This was Selene's status, viewed within her mind:
Name: Selene
Level: 1
Doriki: 7
Strength: 5
Speed: 5
HP: 10
Nen: 0
Skill: [Basic Swordsmanship] Proficiency (23014 / 100000)
Cards: None
It had taken Selene quite some time to fully grasp what these attributes meant.
The game system seemed to have undergone some peculiar changes upon crossing over. In the original mobile game, strength was measured by simple 'Combat Power.' Now, it was 'Doriki,' identical to the power-level measurement used by the World Government in this world. As Selene recalled, a Doriki level of 10 was the standard for an average Marine foot soldier. Her current 7 was... well, slightly better than cannon fodder, likely thanks to years of baseline sword practice in this body.
'HP' clearly represented her life force, how much damage she could sustain. No complex explanation needed there – if it hit zero, she was dead. The final stat, 'Nen,' however, was far more intriguing.
Back when she used to read the One Piece manga, Selene often wondered about characters like Eneru, the self-proclaimed God of Skypiea. How did their powers truly manifest? What fundamental energy source fueled them? Abilities like Eneru's "El Thor," his massive "Raigo," or the terrifying "200 Million Volt Amaru" – these were supernatural phenomena that felt too grand to be explained solely by a Devil Fruit. Seeing the 'Nen' stat now, something clicked in Selene's mind.
Could it be, she theorized, a manifestation of some kind of inner energy, this 'Nen'? Perhaps Devil Fruits only granted the user control over a specific aspect of this energy, an aspect that could be honed and strengthened through training and willpower. Even Haki, which she knew would become crucial later, likely fell under this umbrella – a different application of the same core 'Nen' energy. This would explain the common saying that no Devil Fruit is inherently weak, only underdeveloped. It would also explain how non-Fruit users like Mihawk or Shanks could achieve god-tier strength relying solely on Haki – their mastery over their own fundamental 'Nen' was simply immense.
Currently, Selene possessed this 'Nen' stat, but its value was zero. It meant her potential was dormant, unawakened. And frustratingly, she had absolutely no clue how to activate it or increase the value.
Her only current asset was the [Basic Swordsmanship] skill. She didn't yet know its full potential or applications beyond basic training, so she could only keep grinding it methodically. Even after three months of diligent practice, her proficiency was only a little over twenty-three thousand. Judging by the target number – a daunting one hundred thousand – it would be a long while before she saw any significant evolution or change.
As for 'Cards'... that was a whole other level of exasperation. She could access the 'Card Shop' interface within the system, but reality dealt her a cruel blow: she couldn't actually pull any cards!
Why? Because it cost money. A lot of money. A single card pull required 500 'Diamonds,' the game's premium currency. And the conversion rate? A staggering 100,000 Beri to acquire those 500 Diamonds. A 200:1 ratio! Selene had never encountered such an absurdly exploitative exchange rate in any game before.
Heaven help her, her current allowance from Master Koshiro was a mere 500 Beri per month. In this small, quiet village, there wasn't much to spend it on, but even after saving diligently (aside from the occasional newspaper purchase), reaching 100,000 Beri felt like a distant, almost impossible dream.
This blatant cash grab was perfectly in line with the original game's philosophy. Simply put: you could play without spending money, but if you wanted to actually be good? You needed to be wealthy. It was the classic "Pay-to-Win," predatory gacha model.
If that were the only way, Selene might never have saved enough for even a single pull in her lifetime. Thankfully, as anyone familiar with such games knew, there was usually a free alternative: waiting.
In the Card Shop, under the pull option, there was indeed a countdown timer. But where the original game offered a free pull every 48 hours, this mutated system displayed a timer of... 100 days!
The moment she saw that number, Selene had almost broken down. One hundred days?! Was this system trying to force her to spend money she didn't have?!
Having the system was a potential lifeline, a cheat in this dangerous world. But being unable to effectively use it yet was incredibly frustrating. So, for the past three months, Selene had mostly been going through the motions, living day by day in a bit of a daze. Still, time passed steadily. Three months were gone in a blink, bringing her closer and closer to that first, long-awaited free card pull. A faint spark of anticipation began to flicker within her.
Now that she was here, in this world, she wanted to see it. She wanted to explore its wonders and dangers. And to leave the relative safety of Shimotsuki Village, she had to become stronger. In the world of One Piece, only the strong commanded their own destiny.
The sword practice involved five hundred swings. By the time Master Koshiro called the final "Recover!", Selene was panting, her arms burning slightly. She always poured her full effort into each strike, putting her weight behind every downward chop. Naturally, her stamina drained quickly; this body was still only that of a ten-year-old girl.
Five hundred swings earned her five hundred points in Basic Swordsmanship proficiency. As Selene mentally checked her progress, Master Koshiro's voice cut in, "Next, sparring practice. Selene, Kuina! You two first!"
Selene felt her scalp tingle with familiar dread. Oh no, not again...
She didn't know Koshiro's reasoning, of course. Over the past three months, he'd noticed Selene practicing with renewed seriousness, a focus she hadn't shown before. He wanted to gauge her progress.
And the method for gauging progress was sparring. The problem? Kuina was significantly stronger than Selene. Every single match ended with Selene getting thoroughly beaten, often sporting bumps and bruises afterward. Getting trounced by her "little sister" time and again was frankly embarrassing.
Like Kuina, Selene kept herself neat and tidy, unlike some of the sniffling, perpetually grubby younger boys in the dojo. Because of this, Kuina actually enjoyed spending time with her outside of training. But friendship was one thing; sparring was another. Once they faced each other as opponents, Kuina showed no mercy. Despite being a girl, her competitive spirit burned fiercer than many boys', and she always fought with genuine intent.
Steeling herself, Selene stepped forward, gripping her bamboo shinai with both hands, tip angled slightly upward. Her blade crossed Kuina's as they took their stances, waiting.
"Begin!" Koshiro called.
Instantly, Kuina let out a sharp cry. She drew her shinai back, raising it high overhead, then brought it down towards Selene with blinding speed!
Selene raised her own shinai horizontally to block. The force of the impact jarred her hands, sending a tremor up her arms. Before she could even think of pushing back, Kuina's next strike was already coming!
Kuina's talent for the sword was undisputed; everyone in the dojo knew she was number one. She wielded her shinai with fluid grace and startling velocity, unerringly finding gaps in Selene's defense. In barely thirty seconds, they had exchanged dozens of blows, with Selene desperately parrying and deflecting, utterly unable to mount a counterattack.
"Hah!" Kuina pressed her advantage, her fighting spirit soaring. Suddenly, she executed a lightning-fast thrust, the tip of her shinai striking Selene sharply on the wrist. In the next instant, she flicked her blade upwards, sending Selene's shinai flying out of her grasp.
Dammit, lost again! Selene deflated, rubbing her stinging wrist.
But Kuina beamed, lowering her shinai. "Big Sis Selene, your improvement lately is really noticeable! You're much stronger than before!"
"Yeah, right. Just trying to make me feel better," Selene muttered, rolling her eyes, though the compliment did soothe the sting slightly. Her wrist really hurt.
"Kuina is right," Master Koshiro interjected, his usual gentle, unassuming smile in place. "Selene, you have indeed grown considerably stronger."
Hearing their master confirm it, the other children in the dojo immediately looked at Selene with wide, admiring eyes. To them, lasting that long against Kuina was already an incredible feat. Most of them would have been defeated in mere seconds.
Seeing those worshipful gazes from the little kids just made Selene feel worse. This wasn't the kind of admiration she wanted.
Just then, an arrogant voice boomed from outside the dojo entrance.
"Anyone here? I've come to challenge this dojo! Send out your strongest fighter to face me!"
Selene's heart gave a jolt. She turned towards the entrance. Standing there, silhouetted against the bright sunlight, was a young boy with a leaf dangling from his mouth, arms crossed defiantly over his chest. The light clearly illuminated his messy green hair and his fiercely arched eyebrows.
He just stood there, radiating an aura of supreme, almost comical, arrogance.
Green hair... Mosshead... Roronoa Zoro!
The recognition hit Selene instantly, leaving her momentarily stunned. A wave of dizziness washed over her. Even though she'd known – logically – that coming to Shimotsuki Village, having Koshiro as her master, and Kuina as her fellow disciple meant this was bound to happen, seeing Zoro standing there in the flesh still felt utterly surreal...
Strangely, her first thought wasn't of the cool, badass swordsman Zoro would become. Instead, her heart pounded wildly as her gaze snapped towards Kuina!
Zoro's arrival... it means Kuina's death is close...
Her junior sister... was she really going to die soon? Selene's mind descended into turmoil. Just moments ago, she'd been frustrated by losing to Kuina again, narrowly avoiding another beatdown. But searching her heart, could she truly stand by and watch Kuina die?
This wasn't a character in a story anymore. This was a living, breathing person standing right beside her!
To all the kids in Koshiro's dojo, Kuina was practically their idol, and that included Selene. Kuina possessed a boyish fierceness, but that was part of her unique charm. She was merciless in spars, yes, but afterward, she would gently tend to anyone who got hurt, applying medicine and offering words of comfort like a kind older sister.
In the three months they'd spent together, Selene had grown incredibly fond of this stubborn, talented girl. Now, looking at Zoro, her feelings were a tangled mess.
Kuina's death, she knew, wasn't Zoro's fault; it was a tragic accident. But undeniably, his appearance was the harbinger, the sign that her time was running out.
How was she supposed to face him?
Selene's inner conflict went unnoticed. Hearing Zoro's boastful challenge, Master Koshiro simply let out a cheerful laugh. He rose and walked to the entrance, smiling warmly at the young challenger. "Well now, a dojo challenger? We haven't seen one of those in quite a while!"
"Hmph!" Zoro puffed out his chest. "Don't underestimate me just 'cause I'm a kid! I'm undefeated in the next village over!"
"Is that so? Very well, we accept your challenge," Master Koshiro replied easily.
"If I win, I take your dojo's sign!" Zoro declared.
Koshiro chuckled. "And if you lose?"
"Lose? If I lose... then... I'll become your student!"
Hearing Zoro's condition, Koshiro laughed heartily again. "It's settled then! In that case... Selene!"
Hearing her name called jolted Selene back to the present, only to plunge her immediately into bewildered shock.
Wait, no, that's not right! she thought frantically. Shouldn't he call Kuina to fight Zoro? Why is he calling ME?!