One Piece, Drum Kingdom, Bighorn Town.
A thick layer of snow weighed heavily on the rooftops. The short, squat houses looked like scattered building blocks in the snow-covered landscape. As a gust of wind swept by, flakes began to fall from the sky once more, starting as a light flurry before transforming into a heavy blizzard.
The wind blew in from the sea, whistled between two snow-capped mountains, and sent tendrils of biting cold seeping through the cracks in the door.
A faint jingle, as if the wind had nudged the doorbell, stirred the young man inside the crude wooden house.
Cough.
Hot!
So hot!
Ryuuto's eyes fluttered open, his gaze unfocused. His head felt heavy and muddled, as if it weighed a hundred pounds. Even the simple act of turning his head sent a sharp, pulling pain through his skull.
This is the Drum Kingdom. The king is Wapol. My name is Horomi. My mother died in childbirth, and my father recently succumbed to hunting injuries because he couldn't get treatment. What kind of standard opening is this? All I have is this broken-down wooden shack...
Wait, I'm sick too. I've had a fever for two whole days... If I don't get help soon, I'm not going to make it.
Forcing his seemingly explosive head to cooperate, Ryuuto managed to sit up. As he processed the flood of jumbled memories, he felt a daze wash over him.
Here in the Drum Kingdom, for his own selfish reasons, King Wapol had exiled every doctor in the country. Now, the citizens had no one to turn to when they were sick or injured. In this land of bitter cold and relentless snow, most people didn't last long.
The sound of a snow-laden branch snapping outside, the rattling of the wind against the door and windows, the raging fever, the aching body—all of it screamed at Ryuuto that this was not a dream.
Not a dream.
He really had died trying to stop a thief on a bus.
Right. He was just a nine-to-five writer. All that time spent sitting had left him with a host of health problems. How could he possibly have been a match for a vicious criminal? The adrenaline had spiked fast, and his transmigration had been even faster.
What a shame. I had so many books I still wanted to read, so many chapters I owed my readers.
Ryuuto collapsed back onto the bed, an overwhelming sense of weakness and exhaustion seeping from his bones. It felt as if the twenty-some years of his past life had been completely erased by time. Worse still, he could feel his new life slowly slipping away.
Life is so damn hard.
What kind of hellish start is this?
Beep...
As if the heavens had heard his despair, a mechanical voice sounded in his mind.
[The Old Order has fallen; a New Age shall rise. The fated hour has struck; destiny calls!]
[The Great Sage fell, his dream unfinished. If given a second chance, will this world still know regret?]
[Host has adapted to current identity. Load system?]
"Yes," Ryuuto replied instinctively.
Wait, what did I just say?
[System activated. System bound. Host's physical condition is extremely poor. Newbie Gift Pack has been issued. Please use it as soon as possible.]
I transmigrated with a system? What's this about a Great Sage? Whatever. Things are looking up! I knew it. No one transmigrates without getting a system.
[Friendly Reminder: Use Newbie Gift Pack now?]
"Yes," Ryuuto thought.
An image resembling a game inventory suddenly appeared in his mind. The so-called Newbie Gift Pack rested quietly in one of the slots. As his thought registered, the pack slowly opened, revealing three yellow talismans and three yellow beans.
[Yellow Talisman: When dissolved in water, can cure all illnesses.]
[Bean Soldier: When used on a suitable person, will display formidable power.]
As Ryuuto's focus landed on the items, their descriptions automatically appeared, instantly clarifying their uses and effects.
Looks like my survival challenge just got switched to easy mode.
Dragging his heavy head, Ryuuto forced himself out of bed and shuffled to the table. He poured a full bowl of lukewarm water from the kettle, remembering that his neighbor, Eve, had brought it over that morning.
In his memories, Eve was a cheerful girl with auburn hair, always worn in pigtails.
Ryuuto lowered his head and silently thought, "Withdraw."
A flash of white light appeared, and a yellow talisman materialized in his hand. It felt coarse to the touch, its yellow paper base covered in swirling, esoteric patterns drawn with vermilion ink.
Ryuuto carefully placed the talisman into the bowl.
The moment it touched the water, the talisman dissolved, merging with it completely.
Without hesitation, Ryuuto lifted the bowl and drank it all down.
Gulp, gulp.
As the talisman-infused water entered his stomach, an invisible energy surged through his body. It was a warm, incredibly comfortable sensation that spread through his limbs, almost making him hum with pleasure.
A few minutes later, the energy gently dissipated. Ryuuto felt completely refreshed. The high fever had indeed subsided, and the crushing weight in his head was gone. His entire body felt light and free.
"This talisman works exactly as described. Cures the sickness right away. The effect is amazing."
Feeling his strength return, Ryuuto's spirits lifted.
"Romi, what are you doing up?"
Romi? Who? Me?
He turned to see a young girl pushing the door open. Perhaps because she had been running, her two brown pigtails were still bouncing. Seeing her, Ryuuto blurted out, "Eve?"
This was the Eve from his memories, his kind neighbor.
Ryuuto collected himself. It was a good feeling, meeting such a beautiful and kind girl right after transmigrating. His tone became light. "I'm feeling much better, I think the fever broke, so I got up for some water. Where were you just now, Eve?"
"You had us so worried! I went to beg King Wapol to send one of his doctors to treat you, but his men threw me out before I could even see him. But it's so good to see you're okay now!"
Eve said it all in a rush.
Before speaking, she had carefully glanced at Ryuuto's face. Only after seeing the healthy color return to his cheeks did she open up.
When she mentioned begging Wapol, her expression soured with anger and disappointment. But when she spoke of Ryuuto's recovery, the girl's usual cheerfulness returned.
Seeing that he was all right, Eve chatted for a few more moments before heading back to her own house.
"Wapol? That scumbag!" As a veteran One Piece fan, Ryuuto knew all about Wapol's evil deeds—exiling the doctors and abandoning his own people.
A piece of trash like that didn't deserve to be a king.
Worse, from the memories of this body, he knew Wapol was a king who, for his own selfish desires, had plunged his citizens into a living hell.
He was simply unforgivable