As the Goa Kingdom faded into the distance, Lucien Graves leaned against the ship's railing, a Type-92 pistol loosely in hand. Every so often, he glanced toward the helmsman — a timid man named Raphael — and lifted the weapon slightly in warning.
From observation over the past two days, Lucien had learned enough about him. Raphael was cautious, fearful, and not particularly strong, though his solid build dwarfed Lucien's lean 1.69-meter frame. Still, Lucien didn't relax for a moment.
In this twisted world, even the weak could become dangerous.
He turned his attention back to the shimmering system hovering before him — the bizarre cheat that had followed him since his transmigration. At some point, new text had appeared on its glowing interface:
"Successfully hunted Portgas D. Ace, an important supporting character in the One Piece World. Dice chances will be rewarded based on circumstances. Congratulations — you have received three chances, and your Luck has increased by 1."
Lucien's brows furrowed.
"Just Ace? What about Monkey D. Luffy?"
He read the message twice, then a third time. Only Ace's name appeared.
That shouldn't be possible. He had stabbed both Ace and Luffy directly in the heart. Could Luffy have survived because of his rubber body? Did the blade miss by a fraction?
His expression darkened.
"Damn it."
Going back now was suicide. If Luffy was still alive, then that man — Dragon — would certainly be nearby.
The thought made his gut twist.
Still, the failure stung. If he'd been more careful and struck again, he wouldn't be questioning it now.
Lesson learned, he thought grimly. Next time, double-check the corpses.
His eyes returned to the glowing dice floating before him.
"Dice chances are rewarded based on the situation…"
"Three rolls for killing Ace, huh? Not much of a payout for someone that important," he muttered. "What does this damn thing even base its calculations on?"
There was no answer. The light screen remained silent — smug, almost mocking.
Lucien sighed and clenched his fist. "Fine. Let's roll."
He flicked his wrist. The fist-sized dice spun in mid-air before clattering to a stop.
Two.
The miniature airplane on the screen buzzed across two glowing squares.
'Do you want to use Luck?'
Lucien frowned. "So that +1 Luck is a one-time consumable? Figures."
"No," he muttered. His instincts whispered that two wouldn't bring anything good.
The screen brightened. When the light faded, a small floating book appeared before him.
"Elementary Military Combat Techniques. Do you wish to learn it?"
Lucien's heart skipped. "A skill-type item?"
He grinned slightly. "Finally, something useful."
"Learn."
Pain shot through his body as if electricity had surged through every nerve. His muscles spasmed; his vision blurred. After several seconds, the pain faded — replaced by a flood of memories, precise movements, and cold, efficient killing methods.
Target the eyes. Crush the throat. Shatter the groin. Strike fast, kill faster.
So this is designed purely for combat, he thought, rubbing his temples. Perfect.
It even included physical-training methods.
"Finally, something worth the trouble."
His excitement flared — until his eyes caught the word Elementary.
"Of course," he groaned. "There'll be Intermediate, Advanced, maybe even Master levels. And I still have to train it manually. Figures."
His brief enthusiasm cooled instantly. It wasn't instant mastery — just knowledge that required work.
"Trashy system," he muttered again. "Always halfway useful."
Still, he couldn't help glancing at Raphael. With what he'd just learned, Lucien could break ten bones on the man before he even screamed.
Suppressing a smirk, he rolled the dice again.
This time, it stopped on six.
Lucien stiffened. "Six again… that number never brings peace."
He remembered too well what had happened the last time he'd rolled a six — and the ridiculous "online dealer" nonsense the system had spawned then.
'Do you want to use Luck?'
"Yeah, fine," he sighed. "Use it."
The screen shimmered.
"Random Transmigration +1. Do you want to transmigrate?"
Description: Can transmigrate to other worlds at any time. Please use with caution.
Lucien froze.
He'd just hit the jackpot — maybe.
"Random transmigration, huh?"
The possibilities churned in his mind. Another world could mean opportunity… or death.
Not yet. Not now.
He wanted more from this world first — Devil Fruits, Haki, and maybe even a cure for the cancer that had haunted his previous life. The One Piece World was dangerous, but it was also filled with ways to grow stronger.
Random transmigration, on the other hand, could drop him into a realm of monsters or some boring, powerless world. Both were useless to him.
"No," he decided. "I'm staying."
Still, the fact that this system could offer such an option meant it wasn't as worthless as he'd thought. That Luck stat clearly had influence — though it was already spent.
"One more roll."
He tossed the dice again.
It landed on three.
The screen glowed once more.
"Tokyo. Hot. Asia. Milf. Film. With. Horse. Part. One
Do you want to watch?"
Lucien stared. Blinked. Then his eye twitched.
"…Seriously?"
Even with all the preparation in the world, that line made his brain hurt.
The Golden Finger was trolling him. Hard.
"Trash system," he muttered, slamming the light screen shut.
He sank cross-legged on the deck, forcing himself to breathe slowly, controlling the storm of irritation rising inside him. After a few minutes, his pulse steadied.
He holstered the pistol and stepped into the cabin, leaving Raphael trembling at the helm.
---
Far away, behind Mt. Colbo, a massive ship with a dragon-shaped prow sat hidden in the mist.
Inside its cabin, a flamboyant figure with a towering purple afro and glittering makeup leaned over two small bodies on a bed.
"Dragon, he's out of danger. Where did you even find this child?" asked Emporio Ivankov, voice high and theatrical.
"He's my son," replied the tall man standing in the shadows. His expression was unreadable, but his gaze softened slightly as it fell on the unconscious boy with a straw hat beside him.
"His name is Monkey D. Luffy."
Gasps filled the room.
"Dragon's… son?!"
Ivankov blinked, tilting his head. "Now that you mention it, he does resemble you a bit, fufufu~."
Another Revolutionary pointed toward the second bed — where a boy with freckled cheeks lay motionless.
"What about him?"
Dragon's eyes darkened. He said nothing, only stared in silence.
The room grew heavy. Even Ivankov's usual flamboyance dimmed.
Outside, thunder still echoed faintly over the seas — the lingering wrath of a father's Conqueror's Haki.
____
Advanced chapters are available on my patreon page
Read ahead of everyone 💙
Patreon.com/Zphyr