Man, that sky was an intense blue. It was like someone cranked up the colors just to mess with him. Kim Woo Jin blinked, sunlight stinging his eyes, and a gull screeching above. Oh, right, he was wobbling up and down on a piece of driftwood in the middle of the ocean. Classic. His clothes? Jet black, tight against his skin, definitely not from his closet back home. Everything ached, but his head felt... oddly sharp. Crystal clear. Too clear.
Right. This wasn't Earth.
Memories hit him all at once: the end of the Wano arc, Kaido getting taken down, Luffy bouncing around in Gear Fifth, the screen freezing, then—bam—blackout. Thanks for playing, get isekai'd blackout.
And now? Here he was. Floating, helpless, baking under the East Blue sun.
Then—*ding*—something sounded in his mind.
[Welcome, Shadow Monarch.]
System Sync: 97%... 100%.
Scanning World...
You have entered: ONE PIECE.
All progress and enemies will adjust accordingly.
New Quest: [Survive the First Day]
Yeah, that's subtle. Real subtle. His breath caught. Not a dream. Not some post-binge fever trip.
"…You've gotta be kidding me."
At that moment, power buzzed inside his chest. It felt like something old and mean finally waking up. For a second, black smoke swirled around his hand, then—poof—gone. He sat up, squinting across the waves. Hold up, is that a boat? With a kid in a straw hat?
Oh, come on. Fate wasn't even pretending to be subtle. Luffy, grinning like he just stole Christmas, was sailing straight into Woo Jin's new nightmare.
It could have been worse, he guessed.
He reached out with his mind, like stretching a muscle he never used before, and—bam—numbers and stats appeared in his head.
Status Window
Name: Kim Woo Jin
Level: 1
Class: Shadow Monarch
HP: 150/150
MP: 100/100
Strength: 18
Agility: 16
Intelligence: 20
Perception: 22
Luck: 10
Shadow Soldiers: 0
Inventory: [Empty]
Skills: Shadow Extraction (Locked), Shadow Storage, Dash, Stealth
So, basically naked except for some starter stats. But the potential? Off the charts.
The boat slid up beside him. Luffy leaned over, that goofy grin on his face. "Whoa! Hey! You okay?"
Woo Jin stared at him. The kid who'd turn the whole world upside down. Right now? Just a dork with a straw hat.
"I'm alive," Woo Jin grunted, sounding cooler than he felt.
Luffy's grin widened. "Awesome! Wanna come with me? I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!"
Woo Jin raised an eyebrow. "You literally just met me."
"Yeah, but you look cool."
Was that it? No suspicion, no interrogation, just pure Luffy logic.
Luffy shrugged. "Plus, you looked kinda dead, so now you owe me."
Woo Jin snorted. "Guess I do."
He climbed into the boat. It rocked, but nobody minded. Luffy just started humming a silly tune, steering them toward whatever lay ahead.
"I'm Luffy."
"Kim Woo Jin."
"Kim? Weird name. Kinda neat though. You strong?"
Woo Jin's eyes lit up. "Why don't you find out?"
Later, they reached land—a small Marine outpost, the one where Coby was busy being Cinderella for Alvida. Luffy took off at a run. Woo Jin trailed behind, hands in his pockets, boots barely making a sound.
He reminded himself not to mess with the plot. Don't interfere. Be a background NPC. But then Alvida swung that huge club at Luffy, and Coby looked ready to faint from fear. Nah. He couldn't just watch.
New Quest: [First Kill – Claim Your Shadow]
Objective: Defeat a named enemy.
Reward: Unlock "Shadow Extraction."
"Luffy, duck," Woo Jin muttered.
Luffy dropped down without thinking.
Woo Jin vanished. One second he was there, the next second—boom. His foot connected with Alvida's gut, sending her flying into a pile of crates. Woods scattered everywhere. Marines frozen, mid-scream.
[Enemy HP: 0% – Target Eligible for Extraction]
He walked over to her crumpled form. Shadow mist twisted around his palm.
Shadow Extraction – Active
Success Chance: 52%... Success.
Shadow Soldier Created: [Shadow: Alvida]
Title: "The Iron Hag"
Something dark and monstrous rose up behind him—Alvida, but much creepier, eyes missing, skin all wrong, club in hand, ready to serve.
Luffy's jaw dropped. "WHOA! What was THAT?!"
Woo Jin glanced back. "My power. I control shadows."
Coby fainted on the spot.
Luffy just laughed. "That's SO COOL!"
Woo Jin flexed his hand, watching the shadow disappear into his storage. He had already broken the script.
The world was about to get strange.
Level Up!
Level: 1 → 3
Shadow Soldiers: 1
Skill Unlocked: Shadow Extraction
East Blue had no idea what was coming. But hey, they'd learn.