The morning sun hit the dusty windows of Ray's bookstore, but the atmosphere inside was anything but quiet. Ray sat behind his wooden counter, turning the weathered Straw Hat in his hands. He could feel the faint pulse of the ocean within it—a physical manifestation of the [Manga God System].
"One fan brought me 0.5% synchronization. If I can get the whole city reading, I might actually stand a chance against the monsters of this world," Ray muttered.
[Ding!]
[Daily Mission: Expand your readership. Target: 5 New Readers.]
[Reward: Skill: 'Panel Flashback' (Allows the author to project a manga scene into the air for 10 seconds).]
Suddenly, the bell at the door jingled. It wasn't just Lin this time. She was followed by three young men wearing the prestigious white and gold robes of the 'Heavenly Cloud Academy'. They looked around the small, cramped shop with visible disgust.
"This is the place, Lin?" one of them, a tall boy named Chen with a high-tier Fire Root, laughed. "A dusty shack filled with paper? You said you found a 'New Path to Power'. I see nothing but trash."
Lin's face reddened. "Just read it, Chen! It's different from any cultivation technique we've studied. It's... it's emotional. It's real!"
Chen grabbed the second chapter of One Piece with a sneer. "Fine. Let's see this 'Manga'. If it's a waste of my time, I'll burn this shop to the ground with a single fire palm."
Ray didn't blink. He simply pointed to the stools. "Sit. Read. If your heart doesn't race within ten pages, I'll give you the shop for free."
As Chen and his friends began to read, the [Aura of Immersion] kicked in. The sounds of the bookstore faded, replaced by the crashing waves of the East Blue. They saw Luffy facing the Sea King. They saw the sheer willpower of a boy with no 'Spiritual Roots' challenging the ocean itself.
Ten minutes passed. The sneer on Chen's face disappeared. His breath became heavy. His fingers gripped the paper so hard it nearly tore. He wasn't just reading; he was feeling the 'Gomu Gomu no Pistol' vibrating in his own muscles.
"This... this boy," Chen whispered, his eyes wide. "He has no magic, yet he strikes with the force of a landslide. How?!"