Ever since Luffy's Gomu Gomu no Mi was revealed to actually be the Sun God Nika, Lucian D. Vire had spent his free time arguing with people on pirate forums.
Like many fans, something inside him had snapped.
He had followed this series for years, only to see the protagonist handed such an overpowered ability so abruptly. His remaining goodwill toward the author faded into nothing.
Who would've thought that even hot-blooded shonen protagonists ultimately rely on bloodlines to defeat their enemies? The "Big Three" had all walked the same path. These manga artists seemed incapable of thinking beyond lineage—such narrow vision, such limited scope.
Whitebeard, Ace, the Admirals—these characters were once written so brilliantly. Yet none of it could salvage the disaster that was the Wano arc. It was like a single rat dropping ruining an entire pot of soup.
This better not end in a rushed, ruined finale…
After watching the latest episodes of One Piece, Lucian D. Vire felt especially frustrated about Kaido. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became—
—and then, just like that, he transmigrated.
When he opened his eyes, he found himself in the world of pirates.
"That was way too abrupt…"
"Looks like I came early. Luffy has probably just set sail—he doesn't even have a bounty yet. This is perfect. Heaven is helping me."
Without a bounty poster to confirm, Lucian D. Vire could only estimate the timeline. Luffy hadn't defeated Arlong yet. His first bounty of 30 million Beli would come later, thanks to Captain Nezumi manipulating the report.
Lucian D. Vire stared at the newspaper in his hands. The small print read: Year 1520 of the Sea Circle Calendar.
Perfect timing. None of the major future events had happened yet.
Having followed One Piece for over a decade, Lucian D. Vire remembered most of the major plot points and characters.
But he didn't want to be a pirate.
Nor did he want to be a Marine.
And he certainly didn't want to be a dog of the World Government.
He wanted freedom—true freedom.
More accurately… he wanted to be a troublemaker.
He wanted to stir chaos in this rotten world.
[Ding. The Tall Tale King System is now online.]
[This system favors hosts who enjoy stirring trouble. Every character in this world can generate "Deception Points." The host may fabricate rumors to harvest these points. Points can be exchanged for rewards, including summoning heroes and generating Devil Fruits. Use them wisely.]
Lucian D. Vire nearly laughed out loud.
This was exactly what he needed.
The original owner of this body had been nothing more than an ordinary fisherman, completely powerless. On this unknown island, pirates could arrive at any time—and when they did, they would burn, kill, and loot without hesitation.
To pirates, human lives were nothing more than stepping stones.
"System, you've got good taste," Lucian D. Vire said. "But how am I supposed to spread rumors? Don't tell me I have to start a newspaper?"
The original owner's entire family wealth didn't even reach 100,000 Beli. Without money, nothing could be done. And who would believe a nobody like him anyway?
Even lies needed an audience.
The king of underground information—Morgans—had already monopolized the news industry. That man had offended the World Government, Marines, and pirates alike, yet still thrived.
Competing with someone like that? Impossible.
[Host need not worry. The system will deploy a "Heavenly Screen" visible to the entire world. It will display text and imagined visuals. As long as the rumors are not excessively absurd, harvesting Deception Points will be effortless.]
"Heavenly screen, huh? Then this becomes easy."
Lucian D. Vire grinned.
He had read plenty of pirate fanfiction. He knew exactly how to play this game.
A virtual screen appeared before him—the system shop.
All items required Deception Points.
And the prices were outrageous.
A standard Zoan-type Devil Fruit cost 5 million points—and it was a random blind box. With terrible luck, he might even get something useless like a shrimp fruit.
A Paramecia cost 20 million.
A Logia cost 100 million.
All random.
Even Haki wasn't cheap:
Basic Armament Haki: 5 million
Basic Observation Haki: 10 million
Basic Conqueror's Haki: 100 million
Advanced techniques? Too expensive to even look at.
There were also legendary swords—many not even from this world. Perhaps they could be used to win over powerful swordsmen in the future.
Then came the most ridiculous option—
Hero Summoning Pool.
One draw cost 100 million points.
"What the hell? Are you sure this isn't a typo?"
[Rest assured. The weakest hero from this pool is at least Vice Admiral candidate level. Summoned heroes can grow stronger through training. System products are always premium.]
Vice Admiral candidate level…
That was roughly equivalent to a Yonko Commander.
Even someone like Marco fit that level.
Though his performance in the anime had been underwhelming, Lucian D. Vire knew better than to underestimate anyone in the real world.
Still…
"System, I just got here. Don't I get a beginner's gift pack? At least give me something to defend myself."
The East Blue might be called the weakest sea, but pirates worth tens of millions still existed. And those below 10 million were everywhere.
This world was brutal to ordinary people.
The island beneath his feet was called Fuguang Island.
It housed just over a thousand residents, surviving mainly on fishing and small-scale farming. Trade ships occasionally passed by, exchanging goods for fish.
Poor didn't even begin to describe it.
There wasn't even a Marine base nearby. The island wasn't worth collecting Heavenly Tribute from—completely insignificant.
Which meant…
Perfect prey for pirates.
Recently, things had been peaceful. Only merchant ships passed through. Lucian D. Vire had just spent nearly 1,000 Beli buying a bag of low-quality salt.
[The Hero Pool grants the host one free draw as a beginner bonus. Would you like to proceed?]
"Wait a second."
Lucian D. Vire crouched by the shore, scooping seawater to wash his face and hands.
"This is important. Gotta wash off the bad luck first. First pull of my life—I need good karma."
He even believed East Blue's seawater might carry the protagonist's luck.
He had always done this back in gacha games.
"Alright. Let's begin."
"Show me… which hero I get."
[Drawing from Hero Pool…]
A figure suddenly appeared before him.
A blonde girl clad in silver armor.
She knelt on one knee.
"My Master, the hero answers your call."
Lucian D. Vire's eyes widened.
"…Artoria Pendragon?"