In the afternoon at Windmill Village, the air was thick with the scent of sea salt and the harsh sun bleaching the dirt roads white.
Dingling!
The old wooden door of Makino's Tavern creaked open with a crisp chime of its copper bell and Zaraki stepped over the threshold, squinting to adjust to the dim light inside.
He was wrapped in a heavy black cloak with its collar pulled high to his jaw, an outfit that seemed out of place in the warm East Blue but concealed his figure perfectly.
The sixteen-year-old had grown tall, his face shadowed by a maturity way beyond his years as he moved to the darkest corner of the bar, grabbing a blind spot that offered both cover and a clear view of the room.
As he pulled out a high stool, its wooden legs scraped against the floor with a squeak that sounded loud in the afternoon quiet, broken only by the snores of a few hammered drunks.
"A Bloody Mary on the rocks, extra lemon," Zaraki ordered, his fingers tapping the red oak countertop, his voice soft but steady.
Behind the bar, Makino paused wiping a glass with her cloth, letting out a resigned sigh at the world-weary order before setting the glass down.
"Zaraki, I remember Garp-san specifically telling us last week before he left: no booze for kids."
She rounded the bar, her smiling eyes tinged with a bit of scolding as she looked over the bundled-up teen.
"Besides, isn't today the day Ace sets sail? Everyone in the village went down to the shore to see him off, so why are you hiding out here alone?"
Zaraki didn't reply, merely turning his head to gaze at the distant coastline through the tavern's small window, where faint cheers of youths embarking on their sea adventures drifted in.
"It's exactly because it's that bastard's departure day that I need a strong drink to celebrate," Zaraki said, looking back at the wooden counter as his fingers traced the grain.
"If you won't serve me, I'll just help myself from the kitchen."
"You..." Makino sighed, at her wit's end with the kid.
Brought back by Garp, he was never like that hyper monkey Luffy, he was quiet to the point of being heartbreaking, yet so damn stubborn that it was impossible to refuse him.
She turned and grabbed a bottle of deep crimson tomato juice from the bottom shelf of the liquor cabinet, mixing it with a splash of vodka while keeping the alcohol ratio low, and tossed in a large wedge of lemon.
"Just this once, so don't make a habit of it," she said, sliding the glass across the counter as the ice clinked crisp against the glass.
Zaraki didn't hesitate, lifting the glass and downing the swirling scarlet liquid in one gulp.
The spicy vodka and tart tomato juice burned a trail down his throat and into his stomach, the fiery sensation hitting him instantly and flushing his pale cheeks.
Right then, the progress bar that had been loading in his mind for fourteen long years chimed.
[Ding—]
[Host's physical body have reached critical threshold. Mental load requirements met.]
[Strongest Template System unlocked.]
Zaraki's fingers tightened around the empty glass, his knuckles turning white from the grip.
'Fourteen fucking years!'
Since being reborn into this world and dumped in the Weakest Sea by that unreliable Garp, he had waited for this moment every single day.
Nobody knew the shit he had endured over the years, watching those overpowered freaks Ace and Luffy level up in the jungle while he was stuck grinding through boring basic training just to keep up!
He let out the breath he had been holding for so long, his thoughts broken by Makino's gentle voice asking him.
"Another?"
Seeing the boy staring blankly at his empty glass, she figured the booze hit him hard and poured him a glass of lemonade.
"You're a weird one, Zaraki. You're the same age as Luffy and Ace, but you carry so much baggage, you should really learn from Luffy and just live a bit more carefree."
Zaraki relaxed his grip, the tense muscles in his arms loosening as the System's startup settled down.
'Learn from Luffy?'
A playful smirk curled his lips as his eyes swept over the replica straw hat in the corner of the bar.
'Learn from that idiot who keeps screaming about becoming the Pirate King?' Zaraki shook his head, looking back out at the sea through the window.
"As for Ace... he rushed out to sea today just to dodge that old man."
Makino blinked in confusion, asking why he would do that.
"To avoid the old man," Zaraki replied, tapping his fingers on the table in a steady rhythm.
Having spent the most time by Garp's side, he knew the Marine Hero's bullshit all too well.
"With Vice Admiral Garp's cruising speed, he'll be back in Windmill Village in three days to visit us and Ace is like a dog with a keen nose—he knew if he delayed even a second longer, he'd get his ass physically 'saved' by the old man's Fist of Love."
Makino paused before covering her mouth with a soft laugh, the explanation fitting the grandfather-grandson dynamic perfectly.
Zaraki fell silent, just staring at the crimson-labeled bottle in Makino's hand that looked so tempting in the dim light.
Now that the System was awake, the winds of this world were about to shift.
He pushed his empty glass forward again, his gaze hazy but burning with intense focus.
"Another glass."
Without waiting for Makino's okay, his slender fingers closed around the loosely capped vodka bottle, pouring the dark red liquid that left a cloudy streak down the glass.
He skipped the tomato juice this time, craving the pure burn of the alcohol sliding down his throat.
An ice cube clinked against the glass as he swirled the drink, his eyes half-closed as he stared through the thick bottom of the glass at the familiar tavern.
This mild buzz was perfect, enough to take the edge off his tense nerves and make his body feel light.
"At this rate, you'll be living in a barrel someday," Makino said with a helpless shake of her head, though she didn't stop him, pushing a plate of fresh fried peanuts his way instead.
"If Garp-san knew I was letting you get away with this..."
Bang!
Before she could even finish, the tavern's pitiful wooden door let out a wretched groan as it slammed against the wall, shaking loose a ton of dust.
Even the hanging lamp above the bar swayed hard three times, its dim yellow light flickering across Zaraki's face.
"Zaraki! Stop drinking!" A loud, sharp voice burst into the tavern along with the rapid slap-slap of rubber sandals.
Luffy charged in like a whirlwind, the gust of air making the hem of Zaraki's long robe flutter wildly.
The kid had no concept of brakes, bracing his hands on his knees and panting heavily with his brand-new straw hat perched crookedly on his head.
"Huff... huff... Ace said this is the last chance!"
Luffy snapped his head up, his wide eyes brimming with excitement and a massive grin stretching from ear to ear.
"He's waiting outside, and whoever wins gets to be the big brother forever while the loser has to be the little brother for life!"
"Oh?"
Zaraki took a nonchalant sip of his drink, letting the fiery liquid swirl over his tongue.
'Of course,' he thought, 'only these two meatheads could come up with such a simple-minded scheme.'
"No need to compete," Zaraki said, setting his glass down with a dull thud against the solid wood.
Without even turning around, he kept his back to the door and spoke with calm confidence.
"As long as I live, you'll always be my little brother—this isn't about winning or losing, it's about seniority."
The light at the doorway suddenly dimmed as a lean, wiry figure blocked the afternoon sun.
Ace stood there with his dark green knapsack slung over his shoulder, his freckled face scrunching up as he raised an eyebrow.
Unlike Luffy's usual noisy crap, Ace just crossed his arms as he leaned against the doorframe and threw out a provocative smirk.
"Big talk, Zaraki."
Ace's voice had dropped a lot since they were kids, carrying a wild edge that hinted at his upcoming voyage.
"You used to boss people around with brute strength, but now that I'm leaving, you should at least let me take the title of 'Big Brother' with me to sea, right?"
"Me too! Me too!" Luffy popped his head between them, waving his hands around, completely oblivious to the tension.
"I'll be the little brother! Whether Ace wins or Zaraki wins, I'm the little brother!"
The room went dead silent for two seconds as Zaraki continued to stare at his ice cubes and Ace stayed locked on Zaraki's back, both of them tacitly ignoring Luffy's nonsense.
"So you're serious."
Zaraki slowly swiveled around on his bar stool, letting his long black robe pool on the floor as he met Ace's gaze.
Standing backlit by the setting sun, Ace didn't have a shred of sadness in his eyes about leaving—just a burning itch for a fight.
"For Sabo," Ace said, his smile vanishing as his right hand reached behind his back.
With a metallic rasp against cloth, he drew the scarred steel pipe that had been with him through countless brawls on Mt. Colubo, holding it level at his side.
The pitted metal was proof of all the times they'd thrown down over the years.
"I'll see the seas Sabo couldn't, and I'll be the big brother he couldn't beat you to be."
Ace's vibe shifted on a dime, the carefree kid suddenly baring his fangs like a predator!
The air in the tavern seemed to freeze over, even Makino paused polishing a glass, watching the two tense teens with obvious worry.
The heavy pressure in the room was pure with battle intent!
Zaraki stared at the pipe pointed at him and a slow, cocky smile curving his lips.
He rose from the stool, his muscles tightening under his black robe, and right then, the robotic voice in his head surged back to life with a rush of raw power.
[Strongest Template System fully loaded.]
[Newbie Gift Pack has been delivered to your reserve space.]
The pale blue, semi-transparent text hovered right in the center of Zaraki's vision, layering over the dim reality of Makino's Tavern.
Through that ethereal glow, he saw Ace's defiant face and further back, Luffy looking pumped out of his mind.
At that moment, Zaraki felt the blood that had been asleep for over a decade start to boil all over again!
The sluggish rust from years of waiting evaporated, making him feel so light, like the mental chains holding him back had just shattered.
'Is this what it feels like to finally cash in after eating shit for so long?'
He took a deep breath, picking up the sweet scent of an actual opportunity cutting through the smell of stale tobacco and old liquor.
He stared at the notification for a split second before a predatory glint flared in his eyes, unleashing all the suppressed greed and adrenaline he'd been holding back.
"What's wrong? Scared?" Ace mocked, staring at Zaraki who hadn't moved a muscle, twirling his pipe in a clumsy flourish out of impatience.
"If you're afraid of getting your ass kicked by the future Pirate King, you can still tap out now, the title of 'Big Brother' means nothing if you can't back it up..."
"Ace," Zaraki interrupted, his voice carrying an unexpected lightness—the pure joy of dropping a massive weight.
Right in front of them, he raised the full glass of vodka he hadn't even tasted and downed it in one go!
The ice hit his teeth and the harsh liquor scorched his throat, the searing pain only making his eyes burn hotter.
Bang!
He slammed the empty glass onto the counter.
"I was going to use the martial arts I've been grinding for fourteen years to see you off, which would've been more than enough to put you in the dirt, but since the timing is perfect..." Zaraki turn around, the hem of his black coat snapping in a sharp arc that carried so much raw presence, even Makino instinctively took a half-step back.
In his eye, the golden icon of the Newbie Gift Pack sat quietly in his storage grid.
Whether it held god-tier weapons or busted physiques, a cheat called the "Strongest Template System" definitely wasn't going to hand out trash as a welcome gift.
Zaraki licked the lingering booze off his lips, his playful smile widening as he kept his eyes locked on Ace, though his mind was laser-focused on the golden package.
'Perfect. I'll use the future "Fire Fist" to break in this cheat that's fourteen years late.'
'System,' he commanded inwardly, a rush of anticipation shooting up his spine.
'Open the Newbie Gift Pack.'