Alex hated pain, injustice being done, and a whole lot of stuff, but he loved swords and using them. He had watched tons of anime, and most, if not all, were about swords this sword, that sword.
But if anybody ever told him that when his fridge was empty, just like his stomach and his dry throat hurt, going to the local store to buy something would end up with him having a sword right in his throat, he'd laugh and call you a crazy dude. And add in the policemen literally meters next to the scene, obviously making it their effort not to notice him. Alex would laugh into the person's face and call them stupid before going and testing the rumor. Well, look at Alex now, bag in hand? Check. A bag filled with food and drink? Check. Policemen in literal meters by his side? Check. Alex on the Ground? Check—wait, what? Yes, your inner eye doesn't deceive you, dear reader; Alex is, in fact, on the ground with a sword in his throat and decorating the pavement crimson. What a guy.
Alex was dying, cops weren't helping, heck, nobody was. Why? Why would this happen? What the hell did he do to be ignored in such a crucial moment in his life? Death? I don't know, man; get back to the story.
Alex was dying because he got a fun job, which a rich guy wanted to get too, but Alex's superior level of education and degrees made it so Alex got it in the end. That rich kid, who could've enjoyed Daddy's money, was jobless and jealous, so he went there and bribed a whole group of people to not do jack squat and forcefully got himself a free spot at the job using a sword.
Alex kind of got the gist of it during his last moments, and a single thought ran through his mind as he faded to black: 'If I ever had a second chance, I'd become some form of police officer so that corruption like this wouldn't have the chance to befall an innocent soul ever again.
Lucky, Alex was; reborn in my story, he will be, so buckle up, and we'll get straight into this.
Alex awoke with a start, only to see nothing because it was night and his eyes weren't accustomed to seeing in the dark room. Blinking a couple of times, his eyes got used to the lack of illumination, and he turned his head, only to flinch in surprise as a translucent screen greeted him with a mechanical voice, feminine in nature, if he had to say.
"Greetings, User-san!
You have successfully activated the Igris Fusion System, where you will progress through the many stages of fusion to obtain greater power.
You are currently in the world of One Piece, about 50-60 years before canon, meaning during the prime of Marines like Garp, Sengoku, Kong, and the like. This naturally means that you will be facing pirates in their prime also: Gol D. Roger, Edward Newgate, Charlotte Linlin, Kaido, Rocks D. Xebec, Qinxiao, Shiki, and many, many more. This is why I shall provide you with quests and rewards in order to give you enough strength to not die immediately like you would right now, considering a child Luffy would beat the brakes off you currently.
Are you ready to become Igris?"
Option: Y/N?
Alex blinked, momentarily stunned, but then, "HOLY SHIT! I'm in One Piece, and during the Golden Age, I'm kind of stoked but also scared—wait, Igris? As in Solo Leveling Igris? Yessir! Let's do this."
Alex chose 'Yes,' and the system continued with its intro for dummies.
"As you can now observe, there is a percentage to your growth, and reaching certain stages will give you rewards in the form of abilities or boosts to your power.
Watch closely as I show you the grid with your evolution stages as Igris' second coming:
Oh, I forgot to mention that you will be given a lucky starter pack, where your initial percentage can be rolled. Certainly it won't be 100%, or will it?"
A gift icon appeared and popped, revealing a Gacha draw, so Alex simply closed his eyes in expectation and pressed on 'Draw.'
Shuffling sounds could be heard by Alex as he waited and waited, only to hear the System say, "Congratulations, you have unlocked 15% of the Igris Fusion Template." A grid appeared and showed Alex what the evolution would give him:
10%: Basic swordsmanship + enhanced durability.
30%: Shadowy aura + noticeable physical buffs + smoother, more efficient movement.
50%: Regeneration via Haki channeling, not mana + Observation & Armament Haki unlocked (if not learned before) + dual wielding.
70%: Dominator's Touch unlocked + another boost to strength and haki + near-Mihawk-level swordplay.
90%: Supreme physical form, enhanced tactical intelligence, past Mihawk in pure technique.
100%: True Igris (???)
Alex stared and stared, then he whispered in a voice filled with awe and marvel. "Woah! That's friggin' wild. I'll have fun.~"
Turning away from the system as he felt his body grow stronger, strong enough not to get beaten by Kid Luffy all that easily, Alex went about observing his surroundings.
With his now-better eyesight, Alex made out what looked like a marine camp bedroom with a few beds beside his own. Nameplates were there, and so he read them, unsurprised that he could, considering reading to be a nigh-innate skill of anybody in an anime world: Monkey D. Garp was the one to his left; to his right was one with Zephyr written on the plate, and the third one was inscribed with Sengoku.
Omg, Alex thought as he pinched himself to see whether this was real or not, but it was. He was peers with Garp, Sengoku, and Zephyr, a few of his favorites when it came to Marines in the One Piece anime.
Growing restless with excitement, he slipped out of the dorm room and slinked along the long hallway of the camp, eventually reaching a training facility.
It wasn't anything too crazy, a well-kept training area built to tank even a vice admiral-level attack.
Making his way to the practice sword rack, Alex procured a single sword and went into a focused state of mind as he began swinging the sword after a warm-up of stretching and running a little to get his blood pumping more freely.
Suddenly, his system gave him a task: to swing the sword 100 times for a 0.5 percent increase in the fusion. Who was he to say no?
Alex went to work, making the strikes not only in number but also making sure to move without too many flaws. He had seen many anime; training was an integral part of growth, though one could learn that lesson through real life, too.
88...89...90...91...92...
99...100, done.
Having completed his drill and quest, he felt that minuscule increase, because even if it seemed small, Igris was hella strong, so while compared to the full might of the Dark Knight it may seem negligible, he wasn't Igris yet.
He had room to grow, and he would make sure to grow alright.
AN: I hope this first chapter was good; if not, tell me why, and I'll try to improve it. Author out.