"Teach!!!"
"Catch that scumbag! He murdered one of our brothers!"
"Thatch! Wake up! Pops! Thatch... Thatch is gone!"
Panic and chaos swept across the Moby Dick.
Under the darkness of night, pirates carrying flaming torches rushed from one end of the ship to the other, desperately searching for Marshall D. Teach.
Inside one of the cabins—
Marco, Jozu, Vista, Ace, and numerous others had already assembled.
Everyone’s expressions were grim.
An oppressive silence filled the room.
At the center lay Thatch’s lifeless body, surrounded by a pool of blood. The dried crimson stain at the corner of his lips made it obvious that he had been dead for quite a while.
"Damn that bastard Teach!"
Ace gripped his hair tightly, staring at Thatch’s corpse with anguish burning in his eyes.
Teach had belonged to his division.
Yet that man had committed the ultimate taboo—killing a fellow crewmate.
As the commander responsible for that division, Ace felt he could never escape blame.
"Teach... I’ll kill him with my own hands!"
His emotions were spiraling out of control.
He abruptly stood up, prepared to rush out immediately and hunt Teach down himself.
"Ace!"
Marco caught him by the shoulder before he could move.
"Wait until Pops arrives."
"Ace, this isn’t your fault," Jozu said as he patted him on the shoulder. "Nobody knew what was going on in Teach’s head. But after what he’s done, he’s already a dead man."
"..."
Ace slowly raised his head toward Thatch’s body.
He remained silent.
But the fists clenched at his sides looked as though they could crush a mountain.
Then—
A voice that completely ruined the atmosphere suddenly echoed through the room.
"Holy hell! Where am I?!"
"Ace? Jozu? Vista? M-Marco?!"
"Wait a second... don’t tell me I’ve actually transmigrated into One Piece! That’s ridiculous!"
Ron stared around him in bewilderment.
At the same time, everyone else stared back.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
The room became silent once again.
"Uh... I think I picked the worst possible moment to wake up."
Only then did Ron notice Thatch’s body lying on the floor.
Looking at the people gathered around him and recalling the situation aboard the ship, he instantly figured out what was happening.
Especially after seeing the hostile looks directed his way.
"Who are you?" Marco asked, frowning.
He was certain he had never seen this man before.
Suspicious.
The others exchanged glances.
One after another, they shook their heads.
None of them recognized Ron.
Several pirates immediately pulled out their weapons and stepped toward him, their eyes filled with vigilance.
At any moment, they looked ready to restrain him.
"This guy looks way too clean and weak. Definitely suspicious!"
"Exactly! What if he’s one of Teach’s accomplices?"
"Grab him!"
"Kill him!"
"Hold it."
Ace raised a hand, stopping everyone.
"He isn’t with Teach. Thatch and I rescued him."
The room immediately turned toward Ace.
Without wasting time, he explained.
"Yesterday, Thatch and I took down a pirate crew. While returning, we found him unconscious and floating in the sea, so we brought him aboard."
After a brief pause, Ace glanced at Thatch’s body.
Sadness flashed through his eyes.
"We planned to let him leave after he woke up."
"I never imagined Thatch would... die before that happened."
"So he was someone Thatch saved."
"The captain was just too kind-hearted."
"Why do the best people always leave first..."
After Ace’s explanation, most of the suspicion surrounding Ron disappeared.
Everyone’s attention gradually shifted away from him.
The sorrowful atmosphere soon returned.
Several minutes later, Ron finally accepted reality.
He had truly crossed into another world.
Back in his previous life, he had spent the entire night gaming.
After suffering more than ten losses in a row, he had finally encountered a teammate who intentionally threw the match.
The rage had been so overwhelming that it apparently killed him on the spot.
The fortunate part was that he had been reborn.
The unfortunate part was that he had arrived here in the exact same frail body he had before.
Weak.
Painfully weak.
And this place happened to be the world of One Piece.
A sea ruled by monsters.
Someone like him stood at the very bottom of the food chain.
Honestly, if Thatch hadn’t fished him out of the ocean—
He probably wouldn’t have survived even a single day.
Since I’ve transmigrated...
Where’s my system?
Ron called out silently in his mind.
After all, every transmigrator was supposed to have one.
He waited.
Then waited some more.
Nothing.
No robotic voice.
No interface.
No system prompt.
Nothing at all.
Don’t tell me...
I don’t have a system?
Just then, the noisy crowd suddenly quieted.
A gigantic figure entered the cabin.
Edward Newgate.
Whitebeard.
Ron’s eyes widened.
Huge.
Absolutely enormous.
At more than six meters tall, Whitebeard would have been unimaginable elsewhere.
Yet in the world of One Piece, it wasn’t even unusual.
His face was expressionless.
But beneath that calm exterior lurked a volcano ready to erupt.
He advanced one step at a time.
With each step, the cabin seemed to grow colder.
An overwhelming pressure descended upon everyone present.
Ron unconsciously swallowed.
So this...
is what a true powerhouse feels like.
Even though Whitebeard’s body was wrapped in bandages.
Even though medical tubes were attached to him.
Even though his life was already nearing its final Chapter.
The aura of the World’s Strongest Man remained just as terrifying as ever.
Ron sighed inwardly.
He didn’t need to see what happened next.
He already knew.
Thatch’s death.
Whitebeard’s fury.
The order to search the entire world for Teach.
Then Ace volunteering to pursue him.
Only to be defeated, captured, and traded to the World Government in exchange for Teach becoming one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
And after that—
The war that shook the world.
The Summit War of Marineford.
Ron knew every part of the story.
As for whether he would reveal future events—
That depended entirely on what he intended to do from now on.
Ideally, he wanted to stay here.
After all, he was just a powerless college student.
No combat ability.
No way to protect himself.
In a world this dangerous, being abandoned on a random island could easily result in him becoming food for wild beasts.
The problem was—
The Whitebeard Pirates had no reason to keep a useless person around.
And honestly, he wasn’t interested in becoming someone else’s "son."
While Ron remained lost in thought, Whitebeard slowly extended his hand and brushed it across Thatch’s forehead.
The eyes that had stubbornly remained open finally closed.
"Thatch..."
"I swear I’ll avenge you."
Whitebeard stood up.
His voice boomed throughout the cabin.
"My sons!"
"Spread the order!"
"Find Teach!"
"Hunt him down no matter where he runs!"
"Yes!"
"We’ll kill that traitor!"
"He murdered one of our own!"
"Pops!"
Ace stepped forward.
Tears streamed down his cheeks while fury distorted his face.
"This happened because of me!"
"I ask for permission to personally track Teach down!"
"I’ll bring him back alive and drag him before you!"
"I’ll make him repent at Thatch’s grave!"
Whitebeard said nothing.
There it is...
Ron shook his head inwardly.
The first move that would eventually lead to Marineford.
Right then—
A familiar notification suddenly rang inside his head.
Ding!
Ron froze.
The next moment, overwhelming excitement surged through him.
That sound...
If he wasn’t mistaken—
His system had finally arrived.
Sure enough.
[Ding! Super Black Technology System activated!]
[Opening Starter Gift Pack...]
[Congratulations! You have acquired Devil Fruit Enchantment Technology!]
[Devil Fruit Enchantment Technology:]
[As its name implies, this technology grants additional abilities to Devil Fruit users.]
[No limitations.]
[Compatible with Logia, Paramecia, and Zoan users alike.]
[First application success rate: 100%]