world and chosen to leave the Marines.] ['Pirate God Sign-In System' officially activated.] [Current Sign-In Task: Board the Thousand Sunny and sign in for one night. (System auto-guides direction)] [Rewards: Body Recovery Potion x1 (restores physique & stamina), Great Grade Blade (21 Works) · Undead, 30 Billion Berries, Perfect-Level Rokushiki · Soru, Exclusive Host Toy: Transformers · Optimus Prime (remote-controlled via thought).]
...
Hearing the mechanical voice in his mind, Rock's lips twitched. The legendary system—late, but finally here?
After years in this world, he never expected to get a system. And the first sign-in rewards? Pretty damn good.
As for the Thousand Sunny— Perfect. He had no idea where to go after leaving the Navy. The Straw Hats were among the "good" pirates, and the first sign-in rewards were generous. Of course, he had to escape this hellhole first.
The poison's damage was intensifying; his body was barely holding.
Soon— Furious at being insulted, Momonga attacked.
"Rock, die!"
Swish— Blade light flashed across the sky.
Momonga charged, sword drawn. He knew Rock wouldn't surrender—he had to crush him with absolute power! As a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral, he was confident. Even if Rock was a rising star, he was half-crippled by poison. No match!
"Colonel Rock… hold on!"
As Momonga struck, many Marines who knew Rock clenched their fists, faces tense. No one expected this. They wanted to side with Rock, but couldn't. They had families to feed. Still, someone had secretly contacted Headquarters via Den Den Mushi. If Marshal Sengoku or other top brass intervened, Rock might have a chance. But Momonga was a Vice Admiral. Poisoned and weakened, Rock couldn't survive one strike!
BOOM—
Just when the Marines thought Rock would be crushed— In a burst of dazzling sword light, the figure sent flying left everyone stunned!
Because— the one tumbling in defeat was Momonga!
A Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral—defeated in one blow by the poisoned Colonel Rock!?
Cough, cough… "Conqueror's Haki… how is this possible!?"
Momonga spat blood, eyes wide with shock. In that instant of clash, he felt Conqueror's Haki so dense it was almost tangible—suppressing his spirit, allowing Rock to slash him away. Conqueror's Haki of terrifying potency! Rock had hidden this level of power!?
At that moment, Momonga realized— without today's incident, Rock could have become an Admiral!
"Momonga, remember this: next time we meet, I'll kill you!"
After repelling Momonga, Rock didn't linger. He leapt off the ship, hijacked a small Marine combat boat, and fled. Perhaps due to two lifetimes' experience, he had awakened Conqueror's Haki early and mastered it to a high degree—but for safety, he never revealed it. This area was too close to Impel Down. If Magellan or Shiryu came, he was done. The poison didn't affect Haki yet, but his deteriorating body couldn't survive a top-tier pursuer. Time to bounce.
"Where's my slave?! If he escapes, you're all punished!"
"Calm down, Saint Shalria. I'm injured and can't chase the traitor Douglas D. Rock. But with that poison, he won't last long!"
Vice Admiral Momonga glared at the distant sea, eyes venomous. Once the poison fully activated, Rock would be a cripple at best—and hunted by the entire Navy. Kill me next time? Delusional!
...
Night. The sea reflected a lone moon. A small Marine boat appeared beside the slowly sailing Thousand Sunny.
Desperate to complete the sign-in task safely, Rock, ravaged by poison, used his last strength to unleash Conqueror's Haki, suppressing the sleeping Straw Hat crew. Fortunately, they weren't strong yet. Barely conscious, he climbed aboard, followed a sweet scent into a luxurious cabin, collapsed onto a bed, and passed out.
That sleep— aside from the poison's torment— was deep, sweet… and soft.
Early next morning— "AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!"
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