The last thing Marcus Chen remembered from his previous life was the screech of tires and the brilliant flash of headlights cutting through the Seattle drizzle. Twenty-eight years of coding, energy drinks, and student loan payments—all ending with the surprisingly mundane thought: I really should have looked both ways.
The first thing he noticed about his new life was that he was drowning.
Well, this is just fantastic, Marcus thought as seawater flooded his lungs. Salt burned his throat and his limbs felt like overcooked noodles. Panic clawed at his chest as he flailed toward what he desperately hoped was the surface. Die once, wake up drowning. What kind of cosmic joke is this?
His head broke through the waves with a gasp that was half relief, half indignation. Treading water awkwardly—because apparently his new body had the swimming skills of a brick—Marcus took in his surroundings. Endless blue ocean stretched in every direction, broken only by a small island maybe half a mile away. Palm trees swayed in the breeze, and he could make out what looked like a ramshackle dock.
"Okay, Marcus," he muttered, spitting out seawater. "You're either having the world's most vivid near-death experience, or you've been isekai'd. Either way, swimming sounds like a good idea right about now."
The swim to shore was less 'graceful stroke through crystal waters' and more 'panicked dog paddle while questioning every life choice.' By the time he dragged himself onto the sandy beach, Marcus was exhausted, soaked, and beginning to suspect this wasn't a dream. The sand felt too real, the sun too warm, and his new body too... different.
He held up his hands, studying them in the afternoon light. These weren't his programmer's soft, pale fingers. These hands were darker, more weathered, with calluses that spoke of hard labor. Looking down, he saw a lean but wiry frame that definitely hadn't come from years of desk work and takeout food.
"Well, I'm definitely not in Kansas anymore," Marcus said, then paused. "Or Seattle. Same difference."
That's when he noticed the translucent blue screen floating in front of his face.
[DEVIL FRUIT HARVEST SYSTEM ACTIVATED]
Welcome, User Marcus Chen
Current Status: Level 1 Fruit Thief Harvested
Fruits: 0 Available
Evolutions: 0
Current Abilities: Basic Human Physiology (Pathetic)
Marcus blinked. The screen remained. He waved his hand through it—nothing. He tried touching it—his finger passed right through.
"Oh, come on," he groaned. "Really? A system? What is this, a bad web novel?" He paused, considering. "Actually, given my luck today, that's probably exactly what this is."
[TUTORIAL INITIATING]
The Devil Fruit Harvest System allows you to claim the powers of Devil Fruit users through their defeat. Simply kill a Devil Fruit user to harvest their ability. Harvested fruits can be consumed, evolved, or combined for enhanced effects.
Warning: Only one fruit may be active at a time unless combined. Choose wisely.
Current Mission: Harvest your first Devil Fruit
Reward: System Shop Access
Time Limit: None (but seriously, get moving)
Marcus stared at the floating text, his programmer's brain already picking apart the implications. "Kill Devil Fruit users? That's... dark. Even for a pirate world." He frowned. "Wait, pirate world? How do I know this is—"
His question was interrupted by the sound of voices carrying across the water. Marcus looked up to see a small boat approaching the island, its single sail bearing a skull and crossbones that was so stereotypically piratical it might as well have had 'GENERIC PIRATE FLAG' written underneath.
"—told you this island had treasure!" came a rough voice. "That old drunk wasn't lying after all!"
"Yeah, well, he also said there were sea kings guarding it," replied another voice. "Where are all the sea kings, Captain Briggs?"
"Maybe they're sleeping? Sea kings sleep, right?"
As the boat drew closer, Marcus could make out three figures: a burly man with a ridiculous hat, a thin guy with a patchy beard, and a woman with bright red hair tied back in a practical ponytail. All three were armed to the teeth and looked like they'd stepped straight out of a pirate recruitment poster.
Marcus felt his heart rate spike. These were actual pirates. In a world where pirates existed, and where his system apparently wanted him to kill people with magical fruit powers.
"Okay, think, Marcus," he whispered to himself, backing away from the shore. "You've read enough manga to know how this works. Random pirates show up, they're probably weak sauce, and they definitely have plot relevance." He glanced at the system window still floating in his vision. "But I'm not ready to start murdering people for magical powers. There has to be another way."
The pirates beached their boat with all the subtlety of a car alarm. The captain—presumably Briggs—was already barking orders.
"Search the island! Look for caves, buried chests, anything that screams 'pirate treasure'! And keep an eye out for anyone else who might have gotten here first!"
Anyone else, Marcus thought grimly. Like me.
He crept through the palm trees, trying to get a better look at his potential enemies without being spotted. The thin pirate was poking around the beach with a rusty cutlass, while the woman had wandered toward what looked like the remains of an old campsite.
But it was Captain Briggs who made Marcus's blood run cold. The burly pirate raised his hand, and suddenly his arm stretched like rubber, extending twenty feet to grab a coconut from a high branch.
"Gomu Gomu no..." Marcus whispered, his eyes widening. "He's got a Devil Fruit. A stretching power, just like—"
[DEVIL FRUIT USER DETECTED]
Target: Captain "Rubber Arms" Briggs
Fruit Type: Paramecia - Gomu Gomu no Mi (Rubber-Rubber Fruit)
Threat Level: Low Recommended
Action: HARVEST
Marcus felt his stomach drop. The system wasn't just suggesting he kill this guy—it was actively encouraging it. And worse, seeing that familiar stretching power made him realize exactly where he was.
This was the world of One Piece. Which meant these waters were filled with pirates, Marines, and monsters that could level islands on a bad day. And somehow, his system expected him to survive by killing Devil Fruit users and stealing their powers.
"This is insane," Marcus muttered. "I'm a programmer, not a pirate! I don't know how to fight, I don't know how to sail, and I definitely don't know how to—"
"Well, well, well. What do we have here?"
Marcus spun around to find the red-haired woman standing behind him, a wicked grin on her face and a very sharp-looking dagger in her hand.
"Found someone, Captain!" she called out. "Looks like we're not alone on this island after all!"
Within seconds, all three pirates had surrounded Marcus. Captain Briggs cracked his knuckles—literally, since his rubber fingers made an odd squeaking sound—while the thin pirate pointed his cutlass at Marcus's throat.
"Now then," Briggs said, his voice carrying the kind of false cheer that preceded violence. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about the treasure on this island, would you, boy?"
Marcus's mind raced. These pirates were clearly planning to kill him regardless of his answer. In any normal situation, he'd be completely screwed. But this wasn't a normal situation. He had a system that apparently wanted him to kill Devil Fruit users.
The question was: did he have it in him to actually do it?
"I... I don't know about any treasure," Marcus said, trying to keep his voice steady. "I just washed up here. My ship sank in a storm."
"Convenient," the woman said, twirling her dagger. "Real convenient. Got any proof of that, stranger?"
Marcus looked at the three pirates surrounding him, then at the system window still floating in his peripheral vision. The cursor was blinking next to "HARVEST" like it was waiting for him to make a decision.
Think, Marcus. You're not a killer, but you're also not suicidal. There has to be a middle ground here.
"Actually," Marcus said, a desperate plan forming in his mind, "I do know something about treasure. But not on this island." He pointed toward the horizon. "There's a Marine base about two days' sail from here. They've got a treasure vault that's practically unguarded."
It was a complete lie, of course. Marcus had no idea what was two days' sail from here. But he was banking on pirates being greedy and stupid—two qualities that seemed universal across every fictional universe he'd ever encountered.
Briggs's eyes lit up with interest. "A Marine base, you say? Unguarded treasure?"
"Well, mostly unguarded," Marcus said, warming to his lie. "There's just one problem. The commanding officer there ate a Devil Fruit. Makes him really tough to beat in a straight fight."
The thin pirate looked nervous. "What kind of Devil Fruit?"
Marcus's brain scrambled for something that sounded dangerous but not impossible. "Iron-Iron Fruit. Turns his whole body into metal. But," he added quickly, seeing their faces fall, "I know his weakness. There's a way to beat him, but I'd need to get close."
It was complete nonsense, but Marcus was counting on these pirates being just smart enough to want an advantage and just dumb enough to believe him.
Briggs considered this, his rubber fingers tapping against his chin. "You're asking us to trust you. What's in it for you?"
"A share of the treasure," Marcus said. "And passage off this rock. I'm not exactly equipped for island life."
The three pirates exchanged glances. Marcus held his breath, hoping his gamble would pay off.
"Alright," Briggs said finally. "But if you're lying to us, boy, we'll feed you to the sea kings piece by piece. Understood?"
Marcus nodded, not trusting his voice. He'd just bought himself time, but he still had no idea how he was going to get out of this situation. The system window pulsed gently in his vision, still waiting for him to make his first kill.
Two days to figure out how to survive in the One Piece world, he thought as the pirates led him toward their boat. Two days to decide if I'm willing to become a killer for power. And two days to come up with a plan that doesn't end with me at the bottom of the ocean.
As they pushed off from the island, Marcus caught sight of his reflection in the water. The face looking back at him was younger, harder, and definitely not his own. But the eyes—the eyes were still his. Still uncertain, still afraid, but with a spark of something new.
Maybe it was determination. Maybe it was desperation.
Or maybe it was just the beginning of something that would change the world.
[TUTORIAL PHASE: ACTIVE]
Current Objective: Survive your first encounter with Devil Fruit users
Bonus Objective: Harvest Devil Fruit without compromising moral integrity
Note: Good luck with that last one
Marcus couldn't help but smile grimly at the system's sarcasm. Apparently, even mystical power-granting interfaces had a sense of humor in this world.
This was going to be a very interesting adventure.