Upon hearing the voice, Karl's body trembled and he froze in place.
If he wasn't mistaken, that voice belonged to a system.
Having read countless web novels in his previous life, he immediately recognized it as a cheat system — something capable of granting immense power.
For the first time since awakening in this dangerous world, Karl felt a surge of hope. Perhaps… he wouldn't have to flee America after all.
[Ding! System activation complete. You now have one sign-in opportunity!]
[After signing in, you may obtain items, equipment, characters, creatures, and more from countless realms.]
[Characters obtained through sign-in will be permanently loyal to you.]
[Rewards are random. Sign-in intervals are random.]
[Do you wish to sign in now?]
"Yes! Sign in now!"
Karl didn't hesitate. His voice trembled with excitement.
This system was his lifeline.
The Marvel Universe was far too dangerous for an ordinary person. Street crime alone could be fatal, and far worse threats lurked in the shadows — HYDRA operations, enhanced individuals, mutant conflicts, alien invasions, and clandestine wars between superhuman factions.
And above all…
Earth was protected — and watched.
Karl knew of the Ancient One, Earth's Sorcerer Supreme, guardian of the Sanctums and wielder of the Time Stone. From Kamar-Taj, she monitored mystical disturbances and defended reality from interdimensional invasions such as Dormammu's Dark Dimension.
If his transmigration had caused any mystical ripple, she might already be aware of him.
Which raised an unsettling question:
Between the system and the Sorcerer Supreme… which was more powerful?
Karl instinctively chose to trust the system.
[Ding! Sign-in successful!]
[Congratulations! You have received:]
Ice-Ice Fruit ×1
• Ninja Mask ×1
• Woodcutter's Spring ×3
Ice-Ice Fruit
A Logia-type Devil Fruit from One Piece. Grants the ability to generate, control, and become ice, transforming the user into an elemental body.
Side effect: cursed by the sea — the user loses strength and becomes unable to swim when submerged in seawater or exposed to seastone.
Ninja Mask
A mask from Jackie Chan Adventures, one of the Shadowkhan masks of the Shadow Kingdom.
Allows the summoning of shadow ninja soldiers possessing combat ability comparable to elite special-forces operatives.
System modifications:
Shadow ninjas may be summoned without wearing the mask
The user is immune to mental corruption from the mask
The mask gradually enhances the user's physical conditioning
Collecting all ten masks grants dominion over the Shadow Kingdom
Woodcutter's Spring
From Doraemon.
If an item is thrown into the spring, the Woodcutter Goddess appears.
If the user answers honestly regarding what was lost, she rewards the user with a superior item.
"Wow… these are incredible."
Karl's eyes shone with excitement.
"The Ice-Ice Fruit… the Ninja Mask… and the Woodcutter's Spring…"
"With this, I finally have a foothold in the Marvel Universe."
He studied the Ice-Ice Fruit carefully.
"This is Admiral Aokiji's fruit… but if I eat it now, I'll still suffer the sea's curse."
His gaze shifted to the Woodcutter's Spring.
"…unless I use this."
Karl decided immediately.
He would throw the Ice-Ice Fruit into the spring and attempt to remove the curse.
He placed the small floating ring-shaped spring on the ground and dropped the fruit inside.
Then he put on the Ninja Mask.
Karl was not foolish.
The Woodcutter Goddess would not reward dishonesty. If temptation or mental interference were involved, he needed protection. The mask's enhancement and mental resistance would provide an additional safeguard.
The spring shimmered with seven-colored light.
A beautiful goddess wearing a straw hat slowly emerged from the luminous water.
She spoke gently:
"Did you lose the imperfect Ice-Ice Fruit… or the perfect Ice-Ice Fruit?"
As she spoke, Karl felt a subtle pull — a psychological allure drawing his attention toward the flawless fruit.
As expected.
Without the Ninja Mask's stabilizing effect — and his strengthened mental resilience following transmigration — he might have succumbed.
He clenched his fists and answered:
"What I lost… was the imperfect fruit."
The goddess smiled.
"Congratulations. You have answered honestly."
"This perfect Ice-Ice Fruit is yours."
A flawless fruit appeared in Karl's hand.
The goddess faded into the light.
The spring shimmered once more before vanishing, leaving only the small floating ring behind.
Karl ignored it and focused on the fruit.
[Ice-Ice Fruit]
A perfected Logia Devil Fruit.
Grants control and elemental transformation into ice.
Sea curse removed through Woodcutter's Spring purification.
Karl smiled.
Then he took a bite.
Crunch.
Instead of the notoriously awful taste described in pirate legends, the fruit was astonishingly sweet and refreshing.
Within moments, he finished it.
He stood still, sensing the transformation inside his body.
Then he raised his hand.
Frost spread instantly across the floor.
Ice crystallized along the walls.
Bottles, furniture, and the sofa became encased in glistening frost.
Karl dispersed the cold and willed his body to transform.
His form dissolved into translucent ice.
Elementalization.
Physical attacks would pass through him harmlessly.
Without Armament Haki — a power unique to the One Piece world — conventional strikes could not harm his true body.
Of course, this did not make him invincible.
On Earth alone, several beings could still threaten him:
the Ancient One
Omega-level mutants such as Jean Grey (Phoenix)
Wanda Maximoff, whose chaos magic could rewrite reality
high-tier telepaths like Professor Charles Xavier
Karl frowned slightly.
Telepathy posed a unique danger. If Xavier accessed his memories, the knowledge of future events could destabilize the world.
After thinking for a moment, he asked:
"System, is there a way to protect my memories from telepathic intrusion?"
[Host, rest assured. With the system present, no external entity can invade or read your mind.]
Karl exhaled in relief.
Charles Xavier's abilities, especially when amplified by Cerebro, could detect and influence minds across the planet. Without protection, Karl's secrets would be impossible to keep.
If humanity were ever threatened on a global scale, Karl doubted the Ancient One would remain idle. Her duty was to safeguard Earth's continued existence.
Since she had not appeared, Karl assumed his arrival had not triggered a mystical alert.
He preferred it that way.
Meeting someone of her power would be… stressful.
One wrong word, and she might imprison him in the Mirror Dimension as an interdimensional anomaly.
Karl then tested the Ninja Mask.
He extended his will into the shadows.
Black silhouettes rose from the darkness.
One.
Ten.
Hundreds.
Soon the entire farmhouse was filled with silent shadow ninjas. Their black uniforms blended into darkness, and their glowing red eyes gave them a chilling presence.
Karl remained calm.
They were completely loyal.
Testing his limits, he discovered he could barely sustain one thousand shadow ninjas.
His current physique struggled to withstand the dark energy required to maintain them. This world's rules differed from the original Shadow Kingdom's dimension, and the mask's power drew upon his own stamina.
Even so…
Karl looked at the silent army surrounding him.
For the first time since arriving in this world,
he felt truly safe.
...