Year 1502 of the Sea Circle Calendar
In the vast expanse of the North Blue, there lies a remote, uninhabited island within a sea region called Garod. The island stands silently amid the waves, its lush greenery stretching across hills and valleys. Towering trees dominate the landscape, and wild beasts roam freely—including some ferocious and gigantic rulers of the forest.
Hardly anyone ever visits this island.
On the shore, however, a young man who appears to be around 17 or 18 years old lies sprawled on the sand in a relaxed position, his limbs spread out like a starfish, forming the shape of the character for "big." Sunlight warms his face as the sea breeze gently rustles his black hair.
This young man is now known as Kurokawa Mio. As for his former name… well, it's better left in the past. After all, Mio is no ordinary person anymore—he's a time traveler. With a new world comes a new life, and a new identity.
"I'm helpless here… One second I was walking down the street with a young lady, and the next second—bam! I end up in another world. And not just any world—this is the world of One Piece, and it's the year 1502 of the Sea Circle Calendar. If I remember correctly, Roger was executed only two years ago? Isn't this the peak of the Age of Discovery?" Mio muttered to himself, shielding his eyes as he glanced at the sky.
If you're wondering why a newly arrived traveler knows so much about this world, the answer is simple.
He has a golden finger.
A gene system.
Mio's golden finger—a miraculous system—allows him to extract, obtain, fuse, and cultivate genes.
Through this gene system, Mio can absorb the genetic material of powerful monsters from across different universes. Whenever he kills a creature, he obtains its genes. He can then use those genes to cultivate a brand-new organism—be it human, beast, or even insect. Each successful cultivation grants Mio a portion of the creature's abilities and attributes.
In simpler terms, it's a cultivation system. If Mio manages it well, he can rise to power quickly.
If not… well, in this chaotic world, he'll have no one to rely on but himself.
Suddenly, a notification echoed in his mind:
[Dear host, you have a novice gift pack. Would you like to open it?]
"Open," Mio replied without hesitation.
The system immediately responded:
[Congratulations to the host for opening the novice gift pack. You have received:
'Mundo Gene x1'
'Berserker Gene x1'
'Dire Wolf Gene x1']
"Huh?"
Mio blinked in surprise, then sat up quickly, rubbing his temples.
Mundo? Why does that sound so familiar?
[Mundo Gene: Gene of a Zaun Madman from the Zaun region of the Valoran continent. Contains the brutal vitality and strength of Mundo.]
[Berserker Gene: From the Berserkers of the Arad continent. Contains the berserker's violent nature and battle frenzy.]
[Dire Wolf Gene: From a creature that once existed on a planet called Earth. It is now extinct.]
Mio raised an eyebrow, then smirked. "Valoran? Arad? Looks like I've hit the jackpot. These two powerful genes right off the bat?"
The Dire Wolf gene was clearly the weakest among the three, but it was still an ancient beast from Earth. Not too shabby. The Berserker gene, though? Absolute power. And the Mundo gene… he couldn't be more excited.
With these three genes in hand, Mio began to consider his next step—choosing what kind of creature to cultivate.
After all, only by cultivating a creature could he absorb its power and grow stronger.
Just then, the sound of footsteps rustling through the underbrush caught his attention.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Mio tensed and turned around quickly.
"A wolf?"
A large, gray-furred wolf emerged from the forest, its dark green eyes locking onto Mio. The creature was massive—easily twice the size of a regular Earth wolf. Blood soaked its fur, seeping from several deep wounds on its side and flank. The beast snarled weakly, baring its teeth in a warning.
It was clearly injured—badly. Perhaps it had come to the shore to clean its wounds or escape a fight. But when it saw Mio, its hackles raised with what little strength it had left.
Its growls held no bite. The bleeding was severe, and it only took a few more shaky steps before collapsing on the beach, panting heavily.
Its breath was already growing faint. It wouldn't be long before the wolf succumbed to its wounds.
Mio stood over the creature, watching silently.
"Well now," he muttered, raising an eyebrow. "Just moments ago I was wondering what kind of creature I could cultivate, and now one's delivered straight to my doorstep?"
He had been considering cultivating an insect as a starter—after all, that was probably all he could handle at his current level. The system's first rule was simple: the target creature must be unable to resist.
If you think Mio could take on the beasts of this island on his own… think again. That'd be suicide.
He was just a normal guy who happened to have reincarnated into this world—not some super-powered warrior. The beasts here would tear him apart.
But this wolf? It was already on death's door.
Mio touched his chin thoughtfully, then smiled. A wide, unsettling grin spread across his face as he slowly stepped forward.
The fallen wolf's eyes widened as the human approached. Paralyzed by blood loss and exhaustion, it could do nothing but stare in horror at the approaching figure. It felt a deep, primal fear—an instinctive sense that something far worse than death was coming.
Mio knelt beside it, placing his hand gently on its side.
A soft glow radiated from his palm, enveloping the wolf's body. In the next moment, with a flash of light, the wolf vanished.
With a snap of his fingers, an illusory screen appeared in front of Mio, glowing with faint blue runes.
It was the gene system's main interface. In the center was a culture tank, and inside floated the wolf that had just disappeared. To the left and right of the tank were empty gene slots, connected to the tank by thin tubes and glowing threads.
Mio could now drag the genes he owned into the slots, and once satisfied, hit the [Fusion] button below to start cultivating the organism.
It looked exactly like something out of a mobile gacha game—pay-to-win vibes and all.
There was one important note: any creature Mio cultivated through this system would be completely loyal to him.
But honestly, Mio didn't think that part mattered much. After all, in order to be cultivated, a creature had to be unable to resist. And to make something unable to resist?
Cripple it.
And if it's crippled, of course it's going to be obedient. Simple as that.
Mio chuckled. "Alright then. In this dangerous world, you'll be my first thug—no, my first bodyguard. I'll treat you well… as long as you don't disappoint me."
With a casual wave, he dragged all three genes—the Mundo, Berserker, and Dire Wolf genes—into the empty slots beside the culture tank.
Then, without hesitation, he tapped the [Fusion] button.
The culture tank rumbled with a low buzz, and a dense mist began to form inside…