Shadows of the Grand Line

[Hi guys, author here, please do give this chapter all the way to the 3rd chapter a chance, i wrote all of it in a span of a single day with barely zero planning,, chapter 4 onwards is where i actually did everything that i can to make this as entertaining to read as possible so just endure first, i beg]

The world was dark. It wasn't the kind of darkness you feel when you turn off the lights before bed. No, this was the void. An emptiness that stretched beyond time and space, pulling me under like the deepest part of the ocean.

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Ding!

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That sound. Like a faint ring from a long-lost memory. It echoed through the darkness, pulling me back from oblivion. Then it hit me, hard.

"Congratulations, Katsuki D. Rook. You have been granted a second chance."

Second chance? My mind was foggy, pieces of my old life scattered like fragments of shattered glass. I remember… falling. Dying? Yeah. Definitely died. That part stuck with me. But here I was, in the dark, with a screen floating in front of me like something out of a video game.

Suddenly, the darkness cracked open, blinding light pouring in. Before I could even process what was happening, I felt my body being yanked down, like I was falling through the sky. Wind whipped past me, salt stung my nose, and the sound of crashing waves filled my ears. It was all too real.

Splash!

The icy ocean swallowed me whole, and for a moment, panic set in. Water rushed into my lungs as I struggled to swim, but my limbs felt wrong, weak, sluggish. Then, out of nowhere, a notification blinked into my vision.

New Quest: SURVIVE.

Objective: Find land.Reward: 10 XP, 1 Healing Potion.

No way, I thought, coughing up seawater. Was this… the system? I didn't have time to think about it too much. My body moved on instinct. I kicked my legs, pushed my arms through the water, and for the first time in forever, I was grateful for any sort of guidance, even if it was from a game-like system.

In the distance, through the crashing waves, I saw it, a silhouette of land. It was faint, barely visible through the mist, but it was there. I had to reach it.

The swim was brutal. Every stroke felt like fire in my muscles, my lungs screaming for air. The world of One Piece. I recognized it now. The sea, the islands, the danger lurking in every corner. I'm in the Grand Line, I realized with a jolt. I'd read about it, watched it, but now? I was living it.

And not just that, I wasn't normal anymore. I had the Solo Leveling system, the kind of power that only exists in manhwa dreams. But that didn't matter if I couldn't make it out of the water alive.

Ding! Another notification blinked into view.

You are drowning.

HP dropping rapidly.Use your Healing Potion?

Oh, you've gotta be kidding me. Without thinking, I mentally tapped "Yes," and suddenly, warmth flooded my veins. Strength returned to my limbs, and I felt my energy surging. My head broke the surface, and I gasped for air. Just ahead, the rocky shore loomed closer.

I dragged myself onto the sand, collapsing like a ragdoll. My arms and legs felt like lead, but I was alive. I'd made it. The system hadn't let me down.

Quest Completed: SURVIVE.

Rewards: 10 XP, Healing Potion (restored).

I groaned, rolling over onto my back, staring up at the sky. That quest? Just the beginning.

I didn't know where I was, didn't know what island this was or who was here. But I did know one thing: this world was dangerous, and I wasn't about to be anyone's fodder. Not the Marines, not the pirates, and definitely not the monsters lurking in these seas.

Suddenly, a shadow loomed over me, and I blinked the water from my eyes to see a towering figure, dressed in ragged pirate clothes, standing over me with a wicked grin.

"Well, well, well. Looks like we've got ourselves a little shipwrecked rat. What's your name, boy?"

I struggled to sit up, heart pounding. My vision cleared, and I saw the pirate brandishing a sword, scars marking his face like he'd seen a thousand battles. Fear should've gripped me, but something else kicked in instead, the System.

New Quest: Defeat the pirate.

Objective: Eliminate the threat. Reward: 50 XP, Shadow Soldier (1).

A grin spread across my face before I even knew what I was doing. The game was on. I pushed myself to my feet, feeling the shadows twist and shift around me, like a long-forgotten instinct awakening.

"Name's Katsuki D. Rook," I said, eyes gleaming. "And I think you just became my first shadow."