Chapter 1 Genius Recruitment System
Year 1510 of the Age of Pirates.
Marine Headquarters — Marineford.
Behind the towering cliffs of Marineford, where the sea breeze carried the sharp scent of salt, a small boy lay sprawled on the grass, a blade of unknown wild grass hanging lazily from the corner of his mouth.
His eyes were half-closed, face tilted toward the sky as the wind brushed past him. A faint, helpless smile curved his lips.
"…Sigh."
After an indeterminate amount of time, the boy suddenly exhaled, propped himself up with one hand, and sat upright.
"My cheat code," he muttered irritably, "when exactly are you planning to show up?"
The boy's name was Kyle.
Six years old.
And a transmigrator.
He didn't know how it happened. One moment, he had been taking a nap; the next, he woke up wrapped in swaddling clothes, crying like a newborn. By the time he fully understood his situation, he had already accepted a terrifying truth—
He had crossed into the world of One Piece.
A world he knew far too well.
What surprised him even more was his identity.
Kyle was the biological grandson of Sengoku the Buddha, the current Fleet Admiral of the Navy.
A true, top-tier Navy second generation.
Someone with a background comparable to Monkey D. Luffy himself.
But Kyle was painfully aware of one thing:
In this world, background meant nothing without strength.
So from the moment he could walk, he trained his body relentlessly.
With Sengoku's blood in his veins, his talent was far from ordinary. Despite being only six years old, Kyle already possessed physical strength that could easily overwhelm several average adult Marines.
Still—
That level of power was insignificant when compared to true monsters.
After all, there existed freaks in this world who could hunt giant beasts barehanded before the age of ten.
But Kyle wasn't anxious.
He was only six.
Time was on his side.
Back when Monkey D. Luffy was a child, he had been a complete weakling—bullied, beaten, and tossed around by mountain bandits without the slightest ability to resist.
Kyle flipped to his feet with a neat somersault, brushed the dirt from his clothes, then turned and headed down the slope.
"I'm starving…"
Not long after, he entered the residential area of Marineford and strolled toward his home.
Then—
He spotted two figures ahead.
One large. One small.
The larger one was unmistakable.
A towering figure with wild hair, broad shoulders, and an aura that screamed violence even when doing nothing at all.
Monkey D. Garp.
The Hero of the Marines.
Sengoku's lifelong comrade.
Kyle's grandfather's best friend.
As for the smaller one—
Kyle lifted his gaze.
The moment his eyes met the child's, an unfamiliar electronic voice suddenly rang out inside his head.
He froze.
[Ding!]
A recruitable genius has been detected nearby.
Initiating Genius Recruitment System…
[System activation successful.]
The Genius Recruitment System is now online.
[Host identified as top-tier Navy second generation.]
Faction automatically assigned: Marines.
[System Objective:]
Recruit geniuses acknowledged by the system.
Rewards will be granted based on each genius's potential and destiny.
[Loading genius profile…]
Name: Monkey D. Luffy
[Evaluation:]
A man destined to challenge the world.
A bearer of the "D."
A future king figure shaped by freedom and will.
Influenced by the Yonko "Red-Haired" Shanks, he embarks upon the path of piracy.
His life is filled with suffering, loss, and sacrifice.
He witnesses the death of his brother with his own eyes.
To pursue freedom and the throne of the Pirate King, he burns away his very lifespan.
[Final fate: Unknown.]
[Recruitment Suggestion:]
The future has not yet occurred.
Destiny can still be rewritten.
Becoming a "king" does not necessarily mean becoming Pirate King.
Becoming the King of the Marines is also a valid path.
[Recruitment Rewards:]
• Physique Enhancement Pills
• Supreme-Grade Sword Art: Twelve-Strike Purple Lightning
• Conqueror's Haki
• Devil Fruit (Logia): Goro Goro no Mi — Purple Lightning God Form
(No side effects)
"…!"
Kyle's pupils shrank violently.
Then—
They exploded with light.
"YAHOO—!!"
His sudden shout echoed through the street, startling both figures ahead.
Garp turned his head, scowling when he recognized the familiar little troublemaker.
"Kyle, you brat!" he barked. "Have you lost your mind?! What are you yelling for?!"
Kyle didn't even hear him.
Six years.
Six entire years.
The thing he had been waiting for—
Finally arrived.
A genius recruitment system.
Recruit geniuses. Rewrite their fate. Receive rewards.
Kyle nearly laughed out loud.
In this world, shaping someone's future wasn't difficult at all. All it took was ideals, dreams, and timing.
And there was no one more suitable for manipulation—guidance—than Monkey D. Luffy.
Especially right now.
Luffy was only five years old.
He hadn't been sent to Foosha Village yet.
Hadn't met Shanks.
Hadn't tasted freedom or piracy.
This was the perfect moment.
Kyle raised his eyes and looked directly at Luffy.
Messy hair. Blank expression. A nose that looked like it had never known danger.
So this was him.
If Garp had brought the kid earlier, the system would have activated long ago.
But better late than never.
Kyle sprinted forward without hesitation.
Stopping in front of them, he glanced once at the clueless Luffy—then turned to Garp, speaking with absolute seriousness.
"Old man," Kyle said flatly, "you're terrible at raising grandchildren."
"Give him to me."
"I'll train him into the strongest Marine king this world has ever seen."
"…Huh?"
Garp froze.
Then veins popped on his forehead.
He squatted down, eyes bulging as he glared at Kyle.
"You little punk—are you questioning my way of raising kids?!"
"No."
Kyle shook his head, curling his lips in disdain.
"I'm stating a fact."
"Your so-called 'training' only makes him afraid of you. Don't believe me? Look at him."
Garp instinctively turned.
The moment his eyes met Luffy's—
The boy stiffened.
Fear flickered unmistakably in his eyes.
Kyle saw it clearly.
Just as expected.
Luffy's absurd resilience was forged through suffering—but Garp's methods were outright inhuman.
Who could accept being thrown into ravines or abandoned in monster-infested forests at that age?
Garp noticed the fear too.
But his expression didn't change.
Luffy had been scared of him for years already.
Snorting, Garp turned back to Kyle with contempt.
"Heh. You think I'll listen to some brat's nonsense?"
"Keep dreaming."
As he spoke, Garp slipped into his classic mocking pose—digging his pinky into his nose without a shred of shame.
Kyle only smiled.
"How about a bet?" he said calmly.
"…"