After two failed summoning attempts, Eric couldn't help but fall into deep thought. He flipped back through the appendix of the system manual and spotted rule #10:
The summoning medium cannot be a "blank item." Acceptable mediums include: cursed blades, quality-grade swords, supreme-grade swords, Devil Fruits, etc.
"..."
With his notoriously bad memory, Eric re-read the appendix and found:
Summoning mediums can be purchased from the system store.
But remembering the store prices, Eric realized there was only one item he could afford: a 100,000 Berries scratch-card-level loot box. Even the cheapest premium ingredients cost over a million Berries.
Players have the ability to appraise item names, quality, and effects. Info is displayed below the item.
Eric widened his eyes and looked beneath his weapon, where nearly transparent text read:
[Item: Flintlock Pistol | Quality: Blank | Price: Actual value 350,000 Berries – Player was overcharged and paid 500,000]
Eric was furious and stormed back to the weapon shop that had scammed him, only to be coldly rejected with: "No quality issues, no refunds."
"Man, I miss the seven-day no-questions-asked return policy from my previous life."
With no valid medium and no money to buy one, Eric had no choice but to hunt bounty targets at a natural harbor frequently visited by pirates.
"I finally got a summoning system after all the hardships, and now I can't even use it because I lack a proper medium."
But when he arrived at the usual pirate haunt, the place was completely empty.
"Is the Navy running some major sweep in East Blue lately? Guess I'll head to my secret base and try my luck."
Having lived in Loguetown for over ten years, Eric had once stumbled upon a secluded cove formed by underwater currents. The hidden bay often caught shipwreck debris—and sometimes corpses—washed up on its beach.
"Huh? Is that a person lying there?"
Eric had just reached the cove's entrance when he spotted a man lying face down on the shore, soaked, covered in seaweed and mud.
He turned the man over and checked his pulse. The body was cold and faintly decaying—clearly dead for two or three days. Just as Eric was about to leave, he noticed a sheathed sword at the man's waist.
"Looks like I can loot him." Eric licked his lips. Sure, looting corpses wasn't ideal—but compared to most scavengers, he at least intended to give the man a proper burial.
After searching the man's pockets, he found only 63,000 wet Berries. But the sword—brown-red sheath, sharkskin hilt, long blade with a purple flame-like pattern—was intriguing.
In the system's item panel, it read:
[Item: Sandai Kitetsu | Quality: Cursed Blade | Price: Please don't tell me you plan to sell this? That thing's dangerous—to others and to you. Just keep it.]
"You're literally cursing me with that description!" Eric gritted his teeth.
"Still… I think this should work for summoning. As long as it's not blank-quality."
Eric walked to a nearby secluded grove by the coast, pricked his palm again with a knife, and drew a summoning circle.
"Maybe I should start collecting blood into bottles beforehand. These palm cuts really hurt…"
He placed Sandai Kitetsu in the center of the summoning array.
"Sorry, Zoro—I'm borrowing your sword!"
He extended his hand and intoned:
"Let thy body be under my banner; let thy fate bind to my blade…"
"...Wait, I forgot the rest. Whatever—Summon!"
A flash of white light surged.
In the center of the circle stood a beautiful figure.
Long black hair, crimson eyes, a proud, unyielding gaze, and a naturally beautiful face with no makeup. She looked at her hands in confusion and softly asked:
"Where… am I?"
This was Akame, an assassin from the Empire's elite unit. After countless missions, she'd become disillusioned by the Empire's darkness. During one failed mission—due to her hesitation—she was gravely wounded and left to die by her own comrades. In her final moments, she suddenly awoke here, her body fully intact.
Due to the system pre-loading her with knowledge of the One Piece world, her mind was jumbled. Normally a bit airheaded in appearance, she now looked adorably lost.
[Name: Akame]
[Age: 15]
[Physique: ★★½☆]
[Hand-to-hand Combat: ★★☆☆☆]
[Swordsmanship: ★★★★☆ (Currently ★★★☆☆)]
[Observation Haki: ★★☆☆☆]
[Armament Haki: ★☆☆☆☆]
[Weapon: Cursed Blade – Murasame (Inflicts deadly poison with even a scratch, but useless if it doesn't cut)]
[Bond Level: 1 (Acquaintance)]
[Combat Power: ★★★★☆]
[Notes: Trained Empire assassin, proficient in wilderness survival. Gravely wounded after betrayal by comrades. Summoned by player.]
[Ding! You have 2 new messages.]
Monthly Mission Complete. Rewards: 1,000,000 Berries, Single-Mast Sailboat stored in inventory, 1 Bond Point added to team.Achievement Unlocked: "First Companion" – 1 Achievement Point
"Hi, I'm Eric, your companion." Eric smiled warmly.
"Companion…"
Akame's expression darkened with sadness.
Eric looked serious.
"I'll stay with you forever. I'll never abandon you."
Biu!
Just like a gunshot to the heart. Having recently been betrayed, Akame's somber eyes suddenly shimmered. Her cheeks blushed faintly. Her red pupils shone with hope and sincerity as she asked:
"Really?"
"Of course! I'd never lie to a companion!" Eric replied, straight-faced and confident.
[Ding! You have 1 new message.]
Akame's favorability increased. Bond Level raised from 1 (Acquaintance) → 2 (Close Friend). 1 Bond Point gained.
"That was too easy…" Eric thought to himself. But then he felt a pang of sadness.
What kind of pain had Akame gone through for her heart to be so fragile?
Suddenly—
Growl.
Akame's stomach rumbled.
"You hungry?" Eric asked.
"Yeah… I was on a mission. I didn't get to eat anything." Akame replied shyly.
"Come on! Your team leader is taking you out for a feast!"
Having just received 1 million Berries, Eric brought Akame to a fancy restaurant—forgetting a crucial detail: Akame may look slim and dainty, but she was secretly a massive meat-loving glutton with a steel stomach and a model's figure that defied logic.
"A beautiful girl eating like a beast is still a feast for the eyes~"
Eric admired her as she devoured meat like a hurricane.
When the bill arrived, a terrible thought flashed through his mind:
"Maybe I should dine and dash…"
But seeing Akame sitting nervously, arms folded, neck shrunk with guilt, he sighed and paid up—677,000 Berries.
[Remaining Funds: 621,000 Berries]
"Time to make money."
Eric forced a smile and said, "Let's get ready to depart!"
"Mm!" Akame nodded vigorously, full and satisfied.
They bought a sea chart of the East Blue, a compass, some spices for cooking, and accepted their first bounty mission from the Navy. At the coast, Eric put on a show for Akame.
He reached into his chest dramatically and pulled out—seemingly from nowhere—a sailboat, which materialized mid-air and splashed into the sea.
"Ah, don't be surprised. It's just a special pocket dimension… from my chest."
A tribute to all the anime girls who pull giant weapons out of cleavage!
Eric raised his fist to the sky and shouted:
"Let's go! We'll wipe out all the pirate mobs in East Blue—leave no EXP for the main character!"
"Oh!" Akame quickly followed suit, raising her right fist into the air.
Then Eric paused.
"…Wait—I don't know how to sail a boat."
(End of Chapter)