Leo was sprawled on the shattered ice, staring up at the molten face of annihilation. Admiral Akainu stood over him, a mountain of lava and pure, unbending malice.
Why me? Leo's mind screamed, suddenly pulling him out of the battlefield and back into the comfort of his anime knowledge. This scene belongs to Koby! Koby should be running up right now, panicking, about to make his heroic stand! Why am I the one in the center?
A short distance away, huddled behind a broken block of ice, Koby saw the impossible sight: the strange soldier he had befriended, the one who looked utterly terrified, was directly beneath the murderous gaze of Fleet Admiral Akainu.
Why is he there? Koby's eyes widened in horror. He's going to be killed!
Akainu's patience, thin as stretched silk, snapped. Leo's strange uniform and his nonsensical, panicked words meant nothing. He was in the way, and anything that stood between the Admiral and Absolute Justice was an enemy.
"You... get out of my way," Akainu growled, the words hissing like steam escaping magma.
Before Leo could manage another desperate word, Akainu's fist erupted in a column of dark, swirling magma. "Dark Hound!"
"Hey, wait! Wait, I'm not a pirate!" Leo yelled, reflexively raising his arms in a futile attempt to shield himself.
BOOOOM!
The attack struck Leo straight in the chest. It wasn't just heat and force; it was crushing, overwhelming, reality-shattering destruction.
Leo flew backward, a pathetic, spinning ragdoll, sailing over the heads of the panicked foot soldiers and crashing against a pillar of frozen water sixty feet away. Blood instantly poured from his mouth, staining the camouflage fabric of his uniform.
Fuck… this… system! he thought, his vision blurring, the pain a single, coherent spike of white-hot agony. I survived a modern military ambush just to get one-shot by a fantasy power!
His consciousness flickered, hovering right on the edge of the abyss.
System Initialization Complete
At that precise moment, when Leo's body had absorbed a blow that should have vaporized a lesser man, the impossible happened.
CRITICAL CONDITION DETECTED.
SYSTEM STRESS-TEST COMPLETE.
A blinding, intense red light—so vast and sudden it made the entire plaza look like a photography flash—erupted from Leo's shattered body. FLASH!.
"What was that?" a Marine captain shouted, shielding his eyes.
The light instantly vanished, leaving a shimmering afterglow around the slumped body of the strange soldier.
A new, pristine panel of green and gold materialized directly in Leo's line of sight,
DING!
[HOST: LEO – SYSTEM ONLINE]
STATISTIC VALUE (INITIAL)
Health (HP) 10 / 100 (Critical)
Attack 5
Defense 8
Power Abilities (None)
Haki (None)
Leo coughed, the movement bringing up more blood. A shaky, genuine grin stretched across his scorched lips. "Finally…" he wheezed. "This damn system."
Another, smaller notification appeared instantly.
DING!
[REWARD: MIRACLE SURVIVAL]
Congratulations! You successfully withstood a direct attack from Admiral Sakazuki (Akainu). This feat of durability has triggered an unexpected reward.
Full Health Restoration.
Gain: Guardian Shield (Legendary).
As the text faded, a thick, metallic object materialized with a heavy THUNK right in front of him. It was a compact, circular shield, shimmering with engraved gold symbols, retracted down to the size of a wrist gauntlet.
[ITEM ACQUIRED]
Guardian Shield
Type: Legendary Weapon/Defense (God of War Series)
Description: A compact, retractable shield made from divine materials. This shield is known to be able to withstand incredible forces, including blows from gods.
Effect: Grants Immunity to the next 3 fatal blows. Defense Stat +1000. Uses Remaining: 3.
"Holy shield!" Leo whispered, the sheer absurdity of his situation—getting hit by lava and rewarded with a God of War item—making him laugh, a sound that was half cough, half hysteria. "One thousand defense! This system is ridiculous... and I love it. But only three uses? What kind of limited-time microtransaction nightmare is this?"
Leo stared at the shield, a spark of pure, familiar joy lighting up his eyes. This thing can withstand blows from Zeus!"
As Leo's health bar instantly jumped back to 100/100, the blood on his uniform visibly receding, a panicked, familiar figure rushed up to him.
"Hey! Are you alright?!" Koby was kneeling beside him, his eyes wide and panicked. He had witnessed the horrifying punch and the subsequent flash of light. "You—you went right in front of Akainu! Why did you do that?"
Leo, now fully healed and with a Legendary shield resting beside him, managed a weak, sarcastic smile. He picked up the shield, feeling the surprising weight of the divine metal.
"Me? Go in front of that magma hound by my own will?" Leo coughed out, his voice still ragged but regaining its soldier's edge. "Hardly. I think I just had a nasty encounter with the unscripted difficulty scaling."
Koby just stared at him, unable to process the joke or the strange glowing shield now attached to Leo's wrist.