“Everyone!
The great treasure of the seas!
The opportunity to change your destiny!
It’s right here!” “The grand broadcast of Great Pirate Treasure!” “Today only—we’re selling Devil Fruits that can change your life!” Sora Harumi stared blankly at the glowing panel floating before him.
It displayed all kinds of glittering, strange fruits while an extremely passionate sales pitch echoed from nowhere, sounding exactly like a livestream salesman.
“See this shine?
These patterns?
Completely natural and pollution-free!
A special product of the Grand Line!
Every single fruit is a miracle of nature!
Every single one grants an unbeatable superpower!” A strange expression appeared on Sora’s face.
According to the anime he had watched before, Devil Fruits did grant powerful abilities.
However, anyone who ate one would be rejected by the sea forever, losing the ability to swim.
Contact with seawater or immersion in it would leave them completely powerless, unable to move, and potentially drown.
Most importantly, these things probably only worked in their original world.
Sure enough, advertisements were the same everywhere.
To sell a product, they exaggerated the benefits as much as possible while conveniently ignoring all the side effects.
“Stop hesitating!
Buy now!
For only ninety-nine gold coins, you can get a Devil Fruit mystery box immediately!” A button labeled [Buy Now] popped up on the panel.
Sora’s heart stirred.
He extended his somewhat translucent finger and tried pressing it.
The next instant, a notification immediately appeared.
[Insufficient wallet balance.
Purchase failed.] [Current Wallet: 0 Gold Coins, 0 Silver Coins, 0 Copper Coins.] Sora silently withdrew his hand.
Right.
Sorry for bothering you.
His gaze shifted toward the upper-right corner of the advertisement.
A countdown was displayed there.
[00:00:20] It seemed to indicate that this strange Devil Fruit advertisement had twenty seconds remaining.
The advertisement itself had already finished.
The screen remained frozen on the final [Buy Now] page without any further changes.
Sora turned his head and looked around.
The surroundings were still covered in mist.
This place didn’t look like the underworld or hell, nor did it seem likely to be heaven.
So where exactly had that truck sent me?
Sora slowly withdrew his gaze and looked back at the panel.
The countdown was almost finished.
[00:00:03] [00:00:02] [00:00:01] As the countdown reached zero, the advertisement disappeared and was replaced by a new message.
[Advertisement Finished.
One Resurrection Opportunity Obtained.
Revive Immediately?] Huh?
There’s actually something this good?
Sora once again extended his translucent finger and pressed [Confirm].
A burst of white light shone around him, dazzlingly bright.
Unable to endure the glare, he closed his eyes.
Immediately afterward, he felt as if his body were rapidly falling through the air.
The sensation ended abruptly.
Sora suddenly opened his eyes.
He found himself lying on a soft grassy slope.
The orange glow of the setting sun fell across his face.
Supporting his still slightly uncomfortable head, Sora sat up.
A small river flowed in front of him.
Behind him was a road lined with blooming cherry blossom trees.
Pedestrians walked by, chatting and laughing.
Turning to his right, he noticed a bespectacled boy sitting nearby.
The boy held a book in one hand and was reading with his head lowered.
A school bag rested beside him.
Sora observed him for a couple of moments.
The boy remained completely absorbed in his book and noticed nothing.
Retracting his gaze, Sora looked toward a billboard standing across the river.
The good news was that he had truly come back to life.
The bad news was that the place where he had revived didn’t seem to be his original world.
“The writing on that billboard…
is that Japanese?” Sora wasn’t entirely sure.
[Ding—] At that moment, the translucent panel appeared before him again.
This time there were no advertisements.
Instead, it resembled an inventory screen.
The inventory was completely empty except for a gift box sitting in the first slot.
Sora reached out and tapped it.
[Open Beginner’s Gift Pack?] [Confirm] The gift box burst apart in a flashy effect.
[Obtained Identity Card ×1, Talent Card ×1, Gold Coin ×1.] The gift box vanished from the inventory and was replaced by two brand-new cards.
Sora opened them one by one.
— [Identity Card] Quality: Special Type: Consumable Effect: After use, grants an identity highly compatible with the user in the current world, along with the corresponding common knowledge associated with that identity.
— [Talent Card] Quality: Special Type: Consumable Effect: After use, randomly grants a talent highly compatible with the user.
— The descriptions were straightforward and easy to understand.
As expected of a beginner’s gift pack.
The rewards were exactly what Sora needed most right now.
After all, as an outsider who had arrived in a new world, the first thing he needed was an identity.
Only with one could he smoothly integrate into society.
The next priority was talent.
If he wanted a better life, he needed something that made him superior to ordinary people.
As for the final reward, the gold coin— Sora glanced at the upper-left corner of the inventory.
There was a wallet icon there displaying: — [1 Gold Coin, 0 Silver Coins, 0 Copper Coins] — Excellent.
Now he even had some starting capital.
Although he still couldn’t afford the Devil Fruit mystery box from the advertisement, perhaps if he worked hard and saved up, he would eventually have a chance.
With a thought, the inventory disappeared from before his eyes.
As expected, the panel didn’t require physical interaction.
Mental commands alone were enough to operate it.
Sora stood up from the grass.
He noticed a bridge downstream.
The area beneath it looked quiet and deserted, making it a relatively secluded location.
He should use the newly obtained [Identity Card] and [Talent Card] there.
If he happened to draw some strange talent and caused an unusual phenomenon, it would attract less attention and be less likely to harm nearby people.
The breeze along the riverbank carried a slight chill.
Sora paused for a moment.
He actually wanted to remind the stranger that reading at dusk wasn’t very good for the eyes.
However, because he couldn’t speak the language, he had no choice but to give up the idea.
The bespectacled boy raised his head, glanced at Sora’s departing figure, then lowered it again and continued reading.
Upon reaching the underside of the bridge, Sora spotted two small wooden stools that had been left behind.
There were also traces of fishing bait scattered on the ground.
They were probably left by local anglers.
Sora sat on one of the stools and focused his thoughts.
The panel appeared before him.
Looking at the two cards, he thought for a moment and decided to use the [Talent Card] first.
The [Identity Card] would grant an identity highly compatible with him.
Previously, he had been nothing more than an ordinary person with no remarkable talents.
If he used it immediately, the identity he received would most likely be some ordinary worker related to the field he had studied in university.
However, if he obtained a talent first and then drew an identity, the resulting identity would likely be much better suited to his new abilities.
Having made his decision, a golden card covered in mysterious patterns appeared in his hand.
In his mind, he said: “Use.” The next moment, the card transformed into countless golden particles and merged into his body.
[Obtained Epic Talent: Death Declaration.] Sora lowered his head and stared at his reflection in the river.
The face reflected there had suddenly become much younger.
He fell silent.