Watching Pini push the door open and leave, Ash finally relaxed and took the time to examine his surroundings properly.
The room was simple to the point of being dull. Beneath him was a sturdy wooden bed that creaked softly when he shifted. Beside it stood a small wooden table and two backless stools that looked as though they had been repaired more than once. In one corner, several rough crates were stacked unevenly, while the opposite corner held a large water vat sealed with a heavy wooden lid.
There were no decorations, no personal touches, nothing that suggested comfort or wealth. It was a practical room, meant only for rest.
Ash lay back and listened carefully. From time to time, footsteps passed outside the door. Villagers spoke in low voices, their conversations drifting closer before fading away again. Nothing sounded urgent. Nothing concerned him.
Satisfied, Ash closed his eyes and turned his focus inward.
"Open panel."
[Devil Fruit Editor]
[Host Personal Panel]
[Name: Ash]
[Age: 13]
[Physique: 4 → 30]
[Spirit: 7]
[Ability: Iron Body Lv1 (Expandable)]
[Energy: 100]
[Devil Fruit Ability: None]
[Subordinate Fruit Ability: None]
[Status: Weakened, Hungry]
Ash clicked his tongue softly. "Thirteen? I thought I was fourteen or fifteen at least. So I am the same age as Ace and Sabo now?"
He scoffed almost immediately. "Why am I even comparing myself to those two? I have a system. Time to get arrogant."
His gaze lingered on the Physique stat. "Four to thirty… so that is the Iron Body boost. I was hoping for instant perfection, but I still have to grow into it. Fine, free power is still power."
His expression sharpened. "System, why are there only Physique and Spirit? No Strength, no Agility, no Intelligence?"
[All physical attributes such as strength, agility, and stamina are interconnected. Raising one independently causes imbalance. Physique represents their combined state.]
[Human intelligence relies on accumulated knowledge. Numerical values are meaningless. Those unable to accumulate knowledge simply possess insufficient Spirit.]
Ash hummed thoughtfully. "So my original stats were four Physique and seven Spirit. If five is average, my body was weak but my mind was above standard."
[The standard five applies only to Water-Blue humans.]
[In the Pirate World, average Physique is ten, Spirit is five.]
[Your Spirit was originally ten. Dimensional crossing damaged it, reducing it by three.]
Ash felt a flicker of irritation. "So before you arrived, I gained nothing from transmigrating and even lost Spirit? No wonder I felt sluggish. And no wonder random pirates could chase me down."
He shook his head. "Fine. Expand Iron Body."
[Ability: Iron Body Lv1]
[Super-Strength Lv1]
[Super-Speed Lv1]
[Super-Stamina Lv1]
[Super-Defense Lv1]
[Super-Regeneration Lv1]
[Active Cells Lv1]
Ash stared for a moment. "No flight. No heat vision. No fancy ability. Predictable."
He smirked slightly. "Still, in a world full of Devil Fruits, raw fundamentals matter more than flashy tricks. Losing X-ray vision hurts though."
"How many levels does Iron Body have?"
[Five levels total. Sub-skills cannot be upgraded independently. They scale automatically.]
"Five levels?" Ash nodded. "That sounds reasonable. How do I level it up? Devil Fruit energy?"
[Iron Body advances naturally over time. Upon reaching a threshold, it evolves automatically with no pain or side effects. Exposure to sunlight accelerates growth.]
Ash raised an eyebrow. "Sunlight? So all I need to do is lie around in the sun?"
A grin spread across his face. "That sounds dangerously perfect."
"System, compare my Iron Body to Big Mom's Iron Balloon."
[No valid comparison at current level.]
[At Iron Body Lv3, your defense will rival the strongest Iron Balloon recorded.]
[Iron Balloon is an innate Armament Haki trait that consumes stamina and fades upon exhaustion or unconsciousness.]
[Iron Body is a passive ability. It requires no control and cannot be deactivated. Even if stamina is depleted or the host loses consciousness, Super-Defense remains active.]
Ash felt a thrill run through him. "So once this is maxed… I am untouchable."
[Theoretically correct. Even planetary destruction would not eliminate a max-level host, provided sufficient solar energy is available.]
Ash froze. "Wait."
A sudden thought struck him. "If this passive never turns off, what about illness? Surgery? Internal damage?"
[Super-Cells and Super-Regeneration render disease impossible.]
Ash exhaled in relief. "Good."
His excitement returned instantly. "How long until Iron Body reaches max level?"
[Estimated one hund—]
"Stop," Ash snapped instantly.
[...]
He sat up, rubbing his face. "I almost let you finish that sentence. Five levels sounded manageable, but if you start with one hundred anything, that is a trap."
"So this ability takes forever to perfect. A century at least. By the time it maxes out, most people would be long dead."
[Incorrect. Active Cells store solar energy. Barring external destruction, your lifespan will extend indefinitely.]
Ash slowly looked up.
"Indefinitely?"
[As long as solar energy can be absorbed, cellular activity will not cease.]
His breath hitched. "So if I keep finding suns… even if one explodes…"
[Theoretically correct.]
Ash stood up so fast the bed creaked.
"Immortality," he whispered.
Then he laughed. Loudly.
"Who cares about invincibility? I can live forever!"
He clenched his fists, pacing like a caged beast.
Creak.
The door opened.
Pini stood there, frozen, staring at Ash who was mid-hop with a manic grin on his face.
"What… are you doing?"
Ash froze.
The room fell silent.
Night air drifted in as the sun dipped beyond the horizon. One man stood in the doorway, the other beside the bed, locked in an awkward stare.