Three hours. That's how long Jinwoo had to himself in the dead zone the system had so generously dropped him into.
Three hours of silence.
Three hours of flame.
Three hours of fists.
And every second, he used.
From the moment his body absorbed the power of the Flame-Flame Fruit, Jinwoo had dived into relentless experimentation. He'd seen what Ace could do in the anime—but now, it was his turn. The Garp template coursing through him gave structure and devastating form to every blow, while the Devil Fruit added a fiery soul to them.
He didn't need an audience.
The destruction around him said enough.
Craters littered the terrain, scorched earth and melted stone tracing the path of his fists. Tempest kicks sliced apart the air in fiery crescents, and each Soru left behind an afterimage wrapped in heat haze. He moved like a demon, and struck like a sun erupting in combat.
The Gacha System kept quiet for once, seemingly overwhelmed by his rapid adaptation. Even its usual sarcasm dulled into stunned silence.
The purple UI shimmered softly in the background, quietly recording Jinwoo's progress, calculating with eerie efficiency.
His fists didn't just break stone anymore.
They ignited it.
---
[Status Screen – Updated]
Name: Sung Jinwoo
Title: The Devil (Former) | Garp's Heir (Current)
Race: Human
Class: Assassin (Former) | Garp's Heir (Current)
Level: 14 (Template Integration: 13%)
EXP: 920 / 2100
---
[Stats – Boosted by Template Integration]
Strength: 182
Agility: 174
Stamina: 164
Sensitivity:151
Intelligence : 290
Luck: Unholy
Allotable Stat Points: 18
---
[Skills]
Flame Impact
Level 2 | Progress: 18%
Fusion of haki and flame. Each punch now detonates on impact, releasing concussive heatwaves. Massive AoE potential unlocked.
Iron Fist of Fury
Level 2 | Progress: 9%
Fist reinforced with haki and inner flame. Punches burn through armor and leave scorched shock trails.
Tempest Blaze Kick
Level 1 | Progress: 36%
Flame-enhanced high-velocity kicks. Wind and fire blend to form slicing shockwaves of heat.
Seiken: Flame Burst
Level 1 | Progress: 22%
A sacred fist strike enhanced by emotional intensity and searing fire. Capable of disorienting groups through explosive ignition.
Flame-Body Shift (Logia Activation)
Level 2 | Progress: 8%
Allows full body transformation into fire for mobility, evasion, and immunity to most physical damage. Can now split body into partial flame form for attacks.
---
[Fruit Development]
Mera Mera no Mi (Flame-Flame Fruit)
Development Level: Proficient
Proficiency: 54%
Next Level Up: Advanced (75% Progress)
Jinwoo can now conjure high-intensity fire blasts and minor constructs. Flame-based movement enhanced.
---
[Marine Six Styles – Fire Enhanced]
Soru* (Shave):
Now leaves a fiery trail in its wake, increasing evasion potential.
Tekkai *(Iron Body):
Can withstand high heat. Minor resistance to explosion-based damage unlocked.
Rankyaku* (Tempest Kick):
Integrated into Tempest Blaze Kick.
Seiken *(Sacred Fist):
See Flame Burst for combined variant.
---
[Combined Technique: Seismic Blaze Arts]
Unlocked combination of Haki-infused martial arts and Logia flame control. Under development… Progress 6%.
---
As the final hour of the Penalty Zone ticked away, Jinwoo stood amidst molten earth, breathing steadily, flames coiling around his arms like obedient snakes.
No more questions.
No more doubt.
Just power.
And he was just getting started.
--------
[Penalty Duration Complete.]
The words flashed in bright violet as the world blurred.
Jinwoo blinked once and found himself back in the quiet hospital corridor. The buzzing of the fluorescent lights overhead was a stark contrast to the scorching battlefield he'd left behind. No sandworms. No fire. No cracked earth beneath his feet. Just tiled flooring and faint antiseptic in the air.
He exhaled slowly, a faint grin playing on his lips.
"Not a bad training montage," he muttered to himself, flexing his knuckles. They shimmered faintly, as if traces of flame still lingered under his skin.
As he stood there, something felt different. His chest was broader. His arms, once lean and wiry, now seemed more defined. He glanced down at his body—muscles were more pronounced, his frame wider. His time in the penalty zone had changed him. His entire physique had solidified, his former scrawny build gone, replaced with a strength he hadn't known before. The training, combined with the power of the Devil Fruit and Garp's template, had completely reshaped him.
The blue system's voice echoed in his mind, almost like an amused observer.
[System: Penalty Duration — 4 Hours Completed.]
[Status Updated.]
[Skill Proficiency Improved.]
[Garp Template Integration: 13% Achieved.]
[Devil Fruit (Flame-Flame) Development Level: Basic → Intermediate.]
[New Skills Unlocked: Flame Impact — A fusion of enhanced haki punches with concentrated flames.
...]
[System: Stats auto-updated based on muscle reinforcement, neural reaction calibration, and insane willpower. You're welcome.]
---
Jinwoo didn't even need to check. His body felt sharper. Faster. Like a blade freshly forged and doused in fire.
The purple interface shimmered again.
[Daily Gacha Reset Completed.]
[Reward: 1x Normal Gacha Pull Ticket.]
Jinwoo raised an eyebrow.
"So… I've got two pulls today?"
[System: Ding ding ding. You've got it. One from earlier. One for now. Let the lottery of destiny begin.]
He sighed.
"Fine. First pull."
---
A golden ticket zipped into the vortex, disappearing in a flash. The entire hallway seemed to hold its breath.
[You have received: "Brown Leather Boots (Mildly Durable)"]
Silence.
He stared.
"Boots?"
[System: They are... brown. And mildly durable. For when your fashion sense is mildly terrible.]
Jinwoo chuckled. "What am I, an adventurer in a knock-off RPG?"
The system didn't reply.
It was already spinning the second ticket.
---
This time, the air hummed differently.
With a sharp click, something solid and heavy materialized beside him.
[You have received: Viper X-09 — Smart Street Bike (AI-Assisted)]
A sleek matte-black motorcycle stood by his side, gleaming under the pale hospital light. Smooth curves, neon blue accents, and a streamlined build made it look more like a luxury prototype than anything found in stores.
The seat was too damn comfy for a weapon of speed.
[System: Congratulations. You now own the Viper X-09 — complete with terrain-adaptive suspension, AI assistant, autopilot, and an attitude better than yours.]
Jinwoo's eyes widened for a moment. This was more than just a bike. The design was flawless, and the technology—advanced. A luxury ride that screamed power and precision. He moved closer, inspecting the smooth frame and cutting-edge mechanics.
He tapped the bike's frame and the familiar purple interface appeared, confirming that it had been automatically stored in his inventory.
The grin on his face was almost too much to contain.
"Not bad... at all," he said to himself.
But then, as he glanced at the sleek bike, a thought crossed his mind.
"Wait…" He blinked, his confident expression faltering for a split second. "I don't have a license."
The system buzzed smugly in response.
[System: Oh, don't worry. Everything is legalised. You can ride around all you want. No need for pesky licenses. Enjoy the ride, Mr. No-License.]
He sighed in relief. Well, that was convenient.
He gave the bike one last look, then waved a hand as it disappeared into his inventory with a soft whoosh.
-------
Jinwoo opened his inventory, still reeling from the sleek black bike that now sat in the system's digital space. But his eyes shifted as he scrolled down, catching sight of several new additions—spoils from the penalty zone he hadn't paid much attention to before.
"Sandworm hide… fangs… venom glands?" he muttered.
The hides looked thick and durable, perfect for crafting armor or maybe even something more specialized. The fangs were jagged and dense—ideal for weapon forging or potion infusions. But what really caught his eye was a dark, pulsating object labeled:
[Sealed Monarch Fang]
Origin: Unknown. Retrieved from the digestive tract of a high-mana beast.
Jinwoo arched an eyebrow. "What the hell were those worms eating…?"
Below it were three radiant blue Elite Mana Stones (Rank A) and thirty-three duller Normal Mana Stones (Rank C), already categorized neatly.
Then he noticed them.
[Item: Venom Gland x10]
Effect: Consuming grants +3 Mana and +3 Sensitivity per gland.
Warning: Status Abnormality will occur on consumption (Neurotoxic Feedback).
He paused for a moment, but the system's note glowed faintly beside it.
[Status Effect Immunity: Great Spellcaster Kandiaru's Blessing Active]
Jinwoo smirked. "Well, don't mind if I do."
One by one, the glands dissolved in his hand as he consumed them. A heat surged through his body—not painful, but like a jolt of caffeine being injected straight into his bloodstream. His vision sharpened slightly, mana flaring brighter in his perception.
[Mana: +30 | Sensitivity: +30]
He cracked his knuckles, body still tingling.
"Not bad for worm guts."
"Status"
[Status Screen – Updated]
Name: Sung Jinwoo
Title: The Devil (Former) | Garp's Heir (Current)I(Wormslayer)I(Corpse Collector)
Race: Human
Class: Assassin (Former) | Garp's Heir (Current)
Level: 14 (Template Integration: 13%)
EXP: 920 / 2100
---
[Stats]
Strength: 182
Agility: 174
Stamina: 164
Intelligence: 101
Mana: 320(+30)
Sensitivity :181(+30)
Luck: Unholy
Allotable Stat Points: 18
--
BOOM! FLAMES! EXPLOSIONS! MILDLY DURABLE BOOTS!
Jinwoo just went from scrawny MC to flaming demigod with muscles sculpted by fire and violence—and somehow still doesn't have a driver's license. But it's okay, because the Gacha System said it's legal. And if the snarky system says it's legal, it's probably fine.
Also… let's take a moment to appreciate the fact that our boy just ate venom glands like they were spicy jellybeans. Man really said, "Poison? Never heard of her," and chugged 'em like gamer fuel.
Anyway, that's Chapter 10 wrapped up—complete with flaming fists, bike flexing, and Jinwoo unknowingly becoming a walking fire hazard. If you're enjoying the chaos, laughs, and borderline war crimes committed with haki and devil fruit combos, smash that comment button like Jinwoo smashes sandworms.
Drop your thoughts, crazy ability suggestions, or just yell "MORE FLAMES!" in the comments—I read 'em all!
And if you're here for the plot and the nonsense, you're my kind of reader.
See ya in the next chapter, —Author-san, master of mildly durable plot armor