The sun blazed mercilessly overhead, its golden rays unrelenting as they shimmered across the endless stretch of blue. The waves lapped lazily at the sides of a small, crude wooden raft, no larger than a bed frame, drifting with the current. A lone figure lay sprawled on the planks, unmoving save for the faint rise and fall of his chest.
His name was Karl—no last name he could remember. He was seventeen, with sharp, slightly sunburned features and a head of dishevelled black hair. His body ached, his stomach growled like a beast, and his lips were cracked from dehydration.
"Water..." he rasped.
The sea, in typical fashion, offered no mercy. He wasn't even sure how many days had passed since the wreck—only that he had managed to grab a life raft and cling to it through a storm that had swallowed his ship and every soul aboard.
That's when he heard it.
[SYSTEM INITIALIZATION COMPLETE.]
Karl's eyes snapped open. The voice echoed in his head—not loud, but unmistakably clear. It wasn't human. It was mechanical and emotionless, like a narrator reading off a script.
[Welcome, User. You have been selected as the host of the Gacha System.
"What... the hell?" Karl croaked, squinting at the bright sky. "Am I dying?"
[No. You are, however, on the brink of death. Would you like to activate your Beginner Pack?
He blinked. "What Beginner Pack?"
[Beginner Pack includes: 5x Common Tickets, 1x Starter Mission, System Interface, Inventory Access.]
"...Sure. Yeah. Why not? I'm hallucinating anyway."
[Beginner Pack Activated.]
Suddenly, a translucent blue screen materialised in front of his vision. It hovered in midair, semi-transparent, with text glowing faintly across its surface.
⸻
[GACHA SYSTEM – INTERFACE]
Tickets Available:
Common: 5
Uncommon: 0
Rare: 0
Legendary: 0
Mystical: 0
God: 0
Inventory: Empty
Starter Mission: Survive for 48 hours and find land. Reward: 3x Common Tickets
⸻
"Am I in a game?" Karl whispered. "Or am I just insane?"
He reached up to touch the screen—and to his shock, his finger made contact. It clicked like a touchscreen.
The "GACHA" icon pulsed.
"Alright," he muttered. "Let's see if this is real."
He tapped [Roll Common x1].
The screen swirled like a slot machine, rapidly shifting between names, colours, and icons until it stopped on a faint yellow glow.
Congratulations! You have obtained: Sticky Fingers (Common)—Basic Adhesive Touch.
Effect: The user's hands can stick to surfaces for 10 minutes per day.
"Sticky Fingers?" Karl repeated, "Like... glue hands?"
The ability is automatically activated. He reached out and touched the wooden plank of the raft, and his hand clung tightly to it like a suction cup.
"No way."
[Remaining Tickets: 4x Common]
"Let's use the rest," he said quickly. "Might get something better."
[Roll Common x4 - Processing...]
Four new icons appeared in quick succession.
• [Obtained: Quick Dry (Speeds up the drying of wet items by 300%)]
• [Obtained: Minor Night Vision (Common) – Enhanced low-light visibility]
• [Obtained: Enhanced Taste (Common) – Able to detect poison or rot]
• [Obtained: Muscle Memory (Slightly boosts learning speed of physical tasks)]
"Okay... this is actually kind of useful," Karl murmured. Night vision and enhanced taste could save his life.
And muscle memory? That could make training easier—if he ever found solid ground again.
But first... he had to survive.
⸻
12 Hours Later
His vision blurred from thirst and hunger. The sun had begun its descent, casting orange streaks across the sky. Karl chewed slowly on a soggy piece of rope—just for something to bite.
Then he saw it.
Land.
A small silhouette in the distance—maybe an island. He wasn't sure. But it was his only hope.
With what little strength he had, Karl activated Sticky Fingers and paddled by using his arms to pull along the side of the raft, sticking to the wood and propelling forward. Slowly. Painfully.
But steadily.
⸻
2 Hours Later
Karl collapsed onto the shore like a corpse being dragged from the sea. Sand filled his nose, his mouth, and his clothes. He rolled onto his back, eyes wide, breathing ragged.
[Mission Complete: Survive for 48 Hours and Find Land]
Reward: 3x Common Tickets
"More..." he coughed. "Tickets."
⸻
[SYSTEM UPDATE]
Common: 3
Uncommon: 0
Rare: 0
[New Mission Unlocked: Secure Shelter and Fire Before Nightfall]
Time Limit: 2 Hours
Reward: 1x Uncommon Ticket
⸻
"Okay... okay." Karl sat up. "I can do this."
He stumbled into the nearby forest, scavenging fallen leaves and twigs. With no matches, no flint, and no experience, he needed help.
He used a common ticket.
[Roll Common x1]
[Obtained: Fire Spark (Common) – Can ignite dry materials with a finger once per day]
"Yes!"
Using Fire Spark, he set a small pile of dry leaves ablaze, creating a small fire beneath a makeshift shelter of leaves and bamboo stalks he had stacked against a tree.
He passed out under the shelter.
⸻
Morning – Day 3
[Mission Complete: Shelter and Fire Built]
**Reward: 1x Uncommon Ticket**
System Update:
Common: 2
Uncommon: 1
Karl grinned.
"Time to see what Uncommon gives me."
[Roll Uncommon x1]
The screen shimmered with a light green hue.
Congratulations! You obtained: Spirit Tracker (Uncommon)—Can detect life signatures within 50 metres for 30 minutes daily.
He blinked. "That's... kind of insane."
He activated Spirit Tracker, and suddenly he sensed a presence. No, multiple presences. Not animals. Not beasts.
People.
⸻
Encounter
Karl climbed a low ridge overlooking the nearby bay—and saw it.
A small pirate ship docked just off the shore. Several rough-looking men in bandanas and tattered coats were stomping through the jungle, blades and rifles in hand.
"Pirates," he whispered.
They weren't Marines. They weren't friendly. And judging by the drunken shouts and laughter, they weren't here for sightseeing.
Karl backed away slowly, mind racing.
He needed strength.
Something more than glue hands and poison detection.
He needed power.
But he only had two common tickets left.
Karl crouched low, his hand still on the ground. His heart pounded in his chest. He couldn't get caught. Not like this.
The pirates continued to shout at one another as they made their way through the forest, oblivious to Karl's presence. The breeze carried their words toward him, and he caught bits of their conversation.
"Gotta get back to the ship before nightfall, or we're dead," one man grumbled.
"Shut up, you! Just 'cause you've got a belly full of rum doesn't mean you have to complain," another snorted, clearly already halfway to a drunken stupor.
Karl's mind raced. There were four pirates, all armed—one with a sword, another with a rifle slung over his shoulder, and the others with knives and pistols. None of them looked like experts, but they were still a threat. He had to think fast.
[Roll Common x2]
The screen materialised again, and Karl's eyes darted between the rolls. He needed something that could help him get out of this mess. Something that wasn't just... sticky hands.
[Roll 1 – Obtained: Wind Dash (Common) – A burst of speed that lasts for 10 seconds, usable once a day.]
[Roll 2 – Obtained: Snake Strike (Common) – Enhanced leg strength for rapid kicks or evasions.]
Karl's eyes widened. Speed? Enhanced kicks? These could work. With the Wind Dash and Snake Strike, he could move faster than any of them and get to the ship—or perhaps take out the pirates before they even realised what was happening.
He could fight back.
[Spirit Tracker]
Karl activated his Spirit Tracker again, sensing the pirates' life forces around him. They were scattered in a loose formation, but two of them were closer—one carrying a rifle, another with a sword. Karl carefully moved in their direction, creeping through the underbrush.
The pirates were just a few yards ahead, talking amongst themselves.
"You hear anything strange from the locals?" the rifleman asked, his voice tinged with suspicion.
"Nah. Ain't no one dumb enough to live around here. Let's grab what we need and—"
Before he could finish, Karl exploded forward, using Wind Dash.
⸻
The Attack
The Wind Dash propelled him like a gust of wind, faster than he'd ever moved in his life. The air seemed to part as his body surged forward with impossible speed. He reached the first pirate—the one with the rifle—in mere moments.
He slammed into the man, knocking him flat onto his back, the rifle flying from his grip. The second pirate with the sword reacted too slowly, too stunned by Karl's speed.
Snake Strike.
With a quick pivot, Karl kicked the sword-wielding pirate in the chest, sending him stumbling back. His foot felt like it had hit a steel wall, the force amplified by the Snake Strike ability. The man's breath whooshed out of him as he collided with a tree trunk.
"Wh—who the hell is that?!" the remaining pirates yelled in shock.
Karl didn't wait to answer. He darted around the rifleman and delivered another rapid series of kicks to the last two pirates. He didn't have much time. The others were starting to regain their bearings.
But before they could retaliate, Karl activated Wind Dash again, retreating into the jungle with the swiftness of a shadow.
⸻
Retreat and Reflection
Panting, Karl hid behind a thick cluster of trees, listening as the pirates scrambled to regroup.
"What was that? Did he just... disappear?"
"Get back to the ship! We need to report this to Captain!"
Karl held his breath, pressing his back to the bark of a tree. They were too disoriented to follow his trail. His enhanced senses from Spirit Tracker told him they were headed in the opposite direction, back toward the coast.
After a long moment, Karl allowed himself to relax, sinking to the ground with a groan.
"That... was close," he muttered, wiping sweat from his forehead. He didn't know what was happening, but it felt like fate was pushing him toward something bigger.
And then, something inside him stirred. The Gacha System was still with him. He had the power to survive, to fight, to thrive.
⸻
A New Goal
He sat against the tree, breathing deeply. The night was beginning to settle in, the fire from earlier still crackling softly in the distance. But Karl knew he couldn't stay here. The pirates weren't the only danger on this island. The world of One Piece was filled with even worse threats.
With a sharp exhale, Karl looked up at the sky, the first stars beginning to twinkle above.
"I need to get stronger," he said aloud. "This... this Gacha thing is the key. If I keep rolling, maybe I can get the power I need to survive."
He reached for his last two Common Tickets.
[Roll Common x2]
The screen popped up in front of him, the familiar swirling effect before settling into place.
[Roll 1 – Obtained: Thunder Step (Common) – Can move in quick bursts, similar to teleportation, for short distances.]
[Roll 2 – Obtained: Iron Fist (Common) – A physical punch with a force strong enough to break small boulders.]
Karl smirked. Thunder Step could allow him to escape or close the gap instantly, and Iron Fist... well, that was self-explanatory. He could smash through rocks—or even walls—if he needed to.
"Alright. Time to put these to use."
⸻
A New Dawn
As the first rays of sunlight pierced through the trees the next morning, Karl knew it was time to start moving again. The pirates hadn't made their way back yet, but it was only a matter of time.
With the Spirit Tracker leading his way, he began his journey through the dense jungle toward the coast, intent on getting to that ship, whatever its purpose.
He wasn't sure what his future held. What he did know, however, was that the Gacha System was a tool, one that could give him the edge he needed. And in a world as dangerous as this one, that edge might be the only thing standing between him and certain death.
⸻
[New Mission Unlocked: Secure the Pirate Ship and Gather Information]
Reward: 1x Rare Ticket
[System Update]
Common: 0
Uncommon: 1
Rare: 0
Legendary: 0
Mystical: 0
God: 0
⸻
The Gacha System had offered him new abilities—skills that would help him survive in this unpredictable world. But Karl knew this was just the beginning.
Greater powers were waiting to be unlocked.
And with each mission, each roll, he would get one step closer to uncovering the secrets of this strange system and the world he'd been thrust into.
And maybe—just maybe—he'd find a place where he truly belonged.