[A young girl, blind and starving, spent her days begging with a smile, yet she could never bring home enough to feed her little sister.]
Please make your choice:
Give her a large bag of honey-wheat bread - 5 copper coins (First-time top-up bonus: 99 additional bags of honey-wheat bread.)
Give her a sharp katana - 5 silver coins (First-time top-up bonus: Replaces the katana with the Cursed Blade Muramasa.)
Cure her lead-poisoned eyes - 5 gold coins (First-time top-up bonus: Replaces her eyes with the Sharingan.)
Jack: "3!"
[Deep in the darkness, a tide of crest-worms surged; the girl curled into a ball, weeping in a silent, sinking despair.]
Please make your choice:
Give her a bottle of anti-parasite spray - 5 copper coins (First-time top-up bonus: 99 additional bottles.)
Give her a Secret Worm-Taming Scroll - 5 silver coins (First-time top-up bonus: Upgrades the scroll to 'Swarm Queen's Authority'.)
Give her a toad companion - 5 gold coins (First-time top-up bonus: Replaces the toad with the Toad Sage.)
Jack: "3!"
[Notification: Insufficient wallet balance.]
Jack: "Hold on, time to go farm some cash!"
"Folks! The ultimate treasure of the high seas! A chance to rewrite your destiny, right here, right now!"
"The Great Pirate Treasure Sale officially begins!"
"Today, we are selling nothing less than life-altering Devil Fruits!"
Jack stared blankly at the translucent panel floating in front of him. It displayed an array of shiny, bizarre-looking fruits while an over-the-top voice, sounding exactly like a hyperactive livestream shopping host shouted from somewhere nearby.
"Look at that luster! Look at those swirls! One-hundred-percent natural, harvested straight from the Grand Line. Every fruit is a miracle of nature; every fruit is a one-way ticket to unstoppable power!"
Jack's expression turned skeptical.
Based on the anime he'd watched back in his old world, Devil Fruits did indeed grant incredible abilities, but the eater would be cursed by the sea. They'd lose the ability to swim forever; even a splash of seawater would leave them helpless, potentially leading to a watery grave.
Most importantly, those powers only worked in their original world... As expected, ads were the same everywhere, hyping the pros while burying the side effects in the fine print.
"Don't hesitate! For just 99 gold coins, you can get a Devil Fruit Mystery Box! Buy now!"
A [Buy Now] button flashed on the panel.
Driven by a spark of curiosity, Jack reached out with a somewhat translucent finger and tapped it.
A notification immediately popped up.
[Insufficient wallet balance. Purchase failed.] [Current Balance: 0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Copper.]
Jack silently withdrew his hand.
Well... sorry for wasting your time.
He glanced at the top-right corner of the ad. A countdown timer was ticking down.
[00:00:20]
It seemed the weird Devil Fruit ad had twenty seconds left. By now, the actual video content had finished; the panel was just stuck on the final "Buy Now" landing page.
Jack turned his head to scan his surroundings again. There was nothing but rolling, endless mist. This place didn't look like the underworld, nor did it look like Hell and it definitely wasn't Heaven.
So, where exactly did that truck send me?
He slowly brought his gaze back to the panel as the countdown hit zero.
[00:00:03] [00:00:02] [00:00:01]
The moment the timer ended, the ad vanished, replaced by a single line of text.
[Ad viewed. Revival chance earned. Revive now?]
"Wait, it's that easy?"
Jack reached out again and pressed [Confirm].
A burst of white light flared around him, blindingly bright. He instinctively squeezed his eyes shut. Then came a jarring sensation—like his body was plummeting at terminal velocity.
The feeling ended as abruptly as it began.
Jack snapped his eyes open. He found himself lying on a soft, sloping meadow. The orange glow of a sunset spilled across his face.
Clutching his still-aching head, he sat up. Ahead of him flowed a peaceful river. Behind him was a road lined with cherry trees in full bloom; pedestrians strolled past, chatting and laughing.
He turned to his right. Not far away, a young boy with round glasses sat on the grass, a book in one hand and his schoolbag resting beside him.
Jack gave him a quick once-over, but the boy was so absorbed in his reading that he didn't even notice the newcomer.
Jack looked away, staring at a massive billboard standing tall across the river.
The good news: he really had come back to life. The bad news: the world he'd revived in didn't seem to be his own.
"The text on that billboard... that's Japanese, right?"
Jack wasn't entirely sure.
Ding--
At that moment, the translucent panel appeared before him again. No ads this time. Instead, it showed a screen that looked like a video game Inventory.
It was almost entirely empty, except for the very first slot, which held what looked like a gift box. Jack tapped the icon.
[Open Newcomer Welcome Pack?]
[Confirm]
The gift box icon flashed with a celebratory animation.
[Obtained: Identity Card x1, Talent Card x1, Gold Coin x1.]
The gift box disappeared, replaced by two brand-new cards. Jack clicked on each to read the descriptions.
[Identity Card]
Quality: SpecialType: ConsumableEffect: Upon use, gain a compatible identity in the current world, along with all corresponding common knowledge.
[Talent Card]
Quality: SpecialType: ConsumableEffect: Upon use, randomly obtain a compatible talent.
The descriptions were short and sweet. Worthy of a newcomer pack, these were exactly the tools Jack needed.
As an outsider in a new world, his top priority was an identity. Without one, he'd never blend into society. Next came a talent; if he wanted his new life to go smoothly, he needed something to set him apart from the average person.
As for that last item, the gold coin...
Jack glanced at the wallet icon in the corner of his inventory: [1 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Copper].
Perfect. Starting capital secured.
He still couldn't afford the Devil Fruit from the ad, but with some hard work and saving, he'd get there eventually.
Jack willed the inventory away, and it vanished. Sure enough, the panel could be controlled by thought alone, no need to keep poking the air.
Jack stood up from the grass. Downstream, he spotted a bridge. The area beneath it looked quiet and deserted, he perfect out-of-the-way spot. He decided to go there to use his cards. If he ended up drawing some bizarre talent that caused a scene, he didn't want to attract a crowd or hurt anyone.
The riverside breeze carried a slight chill. Jack hesitated for a second, wanting to warn the stranger nearby that reading in the twilight was terrible for his eyes, but since he didn't speak the language yet, he gave up.
The boy in the glasses lifted his gaze for a moment, watching Jack's retreating back, then lowered his head to continue reading.
Under the bridge, Jack found two small wooden stools and some scattered bait, likely left behind by some local fishermen. He sat on one of the stools and focused.
The panel reappeared. Looking at the two cards, Jack decided to use the Talent Card first.
The Identity Card would generate a persona compatible with his "current self." If he used it now, as an ordinary man with no skills, he'd probably end up with a boring office job related to his college major. But if he gained a talent first, the identity he drew afterward would likely adapt to match that new ability.
Decision made, a golden card etched with mysterious patterns materialized in his hand.
He mentally commanded: Use.
The card dissolved into a thousand motes of golden light that surged into his body.
[Epic Talent Acquired: Death Declaration.]
Jack looked down at his reflection in the river. He fell silent. The face staring back at him was suddenly, undeniably, much younger than it had been a minute ago.