"Ace… No! No! No!!"
Standing at a crosswalk, Jiang Lin held up a One Piece manga and shouted passionately toward the sky. The page he was holding showed the moment Ace was killed by Akainu.
Ace was one of Jiang Lin's favorite characters in One Piece. He hadn't expected Ace to die in the Summit War. At that moment, his heart hurt just like Luffy's.
"Screeech—Bang!"
While Jiang Lin was emotionally breaking down over Oda's writing, a sharp braking sound came from behind him. The next second, a searing pain overtook his body—he was sent flying through the air and then crashed hard onto the ground.
"Devil Fruit Infinite Replication System activated. Binding to host... Binding successful. Current Devil Fruit card count: zero. Please continue working hard to complete the full Devil Fruit Encyclopedia."
As this mechanical voice echoed in Jiang Lin's mind, he opened his eyes and found himself no longer on Earth. In front of him stood a massive Yarukiman Mangrove tree with a large number "27" prominently displayed, instantly making Jiang Lin realize exactly where he was.
Sabaody Archipelago—the place where the so-called "Worst Generation" first made their name, and also the closest point to Marine Headquarters on the Grand Line.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The sound of intense gunfire and the chaos of fleeing crowds snapped Jiang Lin back to reality. All around him were panicked pirates scattering in all directions. Behind them? Fierce-looking navy soldiers in hot pursuit.
"I transmigrated?"
Excited, Jiang Lin looked for a mirror and checked his reflection. In it stood a man wearing a blue coat and a leather pointed hat—a classic pirate outfit.
Short, neat hair, and a well-structured face. At the very least, he looked like a handsome background character.
His self-admiration didn't last long. A middle-aged man approached with a white cape bearing the word "Justice" and an outfit of dark yellow with pale yellow stripes. He leaned in, face full of "friendly" curiosity, and asked in a bright voice:
"Moshi moshi~? Hey kid, I want to ask you something. I'm looking for a man named Sentomaru. Do you know where he is?"
The man's signature mustache, yellow-tinted glasses, and dashing Marine cape left no room for doubt—he was none other than Admiral Kizaru, real name Borsalino.
"A… A Marine Admiral!"
When Kizaru appeared, the pirates around Jiang Lin screamed and ran for their lives. Within seconds, the once pirate-crowded street was completely cleared, leaving Jiang Lin all alone.
"Am I seriously going to die right after reincarnating?"
Jiang Lin stood frozen, stunned by the sight of Kizaru. As a loyal One Piece fan, he didn't even need to look closely to recognize who it was. If this were any other day, he might have shouted "my idol!" in excitement. But right now? He could only think about how to stay alive—after all, he was a pirate now.
"So strange~"
Kizaru seemed oblivious to Jiang Lin's changing expressions. He casually raised his left hand and began talking into a black Den Den Mushi on his wrist.
"You have encountered a Devil Fruit user. Engage in combat for one minute or remain within a one-meter radius of the target for one minute to copy their Devil Fruit card."
Just as Kizaru appeared, the familiar mechanical voice echoed in Jiang Lin's mind again. Just stay close for one minute or fight for one minute, and he'd get a copy of Kizaru's Devil Fruit. That ability was insanely overpowered.
"Kizaru…"
With no other options, Jiang Lin braced himself and tapped Kizaru on the shoulder. The moment his hand made contact, two system messages rang in his head:
"You have attacked Borsalino, wielder of the Glint-Glint Fruit. Copying process initiated. Please hold on for one minute."
"You are within one meter of Borsalino, wielder of the Glint-Glint Fruit. Copying process initiated. Please hold on for one minute."
Just touching his shoulder counted as an "attack" and also triggered the proximity effect—both conditions were activated at once.
"Hmm… You sure you saw Sentomaru somewhere?"
Kizaru asked with a smile after lowering his Den Den Mushi.
"Yeah! I saw him walking that way. Want me to take you there?"
Jiang Lin casually pointed in a random direction on the now-empty street.
"Oh? Is that so?"
Kizaru responded noncommittally but didn't object. Instead, he followed Jiang Lin with curious interest.
"30 seconds!"
Jiang Lin led the way while keeping a close eye on the countdown in the system. He had zero powers. If he couldn't copy Kizaru's Devil Fruit, he'd be done for.
"Moshi moshi~ Kid, you sure you know where Sentomaru is?"
Kizaru kept chatting as they walked.
"We're almost there! Just around the corner!"
Jiang Lin nervously answered, fully focused on the timer. He didn't even notice that he had led Kizaru in a circle and was now right back where they started—at Tree No. 27 of the Yarukiman Mangrove.
"Yo~ Kid, are you messing with me?"
A cold voice came from behind him. Jiang Lin turned around and saw Kizaru's face now filled with playful menace.
"One-minute timer complete. Glint-Glint Fruit successfully copied."
"Devil Fruit card detected. Activating Devil Fruit Installation Device. Please insert the card to receive corresponding powers."
"Glint-Glint Fruit installed. Each Devil Fruit card can be used for 10 minutes. Cooldown time: 30 seconds."
After a series of system prompts, Jiang Lin finally obtained his first weapon to survive in the world of One Piece—the Glint-Glint Fruit.
"Have you ever been kicked by light?"
Facing Kizaru's glare, Jiang Lin slowly raised his left leg. A dazzling yellow light glowed from his foot, startling Kizaru, who could no longer maintain his relaxed expression.
"Seriously~ I was just trying to ask you about someone…"
Kizaru muttered as he raised his leg, a familiar yellow glow radiating from his sole.
Two people with the same Devil Fruit ability, on Sabaody Archipelago, stared each other down and launched their attacks at the same time.
…
A new book is online. Please give it a 5-star review!
Struggling author online and waiting for interaction. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment anytime!
Though I can't guarantee 24/7 replies, I promise to respond as soon as I see your message!