Pain.
That was the last thing Drake remembered—tires screeching, metal twisting, then nothing. A truck. Always a damn truck. Pathetic end for someone who'd clawed through worse.
Now the pain was different. Deeper. Like qi—whatever that was—burning through unfamiliar veins.
Eyes snapped open. Stone ceiling etched with glowing runes. Thick incense. Jade bed. Robes embroidered with clouds and a soaring eagle. Heavenly Sky Clan.
Not my body.
Memories flooded in. Lin Drake, youngest son of the third elder. Once promising. Then crippled meridians at fifteen. Sixteen now, stuck at Body Refinement peak. Mocked. Pitied. Yesterday, a branch family rival "accidentally" shoved him off a cliff during a sect trial. The fall broke everything.
Death by petty jealousy.
The new Drake sat up. Hands flexed—stronger frame, but the dantian felt like a clogged sewer.
A voice, cold and mechanical, rang in his mind.
[Ding! Host soul successfully bound. Supreme Summon System activated.]
Blue panels materialized.
[Welcome, Host Drake. Transmigrated into Lin Drake, Heavenly Sky Clan discard. Cultivation: Body Refinement - Peak (crippled). Lifespan: 3 months.]
[Goal: Dominate this world. Rewards for kills, breakthroughs, dominance.]
Drake smirked. "Dominate? I'll do it my way."
[Initial Gift: 1x Rank S Summon Coupon, 1000 Summon Points, Basic Qi Recovery Pill x3.]
[Use Rank S Coupon now? Y/N]
"Yes."
Air tore open. Frost whirlwind. Walls iced over.
A tall figure emerged—marine coat loose, dark skin, wild afro, sleep mask up, sunglasses catching dim light. He yawned, scratching his head.
"...Where the hell is this? Not Marineford. Not anywhere I know."
Aokiji. Kuzan. Former admiral. Ice Logia. Monster.
Drake's grin widened, cold thrill rising.
[Summon successful! Rank S: Aokiji (Kuzan) from One Piece. Loyalty: 100% (System-bound).]
[Power Scaling: Rank S = peak Golden Core to early Nascent Soul equivalent. Island-altering freezes, relativistic reactions, Logia intangibility (qi/Haki bypass possible), domain control. Scaled currently to early Golden Core—grows with Host.]
[World Cultivation Ranking (with Summon Equivalents):]
Body Refinement → Mortal baseline.
Qi Gathering → City block. Rank C–B.
Foundation Establishment → Mountain/city. Rank B–A.
Golden Core → Island/range destruction, flight. Rank A to low S (e.g., current Aokiji).
Nascent Soul → Continent threats, soul survival. Mid-High S.
Higher → Planet+ threats. God-tier summons.
Aokiji glanced around the frosted room, then at Drake. His voice was slow, almost tired, but there was a weight behind it—like someone who'd seen too many broken ideals.
"...Kid. You pulled me here. Feels like some kinda debt I didn't ask for." He paused, tilting his head. "You don't look like the usual type. Eyes are... different. Sharper. Angrier."
Drake met his gaze. "Name's Drake now. The old owner of this body? Dead. Pushed off a cliff by cowards who couldn't face him head-on. I took the spot. And yeah... I'm angry. But not blind angry. Calculated."
Aokiji exhaled frost, leaning against the wall. Ice cracked under his weight.
"...Revenge, huh? Troublesome thing. Eats people up if they're not careful." His tone softened—just a fraction. "Back where I'm from... I followed 'Lazy Justice.' Didn't rush in unless it mattered. Let some things slide if the world was better for it. But when it didn't... I froze what needed freezing." He looked at Drake steadily. "You planning to freeze everything that gets in your way? Or just the ones who deserve it?"
Drake's jaw tightened. The merged memories burned—Lin Drake's fear, humiliation, the final scream as he fell.
"The original... he didn't deserve that end. Weak? Yeah. But he was trying. They took that from him. So yeah. I'll avenge him. Not out of sentiment. Out of principle. No one touches what's mine—even if it's a dead kid's grudge. After that? I'll carve my own path. Rules? My rules."
Aokiji was quiet for a long moment. Then a faint, almost sad smile tugged at his lips.
"...Heh. Sounds like a pain. But... fair enough." He pushed off the wall, frost trailing. "I'm here now. Bound, I guess. So if you're gonna do this—avenge the kid, climb whatever ladder this world's got—don't half-ass it. Justice... even lazy justice... needs backbone."
The original memories settled fully. Heavenly Sky Clan: top power in Azure Dragon Province. Floating mountains, grand formations, geniuses at Foundation and above, elders at Golden Core/Nascent Soul. A brutal world where the weak were stepped on.
Drake stood. Frost receded at Aokiji's idle gesture.
"First—fix these meridians. Then find the bastard who pushed him. Make an example."
Aokiji nodded slowly. "...Troublesome. But alright. Lead the way, kid. Just don't expect me to run."
Drake's eyes gleamed grey steel. No mercy. No regrets. In his old life, he'd killed when he had to. Here, he'd kill because he could—and because the world demanded it.
He stared out at the misty peaks, disciples soaring on swords, beasts roaring far below.
A second chance. A summon at Golden Core strength. A path forward.
Drake clenched his fist, voice low and certain.
"I'll live in this world by my own rules. Avenge the one who came before me... and make damn sure no one ever forgets the name Drake again."
[To be continued...]