Sea Circle Calendar, Year 1459.The Grand Line, The New World. Somewhere in a vast, uncharted stretch of the ocean.
The scorching sun hung high overhead. Sunlight danced upon the ocean surface, creating shimmering ripples that resembled countless glowing pearls.
Splash!
A serpentine Sea King burst from the depths. It executed a graceful backflip in mid-air, kicking up massive sprays of water before plunging back into the ocean.
Not far away, a medium-sized warship cleaved through the waves. As the distance closed, a young boy with short blond hair could be seen leaning against the railing, his gaze profound.
Despite being only twelve years old, he possessed an aura that betrayed his tender age.
His name was Reno, and he was a transmigrator.
He had been in the world of One Piece for a full twelve years.
As an infant, he was adopted by King Layton of the Karst Kingdom and treated as his own flesh and blood. He was given the name Reno.
By the age of four or five, Reno displayed exceptional talent for cultivation, earning King Layton's admiration. The King even assigned Roge—one of the Kingdom's two strongest warriors—to protect and instruct him.
Today, Reno's strength was already formidable.
As a fellow transmigrator, Reno knew that a "System" was standard issue for someone in his position. He had anticipated its activation every moment of every day. Yet, all his mental calls were like stone sinking into the ocean—receiving zero response.
Just as he was beginning to let go of the idea, the System activated without warning.
Having read the original work, Reno knew that the "Child of Destiny," Luffy, would eventually overcome all obstacles: defeating the Seven Warlords, challenging the Four Emperors, and ultimately toppling the World Government to drag the Celestial Dragons down from their divine altar.
But that was a story for decades in the future.
Currently, Wang Luffy hadn't even been born. Rocks hadn't yet become the Overlord of the Sea. Roger wasn't yet the Pirate King.
The seas, however, remained under the iron rule of the Celestial Dragons!
Now equipped with a System, Reno naturally intended to shake things up.
He set his sights on Imu.
The true ruler of the World Government had sat on that throne for eight hundred years; it was high time for a changing of the guard!
"Check System!" Reno chanted in his mind.
[Ding! Congratulations Host! The Great Voyage System has been successfully activated!][This System is dedicated to serving you!]
As the voice faded, a notification chime rang in Reno's mind, followed by a status panel.
[Host]: Reno
[System]: Great Voyage System
[Swordsmanship]: Lv12 (25/4000)
[Observation Haki]: Lv3 (0/5000)
[Armament Haki]: Lv3 (0/5000)
[Voyage Points]: 50,000
[Subdued Crew]: Roge (Golden Sword-Lion Fruit User)
[Fortune Value]: 100 (Initial Fortune is maxed. Resets after use. Can be replenished through special triggers.)
(Note: The Host can obtain Voyage Points through various methods. These points can be added to various personal attributes!)
Reno quickly browsed the information and identified several ways to obtain Voyage Points:
Recruit and Train Crew Members: Points awarded vary based on the crew member's aptitude.
Intellectual Pursuits: Reading, researching, and traveling yield varying amounts of points.
Devil Fruits: Acquiring different Devil Fruits grants varying amounts of points.
The 50,000 Voyage Points currently in the interface came from subduing Roge. The System judged Roge's aptitude as A-Rank.
(Aptitude Ranks: S+, S, A+, A, B+, B...)
With the System's binding, Roge would never betray Reno. Even if Reno ordered him to die, he would do so without hesitation.
It had to be said—products from the System were truly top-tier. It accounted for everything.
"Show System Missions!"
Reno knew that to drag the Celestial Dragons off their altar and defeat Imu, he couldn't do it alone.
He needed to build a team. A team powerful enough to withstand the entire Navy and the World Government.
[System Missions Unlocked!]
Mission 1: The Host chooses to renounce his noble status and become a commoner!
Reward: Receive one random Devil Fruit from the three main categories. (No reward for failure).
Mission 2: Starting from the moment of acceptance, the Host must remain in the Karst Kingdom and cultivate for ten years!
Reward: Receive one random Zoan · Ancient Type Devil Fruit. (No reward for failure).
Mission 3: Recruit a crew member with god-tier talent (Aptitude must be S-Rank or higher)!
Reward: Awakening of Conqueror's Haki. (No reward for failure).
(Note: The recruit must not be older than ten years old!)
Reno immediately ruled out the first mission.
He wasn't an idiot. While being a noble of a single nation wasn't everything, there was no need to give up the conveniences of nobility to become a commoner for an uncertain Devil Fruit.
If it were the Tremor-Tremor Fruit (Gura Gura no Mi), the Fish-Fish Fruit (Uo Uo no Mi), or the Magma-Magma Fruit (Magu Magu no Mi), it might be worth it. Those were game-changing abilities that instantly created a powerhouse.
But if he rolled a trash fruit, he would lose big time. That trade wasn't worth it.
As for the second mission, an Ancient Zoan fruit was indeed good—much stronger than a standard Zoan. It granted immense physical strength and recovery speed. In the original story, the pillars of the Beasts Pirates were all Ancient Zoan users.
However, while rare, they weren't rare enough to tempt Reno. If he was willing to pay a price, he could obtain one later.
Most importantly, the requirement for Mission 2 was too harsh.
Staying in the Karst Kingdom for ten years? To him, that was a pure waste of time and completely meaningless.
That left only the third mission, which was his final choice.
The reward was the one-in-a-million Conqueror's Haki.
No, to be precise, it was one in several million!
It was the standard by which the sea measured true powerhouses!
Without Conqueror's Haki, you aren't necessarily weak, but if you possess Conqueror's Haki, you are undeniably strong!