[Ding! Naruto System successfully activated!]
[Detecting host's current environment... Distributing Newbie Gift Package.]
[Newbie Gift Package distributed. Please check.]
[Acquired: Single-Tomoe Sharingan (Derived from Uchiha lineage, perfectly fused).]
[Acquired: Chakra Refinement Technique (Basic Version).]
[Acquired: Shinobi Tool Pouch (Contains: Kunai ×1, Explosive Tag ×3, Soldier Pills ×1).]
Darkness. Swaying.
Viktor snapped his eyes open, met only by the sight of pitch-black wooden planks.
"I've traveled? A system?"
Viktor felt a surge of cool energy flowing through his mind, followed by a searing heat behind his eyelids. He blinked in the darkness. Suddenly, the cramped, lightless space became crystal clear, every grain and fiber of the wood visible to his sight.
The Sharingan.
Before he could savor the excitement, a violent sense of weightlessness hit him.
Thump!
The sound of something heavy hitting the ground echoed. Then, a strange noise drifted in from the side.
"Zzz... snore... meat... I want meat..."
The voice was muffled, coming from behind a layer of wood. Viktor froze, his mouth twitching uncontrollably. That voice, those lines, and the fact that he was currently inside a giant wine barrel...
"You've got to be kidding me. I've transmigrated into Luffy's 'barrel-mate'?"
At that moment, on a sun-drenched stretch of the East Blue.
On the deck of the Miss Love Duck, a massive sailing ship sporting a heart-shaped Jolly Roger, several scruffy pirates were surrounding two large wine barrels they had just fished out of the sea.
"Hey! Koby! Hahaha! Your luck finally turned around for once!"
A burly pirate with a face full of rough stubble slapped the shoulder of the small, pink-haired boy wearing round glasses beside him.
"We thought they were empty, but these things are heavy! With this weight, they've gotta be full of top-tier wine!"
"And there's two of them!" another pirate added, rubbing his hands together greedily, drool practically leaking from his chin. "One of these could fetch tens of thousands of Berries. If we make Lady Alvida happy, she might even treat us to a feast tonight!"
The boy named Koby shrank his neck, trembling all over. "Th-that... shouldn't we move them to the storage room first? If Lady Alvida finds out we're drinking on deck, she'll crush us with her iron mace..."
"Huh? Shut up, you coward!" The burly pirate spat impatiently. "Barrels this heavy are definitely full. This weather is perfect for a drink. We'll just have a taste first. As long as you keep your mouth shut, who's gonna know?"
The other two pirates shared a knowing, greasy smirk.
"Hehe, right you are! Let's crack the left one first!"
The brute couldn't wait any longer. He raised a fist the size of a ham and slammed it down toward the lid of the barrel marked with strange graffiti.
"Open up!!"
BANG!!
The expected sound of splintering wood didn't happen. Instead, the barrel seemed to explode from the inside out. The lid and its jagged shards flew outward in a burst of force.
The brute, who had leaned in to catch the first scent of wine, felt his jaw get hit by what felt like a sledgehammer. He was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string, drawing a... less-than-graceful arc through the air.
Smack!
He crashed onto the deck meters away, foaming at the mouth and losing consciousness instantly.
"Whoa—! What a great nap!!"
Under the bright sun, a boy wearing a straw hat stood up straight from the shattered barrel. He stretched his arms wide with an exaggerated yawn, a signature, carefree grin plastered across his face.
"The wind sure is nice today!"
The remaining pirates stood frozen, their cutlasses nearly slipping from their hands.
"A... a person was inside?"
"What kind of monster is this? He sent Jerry flying with one punch?"
Before the pirates could recover from the shock, the straw-hatted boy rubbed his hollow stomach and turned to look at the terrified Koby, who was slumped on the floor.
"Hey, is there any food? I'm starving."
Veins popped on the pirates' foreheads. "..."
Oi! Oi! Oi! Is this kid an idiot? Does he not read the room? We're pirates, damn it!
Just as they were about to move against this arrogant brat—
Click.
The second barrel, which had remained silent until now, gave off the sharp sound of a snapping lock. The pirates, already on edge, whipped their heads around.
They watched as the lid of the second barrel was gently pushed open by a slender hand. Then, a black-haired, dark-eyed youth with handsome features slowly stood up.
Viktor looked calm. He lightly brushed some wood dust off his shoulder and lifted his head, revealing a slightly pale but composed face. He stretched, his gaze sweeping over the stunned pirates before landing on the oblivious Luffy. A playful curve touched his lips.
"I expected as much, but this wake-up call was a bit noisy, Straw Hat-ya."
At that moment, within Viktor's eyes, the originally dark pupils had bled into an eerie, blood-red hue. A single black tomoe spun slowly within the iris, radiating a chilling intensity.
The Single-Tomoe Sharingan.
"Is this... a theme restaurant that offers free lunch?" Viktor asked humorously.
The deck fell into a deathly silence, save for the sound of the wind whistling through the sails. Three seconds later, a roar of indignant rage erupted.
"One after another! Are you kidding me?!" The remaining pirates finally snapped, their faces flushed with fury.
"Our wine! Give us back our wine!"
"Kill these two brats!"
Three pirates raised their gleaming blades. Two lunged at Luffy, who seemed like the bigger threat, while a bald pirate charged at Viktor with a sneer.
"Pretty boy! Die!"
"Hey! Look out!" Koby cried out, covering his eyes, unable to watch the impending carnage.
"Shishishi." Luffy didn't even flinch. He simply tugged his hat down, baring a row of white teeth.
On the other side, facing the descending blade, the tomoe in Viktor's eyes spun. In his vision, the world slowed down. The bald pirate's distorted expression looked like it was being played frame-by-frame.
Viktor could clearly see the pirate's nostrils flaring with effort. He saw a tiny nick on the blade's edge. He even predicted the final trajectory of the strike.
Too slow. Like an old lady crossing the street.
Viktor tilted his body slightly, moving only half a step to the left.
Swish!
The heavy cutlass whistled past his nose, the wind from the swing ruffling his bangs. It slammed harmlessly into the edge of the empty barrel, sending splinters flying.
"Wh... what?!"
The bald pirate's eyes bugged out. He couldn't believe his "sure-kill" strike had been dodged so effortlessly—especially at such close range.
In that split second where the pirate's momentum was spent and his body lunged forward, Viktor moved. Like a magician pulling a trick, a pitch-black kunai appeared in his right hand.
He spun it deftly, catching it in a reverse grip as he closed the distance. The cold tip of the kunai pressed firmly against the pirate's jugular.
"Don't move."
The icy touch of the metal sent a jolt of cold sweat down the pirate's spine. His legs turned to jelly, and his sword hit the deck with a heavy clatter.
On the other side, two metallic clangs rang out. Two blades had struck Luffy, but instead of cutting, they bounced off his body as if they had hit a heavy-duty rubber tire.
"Eh?" Luffy tilted his head, ignoring his attackers. Instead, he looked at the unscathed Viktor with wide, curious eyes. "Whoa, you're pretty good too!"
Viktor tucked the kunai away and kicked the terrified pirate aside. He turned around, his crimson Sharingan glowing vividly in the sunlight. He reached out a hand toward Luffy, a mysterious smile playing on his lips.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Viktor, a... magician."
Luffy's big eyes instantly turned into stars, his mouth agape.
"A magician? Are your red eyes magic, too? Like a monkey! So cool!!"
"I'm Luffy! The man who's gonna be the King of the Pirates!"
A monkey? Viktor's mouth twitched, about to retort.
"WHO IS IT!! Who dares cause trouble on my ship!!"
A massive, freckled woman wielding a giant spiked mace burst through the cabin doors in a rage.
Koby's face turned ghostly pale as he clutched his head in despair. "It's... it's over... Lady Alvida is here..."