“Ugh…
pain…
so much pain…”
Cassian jolted awake, his entire body screaming in agony.
When his vision cleared, he found himself inside a dark, damp stone cell.
Rusted iron bars surrounded him, and the air was thick with the smell of mold and decay, mixed with a sour stench that made his stomach churn.
“Where is this?
Wasn’t I just playing games in my dorm all night?
How did I end up here?”
He pressed a hand to his throbbing temples, forcing himself to think.
“Did I die?
Is this some kind of afterlife?”
Struggling, he pushed himself upright.
Pain surged through his body with every movement.
Only then did he notice the countless scars and fresh wounds covering his skin.
Some of them reopened as he moved, thin streams of blood seeping out.
He ignored it and looked around.
The cell was small and filthy.
Moss clung to the walls, dried blood stained the stone, and a pile of foul smelling straw lay in the corner.
Then he noticed them.
Three girls in ragged prison uniforms lay beside him.
One had long jet black hair, her brows slightly furrowed even in sleep, her expression carrying a natural arrogance and stubborn pride.
Even in such a place, she felt untouchable, like a caged phoenix.
The other two were clearly related to her.
One had short hair and a fierce expression even while unconscious.
The third had long hair tied back, her face calmer, more composed.
Cassian frowned.
“Why do they look so familiar…”
Then it hit him.
“Holy…
Boa Hancock?
And her sisters, Marigold and Sandersonia?”
As someone who had watched One Piece, he recognized them instantly.
“Wait…
Hancock and her sisters…
in a prison cell…”
His gaze dropped to their necks.
Slave collars.
Cold realization spread through him.
His hand shot to his own neck, and sure enough, he felt the same metal ring.
A terrible thought formed.
“This is Mary Geoise…”
His expression stiffened.
“I got thrown into the One Piece world…
and I’m a slave of the Celestial Dragons?”
He let out a dry laugh.
“Seriously?
No cheat, no system, no powerful background?
Just straight into hell?”
Others transmigrate bed as princes or prodigies.
At worst, they started as normal people with potential.
But him?
A slave.
And not just anywhere, but in Mary Geoise, the nest of the Celestial Dragons.
In this place, even breathing too loudly could get someone killed.
“What a joke…”
He leaned back against the wall, staring blankly.
“If I knew it would be like this, I’d rather have just stayed dead.”
Just as despair swallowed him, a cold mechanical voice echoed in his mind.
[Strong despair detected from host.
Substitute System activated.]
[Given host’s critical condition, the system will bind the strongest nearby individual as a substitute.]
[Scanning…]
[Scan complete.]
[Binding target, Imu.]
[Binding successful.
Imu is now the host’s exclusive substitute.]
[All damage and negative states received by the host will be transferred to the substitute, including physical damage, mental strain, hunger, thirst, disease, and aging.]
Cassian froze.
“…What?”
Then his eyes widened.
A grin slowly spread across his face.
“So I got a system after all.”
As the notifications ended, a strange warmth flowed through his body.
All his wounds vanished instantly.
Not even a scar remained.
At the same time, deep within Mary Geoise, in the sacred palace where only the highest authorities could enter, a figure sat upon the Empty Throne.
Imu
A faint expression of discomfort crossed Imu’s face.
She looked down.
Thin streaks of blood had appeared on her body out of nowhere.
The wounds were shallow, insignificant to her, but unnatural.
“…Strange.”
Her voice was calm, yet cold.
She had not felt unexplained pain like this in a very long time.
Back in the cell, Cassian clenched his fists, excitement surging through him.
“Imu…
my substitute?”
The ruler of the world.
The being even the Five Elders bowed to.
And now she was taking damage for him?
“System, you’re serious, right?”
The answer came immediately.
System binding is absolute.
All damage will be transferred completely.
Cassian’s heartbeat quickened.
This was ridiculous.
But also perfect.
A slave’s life meant daily beatings, starvation, humiliation, and possibly death at any moment.
But now?
If someone hit him, Imu would feel it.
If someone starved him, Imu would suffer.
If someone tried to kill him…
He exhaled slowly, a dangerous smile forming.
“Then let’s see how much the ruler of the world can endure.”
He checked his body again.
No pain.
No hunger.
Nothing.
A laugh escaped him.
“Heh…
this is going to be interesting.”
Heavy footsteps approached from outside the cell.
A tall guard in a black uniform stopped in front of the bars, a whip hanging at his waist.
“Hey!
You, the one awake.
Get out here.
The Celestial Dragons want entertainment.”
He pointed at Cassian with clear contempt.
The noise stirred the three sisters.
Boa Hancock opened her eyes first, a flicker of cold disgust flashing through them.
Beneath it was helpless anger.
Marigold and Sandersonia clenched their fists, their expressions tense.
Cassian stood up calmly, brushing off the straw.
“Entertainment?
Sure.”
He stretched slightly and walked toward the door.
The guard frowned, irritated by his attitude.
“You dare act like that?
You’re just a slave.”
He raised his whip and lashed it across Cassian’s back with full force.
A sharp crack echoed in the cell.
The sisters instinctively shut their eyes.
They had seen this countless times.
But no scream followed.
Cassian barely reacted.
He tilted his head slightly, as if something had brushed against him.
He turned and looked at the guard, grinning.
“That’s it?
You swing like you’ve never eaten before.”
The guard froze.
He had used full strength.
That should have torn flesh open.
Yet this slave stood there like nothing happened.
“You…”
Enraged, he swung again.
And again.
The whip cracked repeatedly, each strike heavier than the last.
Still, Cassian remained unmoved.
He even started counting.
“One…
two…
three…”
He glanced at the whip.
“You might want a new one.
This thing’s about to fall apart.”
The guard’s hands trembled.
“What the hell are you…”
Inside the sacred palace, Imu’s expression darkened.
Her white robes were now stained red.
Deep whip marks appeared across her body one after another, splitting her skin.
Pain surged through her.
Her fingers tightened against the throne.
“Who did this?”
A terrifying aura spread from her, suffocating the entire palace.
This was not an external attack.
The damage simply appeared.
Yet each strike carried a strange connection, as if something was linking her to another existence.
“Find the source.”
Her voice was cold, filled with restrained fury.
Outside, the Five Elders felt the shift immediately.
The pressure in Mary Geoise changed.
Something was wrong.
And whatever it was, it had angered Imu.
They moved at once, mobilizing everything to uncover the cause.