The days bled into one another, each marked by the rising sun and the persistent ache of his battered frame. Lupin woke every morning aboard a series of merchant ships, smugglers' vessels, and tiny fishing boats, gradually making his way from the North Blue toward the Grand Line. Every dawn brought a new port, a different deck beneath his feet, and the same relentless notifications from the System.
[DING.]
[Daily Quest: Physical Rehabilitation and Conditioning] Objective: Complete designated physical training regimen.] Reward: 10 Edit Points] Progress: 0/30]
The first week was a slow hell.
His body, still recovering from critical injuries, screamed at every movement. Muscles tore and ached with effort, his lungs burned with every set, but Lupin gritted his teeth and pressed on. Push-ups on deck, sit-ups in cramped cabins, sprints along coastal cliffs whenever ships docked at remote islands.
He wasn't starting from zero. As Rosinante, he had once held the rank of Marine Commander. A soldier of the World Government, trained in advanced combat, firearms, espionage, and survival. Even now, those instincts lingered in his muscle memory—the way he held a blade, the reflexive pivot of his stance, the sharp precision in a punch.
It was the injuries, not weakness, that held him back.
And day by day, he reclaimed what was already his.
The System never gave hints, never offered shortcuts. It simply recorded his progress and dispensed the meager reward of Edit Points, like breadcrumbs leading toward a distant goal.
And he needed those points. He had already spent his initial ten raising Doflamingo's bounty to five hundred million, a move that sent the underground into a frenzy and forced Doflamingo to abandon his Spider Miles base.
It was a small victory, but it wasn't enough.
Lupin knew his true test lay in the New World, where monsters reigned. Where the Yonko ruled seas with fleets and territories. His monthly quest timer ticked down in the corner of his mind.
[Monthly Quest: "Shadow in the Emperor's Court"] Objective: Create a secret identity and successfully infiltrate the crew of a Yonko pirate.] Time Remaining: 29 Days]
And he had chosen Whitebeard.
Not because it would be easy—but because it was the right choice. Whitebeard's crew valued loyalty, strength, and heart above all else. If Lupin could prove himself, he could secure a place within the greatest pirate family of the era.
But first… he needed a body worthy of surviving in that world.
---
By the second week, his movements grew sharper. The pain dulled, replaced by a deep, satisfying soreness. His muscles knit themselves back together stronger than before. His stamina increased with every run, his strikes grew heavier against makeshift training dummies of tied rope and bundled cloth.
Each completed quest awarded him 10 Edit Points. He stockpiled them carefully, resisting the temptation to spend them frivolously.
The system occasionally altered the regimen: one day focusing on speed, the next on endurance, then strength, flexibility, and combat drills. It was grueling—but it worked.
[DING.] [Daily Quest Completed.] [Reward: 10 Edit Points] [Edit Points: 90]
By the end of the second week, Lupin no longer limped. The wounds that had nearly killed Rosinante were now faded scars. His reflexes sharpened, and he began incorporating weapon drills using a salvaged cutlass and a stolen pistol.
"Not bad, old man," Lupin muttered to his reflection one evening in a cracked mirror aboard a fishing boat. The bruises on his face had faded, his eyes were clear, and his frame lean with hard-earned muscle.
But the sight of his face still unsettled him. The makeup that once painted the face of Corazon clung faintly to his skin, a ghost of a past life. He stared at his reflection for a long moment before taking a cloth and wiping away the remnants. Layer by layer, the pale foundation and smeared heart-shapes vanished.
He stared at the mirror again. Not Rosinante. Not entirely.
With determination, he gathered what supplies he could find — an old dye kit, scissors, and a piece of glass as a mirror. His blond hair darkened to jet black, the new color soaking into his strands as though erasing the last trace of his old life. He cut it shorter, rough and uneven, but practical.
He fashioned a half-face mask from a strip of dark cloth, covering his mouth and the lower half of his face. The man who emerged from the shadows of that cramped ship cabin was someone new.
Not Rosinante. Not Corazon.
Lupin.
His new identity was taking shape.
Importantly, Rosinante had never carried a bounty of his own. As a Marine Commander operating undercover, his presence was known to few, and no wanted poster had ever been issued for his name or face. That anonymity was a weapon now—one Lupin intended to sharpen.
---
The third week brought a new challenge: his first arrival into the Grand Line.
He secured passage aboard a merchant vessel bound for Reverse Mountain, carefully navigating his way through the treacherous ascent and descent. The ship's crew was wary of him but didn't question the coin he paid. When they finally emerged into the Grand Line, Lupin breathed in the salty air and felt a thrill surge through his blood.
But this was only the beginning.
His ultimate goal lay in the New World.
Which meant he needed to head to Sabaody Archipelago, pass through the bubble-coated route under the Red Line at Fish-Man Island, and emerge on the other side.
Whitebeard's fleet didn't recruit directly in the Grand Line — their new division members and pirates seeking to pledge allegiance gathered at Sabaody or certain lawless islands near the New World's border.
He adjusted his course immediately, boarding another vessel offering passage toward the Archipelago.
Every morning, his daily quest demanded more.
[Perform heavy bag strikes for 20 minutes] [Shadow spar against five imagined foes] [Run weighted laps around the ship's deck] [Execute 100 consecutive push-ups, squats, and crunches]
He hired drunks and mercenaries in port towns to serve as sparring partners. The fights were brutal, unpolished, and exactly what he needed.
By now, his Edit Points had climbed to 180.
He used some to subtly alter local wanted posters: lowering the bounty on his Rosinante identity, subtly reshaping rumors in taverns and docks. None of it game-breaking, but useful to keep eyes off his trail.
Each night, he reviewed old One Piece knowledge—testing his memory of Grand Line islands, Yonko commanders, and the nature of Devil Fruits. Planning routes and contingencies.
The quest clock ticked down.
[Time Remaining: 9 Days]
---
In the final week, Lupin was reborn.
His body no longer felt like a stranger's. The man staring back at him in the mirror was sharp-eyed, his stance proud and steady. Muscle carved from hard labor. Reflexes honed by relentless drills. And beneath it all, the lethal edge of a former Marine Commander — someone who had once fought the world's deadliest pirates alongside legends.
His health meter in the system glowed green.
[Status: Fully Recovered] [Daily Quest Completed: 36/30] [Edit Points: 360]
He check his own wanted poster, after journey he get a bounty on his head.
Black Rose, Lupin
40 million berri
An alias with no ties to Rosinante, no Donquixote lineage. He scouted taverns and ports for whispers of recruitment voyages headed for Sabaody or near Fish-Man Island to reach the New World.
Word came of a ship setting sail from an island south of Water 7 to rendezvous with pirates seeking passage through the underwater route.
Perfect.
He boarded a merchant vessel bound for that region under cover of night, paying his way with stolen coin. His destination: the Sabaody Archipelago.
The final quest appeared as the ship set sail.
[Special Daily Quest: Journey to the New World] Objective: Reach Sabaody Archipelago and secure passage toward Fish-Man Island] Reward: 50 Edit Points]
And even as he began his voyage toward the Archipelago, he never skipped his daily quests. Every dawn, he completed strength drills on the ship's deck, ran laps around the hold, practiced combat against the mast's shadows, and maintained the fighting edge he'd rebuilt.
His Edit Points steadily increased as the merchant vessel cut through the waves. By the time the Sabaody Archipelago's shimmering bubbles appeared on the horizon, Lupin's muscles ached with anticipation.