"Sorry about that," Ace said softly, his voice carrying no fear, just a heavy, dangerous calm. "I guess I fell asleep."
His words hung in the thick, tense air of the Spice Bean restaurant.
For a long moment, nobody moved. Nobody breathed. The patrons just stared at the tall, shirtless pirate who had just casually brushed off waking up from a face-plant into his desert noodles.
Ace stood perfectly still. His mind, trained in the harshest combat zones on Earth, was working at lightspeed. He ignored the terrified whispers of the civilians and the intense, burning glare of Captain Smoker across the room. Instead, his complete attention was focused on the translucent blue screen hovering right in front of his eyes.
[System Initiated: The Legendary Bounty Hunter]
[Souls merged successfully. Host status: Stable.]
[Welcome to the Grand Line, Portgas D. Ace.]
Ace didn't panic. In his previous life, before the military, he had been a massive fan of anime, manga, and video games. He knew exactly what a "System" was. He had read enough LitRPG novels to understand the concept of waking up in another world with a cheat ability.
But reading about it in a paperback novel was one thing. Experiencing it while your blood literally felt like boiling magma was something else entirely.
Okay, Ace thought, keeping his face perfectly neutral. *If this is real, show me the manual. How does this work? Status? Help?*
He didn't need to speak out loud. The System responded to his mental command instantly. The blue screen shimmered, the text dissolving and rearranging itself into a new, crisp interface.
[Tutorial Mode Activated]
[Welcome, Host. You have been bonded with The Legendary Bounty Hunter System. Your primary directive is to hunt, grow, and alter the fixed destiny of this world.]
[Feature 1: The Gacha of Justice (and Crime)]
The System converts the Threat Value (Bounty) of any defeated enemy into Roulette Spins. You do not need to kill the target; neutralizing them or turning them in is sufficient. The higher the bounty, the better the spin.
Bronze Roulette (Under 10 Million Berries): Grants minor stat boosts, basic healing items, and stamina potions.
Silver Roulette (10M to 50M Berries):
Grants basic Haki upgrades, martial arts techniques, and rare combat items.
Gold Roulette (50M to 300M Berries):
Grants advanced Devil Fruit multipliers, mid-tier powers from other dimensions, and rapid regeneration.
Diamond Roulette (300M+ Berries):
Grants absolute immunities, advanced Conqueror's Haki, and reality-bending abilities.
Ace read the text in a fraction of a second. A Gacha system, he analyzed. It forces me into combat. If I want to get strong enough to survive Marineford, I can't just train. I have to actively hunt the worst pirates on the seas.
But then, another line of text appeared, and this one made a genuine, dangerous smile tug at the corner of Ace's lips.
[Feature 2: The Cross Guild Evaluation]
Pirates are not your only prey. The System recognizes the hidden Underworld Threat Value of Marine Officers. Defeating Marines will also grant Roulette Spins based on their rank and strength.
Perfect, Ace thought. A Tier 1 operator didn't like playing by rules that limited his targets. If the Marines were going to hunt him, he was going to hunt them right back.
[Feature 3: The Title System]
By completing specific, impossible, or canon-breaking feats, you will unlock Titles. You may equip up to three Titles at a time to gain massive passive buffs.
[Current Equipped Titles: None.]
The blue screen blinked once and faded away, leaving Ace looking directly back at Captain Smoker.
The brief mental tutorial had taken less than three seconds in real time. To the rest of the restaurant, Ace had simply delivered his cool apology and stared silently at the Marine officer.
"Fire Fist Ace," Smoker growled.
The Marine Captain stood up from his table. He was a massive wall of muscle. Thick, grey smoke leaked from his mouth, curling around his two large cigars. He reached over his shoulder, grabbing the hilt of his weapon—a heavy jitte tipped with Seastone.
"I heard a rumor you were in Alabasta," Smoker said. His voice was rough. "I didn't think you'd be stupid enough to show your face in a crowded restaurant."
Ace remained silent. His mind shifted back to combat tactics. Smoker was a Logia-type Devil Fruit user. He could turn his entire body into smoke. Normal attacks wouldn't work.
System, run a threat assessment on him, Ace commanded mentally.
A small, glowing reticle appeared over Smoker's chest.
[Target Identified: Smoker "The White Hunter"]
[Affiliation: Marine Headquarters (Captain)]
[Underworld Threat Value: 45,000,000 Berries]
[Potential Reward: High-Tier Silver Roulette]
A Silver Roulette just for knocking out a Captain. Ace felt a surge of adrenaline. His tactical mind quickly planned the strike.
Smoke versus Fire. A massive fire attack would only create more smoke and destroy the city block. It would hurt innocent civilians. The old, proud Ace would have thrown massive fireballs just to show off.
The new Ace knew better. Fire needs oxygen to burn, and so does a human.
Ace lowered his stance. He didn't need a giant explosion. He just needed to get close. A swift, close-quarters takedown. He would aim a concentrated burst of fire directly at Smoker's face. The intense heat would burn away all the oxygen around the Marine's head, choking him out instantly.
Clean. Fast. Non-lethal.
"You're not going to come quietly, are you, pirate?" Smoker asked, pulling his weapon free.
The civilians finally panicked. People started screaming and running for the exits.
"I'm really not in the mood for a cage, Captain," Ace said smoothly.
He ignited his right hand. The flames purred to life. A bright, orange fire wrapped around his knuckles like a glowing glove. The heat in the room spiked.
Smoker braced himself for an attack. Ace tensed his muscles, ready to launch forward.
But before anyone could make a move, a loud, bizarre sound echoed from the street outside.
Screeeeeeeetch. It sounded like a massive rubber band stretching to its absolute limit. Ace blinked. His military instincts flared up, sensing something flying toward them at high speed.
Then came a chaotic, happy yell.
"GOMU GOMU NO... ROCKET!"
The impact was completely unstoppable.
A red and blue blur smashed through the front doors of the restaurant like a cannonball. The human projectile slammed directly into Smoker's back with a loud crunch.
The sheer force of the impact launched the heavy Marine forward. Before Ace could dodge, Smoker's flying body crashed violently into his chest.
Ace and Smoker shattered through the back wall of the restaurant. They tumbled through the dusty streets. They broke through a fruit stand, smashed a brick wall, and crashed into an empty building in a massive cloud of dust.
But the rubber boy didn't go with them.
Inside the Spice Bean, the skinny teenager bounced off the floor and landed perfectly in front of a table overflowing with food.
"Ah! Food!" the boy cheered, completely oblivious to the massive destruction he had just caused. He immediately sat down and started stuffing his face with desert meat.
Outside, silence fell over the ruined street.
Underneath a pile of broken bricks, Ace groaned. His body ached. He pushed a heavy stone off his chest and stood up quickly, shaking the white dust out of his hair.
His tactical mind was fully alert. Who had hit them with that much force? Was it a surprise attack?
Ace walked back toward the giant hole in the restaurant's wall. His fists automatically ignited with bright fire, ready for a fight. He glared inside the ruined building, looking for the enemy threat.
Instead, he saw him.
Sitting at the table, happily eating plates of food at lightning speed, was a teenager wearing a battered straw hat.
Ace froze.
The flames on his hands instantly vanished. All of his cold, military tactics completely shut down. The calculated plans disappeared in a single second, washed away by a sudden wave of pure emotion.
The memories weren't just data in his head. The love was entirely real. It hit him hard. The nights sharing sake in the forest. The promises they made as kids. The desperate need to protect his foolish little brother.
Ace took a step forward. A wide, genuine smile spread across his face.
"Lu—"
He didn't get to finish the name.
A furious roar echoed from the rubble right behind Ace. A massive, gloved hand suddenly shot out of the dust, violently grabbing Ace by the back of his head.
With brutal force, Captain Smoker shoved Ace face-first into the wooden floor of the restaurant to get him out of the way.
"Move, pirate!" Smoker growled, stepping completely over Ace's pinned body.
A thin line of blood trickled down the Marine's forehead, and his eyes burned with absolute fury as he glared across the restaurant.
"Straw Hat!" Smoker roared.
Pinned to the floor, Ace could only watch as his little brother stopped chewing. Luffy blinked his large, round eyes, looking up at the furious Marine Captain.
"Smoke-guy?" Luffy mumbled, his mouth still completely full of food.
He hadn't even noticed Ace pressed against the floor right in front of him.