The darkness wasn't just an absence of light; it was a physical weight. It pressed against Evan Kamiyo's chest, filling his lungs with the copper tang of old blood and the briny, stagnant scent of the sea.
He drifted in a void where time had no meaning. The last fragments of his memory were a kaleidoscope of fire and screaming. He remembered the sky over Marineford splitting open, the frantic roars of Fleet Admiral Sengoku, and the blinding flare of Admiral Kizaru's laser beams. He remembered the feeling of a "System" snapping into existence within his soul just as the world collapsed.
Then, the silence took him.
The Awakening
When his eyes finally flickered open, the world was no longer a blur of fire. It was cold, grey, and suffocatingly small.
Evan tried to draw a breath, but a sharp, biting pain flared in his chest. He tried to move his arms, only to be met by the harsh, rhythmic clink-clink of heavy metal. He wasn't lying down. He was suspended.
His wrists were encased in thick iron cuffs, pulled taut toward the ceiling by rusted chains. His ankles were similarly bound, the weight of the shackles dragging his heels toward the damp stone floor. Every time he shifted, the iron bit deeper into his raw skin.
"Where..." he rasped, his voice sounding like dry parchment rubbing together.
He looked around, squinting through the gloom. The dungeon was a tomb of carved rock and misery. Dim, flickering torches mounted on the walls cast long, dancing shadows that looked like specters. In the surrounding cells, he could see them—the broken remnants of people. Some were slumped in corners, their breathing shallow and jagged. Others were nothing more than skeletal remains, still dressed in the tattered rags of whatever life they had before this place.
The reality hit him with the force of a physical blow. The pain was too sharp, the cold too biting, and the smell of decay too authentic to be a dream.
The System's Call
As Evan's mind raced to make sense of the nightmare, a sound vibrated not in his ears, but directly in the center of his brain. It was a cold, crystalline chime that cut through the fog of his pain.
"Ding! Congratulations on your successful transmigration."
Evan's pupils contracted into pinpricks. The voice was mechanical, yet it possessed a terrifying clarity.
"The Super-Dimensional Reincarnation System has been activated. Current status: Host stabilized."
A chill that had nothing to do with the damp cellar ran down Evan's spine. He leaned his head back against the cold stone, his dark hair matting against his forehead. "System," he whispered, the word feeling heavy in his mouth. "Talk to me."
"Confirmed. Interface ready," the voice replied instantly.
Evan forced himself to take a slow, agonizing breath. He had been a fan of stories like this in his past life, but standing in the chains of a torture chamber made the "adventure" feel like a death sentence.
"Where am I?" he asked, his gaze darting to the heavy iron door at the end of the hall. "Is this still the One Piece world? I remember Marineford... I remember the war."
"Current location: One Piece world. Sub-sector: Sabaody Archipelago. Underground Facility 07."
Evan froze. Sabaody.
The name triggered a flood of memories. This wasn't just any prison. Sabaody was the gateway to the New World, a land of mangroves and bubbles, but beneath its beauty lay the darkest market in the world.
He looked at the iron shackles on his wrists. These weren't just chains; they were the brands of the "Gods." He was in the private dungeon of the World Nobles. He was a slave waiting for auction.
The Arrival of the "God"
The heavy iron door at the far end of the corridor groaned on its hinges. The sound of rhythmic, arrogant footsteps echoed off the stone, accompanied by the frantic scuffling of guards trying to keep pace.
Evan narrowed his eyes, watching as a silhouette emerged into the torchlight.
The man was grotesque. He wore a heavy, white pressurized suit that looked like a space suit, topped with a glass dome over his head. His nose was constantly running, and his eyes were wide with a vacant, cruel boredom.
Saint Charlos.
The Celestial Dragon walked past the cages with a swagger that suggested he owned the very air the prisoners were breathing. He stopped in front of a cage three doors down from Evan, poking a gold-tipped cane through the bars at a trembling young woman.
"This one looks dull," Charlos complained, his voice nasal and whining. "If they don't look lively, they aren't fun to break. Make sure the next batch is better, or I'll have you all executed."
The guards bowed so low their foreheads nearly touched the grime on the floor. "Of course, Saint Charlos! We have several new acquisitions today that will surely please you!"
Evan watched them, his teeth gritting together so hard his jaw ached. This was the "King of the Underworld" in action. To these nobles, humans were nothing more than toys to be discarded when they stopped screaming.
Evan remained perfectly still, his head lowered to hide the burning rage in his eyes. He knew he couldn't move—not yet. He needed to understand the weapon he had been given.
The Forbidden Power
Once the heavy door slammed shut and the footsteps of the Celestial Dragon faded into the distance, Evan turned his focus inward.
"System," he thought, his mental voice sharp and demanding. "You mentioned 'Hyper-Dimensional Reincarnation.' Explain the function."
"Explanation: The host may bridge the gap between dimensions. Specifically, you have the authority to summon the souls of powerful beings whose lives have ended in their home worlds. These souls are reconstructed into physical vessels in this world."
Evan's heart hammered against his ribs. "Powerful beings... from where?"
"Any dimension connected to the host's memory bank. Primary link established: The Shinobi World."
Evan felt a jolt of adrenaline that almost masked the pain in his limbs. "You mean I can bring back the dead from the Naruto world? The legends? The monsters?"
"Confirmed. Any individual whose existence has concluded can be summoned via the Super-Dimensional Edo Tensei. Reincarnated individuals will be bound to the host's will by soul-contract. They will possess their original abilities, scaled to the laws of this world."
Evan's mind raced through the possibilities. In a world of Haki and Devil Fruits, what would happen if a Susano'o appeared on the battlefield? What would a Tailed Beast Bomb do to a Marine warship?
"What's the catch?" Evan asked. "There's always a price."
"Reputation Points," the System answered. "The world must know your name. Fear, awe, hatred, and worship all generate points. The more the world is shaken by your actions, the more power you can unlock."
The Shop of Gods
With a thought, a translucent blue screen shimmered into existence before Evan's eyes. It was a sprawling interface, divided into categories that made his head spin.
Bloodline Limits: Sharingan, Wood Release, Rinnegan...
Forbidden Arts: Eight Inner Gates, Reaper Death Seal...
Summoning Scrolls: High-tier Shinobi Reincarnation...
He scrolled through the prices. A basic Three-Tomoe Sharingan was expensive, but manageable. The Rinnegan, however, cost a number of zeros that seemed impossible to reach.
"I'm at the bottom," Evan realized, looking at his current point balance: 0.
He was a prisoner in the dark, chained by the most powerful organization on the planet, with nothing but a system and a dream of vengeance. But as he looked at the caskets listed in the "Reincarnation" tab, he saw a name that stood out among the rest.
[Uchiha Madara: The Ghost of the Uchiha]
The price was astronomical, but the potential was world-shattering.
A Change in the Tide
Evan looked up at the small, barred window near the ceiling. He could see a sliver of the blue sky of Sabaody and the drifting soap bubbles that gave the island its name.
If his memory of the timeline was correct, the "Worst Generation" hadn't caused their chaos yet. Luffy hadn't punched Charlos. The world was still under the thumb of the World Government, stagnant and cruel.
"The Marines think they've captured a slave," Evan whispered, a dark, jagged smile spreading across his face.
He felt the System pulse in his mind, a cold energy beginning to flow through his veins, dulling the pain of the shackles. He didn't just want to escape. He wanted to burn the system that built this dungeon to the ground.
"Let them come," Evan thought. "Let Sengoku mobilize his fleets. Let the Admirals bring their light and ice."
He closed his eyes, visualizing the first casket he would summon. He could almost feel the presence of the legendary shinobi waiting in the void, ready to be called into a world of endless oceans and pirate kings.
"Sabaody won't be a slave market for long," he murmured. "It's going to be the birthplace of the Ninja Guild."
The chains rattled as Evan pulled against them, not out of desperation, but with a newfound strength. The Super-Dimensional Reincarnation had begun.