The Grand Line, an unknown sea.
"Splash—"
A massive wave crashed against the wooden hull, producing a sickening, muffled thud.
In the dark, damp hold, the air was thick with the musty smell of salt and the nauseating stench of excrement.
"Thud!"
The ship lurched violently, and a small, huddled figure in the corner was thrown uncontrollably against the hard wooden planks.
The intense pain jolted the boy's eyes open.
His vision was met with dimness; a few faint rays of light seeped through the cracks in the deck above, illuminating the haphazardly stacked barrels and ropes around him.
"Where is this?"
The boy clutched the back of his head, his fingertips feeling a warm, wet sensation—blood.
Before he could process it, a flood of unfamiliar memory fragments surged into his mind, as if hammered into his brain.
A merchant ship... a pirate flag...
His parents' terrified screams...
A blood-stained deck...
And finally, being roughly thrown into this coffin-like cargo hold.
"The World of the Pirate King... the Grand Line..."
Bai Yu gasped for breath, his eyes gradually clearing from confusion, then darkening with deep gloom.
He had crossed over.
In his previous life, he was a college student who died from binge-watching anime; now, he was this ten-year-old boy named Bai Yu.
The original body's parents were small-time merchants who spent their savings on tickets for this merchant ship to do business on a larger island. Unfortunately, their luck ran out shortly after entering the Grand Line when they were targeted by the pirate ship named "black shark".
The adults were slaughtered, valuable cargo was looted, and only children like him were spared.
The reason was simple: children fetched a good price from slave traders.
"What a hellish start."
Bai Yu gritted his teeth, struggling to push himself up and lean against a barrel.
This body was too weak—days without food, plus the recent impact, left him without the strength to even stand.
Heavy footsteps echoed from above, accompanied by rough curses and raucous laughter.
"Hey! We hit the jackpot this time!"
"Those brats can sell for at least a few million Berries! Especially that tender-skinned one—I hear the nobles love that type!"
"The Captain was wise not to kill them all."
The voices filtered down through the deck cracks, each word stabbing into Bai Yu's heart like a needle.
This was piracy.
This was a World of survival of the fittest.
No laws, no morals, only strength and Berries.
Bai Yu looked down at his thin arms, his eyes growing cold.
Now that he was here, he couldn't just wait for death; being a slave in the pirate World was a fate worse than death.
Having been reborn into this World, he had no intention of becoming some noble's damn slave.
Just then, a mechanical electronic voice exploded in his mind.
[Detecting intense host emotional fluctuations, binding system...]
[Binding successful!]
[The Ultimate Astonishment System is at your service!]
Bai Yu paused, then a cold smile tugged at his lips.
Of course, the standard for transmigrators.
"Explain the functions," he silently thought.
[This system aims to make the host the most astonishing existence across all realms.]
[As long as the host evokes emotions like surprise, awe, or fear in those around them, astonishment value can be obtained.]
[astonishment value can be used for system draws, with prizes including items, abilities, bloodlines, and more from all realms.]
Simple and brutal.
Bai Yu liked it.
In this World, only by inspiring fear and awe could one survive.
"Is there a newbie gift pack?"
[Newbie gift pack has been issued. Open?]
"Open."
Without any hesitation.
In this situation, even a stick would be a lifeline.
[Congratulations, host, for obtaining: blacklight virus (Prototype)!]
[Source: "Prototype" World]
[Description: The ultimate bioweapon, granting the host abilities of consumption, assimilation, mimicry, super regeneration, and body weaponization. You are the virus, you are a god.]
...
[Congratulations, host, for obtaining: Shadowkhan Mask (Nija)!]
[Source: "Jackie Chan Adventures" World]
[Description: When worn, it can summon the Ninja Clan, possessing high agility and assassination skills. As the mask's master, the host can summon them infinitely with no side effects.]
...
[Congratulations, host, for obtaining: C-rank Character Card—Deadpool!]
[Source: "Marvel" World]
[Description: Upon use, gain all of Deadpool's abilities, including immortality, mastery of all weapon combat skills, and fourth-wall-breaking chatter (side effect: talkativeness).]
A series of notifications made Bai Yu's pupils contract.
This was the newbie gift pack?
This wasn't a newbie gift pack; this was a license for slaughter.
The blacklight virus—a terrifying entity capable of destroying a city single-handedly.
A scorching warmth instantly flowed through his entire body, filling his previously weak, hungry, and injured form with explosive power.
The wound on the back of his head healed at a visible rate, leaving no scar.
The hunger vanished, replaced by a craving for flesh and blood.
It was a predator's instinct.
Bai Yu clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking crisply.
The feeling of controlling such power was intoxicating.
With a thought, a pitch-black mask etched with fierce Ninja patterns appeared in his hand.
The Nija mask.
Just wearing it could summon a tireless, absolutely loyal shadow army.
Since the system had given such a grand gift, it would be rude not to return the favor.
"Come forth, my shadows."
Bai Yu whispered, pressing the mask to his face.
No flashy effects, no complex incantations.
The already dim shadows in the hold thickened, like boiling ink.
From corners, behind barrels, even from the shadows beneath the other children, pairs of crimson eyes snapped open.
They were pure red, with no whites or pupils, only endless killing intent and obedience.
Swish, swish, swish!
Over a dozen Ninjas in black bodysuits rose silently from the shadows.
They had no solid form, their bodies wreathed in black mist, floating half an inch above the ground.
The Shadowkhan, the Ghost Ninjas summoned by the Nija mask.
The children in the cage were too terrified to breathe, covering their mouths tightly, eyes wide with shock.
Bai Yu removed the mask and stored it in his system space.
Now, even without the mask, he could control these shadow assassins with his will.
"Go, serve the gentlemen above a special meal."
Bai Yu raised his right hand, placing his index finger to his lips.
Crunch.
His teeth pierced his fingertip.
Crimson blood welled up, but within a second, flesh buds at the wound began writhing madly, trying to heal.
This was the blacklight virus's terrifying regenerative ability.
Bai Yu frowned slightly, using his will to suppress the cells' regeneration instinct, squeezing his fingertip hard.
Drip.
A drop of dark red blood fell.
A Ghost Ninja instantly appeared by his hand, holding a cracked porcelain bowl it had found from somewhere, catching the drop steadily.
Drip, drip.
He squeezed out over a dozen drops until the half-bowl of water turned an eerie crimson, then released his finger.
The wound vanished instantly, not even leaving a red mark.
"This is good stuff; don't waste it."
Bai Yu watched the blood threads spreading slowly in the bowl like living things, a flash of brutality in his eyes.
The Prototype's blood from the blacklight virus was, for ordinary people, the most efficient zombie conversion agent.
Just a little could turn this ship into a living hell.
"Go, spread it evenly. Let every pirate lord taste my gratitude."
Bai Yu waved his hand.
The Ghost Ninja holding the bowl bowed slightly, then leaned back and melted into the black floor.
The other Ninjas also transformed into shadows, slipping out through the cracks and disappearing.
The hold returned to deathly silence.
Bai Yu leaned against the damp wooden planks, closed his eyes, and quietly waited for the show to begin.