NOVEL NEXT Chapter 2: Chapter 2-WTF
Yami sat on the cold, filthy floor of his cell, trembling. The iron chains on his wrists clinked faintly as he hugged his knees to his chest. His breaths came fast and shallow, panic bubbling in his chest like an uncontrollable storm.
"What the fuck is this?!" he whispered harshly, his voice cracking. He looked around wildly, his heart racing as he tried to make sense of the hellhole he'd been dumped into.
The cell wasn't empty. Other slaves filled the cramped space, their faces etched with exhaustion and despair. But they weren't all human. Across from him sat a bipedal lion with golden fur, its mane ragged and matted. Next to it, a mermaid, her tail battered and scarred, leaned weakly against the wall. A massive figure loomed in the corner—a giant, his wrists bound with chains so thick they looked like they could hold a ship in place.
"What the actual fuck," Yami whispered again, his voice breaking. "Am I in some kind of nightmare?"
Before he could process more, a sudden surge of pain shot through his head, and he screamed, clutching his skull.
Memories flooded his mind—memories that weren't his. He saw through the eyes of a boy with a similar name as him but with a twist: Shiki D. Yami. The boy had a family once—a warm, loving family in a small seaside village. His parents doted on him, and his little sister followed him everywhere, giggling at his jokes.
But then the pirates came.
They tore through the village like a storm, killing indiscriminately, burning homes, and stealing anything of value. Shiki watched helplessly as his parents were cut down before his eyes. His sister's screams echoed in his ears as she was dragged away and then a gunshot rang. The boy had fought, kicking and biting, but he was small and powerless. The pirates laughed as they threw him into a cage, another piece of merchandise to be sold to the highest bidder.
Yami gasped as the memories settled, leaving him shivering. "Jesus Christ…" he muttered. "This kid… had it worse than me."
He glanced around again, his eyes landing on the man sitting nearby. The guy was older, his body a map of deep scars. A particularly nasty one ran across his left eye, rendering it cloudy and lifeless. The man sat silently, staring at the ground with a hollow look that made Yami's stomach churn.
Desperate for answers, Yami crawled toward him, his chains scraping against the floor. "Hey," he whispered, his voice hoarse. "What is going on? Where am I?"
The man turned his head slowly, his single good eye locking onto Yami. For a moment, he didn't say anything, but his gaze softened with pity.
"Kid," the man said, his voice low and gravelly. "You're a slave. A plaything for the Celestial Dragons."
Yami froze, his stomach dropped. "Celestial Dragons? No… no way…"
The man nodded grimly. "You're 'lucky,' though. You were bought by Saint Gabrielle. He's a sadistic bastard, but at least he won't use you like the others would. Most of them? They'll do shit you don't even want to imagine. Gabrielle… he sticks to making us fight."
"Fight?" Yami's voice cracked.
The man leaned his head back against the wall, closing his good eye. "Yeah. Battle Royales, one-on-one fights. He throws us into an arena like animals to rip each other apart. It's all for his twisted friends and family. Entertainment, he calls it."
Yami sat frozen, his thoughts racing. This isn't real. This can't be real.
The man opened his eye again, glancing at him. "What's your name, kid?"
"Shiki," Yami muttered. "Shiki D. Yami."
The man grunted. "Well, Shiki, I'm Stone. Welcome to hell. Get some rest while you can. You'll need it for tomorrow's shit show."
Stone leaned his head back again and seemed to drift into an uneasy sleep.
Yami sat there, shaking. He clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms drawing out blood. "Fuck… Fucking hell. Celestial Dragons. Of all the fucking places, why here, why in one piece?!"
He slammed his fists into the ground, his breathing ragged. His mind raced, replaying the bits of One Piece he could remember. He knew exactly where he was, and it wasn't comforting.
"This is bad. This is so fucking bad," he whispered to himself.
The weight of it all settled over him like a crushing wave. He was trapped in a world he used to idolize, but now it was his reality, and it was far crueler than he could've ever imagined.
Curling up on the cold floor, Yami muttered bitter curses under his breath, his mind spinning with fear and desperation. What the hell am I supposed to do now?
Curling up on the cold floor, Yami muttered bitter curses under his breath, his mind spinning with fear and desperation. What the hell am I supposed to do now?
Before he could spiral further into panic, a soft ding echoed in his head.
"Wha—" Yami froze, his breath catching.
A cheerful, artificial voice rang out in his mind.
[Welcome, Master. You have been assigned a system that will help you in your adventures. Here is your starter pack. Have fun in this world!]
"What the actual fuck?" Yami thought, sitting up abruptly. The panic in his chest was momentarily replaced by sheer confusion.
Before he could process what was happening, a warm surge of energy coursed through his body. It wasn't painful, but it left his skin tingling and his muscles buzzing as if he'd downed five energy drinks in one go.
"Holy shit," he muttered, flexing his fingers. He felt… stronger, somehow. Faster. More alive.
A translucent panel flickered to life in front of him, hovering in the air like a hologram.
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[System Panel]
QP: 0 (Quirk Points)
Inventory: 2/∞
Common: 0
Uncommon: 0
Rare: 0
Epic: 2
Legendary: 0
Mythical: 0
Active Quirks:
1. (EPIC)Explosion (Bakugo - MHA)
• Description: Allows the user to generate explosive blasts through their palms by sweating nitroglycerin through their body.
• Status: Active-in use
2. (EPIC)Spidey Senses (Spider-Man - Marvel)
• Description: Grants heightened danger awareness, enabling the user to sense threats before they occur.
• Status: Active-in use
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His jaw dropped as he stared at the display. "Wait a minute. Bakugo's Explosion Quirk? And… Spidey Senses? What the fuck is going on?
The panel shimmered slightly as if waiting for input. Yami hesitated, his pulse quickening. "Is this… some kind of game?"
As if responding to his thoughts, a new section of text appeared.
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[System Overview]
Quirk Tiers: Quirks are categorized into tiers—Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Legendary, and Mythical. Higher-tier quirks are more powerful but harder to acquire.
2. Quirk Points (QP): QP is the system's currency. Yami can earn QP in several ways:
• Scrapping Quirks: When a quirk is scrapped, it is converted into QP. More powerful quirks yield higher QP.
• Collateral: Yami can offer any valuable items (e.g., gold bars, Berries, sentient beings) as collateral, with the amount of QP received depending on the item's worth.
3. Gambling Mechanism: The system involves a gambling mechanic where Yami can use QP to randomly draw quirks. The chance of receiving higher-tier quirks depends on the amount of QP wagered.
4. Quirk Transfer: Yami can grant quirks to others or remove them at will. This ability also applies to himself, allowing him to hold multiple quirks simultaneously.
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He tapped the air hesitantly, his fingers passing through the panel like it was a projection. The names of the quirks pulsed slightly in response, confirming their presence.
"Hold up," Yami thought, his mind racing. "Spidey Senses? That's not even a MHA anime—that's Spider-Man! Ability How does this even work?"
The panel shifted, bringing up a short description for each quirk.
• Explosion Quirk: Allows the user to generate explosions through their palms by sweating a nitroglycerin-like substance.
• Spidey Senses: Grants the user a heightened danger sense, enabling them to detect threats before they happen.
He blinked, reading the descriptions over and over. The words glowed faintly, and just seeing them sent another wave of surreal energy through his body.
"This… This can't be real," he said, though the tingling in his palms and the faint buzzing in the back of his skull told him otherwise. He clenched his fists and felt a strange heat building in his hands, like sparks dancing under his skin like in the anime where bakugo quirk was only a firecracker as kid instead of a huge explosion as a teenager.
The system's voice chimed again.
[Congratulations! You have unlocked your starter quirks. Use them wisely, Master.]
"Yeah, because giving me an exploding quirk in a slave cell is super fucking wise," Yami muttered.
Still, he couldn't deny the excitement bubbling under the surface of his panic. If this was real—and it damn well felt real—then he might have a shot.
He glanced around the cell. Stone was still asleep, the others lost in their own misery. The Celestial Dragons would expect him to fight. Fine. If that was the game, he'd play it—.
"I don't know how the hell this is going to work," he muttered to himself, "but I'm not staying a slave or dying. Not for these sick bastards."
The system chimed again, almost like it was responding to his determination.
[Good luck, Master. The world awaits.]
For the first time since waking up in this nightmare, Yami cracked a small, grin.
"Yeah," he said softly, a flicker of hope sparking in his red eyes. "Let's see what this world's got for me."
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AN:more power stones = more chapters