Looking around, I found myself in a familiar all-white 5×5 room. In here, everything is white—even the uncomfortable-looking work desk, the office cupboard, and even the rug on the ground. Everything in here is white and familiar—my Deal Room.
It's a room-like space that I have inside my soul where my power resides.
You see, before I was Joy D. Marcus, I was a normal human with a forgotten name wandering around in void-like space. And then, all of a sudden, I was there. Just like that, I became a baby. I was alive again. I had a name, and I had a power…
It didn't matter to me that I was in a laboratory at the time, nor did it matter how much it hurt to get accustomed to having a body again. I was in this very room, checking my power and thinking of how to use it.
My power didn't have a lot of explanation. It was called the Devil's Deal, and what it does is ensure that whatever deal I make, of any kind, is profitable to me…
Pretty simple, right? I thought so too at first. But it also didn't matter; I was too fascinated by having a power to care, so I tried it.
I remember the first time I used my power. The scientists in the laboratory were making a bet at the time, to see how many of the 10 babies would live after injecting us with whatever they had in their hands. So I took said bet. It didn't matter to me how I understood them, nor that they didn't understand me; I was too excited and too disoriented to care. So I bet my life that I would survive.
The scientists laughed when they saw me blabbering and pointing at them, but they didn't care… they should have.
Anyway, my first deal happened because I wanted to experiment with my power. It was an open bet, so naturally, my power considered it as such, making it an open betting deal.
Nevertheless, as soon as everyone finished placing their bets, my power activated, informing me that the deal was ongoing. And that's all I knew…
I can't describe how disappointing it felt at first. Still, I didn't have anything else to do, so I just quieted down and sulked by myself.
The experiment was excruciatingly painful, especially for a baby. So only I stayed alive, if only by sheer willpower. As soon as the results of the experiment were out, my power let me know that I won the bet and that I could choose what I wanted from these 20-something scientists—who, for all their intelligence, didn't bet on me coming out alive because I was the youngest of the bunch…
So I chose to get their luck. To this day, I still don't know why I did that, but I am very, very thankful that I did.
I've tried to justify my choice many times since then, but the truth is, I don't know why I chose to take their luck. I could say that I didn't have a use for their intelligence, strength, and resilience as a baby, but that would be a lie…
Anyway, now that I am here, it's time to get what I was owed…
I sat down on the uncomfortable chair, and as soon as I did, a golden paper appeared on the desk in front of me, accompanied by two glowing orbs…
I took the paper to read the content, and as soon as I touched it, I felt something click. Soon after, my first-life memories came back…
Exhale~
Hahahahahah, so that's what happened. The old me was either crazy or really crazy…
Ah, for those who want some context: you see, from the moment I reincarnated here, I had almost no memories of my past life. And now I knew the reason…
You see, the old me spent some time in a dark, void-like space, and I too remember that. But what I didn't remember was the meeting I had with a being there…
Anyway, the meeting was cliché. He offered one free skill, without any strings attached. The outcome was obvious, and the old me chose a skill that lets him make a deal with anyone, like the devil…
Soon after he got his wish, he offered a deal to the being, in which he stated he wanted a skill that allowed him to make wishes come true and a skill that made him able to roam the greater multiverse. This amused the being greatly, and so he agreed, as long as he got to choose when, where, and how he would be reborn, as well as a mission…
And so I was reborn in one piece, with most of my memories sealed, years before even Gol D. Roger becomes the King of Pirates…
The journey from there was a survival test, really. I knew the being tried to screw me over the moment I unlocked my memories. I don't know if it was for his amusement or something, but my deal skill ensured I came out on top…
Now, looking at the glowing orbs in front of me, I took one in each hand and crushed them both…
The energy seeped into my being. With it came the basic knowledge of the skill and instinctual control over said skills…
Haaah, with this, my life will truly be my own…
Now what to do? What to do? I have already completed my mission, even though I didn't know about it. Really, my deal skill is a stroke of genius…
You see, the skill operates on a simple principle: a deal struck must be completed. Though how I complete said deal depends on how I interpret the wording of the deal, while other people rely more on my intentions than the actual wording…
Still, if I have a deal, I instinctively do what I can to complete it the best way possible. And that's how I did it…
I created a force that no one in the world could underestimate: my Revolutionary Army. It is everywhere around the world…
I made deals with nobles, scientists, mafia, archaeologists, kings, pirates—it didn't matter who or what they are. On most islands around the world, there's at least one base of the Revolutionary Army hidden in plain sight because no one in the know can divulge said information…
I structured the army in a way that anyone who joins can't betray the cause. If they do, then their life and all their power is taken from them and stored, to be bestowed upon newcomers…
This was how I armed my army in the first place: by preying on government agencies and corrupt marines and taking their power to arm my forces…
Everyone in the army, be it leaders or janitors, is beholden to said contracts. They cannot exploit their power, position, or anything… In my army, everyone is equal…
Now that I have the power to wish and make wishes come true, though, I can't bring myself to just wish that I win. It feels like spitting on everything I had gone through before, so I will not do anything…
Plus, I can't prevent Luffy's adventure from happening; that would be a crime against the best story I know, especially when I still don't know how it ends…
So what to do now?