My Name Is Rayfa
"My god. My god. My god!!!
Damn the heavens, why would you toy with me like this?! Fine, I admit it, I love reading Toriko. But was it really necessary to throw me straight into the damn world itself?"
Rayfa stared up at the sky, utterly speechless. Tears welled in his eyes as despair tightened his chest.
It had been a perfectly ordinary weekend.
He had been lounging comfortably at home, the air conditioner humming softly, legs propped up, music playing in the background. A cup of milk tea rested beside him as he read the latest chapter of Toriko. Life could not have been more satisfying.
And yet, in a cruel twist of fate, the expensive computer chair he had paid over a thousand yuan for turned out to be complete garbage.
The moment he shifted his posture, the chair collapsed without warning. His head slammed hard against the floor, and darkness swallowed his vision.
When he woke up again, the world had changed.
He had become a seven year old boy named Rayfa, inhabiting a body that was not his own. Worse still, this boy had an adoptive father with a name that sent chills down his spine.
Sengoku.
Rayfa was very familiar with that name.
"The Strategist."
"The Buddha."
"Fleet Admiral."
Every one of those titles carried overwhelming weight.
But even so, Rayfa still wanted to scream.
This was a character from a manga world. A fictional character.
So why was he standing right beside him?
And why was he his adoptive father?
It took Rayfa several days to finally accept that this was not a dream.
He had truly crossed into the world of Toriko.
And his adoptive father really was the legendary Marine officer known as "Buddha Sengoku."
Of course, Sengoku was not yet Fleet Admiral at this point in time. He was one of only two men ever honored with the title of "Great Strategist" within the Marines, fighting shoulder to shoulder with Black Arm Zephyr as one of the strongest forces in the organization. Technically, there was a third, but that man had never shown interest in becoming an admiral.
Chronologically speaking, the main storyline of the world had not even begun yet. The era when pirates would truly take center stage was still more than twenty years away.
Thinking back on his absurd experience, Rayfa could not help but recall an old saying.
People love dragons in theory, but tremble when one appears before them.
Yes, he loved Toriko.
But that did not mean he wanted to live in its world.
The world of Toriko was filled with passion and wonder, but it was also unimaginably dangerous. Compared to the orderly society of his previous life, this world was a brutal place where the strong ruled absolutely.
To those powerful enough to destroy cities with a casual strike, ordinary people were nothing more than ants. A single careless wave of a hand could erase countless lives. Even the shockwaves from a normal battle could spell apocalypse for civilians.
It was like stepping on an insect while walking. You would not even realize it had happened.
In this world, morality alone meant nothing.
Ordinary people were insects.
And Rayfa was only seven years old.
No matter how prestigious his adoptive father might be, he was still powerless. Even Sengoku could not protect him from everything.
Rayfa understood this better than anyone.
Another Marine officer had once faced the same fate. Black Arm Zephyr's entire family had been slaughtered by pirates seeking revenge.
If something similar happened to him, Rayfa knew he would not survive.
If someone ever decided to retaliate against Sengoku, Rayfa would not even have time to cry.
"Damn it. I need to find a way to train as soon as possible. With the old man's status in the Marines, resources will not be a problem. But slow and steady training will never give me the strength to protect myself quickly enough. Is there really no shortcut?"
Rayfa frowned, lost in thought.
As he pondered, he reached over to the grill in front of him, picked up a piece of sizzling golden meat, placed it onto his plate, then lifted another piece straight into his mouth.
"I will think about it later. This is something that stingy old man brought back from the sea. It should be good."
Being the adoptive son of Sengoku came with risks, but it also had its benefits. At the very least, Rayfa never had to worry about food, clothing, or shelter. His living conditions were better than most people in the world.
Sure enough, Sengoku had brought back a pile of gifts from his recent voyage.
The meat Rayfa was grilling was one of them.
"Hiss… This is incredible!"
The moment the meat touched his tongue, it melted away, flooding his senses with an indescribable richness. Rayfa's eyes widened in shock.
Even the finest lamb could not compare.
No.
This was several times better.
Just as Rayfa lost himself in the flavor, a series of mechanical yet strangely solemn messages echoed in his mind.
Ding.
Detecting host consumption of gourmet food.
Gourmet System initializing.
Analyzing host gourmet cell composition.
Analysis complete.
Gourmet Cells Origin: Ancient Gourmet Demon King, Gluttony.
Capable of devouring heaven and earth, dissolving all existence.
Current Awakening Level: 0.01 percent.
Initial Quest Activated.
Objective: Consume three types of gourmet food.
Reward: One random low tier cooking skill.
"…What the hell?"
Rayfa shot to his feet in shock, nearly knocking over the stone stool beneath him.
The information flooding his mind left him completely stunned.
Gourmet System.
Gourmet Cells.
Cooking Skills.
Why did these words feel so familiar?
"Damn it. Aren't these things straight out of Toriko? Why are they appearing now?"
Rayfa's heart pounded violently.
Aside from One Piece, Toriko was his favorite manga. He knew its power systems inside and out. But he had never imagined encountering them like this.
The world he had entered already belonged to Toriko.
And now, he had a system on top of that.
This was beyond absurd.
"Is some bored god watching me for entertainment?"
Rayfa rested his chin in his hand, deep in thought.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
"Forget it. I am done thinking. Whoever wants to watch can watch. I am not scared."
His contemplation lasted exactly three seconds before he gave up entirely.
That had always been his habit.
Whenever he encountered a problem he could not solve, he simply stopped thinking about it.
Surprisingly, that habit had served him well.
At the very least, it allowed him to live comfortably.