Hachinosu, located in the New World, was a remote island of modest size.
Yet even such a small island was enough to send chills down the spines of the most battle-hardened Marine commanders at the mere mention of its name.
Hachinosu—also known as Pirate Island or the Forbidden Island—was a gathering place for countless vicious great pirates. A murderous aura hung over it year-round, and sunlight was rarely seen.
Here, pirates with bounties in the tens of millions were as common as dirt, and those with bounties exceeding one hundred million roamed everywhere.
On Hachinosu stood a small wooden cabin. Every morning at ten sharp, a large crowd of ferocious-looking pirates would gather outside it on time, waiting eagerly at the door. Quiet as maidens, they did not even dare to speak loudly.
Creak…
Under the expectant gazes of the pirates, the cabin door slowly opened.
A black-haired, black-eyed youth wearing a hooded coat stepped out.
Yawning, he looked lazy, as though he hadn't fully woken up yet.
The moment he appeared, the pirates shouted in unison, "Good morning, Lord Qiye!"
Chu Qiye rubbed his eyes, ignoring them. He said indifferently, "Continue from yesterday's order. Number 6635."
"Lord Qiye, that's me! Me!"
A one-legged pirate leaning on a crutch squeezed out of the crowd, clutching a numbered token, his face filled with barely contained excitement.
"Come in with me. The rest of you, line up properly."
After speaking, Chu Qiye turned and walked back into the cabin, the one-legged pirate following closely behind…
A few minutes later, the one-legged pirate ran out of the cabin in tears. The crutch was gone from his hand, and he strode with powerful steps—his legs now perfectly whole, no different from an ordinary person's.
"Hahaha… My leg is back! My leg is back!"
He laughed loudly even as tears streamed down his face.
The other pirates were long accustomed to such a scene. After all, the methods of Black Devil Chu Qiye were no secret on Hachinosu.
Inside the cabin, Chu Qiye lay in a rocking chair woven from vines, idly playing with a gem-studded crown in his hand.
After a while, he grew bored and casually tossed it into a corner.
The corner of the cabin was piled high with all kinds of rare treasures. Even a gemstone crown worth tens of millions of Beli seemed utterly ordinary among the heap.
Lying back in the rocking chair with his hands behind his head, Chu Qiye stared at the ceiling, his heart filled with emotion.
"It's already been three years since I came here. I wonder how Mom and Dad are doing… Will I ever be able to go back?"
As a die-hard fan of One Piece, Chu Qiye had dreamed of transmigrating into its world—of sailing the seas, clashing with the strong. He never expected it to actually come true.
The only catch was that he had arrived far too early—at least forty or fifty years before the main storyline. Forget about the protagonist Luffy; even Luffy's father was nothing more than a drop of liquid at this point.
Roger had yet to reach the New World. Edward's mustache was still blond. Big Mom wasn't yet "Big Mom." Garp was still training at Marine Headquarters…
Though there was some regret, Chu Qiye felt far more excitement. To live in the same era as these legendary figures—what an honor that was.
Caesar the Great once said, "I came, I saw, I conquered!"
Those words perfectly captured Chu Qiye's current state of mind.
Since "legends" had yet to be born, why shouldn't he join their ranks and become part of legend himself? Or better yet, surpass them—becoming something beyond legend!
"Open the panel," Chu Qiye murmured inwardly.
[Six Treasury Immortals (Complete), Proficiency 100%]
[Dual Fulfillment Hands (Major Mastery), Proficiency 98.5%]
[Tongtian Talisman (Locked), Proficiency 0]
[Spirit Binding and General Dispatch (Locked), Proficiency 0]
[Fenghou Qimen (Locked), Proficiency 0]
[Divine Machine Refinement (Locked), Proficiency 0]
[Great Luo Insight (Locked), Proficiency 0]
[Qi Body Origin Flow (Locked), Proficiency 0]
As a transmigrator, Chu Qiye naturally had his golden finger. It was the very foundation that allowed an ordinary youth like him to gain a foothold on Pirate Island Hachinosu.
The Eight Extraordinary Skills from the world of Espers were his cheat ability. However, he had only unlocked Six Treasury Immortals and Dual Fulfillment Hands so far.
Only after completely mastering one skill—reaching 100% proficiency—could he unlock the next.
Even with the system's assistance, it had taken him a full year to completely master Six Treasury Immortals. Dual Fulfillment Hands had taken two years and was only at 98%.
Both Six Treasury Immortals and Dual Fulfillment Hands were primarily supportive abilities with limited direct combat application. Fortunately, Dual Fulfillment Hands was nearly maxed out—once complete, he would unlock the Tongtian Talisman.
Snapping back to reality, Chu Qiye stood up and called outside, "6636!"
"Y-Yes!"
Number 6636 was a burly man over three meters tall, covered in scars, his right arm wrapped in bloodstained bandages.
After entering, the giant man couldn't help glancing at the corner. The mountain of treasure was simply too dazzling.
His eyes were filled with envy. If he had that much wealth, why would he even bother being a pirate?
Envy aside, he dared not harbor the slightest greed. The man before him was not only a super pirate with a bounty exceeding 500 million Beli, but also second only to the overlord of the seas, Rocks, in influence on Hachinosu.
More than two-thirds of the pirates on the island owed Chu Qiye a favor.
If anyone dared touch Chu Qiye's belongings, he wouldn't even need to lift a finger. With just a word, a swarm of pirates would tear the offender to pieces.
"Lord Qiye, please take a look. Is my arm still salvageable? Do I need to amputate and replace it?" the giant asked in a low voice.
Chu Qiye stepped forward and examined it briefly before saying, "No need."
"That's good…" The giant let out a long sigh of relief.
Treating injuries cost only fifty thousand Beli per session. Replacing limbs or organs, however, cost several million to tens of millions of Beli—and required treasures of equal value in exchange.
"Relax your body now. Don't resist…"
As he spoke, red "qi" slowly surfaced around Chu Qiye's right hand.
He placed his "Red Hand" on the giant's injured arm. Half a minute later, he slowly withdrew it.
"It's done."
Hearing this, the giant ripped off his bandages. The once mangled arm was restored to perfect condition, sensation fully returned.
"Yihahaha! As expected of Lord Qiye—your skills are truly miraculous! Thank you!"
After dropping a bag of gold coins, he turned and left.
For pirates, bleeding and injuries were everyday occurrences. Losing an arm or a leg was considered lucky.
But once a pirate truly lost a limb, they were often as good as finished—after all, not everyone was named Shanks.
The appearance of Black Devil Chu Qiye had brought hope to these pirates.