The moment the words left the stranger's lips, Shin's blood turned to ice. The world around him—the cheers, the sea breeze, the warmth of the sun—all of it faded into a suffocating silence.
The hooded figure tilted his head, a slow, deliberate motion, as if savoring Shin's fear. Then—
"Hahahaha!"
A laugh, sharp and mocking, cut through the air like a blade. It wasn't a sound of amusement, but of cruelty, the kind that dripped with malice.
"You'll die soon," the man said, his voice a whisper that somehow carried over the noise of the crowd. "But I'll let you live… for now."
Shin's breath hitched. His fingers dug into his palms, nails biting into flesh. "W-What do you want?"
The figure didn't answer. Instead, he raised a single gloved hand, pointing past Shin—toward the Straw Hats, toward the celebrating people of Alabasta.
"You'll help me kill them all."
And then, like smoke in the wind, he was gone.
Shin stumbled back, his heart hammering against his ribs. The system screen flickered violently in his vision, the words warping before stabilizing.
[WARNING: UNKNOWN ENTITY – HOSTILE INTENT DETECTED]
[ADMINISTRATOR STATUS: UNCONFIRMED]
[RECOMMENDED ACTION: EVACUATE]
"What the hell…?" Shin muttered, his voice trembling.
The crowd around him continued cheering, laughing, completely unaware of the horror that had just unfolded. The Straw Hats were still there, still celebrating—Luffy's grin as wide as ever, Usopp waving at the crowd, Nami rolling her eyes at Sanji's antics.
But Shin couldn't move.
"I'm alone…" he whispered.
No family. No friends. No place to go.
And now, some monster had marked him for death.
The Slums of Nanohana
Night fell over Alabasta, the desert winds cooling the scorching sands. Shin wandered through the back alleys of Nanohana, his stomach growling, his body aching. He had no money. No food. No shelter.
"Damn it…" He kicked a loose pebble, watching it skitter across the cracked stone.
Then, a scent—warm, rich, unmistakable.
Food.
His head snapped up. A flickering lantern illuminated a small, ramshackle building tucked between crumbling walls. The sound of chatter and clinking bowls drifted through the open door.
Shin hesitated.
"You lost, kid?"
A voice. Rough, but not unkind.
Shin turned. A young man, around his age—maybe nineteen—leaned against the wall, arms crossed. He had sharp eyes, dark hair tied back in a loose ponytail, and a scar running down his left cheek. His clothes were worn but clean, his posture relaxed but alert.
"I…" Shin swallowed. "I don't have anywhere to go."
The young man studied him for a long moment before sighing. "Figures. You look like hell." He jerked his chin toward the building. "That's the 'House of the Forgotten.' Place for people like us—no home, no family. They'll feed you. But it ain't free."
Shin tensed. "What's the catch?"
The stranger smirked. "You work. Simple as that."
"Work?"
"Yeah. Jobs. Errands. Whatever they need."
Shin hesitated. But the gnawing hunger in his stomach won out. "Fine."
The young man pushed off the wall and extended a hand. "Name's Ryu. From East Blue. You?"
Shin took it. "Shin."
Ryu's grip was firm. "Welcome to the bottom, Shin."
The inside of the building was cramped but warm. A long wooden table dominated the center, surrounded by mismatched chairs. A dozen or so people—men, women, even a few kids—sat eating, laughing, talking.
An old woman with a hunched back and sharp eyes stood near the stove, stirring a large pot of stew. She glanced up as Ryu and Shin entered.
"Another stray, Ryu?" she asked, her voice raspy.
Ryu shrugged. "Seems like it."
The old woman—Shin would later learn her name was Granny Hana—studied Shin before nodding. "Sit. Eat. Then we'll talk about your debt."
The stew was the best thing Shin had ever tasted. He devoured it, barely pausing to breathe.
Then, Granny Hana leaned forward, her eyes glinting in the lantern light.
"Now, about that work."
Shin wiped his mouth. "What do you need me to do?"
Ryu, sitting beside him, smirked. "Ever stolen before?"
Shin froze. "What?"
Granny Hana chuckled. "We don't deal in honest labor here, boy. The rich in this city have more than they need. We take what they won't miss."
Shin's stomach twisted. "You want me to… steal?"
Ryu leaned in, his voice low. "You got a problem with that?"
Shin clenched his fists.
[SYSTEM NOTICE: MORAL CONFLICT DETECTED]
[OPTIONS: COMPLY / RESIST]
He looked around—at the hungry faces, at the crumbling walls, at the people who had nothing.
Then he thought of the Administrator's words.
"You'll help me kill them all."
A thief or a murderer.
Which was worse?
Shin exhaled.
"No," he said quietly. "I don't have a problem with it."
Ryu grinned. "Good. Then welcome to the family."
[SYSTEM UPDATE: NEW OBJECTIVE ACQUIRED]
[SURVIVE.]
Shin's body ached as he lay on the thin, scratchy mat that served as his bed in the House of the Forgotten. The desert night was cold, the air dry against his skin. His mind, however, was anything but still.
[SYSTEM INTEGRATION COMPLETE.]
The words burned behind his eyelids, not as a notification, but as knowledge—deep, instinctive, as if he had always known it.
"So that's how it is…" Shin muttered, staring at the ceiling.
The system wasn't like those in the stories he'd read. No levels. No instant power-ups. It was more like… a guide. A teacher. It showed him his state, warned him of danger, and fed him knowledge about the world—but the rest? The strength? He had to earn it.
And then there was the most shocking revelation of all.
Cursed energy existed in this world.
Not in people. Not in curses. But in the air itself, dispersed, diluted—like an invisible mist clinging to the world.
"If I can learn to absorb it…" Shin clenched his fist.
But before he could dwell further, a sound cut through the silence.
Clink. Clink. Shatter.
His eyes snapped open.
Someone was moving outside.
Shin crept out of the makeshift dormitory, his bare feet silent against the cold stone. The moon hung high, casting long shadows over the slums of Nanohana.
And there, in the empty courtyard behind the building, stood Ryu.
But this wasn't the Ryu he knew.
The young man's hands were outstretched, his fingers splayed—and in front of him, floating in midair, was a mirror. No, not just a mirror. A shimmering, liquid-like surface, rippling like disturbed water.
Then—
Fwip!
A pebble flew toward the mirror… and vanished into it.
A second later, it shot back out—twice as fast, embedding itself into the far wall with a sharp thud.
Shin's breath caught.
"A Devil Fruit user?!"
But that wasn't all.
Ryu smirked, then stepped forward—into the mirror itself.
His body dissolved into the surface, vanishing completely.
A heartbeat later, he reappeared behind Shin, his voice a whisper in his ear.
"See something interesting?"
Shin nearly jumped out of his skin, spinning around.
Ryu stood there, arms crossed, that same cocky grin on his face. But his eyes… they were sharp. Calculating.
Shin swallowed. "You… have a Devil Fruit."
Ryu tilted his head. "And you were spying. Not very smart for a newbie."
Shin's mind raced. This wasn't in the original One Piece. There was no Ryu. No mirror-based Devil Fruit. Was this because of his presence? The Administrator's interference?
Ryu studied him, then sighed. "Relax. I'm not gonna kill you. But answer me—do you have a Devil Fruit?"
Shin hesitated. "No."
Ryu's smirk returned. "Good. That means you're still eligible."
"Eligible for what?"
"For power." Ryu turned, walking back toward the center of the courtyard. "In a few days, we set sail. Granny Hana's got connections—she can get her hands on a Devil Fruit. Weak ones, sure, but better than nothing."
Shin's pulse spiked. "You're giving me a Devil Fruit?"
Ryu snorted. "Not for free. You'll owe us. But the sea isn't kind to the weak. If you wanna survive out there, you'll need strength."
Shin clenched his fists.
[SYSTEM ANALYSIS: DEVIL FRUIT DETECTED – PARAMECIA TYPE]
[ABILITY: MIRROR WORLD – USER CAN MANIPULATE REFLECTIVE SURFACES, ABSORB/REFLECT PROJECTILES, AND TELEPORT BETWEEN MIRRORS]
"Why are you telling me this?" Shin asked.
Ryu paused, then glanced back, his expression unreadable.
"Because you're not like the others here."
"What does that mean?"
Ryu didn't answer. Instead, he raised a hand—and another mirror formed in the air.
"Train with me tomorrow. If you can keep up, maybe you'll live long enough to see the Grand Line."
And with that, he stepped into the mirror—and vanished.
The Weight of the Unknown
Shin stood alone in the moonlit courtyard, his mind reeling.
Ryu had a Devil Fruit.
He was planning to set sail.
And he was offering Shin power.
But beneath it all, one thought burned brighter than the rest:
This wasn't supposed to happen.
Ryu didn't exist in the original One Piece.
Which meant only one thing—
The world was changing.
And Shin?
He was right in the middle of it.
[SYSTEM WARNING: UNKNOWN VARIABLES DETECTED]
[ADMINISTRATOR INFLUENCE SUSPECTED]
Shin gritted his teeth.
"Fine."
If the world was going to throw him into chaos, he'd adapt.
He'd learn.
And most importantly—
He'd survive.
Shin sat cross-legged in the dim light of the abandoned storeroom, his back against the cold stone wall. The sounds of the slums outside—drunken laughter, distant arguments, the occasional bark of a stray dog—faded into the background as he focused on the System Screen hovering before him.
[CURRENT USER STATUS]
Name: Shin
Age: 19
Physical Condition: Weak (Below Average for One Piece World)
Cursed Energy Reserve: 2% (Dormant)
Innate Technique: Unknown (Locked)
Combat Ability: Non-Existent
A grimace twisted his lips.
"Pathetic."
He was too weak. In a world where monsters like Luffy, Zoro, and even Ryu existed, he was nothing. A speck. A nobody.
But the System wasn't done.
[TRAINING PROTOCOL INITIATED]
[METHOD: YUJI ITADORI'S CURSED ENERGY CONTROL DEVELOPMENT]
[REQUIREMENT: MEDITATION, PHYSICAL CONDITIONING, AND ENERGY ABSORPTION]
Shin blinked. "Wait… like Yuji?"
A flood of information poured into his mind—memories, techniques, the very foundation of cursed energy manipulation.
Breathing Control – To stabilize cursed energy flow.
Physical Reinforcement – To withstand the strain of cursed energy.
Energy Absorption – To gather the dispersed cursed energy in the atmosphere.
"So I have to train like a damn sorcerer," Shin muttered.
But then, the System delivered the real revelation.
[NOTICE: CURSED ENERGY AWARENESS IS SPREADING IN THIS WORLD]
[SOME INDIVIDUALS ARE BEGINNING TO SENSE IT]
[FUTURE IMPACT: POSSIBLE EMERGENCE OF NATURAL CURSED TECHNIQUE USERS]
Shin's blood ran cold.
"What…?"
If people in this world started awakening to cursed energy…
The balance of power would shift.
And if the Administrator was behind this…
"This is bad."
But before he could spiral further, the System cut in.
[IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED]
[STEP 1: INCREASE CURSED ENERGY RESERVE TO 30%]
[ONCE ACHIEVED, INNATE TECHNIQUE WILL UNLOCK]
Shin exhaled sharply.
"No pressure, huh?"
The First Training Session
The next morning, before the sun had fully risen, Shin found himself in the same courtyard where Ryu had demonstrated his Mirror-Mirror Fruit abilities.
But this time, he wasn't here to watch.
He was here to train.
"Alright, System. Show me how to do this."
[BEGINNING CURSED ENERGY BREATHING EXERCISES]
A diagram appeared in his mind—inhale, hold, exhale—each breath syncing with the flow of cursed energy in his body.
He closed his eyes and focused.
At first, nothing.
Then—
A pulse.
Like a second heartbeat, deep in his gut.
Cursed energy.
It was faint, barely there, but real.
Shin grinned. "I feel it!"
But the moment he got excited, the sensation vanished.
[WARNING: CONCENTRATION BROKEN]
"Tch."
He tried again. And again.
Each time, the cursed energy slipped through his grasp like smoke.
Frustration built in his chest.
"Why isn't this working?!"
Then—
"You look like you're trying to shit a brick."
Shin's eyes snapped open.
Ryu stood at the edge of the courtyard, arms crossed, an amused smirk on his face.
Shin scowled. "What do you want?"
Ryu shrugged. "Just watching. You're doing it wrong."
"Doing what wrong?"
"Whatever the hell you're trying to do." Ryu stepped forward. "You're forcing it. You don't grab power. You let it flow."
Shin frowned. "That's… actually not bad advice."
Ryu smirked. "I know. Now, you gonna keep sitting there, or are we sparring?"
Shin hesitated.
[SYSTEM NOTICE: PHYSICAL CONDITIONING WILL ACCELERATE CURSED ENERGY ABSORPTION]
He stood up, cracking his knuckles.
"Fine. But go easy on me."
Ryu's grin turned predatory.
"No promises."
Ryu was fast.
Before Shin could react, a fist slammed into his gut, knocking the air from his lungs. He stumbled back, wheezing.
"Too slow," Ryu taunted.
Shin gritted his teeth. "Bastard…"
He charged—only for Ryu to sidestep effortlessly and sweep his legs out from under him.
Shin hit the ground hard, his vision swimming.
[WARNING: PHYSICAL DAMAGE DETECTED]
[CURSED ENERGY FLUCTUATION—ADRENALINE SPIKE]
Something shifted inside him.
A heat, spreading through his veins.
His body moved before he could think.
He rolled, dodging Ryu's next strike, and swung—
CRACK!
His fist connected with Ryu's jaw.
Ryu staggered back, blinking in surprise. "Huh. Not bad."
Shin stared at his own hand.
"Did I just…?"
[CURSED ENERGY RESERVE: 5%]
[TEMPORARY PHYSICAL REINFORCEMENT ACHIEVED]
Shin's eyes widened.
"It worked."
Ryu wiped his lip, smirking. "Guess you're not completely useless."
Shin grinned back.
"You have no idea."
The Road Ahead
By the time the sun reached its peak, Shin was exhausted.
But for the first time since arriving in this world…
He felt strong.
His cursed energy reserve had increased to 7%.
His body, though bruised, was adapting.
And most importantly—
He had a path forward.
Ryu tossed him a waterskin. "Not bad for a first day. Tomorrow, we'll see if you can actually keep up."
Shin caught it, taking a long swig. "Yeah. Tomorrow."
But as Ryu walked away, Shin's gaze turned to the horizon—where the sea stretched endlessly.
"The Grand Line… the Straw Hats… the Administrator…"
He clenched his fist.
"I'll get stronger. Strong enough to survive."
And maybe…
Strong enough to change fate itself.