Yashiro stared at the system hamster's fluffy little body, shoulders trembling as he tried to explain himself."You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask? I'm just as lost as you are!"
The system hamster plopped down onto the beach, its tiny legs sticking out as it wailed. Tears streamed from its eyes like twin waterfalls.
"It's over! How can we be in the world of One Piece? If this is really the One Piece world, I can't complete any of my tasks! And if I fail the performance review, I'll come in last again! Aaaaah!"
When Yashiro heard that, his heart sank.Don't tell me… my system really can't function here?If so, then he couldn't use the system at all.
"Hold on—wait, wait! Don't you have a world mission for the One Piece universe?"Yashiro rushed to the hamster in a panic, voice trembling.
"No… This system is a Cross-Reality Shuttle System. Every time you travel to a designated world, I generate world-specific missions based on that world. I have no idea why you, Host, ended up in the One Piece world again. We're doomed this time… truly doomed…"
"You said you're a Cross-Reality Shuttle System… so can't you send me back to the Naruto world?!"
Only now did Yashiro realize—the system wasn't bound to a single universe. It could traverse entire planes.If that was true… then he could return to Naruto's world.
"I could… but each jump costs massive energy. Sending you to the Naruto world drained everything I had. Right now, I have zero energy. You can't complete missions, and I can't generate energy, so we're finished."
Yashiro felt his mind buzz. His legs gave out, and he dropped onto the sand.
"It's over… completely over… I thought I was about to hit the peak of my life, but this is it—ruined. Fine. Whatever. Forget it… I'll just go wash dishes. I don't want this stupid system anymore."
His eyes went blank as he muttered to himself.
He stood up listlessly, ready to return to the diner and save up 50 Berries at a time. With enough savings, he could still dream of marriage one day.
Seeing him walk away, the system hamster lunged and clung desperately to his leg.
"W-wait! Don't give up yet! Aside from missions, there's another way to generate energy! Please don't abandon this system! If I'm discarded, I'll be recycled and destroyed!
"And—and haven't you been stressed all week because you can't speak the local language? This system can teach you the language of the One Piece world!"
The hamster trembled as it spoke. It had been terrified earlier and had nearly forgotten that if the host abandoned it, destruction awaited. It even foolishly tried to run away… only now realizing it had no escape.
But hearing Yashiro say he didn't want the system anymore?That terrified it more than anything.
Yashiro's eyes lit up the instant he heard "language" and "energy points."
"Then hurry up and make me fluent! I've been mute for a whole week!"
Finally—finally, the system did something useful.
"O-okay! This system will arrange it immediately!"
"Drip—drip—"
A notification chimed inside Yashiro's mind, just like a phone alert. A blue screen appeared before him.A chibi 2D avatar sat in the corner—an adorable miniature version of himself, like Yashiro shrunk twentyfold.
Beside it were various stats:
System Level: LV0Name: YashiroPower: 2.0Speed: 3.4Constitution: 2.2Chakra: 700 (sealed)Skills: Shadow Clone Technique, Substitution Technique, Body Flicker Technique, Lightning Release — Ground Walk, Fire Release — Great Flame Bullet, Earth Release — Underground Navigation, Earth Release — Earth Spear…
He skimmed the numbers, then looked up at the center of the screen.
"Voice Pack Detected. Unzip and Install? (Yes/No)"
Without hesitation, Yashiro selected Install.Of course he did—this was clearly the One Piece world language pack.
A wave of relief washed over him.He wouldn't have to stay mute anymore.
"So?" Yashiro asked the system. "Besides missions, what's the 'other' way to get energy?"
The hamster saluted nervously.
"This system can also absorb unique energies from the worlds you visit.In Naruto, for example, if the host captured a Tailed Beast, I could absorb its chakra into energy points.In the One Piece world, it's Devil Fruits."
It puffed out its tiny chest, proud of its explanation.
"A single Devil Fruit can be converted into 1,000 energy points. If you obtain around 50 Devil Fruits, I can take you back to the Naruto world!"
Yashiro stared at the fat hamster with dead eyes.
"Fifty? Are you insane?"
He patted the measly 200 Berries in his pocket.A Devil Fruit cost a million Berries at minimum.
How many dishes would he have to wash to get that kind of money?
And even if he somehow acquired one—why would he give it to the system instead of eating it himself in this dangerous world?
Devil Fruits weren't even common. Their numbers were fixed; new ones didn't spontaneously appear. Most re-spawned randomly only when a user died.
Even protagonists didn't come across many. Luffy, after all these years, had barely encountered any.
And Vegapunk's artificial fruits? Rare. Guarded. Totally inaccessible to a broke ten-year-old dishwasher.
In other words…
This system was a useless piece of junk.
The hamster trembled under Yashiro's cold glare.
"I-I know Devil Fruits are rare! And there's only one fruit user on this tiny island! Asking for fifty is impossible!B-but if you want to abandon me, fine! Go ahead! I'll just wait to be destroyed! Now that you have the voice pack, you don't need me anyway!"
Yashiro brushed himself off and turned away.With the language pack installed, he could now speak perfectly—even better than he had in the Naruto world.
He'd simply endure and grow stronger on his own.
According to the timeline…
When Nico Robin returned to Ohara with her mother, Nico Olvia…When the scholars uncovered evidence from the Void Century…The World Government would issue an extermination order.Ohara would be destroyed.
That meant he had two years on Ohara Island before the tragedy.
Two years to train.Two years to break the seals on his body.Two years to grow strong enough as an elite-level shinobi.
And Nico Robin…Even knowing she'd later be betrayed repeatedly, hunted, sold out, and forced into the underworld for twenty years just to survive…
Yashiro couldn't help feeling a heavy ache in his chest.
If he could—if there was even a chance—he wanted to help her.
While he was settling on this future plan—work hard, wash dishes, train, unlock his sealed chakra—the system hamster suddenly spoke again.
"There's more! This system doesn't only need Devil Fruits.Devil Fruit users themselves work too!If the host can kill a Devil Fruit user, I can extract the fruit's energy directly from their body.And the more developed their ability, the more energy I can extract!"
It continued breathlessly:
"So as long as the host defeats a few powerful fruit users, we can gather enough energy to return to the Naruto world!And not only that—we can return to the exact moment you first crossed over!You can go back to Konoha!"
Yashiro froze.Return… to that moment?To when the Nine-Tails killed him?
If he got strong enough in the One Piece world—If he acquired a Logia-type Devil Fruit—He could survive the Nine-Tails.He could protect everyone.
Especially…
Hinata Hanaka…
"Hanaka… we can meet again…"He wiped tears from his face, laughing and crying all at once.
Her gentle smile appeared in his mind—soft, warm, filled with kindness.
Ten years together in Konoha.A bond carved into his heart.
He'd always been afraid to ask the system whether she was safe…Terrified of the answer he might receive.
But now?Now there was hope.
If collecting energy meant killing Devil Fruit users—Then so be it.He had killed before, in past lives and this one.
As joy turned into sorrow, sorrow into determination, Yashiro's expression twisted. His pupils narrowed like a beast ready to hunt.
The hamster, timid by nature, shrank back in fear.
"H-host… host…"
"What?!"
Yashiro snapped out of his feral state, his eyes returning to normal.
"I—I want to ask you something."
"Speak. I'm reasonable."
The hamster gulped.
"Can you open your attribute panel again?"
Confused but compliant, Yashiro summoned it.
"On the next page," the hamster said nervously, "there's an option to convert the system into a System Management Sprite.Could you… please activate it? I—I'm not used to being outside like this…"
Its eyes were pitifully round.As a system construct, it was timid to begin with, and Yashiro had terrified it since the moment of its creation.If possible, it wanted to hide inside the panel forever.
"Don't worry!" it added quickly. "Even as a management sprite, I retain all my functions! I'll only manifest in special situations!"
Yashiro examined the feature—essentially the equivalent of an AI assistant, like a smartphone but more advanced.
Honestly… having a giant hamster floating around him was annoying.
Without hesitation, he selected Transform.
The hamster burst into strings of glowing data and streamed into the panel.
A small sprite of the hamster materialized in the upper right corner, waving its tiny paws.
"Hello, Host! If you need anything, feel free to consult me anytime!"