Chapter 1: Washed Up in a World of Pirates
The taste of salt stung his lips.
Ayman Arif coughed as a wave smacked him in the face, soaking his already drenched body. His muscles ached, his eyelids heavy. The world around him rocked and swayed, and for a moment, he thought he was still dreaming.
Then he opened his eyes.
Blue sky. Endless sea. A piece of wood beneath him. No land in sight.
"...What the hell?" he muttered hoarsely.
His memory was a blur. He remembered sitting in his room, laptop open, watching a One Piece theory video. A snack half-eaten. His phone charging. Then a blinding flash—no, it was more like being pulled, yanked from reality itself. And now\... this?
The wood creaked as he shifted. He was floating in the middle of the ocean, alone, wearing only the same T-shirt and jeans he'd had on back home. Everything felt too real. The sun was too hot. His limbs were too heavy. His throat too dry.
[Initializing Gacha Summon System...]
A voice echoed—not in his ears, but directly in his mind. A transparent blue screen appeared in front of his eyes, flickering softly.
[Welcome, Ayman Arif. You have entered the world of One Piece.]
[System: Gacha Summon System v1.0]
[Primary Rule: Summons are permanent and fully loyal to the user.]
[Visibility: System interface is only visible to the user.]
[Summon Requirement: Complete missions to earn Gacha Tickets.]
[First Mission: Defeat a pirate with a bounty of 500,000 berries or more.]
[Reward: 1 Gacha Ticket]
Ayman stared blankly.
"...Huh?"
The screen faded slightly, staying on standby like a floating HUD. Ayman blinked and looked around. Still the ocean. Still no land. But the system—he hadn't imagined it. The words, the tone, everything about it screamed cheat ability. And not just any cheat… a gacha system?
He groaned, slumping back against the wood. "I got isekai'd... into One Piece... with a gacha summon system. Of all things."
It wasn't that he hated the idea. He was a massive fan of the series—had been since his school days. He'd read every chapter, memorized bounties, followed fan theories. But living in the actual world? No thanks. That meant Devil Fruits, death flags, Warlords, Yonko… and him, a regular guy with no superpowers.
Well… not exactly regular anymore.
Ayman glanced at the floating screen. It hovered patiently, waiting for him to move.
He shook his head, water dripping from his hair. "Okay. Think. First step—get to land. Then figure out how to beat a half-million bounty pirate. No big deal, right?"
The ocean didn't respond.
His stomach growled, followed by a dry cough. "Right. Step zero: don't die."
As if on cue, a dark shape appeared in the distance. Ayman squinted. A ship. Small, maybe a fishing boat or a merchant vessel. It wasn't moving fast, but it was coming toward him.
He raised one hand and waved weakly. "Hey! Over here!"
It took a few minutes, but the boat eventually pulled alongside him. A pair of rough-looking men leaned over the railing, staring down at him.
"Oy, what's this? Another floater?" one grunted.
"He's alive, at least. Help me haul him up."
They dragged Ayman onto the deck, dropping him like a wet sack. He winced and sat up slowly, shivering.
"You alone, kid?" the second man asked.
"I… yeah," Ayman replied. "Shipwreck."
The men looked at each other. One of them snorted. "Poor bastard. You're lucky we found you. These waters are crawling with pirates lately."
"Pirates…" Ayman muttered, glancing at the system screen that still hovered silently beside his vision.
[Mission: Defeat a pirate with a bounty above 500,000 berries.]
He swallowed hard. He didn't even have a weapon.
The boat crew offered him water and a stale piece of bread. He ate in silence, grateful. They were decent enough, but Ayman could feel their eyes on him—sizing him up, wondering if he was worth robbing later. Trust wasn't free on the Grand Line.
After sailing for another hour, the boat reached a small, dusty island—barely more than a dock and a couple of wooden buildings. One of the men nudged him with a boot.
"This is as far as we go. Try not to get killed."
"Thanks," Ayman muttered, stepping onto dry land at last.
The island smelled like salt, smoke, and alcohol. A run-down tavern sat in the center of the village, and wanted posters flapped on a bulletin board nearby. He made his way there, pretending to act casual.
His eyes scanned the posters.
Most were small fry. 30,000 berries. 100,000. One guy had a bounty of 350,000 for stealing marine boots. Pathetic.
But then he saw her.
A dark-haired woman with wild eyes and a jagged grin. Her name was Salia "Snake Fang." Bounty: 600,000 berries.
Ayman blinked.
She was on the island.
[Mission Target Identified: Salia the Snake Fang. Bounty: 600,000 berries.]
[Status: Active in this area. Caution advised.]
He stepped back, heart pounding. He was not a fighter. He couldn't even punch properly. How the hell was he supposed to take down a bounty pirate?
[Hint: You may use your knowledge, surroundings, and wits. The system supports strategic victories ]
He exhaled slowly.
Alright. He couldn't fight her head-on. But maybe… maybe he didn't have to.
---
Later that evening, Ayman sat in the tavern's corner, nursing a cheap mug of something alcoholic and awful. The locals whispered. People gave the empty seat beside him a wide berth. He listened carefully.
"She came in this morning," one drunk mumbled. "Took over the back room. Said anyone who looked her in the eyes would get their tongue cut out."
"I heard she eats raw snakes," another said.
Ayman leaned back, formulating a plan.
He had one advantage: he knew how this world worked. Pirates were cocky, violent, and often reckless. If he could bait her into a trap—maybe get the Marines to show up, or let her fight someone else—he could claim credit and complete the mission.
[Optional Objective: Lure Salia into a trap or indirect defeat.]
[Reward remains valid.]
A slow grin spread across his face.
"Alright," he whispered. "Let's see what this cheat system can really do."
---
To be continued...