"Hmm..."
On the golden sand, a lone figure lay motionless.
Rowan slowly pushed himself up from the beach, dazed, and suddenly realized he seemed to have arrived somewhere extraordinary.
The clear azure sky was cloudless, pure as polished jade.
The endless blue ocean sparkled softly, with a few small fish occasionally leaping from the surface.
The island was blanketed in dense, vibrant jungle, exuding a pristine, untouched atmosphere.
It looked like the perfect vacation paradise.
But… there was no trace of human habitation anywhere.
"Where am I? Wasn't I dead?"
Still groggy, Rowan stood up and scanned her surroundings.
He remembered walking along the road earlier that day.
This eternally reclusive man had finally stepped outside, and the moment he took his first step—
Duang!
Chirp! …Smack!
Rowan shot into the air like a rocket, soaring so high he nearly touched the sun.
As he was catapulted skyward by the truck, she clearly saw the driver's expression shift from a cheerful grin to absolute horror.
He vaguely heard him scream:
"Oh no! Wrong delivery! I'm doomed! I'll lose my salary for sure!"
"How useless can I be? I can't even deliver a transmigrator properly! I should go back to manual labor…"
...
Rowan had been completely speechless, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
But… he didn't die?
Was this compensation?
"Then I really did transmigrate," he muttered.
"Makes sense—Earth definitely doesn't have such clean air and scenery."
"But to dump me in such a remote place… am I supposed to play Robinson Crusoe now? Waiting for rescue?"
"And what world is this? Hello? System?"
"Moshi moshi? Don't tell me you tossed me here with nothing?"
Just as he rambled on, a faint, ethereal voice echoed in her mind.
[Ding!]
[Pay-to-Win Transformation System is now online!]
[Host: Rowan]
[Character Transformation Cards: None]
[Subordinates: None]
"…This name… okay, decent, but kinda awkward."
"Pay-to-win… really? Is this the Ma family's doing…?"
Rowan felt genuinely embarrassed by the system's naming sense.
"System, explain your functions."
[This system allows the host to transform into characters from countless worlds.]
[By spending money, the host can increase the strength of the transformed character. In other words—pay money, become stronger.]
"…As expected of you."
Rowan sighed, then asked the real question.
"So, how do I get character transformation cards? And what are their attributes?"
[Character cards can be obtained through gacha pulls or direct purchase. Based on the current world's currency exchange rate, one pull costs one billion Berries.]
[To unlock subordinate summoning, the transformed character's strength must reach 60% of their original version. A subordinate from that character's world can then be drawn for 100 million Berries, with full loyalty.]
"I see… so money really is everything."
"And Berries, huh? So this is the One Piece world…"
"Their power levels are no joke… interesting…"
"System, is there a newbie gift pack?"
[New Player Gift Pack: One free character card pull. The host will obtain 20% of the drawn character's original strength.]
[Open now?]
"Wow, straight to 20%?"
"But if I draw someone weak… twenty percent of garbage is still garbage… That would really hurt…"
"No! That'd be a disaster!"
"No! I believe in my ridiculous good luck!"
Despite saying that, Rowan still felt a bit flustered.
After all, this was his first real step toward establishing himself in the pirate world.
If he failed… Damn it, how was a newbie like him supposed to earn a billion Berries?
It would be completely hopeless.
"Heavenly spirits, earthly spirits, please show your power!"
"I'll draw!"
In his mind, a dim card shattered, turning into a blue sphere of light. Around it, a blue magic circle formed on its own, with ten smaller blue spheres extending outward from the central one. Each orb connected to the others, forming a complete spell formation.
The central sphere suddenly emitted a brilliant blue glow. The ten smaller spheres around it began spinning rapidly clockwise, releasing multicolored halos. Those halos intertwined, merging into a single luminous ring.
Then—boom!—the halo exploded outward, forming three large rings of light surrounding the magic circle. At the same time, the central sphere blazed with dazzling radiance.
In the next instant, the three halos fused with the central sphere, releasing a blinding burst of light.
When the light finally contracted, a golden card appeared, slowly rotating in the air.
The illustration on the card depicted a swordswoman—
long, light-golden hair tied behind her head, sharp golden eyes, pale skin, dark armor, and a black longsword etched with red patterns.
The moment Rowan laid eyes on the card, information flooded into his mind.
Artoria Pendragon (Alter)!
"Black and hairless!"
"Wuhu!"
"Take off!"
[Congratulations, host. You have obtained the character card: "Artoria Pendragon (Alter)."]
"Haha! Invincible! I'm the luckiest man alive!"
Artoria Pendragon (Alter)—the corrupted King Arthur.
Unlike the original, Alter was cold and ruthless.
Where the original Artoria upheld her ideals with unwavering integrity, the corrupted version believed tyranny itself could be a path to fulfilling those ideals.
Compared to the original King Arthur, Rowan felt the blackened version suited his personality much better.
She would definitely be more convenient to use.
Of course, both of them were still top-tier wives.
But the blackened, sharp-tongued one fit his style better—and would be easier to handle.
So—
No problem!