Aiden couldn't spare a thought for the filth on his clothes. Following the memories of the body's original owner, he scrambled and stumbled his way back toward the barracks.
With a loud thud, he slammed the door shut. Aiden leaned his back against the cold iron door, struggling to calm his racing heart.
Silence filled the room.
Only then did he notice how pitifully small the room was—containing only a single bed and a tiny locker.
But... it was a single room. Shards of memory told him that because the role of "Executioner" was considered so unlucky, no one was willing to live with him. Thus, he had been "lucky" enough to be assigned this unwanted storeroom as his dormitory.
"The 'good luck' of being ostracized, huh..."
Aiden let out a self-deprecating laugh, but this private room, which could block out prying eyes, had become his perfect sanctuary for the moment.
He stayed pressed against the iron door, listening intently for a long time. Only after confirming there were no footsteps in the corridor did he slide down to the floor, as if he had drained every last drop of his strength.
For the first time, darkness and silence gave Aiden a slight sense of security.
In his mind, Aiden called out with a trembling voice that was almost a prayer: "System!"
A semi-transparent screen emitting a faint, ghostly blue light quietly surfaced before his eyes.
At the very top of the screen were several clear words: [Sin Judgment System].
Below that was the judgment file that had just been generated.
[Prisoner: "Bone Crusher" Cass]
[Overall Grade: C8]
[Status: Executed]
[Sin Index: 120]
[Execution Participation: 100%]
[Selectable Rewards]: (3 options available)
It was real! It wasn't an illusion! As expected, every transmigrator is blessed!
A storm of emotion instantly surged within Aiden, but the coolness he had developed as a corporate slave in his previous life forced him to study the screen word by word.
"Prisoner, 'Bone Crusher' Cass... that should be the pirate I just shot."
"Overall Grade N8? Is 'N' an abbreviation for 'Normal'? Why does that sound so much like the card rarities from the gacha games in my past life?"
"Sin Index: 120..." Aiden looked at the number, then glanced at his own personal panel which showed [Sin Points: 120], and understood immediately.
"This should be the quantification of the crimes he committed while alive. Likely, the heavier the crime, the higher the index, and I gain the corresponding points after executing him. As for what the points are for, I'm not sure yet."
[System Principle: Only judge "Sin." Targets with a Sin Index lower than 100 cannot trigger a judgment and will yield no rewards.]
"Oh? There are restrictions?" Aiden raised an eyebrow.
Aiden made a mental estimation: "A Sin Index of 100... that standard probably means having more than one life on their hands. I'll have to go to the archives another day to see exactly what this Cass did. In other words, the system likely filters out those who commit petty thefts but don't deserve to die?"
"Fine by me." Aiden didn't have any complaints; in fact, he found it quite convenient.
"Execution Participation: 100%... because I finished him off with my own hands? Does that mean if I fight alongside others in the future and someone else gets the killing blow, this participation will drop and the rewards will decrease? This is encouraging me to personally execute those heinous pirates—to be a 'Sin Buster'?" Aiden instantly understood the key to this setting. This system was encouraging him to engage in PVP.
He took a deep breath, forcing his brain—which was heating up from excitement—to cool down.
"No, thinking that far ahead is useless," Aiden shook his head.
"This isn't a game; there are no respawn points. Everything is built on one premise..."
"I have to stay alive first."
"I only have one life. If it's gone, everything is gone."
His gaze shifted back to the most critical part: [Selectable Rewards].
As his will focused, that column expanded, revealing three card-like options.
[Option 1: Minor Physical Improvement]
Description: Inherit "Bone Crusher" Cass's [Novice] Physique.
[Option 2: Skill Inheritance · Fighting Techniques]
Description: Inherit the [Novice] fighting skills "Bone Crusher" Cass developed through years of brawling.
[Option 3: Memory Fragment · Treasure Location]
Description: Inherit "Bone Crusher" Cass's memory of a certain treasure stash location.
Aiden looked at the parentheses after the first option, his brow furrowing slightly.
"Minor?"
His mind spun rapidly, immediately seizing the key point.
"This 'Bone Crusher' Cass—though his name sounded intimidating—had probably been locked up in the Loguetown Marine prison for quite a while before his execution. Living on scraps and leftovers every day without seeing the sun… forget exercising, he probably struggled just to stay on his feet…"
He recalled the scene on the execution platform earlier. Although that pirate looked fierce, his frame was indeed somewhat hollow and thin.
"I see… the system extracts the executed person's power as they are at the moment of execution? Since he'd been imprisoned for a long time and his body was no longer at its peak, I can only inherit a weakened, limited amount of physique?"
Having cleared that up, Aiden continued to calmly analyze the options before him.
"Memory Fragment? A treasure stash from an ordinary pirate is probably only a few hundred thousand Berries. It wouldn't help my current situation at all. Exclude it."
"Skill or physique?"
"This multiple-choice question barely needs any thought. Physique is the foundation of everything. Even if it's only a 'small' boost, for this fifteen-year-old body that hasn't fully developed yet, it's still a lifesaver!"
"Besides, as long as I don't actively show it off, no one will know my physical fitness has improved!"
"I choose, [Minor Physical Improvement]!"
The moment his will confirmed the choice, a stream of searing, pure energy appeared out of nowhere. Like a flood bursting through a dam, it instantly surged through every limb and bone in his body!
"Ungh!"
Aiden let out a muffled groan and clenched his teeth hard. He felt his muscle fibers being rewoven, and his bones gave off strained, overburdened creaks.
It lasted only a few seconds, yet it felt as long as a century.
The moment the energy stream vanished, a sense of power unlike anything he had ever known filled Aiden's entire body. He could clearly feel that his strength far exceeded what he had before.
But immediately afterward, a crushing wave of hunger swallowed him whole.
Aiden panted heavily, feeling like he could eat an entire cow right now. Using the last of his mental energy, he opened the system again and checked the personal panel he hadn't clicked earlier.
---------
Name: Aiden
Age: 15
Rank: Seaman Recruit
[Physical Level]: Novice
[Talent]: None
[Skills]: None
[Points]: 120