Ever since being accepted as a volunteer, Ryan had imagined all kinds of possibilities about the Secret Realm he was about to enter. Yet no matter how wild his guesses became, he never once dared to imagine that it would be the anime world he had watched in his previous life: One Piece.
Wait.
If this really was One Piece, then something still felt off.
[Inferred Method of Completion: Become the Pirate King, or prevent the birth of a new Pirate King]
[Map Reconstruction:]
Based on currently explored intelligence, the Marines and Pirates Secret Realm is divided into four seas: East, South, West, and North. These four seas converge at the center into a single route known as the Grand Line. The former Pirate King's treasure is located on one of the islands along the Grand Line.
After entering the realm, all explorers will be randomly teleported to an island. In the first two exploration cycles, all teleportation points were located on islands in the East Blue. Since the Pirate King Gol D. Roger also set sail from an island in the East Blue, it can be inferred that the East Blue is a key region, and also the most prosperous sea among the four.
Ryan's expression remained unchanged.
A minor mistake. Normal, perfectly normal.
The East Blue was not the strongest. It was the weakest.
[The East Blue has a dominant pirate overlord named Don Krieg. During the first exploration cycle, military personnel tested Krieg's strength and assessed him to be at a mid-tier Blue level. Based on this, it is inferred that pirates within the Grand Line mostly range from high-tier Blue to low- and mid-tier Purple, not exceeding high Purple. Therefore, the overall difficulty of this realm has been evaluated as Purple.]
[The pinnacle of pirate power in the current era is known as the "Four Emperors," referring to the four great pirates closest to the title of Pirate King. Explorers are advised to accumulate strength in the East Blue, master the realm's power systems, defeat Don Krieg, and only then enter the Grand Line. There, they may seek opportunities to observe and test the strength of the Four Emperors, in order to obtain more detailed intelligence for future explorers.]
Ryan's brow twitched slightly.
You have already finished elementary school. Want to take a look at the Millennium Puzzle next?
[Regarding the realm's power system:]
Technology and individual combat power coexist. Firearms possess significant lethality, but individual strength can also be trained to the point of dodging bullets or shattering stone with bare fists. Swordsmanship cultivation is likewise a popular choice.
After entering the realm, the limits imposed on the human body will naturally be adjusted to the realm's average standard. With training, one can steadily grow stronger.
[Special Note:]
There exists within the realm a miraculous and extremely rare fruit known as a Devil Fruit. Consuming one grants extraordinary power, but also brings a curse from the sea. Once in contact with seawater, the user becomes completely powerless.
Each person may consume only one Devil Fruit. If more than ten Devil Fruits can somehow be collected and distributed by the team leader, there may be a certain probability of defeating the Four Emperors and challenging the throne of the Pirate King. This inference requires verification. Explorers are advised to proceed with caution.
What the hell was this?
Ryan nearly lost control of his expression.
Was this really something you should be "cautious" about?
He continued reading at high speed. Known Devil Fruit types, notable factions and islands, and the overarching existence of the World Government were all mentioned.
It was not that the information was completely useless.
But it was riddled with errors.
It was obvious that none of the explorers from the first two cycles had made it out of the East Blue. Everything related to the Grand Line was pure conjecture, pieced together from newspapers and public reports. They did not even mention terms like the New World or Haki.
What kind of trash was Don Krieg, that his strength was being used to evaluate the Four Emperors?
Yes. This was exactly what felt wrong.
If Purple 605 was truly the One Piece world Ryan knew, and Don Krieg could still be rated as mid-tier Blue, then the entire pirate world should never have been classified as merely a Purple difficulty realm.
Doflamingo alone possessed the power to destroy a nation. Let alone the Four Emperors and the Admirals, who were disasters in human form. Their strength could never be described as simply "shattering rocks and severing rivers."
At the very least, this realm should have been classified as Red: Purgatory.
Even Gold-tier Legendary might have made more sense.
The intelligence analysts deserved to be dragged before a military court.
The initial thrill Ryan felt upon realizing the Secret Realm was the One Piece world gradually faded.
The world of One Piece was not an easy place to survive in.
Ryan steadied his emotions and began reading the documents more carefully. Although more than half of the intelligence deviated from what he knew, there was still some usable information, at least within the scope of the East Blue.
Two exploration cycles. Two hundred explorers. Random teleportation across the East Blue. Their footprints had covered nearly half of the sea's islands, while the East Blue islands mentioned in the anime numbered barely more than ten.
The characteristics of those islands and the events that occurred there were things Ryan needed to memorize carefully.
Time passed quietly. The military vehicle carrying the four of them gradually merged with other convoys and eventually drove out of Tiger City.
When the omnipresent fog of Mist Star began to envelop the vehicle, the four explorers, who had been silently reading for an hour and a half, all lifted their heads almost at the same time.
"Finished reading, more or less?" the soldier driving finally spoke. "We will reach the Secret Realm entrance soon. Any questions?"
The four exchanged glances. The weathered middle-aged man, James, spoke first.
"Sir, this Secret Realm seems to treat pirates as a very common profession. If we become pirates, we might end up robbing people or even killing and burning things down. After we leave the realm, will we be held accountable?"
"That question sounds terrifying," Sara said, her face turning slightly pale. "Killing and arson… Sir, the pirates in the Secret Realm, are they very brutal? If we were captured by them…"
"Don't call me sir. My name is Lando."
"Yes, the outcome would not be pleasant. Female explorers need to be especially cautious," Lando said calmly. "As for the first question, the answer can only be described as moderation. In the Secret Realm, unavoidable events, battles, and casualties do occur. However, you must not treat the realm as a game and indulge your darker impulses by slaughtering ordinary civilians."
"If such actions are verified, you will be isolated and imprisoned after exiting the Secret Realm."
James smiled. "Understood. I was just asking."
Lando did not bother correcting his form of address anymore. His gaze shifted through the rearview mirror, landing on Ryan and Bruno.
"And you two?"
"No problems here!" Bruno answered eagerly. He clearly could not wait to enter the Secret Realm and make a name for himself.
Ryan thought for a moment, then asked, "If we defeat that pirate overlord, Don Krieg, will we receive a Secret Sigil when we leave the realm?"
"Yes," Lando replied. "You would obtain a White-tier Secret Sigil. It would be enough to elevate a normal person to the level of a one-sigil warrior. Punching strength close to one thousand pounds, a hundred meters in under nine seconds, and a preliminary step beyond the limits of ordinary humans."
Ryan nodded slightly. He now had a rough idea of how Secret Sigils were obtained. Possess a certain level of strength, accomplish events with sufficient impact, and the realm would bestow a sigil.
But a one-sigil warrior was far from enough.
James sighed. "Young people really do have drive. That East Blue pirate overlord, mid-tier Blue strength. Just hearing it sounds troublesome."
Sara brushed a strand of hair aside and nodded in agreement with a faint smile.
"Ryan may be young, but he's quite bold…"
"No more questions?" Lando spoke again. "Then listen carefully to the additional notes for exploring the Secret Realm."
The four of them immediately focused their attention.
"First point: this exploration of the Purple No. 605 Secret Realm involves a total of ninety-nine people. Three leaders and ninety-six volunteer explorers, divided into nineteen groups of four."
The four exchanged glances instinctively. Lando nodded.
"You are Group One. I wish you the best of luck and hope you take the lead in this exploration as well.
In a moment, the four of you will enter the Secret Realm passage at the same time. That way, your teleportation zones will be relatively close. If you encounter one another inside, look after each other, and do not kill compatriots without reason."
Without reason? Ryan caught that deliberately vague wording, but he was not surprised.
A fellow countryman meets another and stabs him in the back.
An unfamiliar world, conflicts of interest.
That was far too common.
"Second point: memorize this address. East Blue, Loguetown, No. 407. The three leaders will acquire ownership of that residence as quickly as possible.
After one month inside the Secret Realm, if you have managed to establish yourselves somewhere, you may send letters to this address to help build the explorers' intelligence network. If you can include your own Den Den Mushi number, even better."
"Every piece of useful information will be converted, after the exploration ends, into money and benefits, which will be distributed to you and your families. I trust you were already aware of this when you signed up as volunteers."
"But remember this clearly."
At this point, Lando deliberately lowered his voice, making it heavier and more serious.
"Do not reveal any hint of our world in your letters. Even more importantly, do not voluntarily disclose anything about it in conversations with the inhabitants of the Secret Realm."
"If this rule is violated, the Secret Realm will trigger a sudden catastrophe to erase you. Certain death."
Feels like a 'main god space,' Ryan thought to himself.
Sara swallowed nervously.
"A catastrophe? What kind?"
"Who knows?" Lando shook his head. "Heavenly lightning? Man-made disaster? You only need to remember the rule.
The Secret Realm is sentient. Otherwise, it would not grant secret marks after being conquered."
"At the same time, it provides us with a great convenience: we do not need to worry about language barriers. Once you enter the Secret Realm, you will naturally be able to understand and speak the local language."
"Finally, the third point, and the most important one of all."
Lando stepped on the brakes, turned around, and said firmly,
"Stay alive. Come back alive. That matters more than anything else."
They had arrived at the entrance to the Secret Realm.
He opened the door and got out of the vehicle, then opened the doors for the four of them, gesturing for them to step out as well.
The other transport vehicles were lined up neatly behind theirs, parked in a row, with no one getting out. As Ryan stepped down, he noticed that even the windshield of the vehicle behind them was covered with an opaque film, making it impossible to see inside, let alone the people within.
Would the second group only get out after we entered the Secret Realm?
Caution taken to this extent… aside from their own group, the explorers practically did not even know what one another looked like.
Oh. My dad is a demon.
Being cautious is the right choice.
Ryan felt that he could now understand everything. He turned around to look again, a trace of awe appearing in his expression.
High above the sky, a beam of golden light descended.
Under that golden radiance, the fog was like fragile silk, easily melted through. An enormous vortex passage, so vast that its boundaries were impossible to measure with the naked eye, slowly rotated into view. Along its edges flowed blazing runes, like molten flames forming a symbolic corridor.
"That is the Secret Realm passage," Lando announced loudly. "First exploration group, move out!"
Bruno's face was filled with excitement as he strode forward.
Sara's expression was bitter as she inched toward the passage step by step. James walked on her left, a faint smile hanging on his lips for reasons unknown. Ryan walked on her right, his expression serious and solemn.
The four entered the Secret Realm passage one after another. Only then did a tall, thin soldier finally step down from the driver's seat of the second military vehicle. He walked over with a smile and said, "So, Lando, what do you think of the four in the first group?"
"Please address me as Team Leader, Deputy Leader Bruce."
"Alright, alright, Team Leader, Team Leader. But you still haven't answered me. How are those four?"
"About the same as their background checks," Lando replied. "Not a single one of them is simple. But exploration also depends on luck. Let's hope they gain something from it."