The first thing he felt was pain. Not the dull kind that came with injuries but sharp, splitting pain at the center of his forehead, as if his mind itself had been cleaved open.
Then came the voices. Echoes. Memories not his own.
"You are of the Figarland bloodline. A distant cousin to Shanks. You carry nobility in your veins. Do not tarnish it."
"We sent him to negotiate with the Celestial Dragons. He failed. He always fails. Worthless."
"Shamrock… just stay out of the way."
He opened his eyes.
The ceiling above him was adorned with golden patterns of the World Nobles, the emblems of status, and false divinity. He sat up slowly, eyes darting around. Velvet walls. Golden trim. A personal chamber fit for royalty.
But that wasn't what shook him.
What rattled him was the voice inside him, his own, separate from the memories now flooding his mind.
"I reincarnated...?"
He reached for a mirror. Pale, angular face. Crimson-red eyes. A single scar over the left brow. The blood of kings flowed through these veins.
He knew this face. He'd seen it before—briefly, fleetingly—in a databook panel. Figarland Shamrock. A forgotten character. A footnote in the One Piece world.
He was that man now.
"But… this is the One Piece timeline. Which era?"
Memories continued rushing in like tidal waves. Shanks. Red Hair Pirates. The Four Emperors. The Egghead Incident.
And then,
"Two years after Marineford. Just before the destruction of Mary Geoise..."
A realization hit him like a storm.
He was fated to die.
In this timeline, Shamrock had no grand fate. No plot armor. He was a pawn. Disposable. And soon, discarded by both the Celestial Dragons and Gorosei alike in a political purge and finally die in a stinky corner.
"So this is what reincarnation gets me? A front-row seat to my own slaughter?"
A bitter laugh escaped his lips.
No.
That was not how this would end.
"I'm not here to be a side character."
He clenched his fist. And at that moment
Ding!
A chime echoed in his mind.
[Blood Sword Cerberus System initializing...]
[Host recognized: Figarland Shamrock.]
[System Bound Successfully. Welcome, Devourer.]
His vision distorted. Red letters appeared before his eyes, hovering midair like ethereal fire.
[System Function: Upon defeating an enemy, absorb one random ability, trait, or talent. Upon killing an enemy, absorb two.]
[Cerberus Sword: Living Weapon. Grows by devouring bodies, bloodlines, and souls.]
His mouth opened slightly.
"A devouring system? This… this is even better than a Devil Fruit."
He stood up and walked to the wardrobe. Inside, folded neatly, was a pristine navy-blue longcoat with gold-threaded dragons stitched down the arms. He donned it slowly.
"Shanks... you have defeated me once in this life. I won't allow it again."
He grabbed the sheathed sword leaning against the wall. It was nothing extraordinary—yet.
As his hand touched the hilt, the blade growled.
[Cerberus awakens. Hunger: 0%. Satisfaction: 0%. Loyalty: Dormant.]
The sword was alive.
He pulled it halfway from the sheath. Black steel. Red pulsating veins running through its edge.
"You want to feed too, huh?"
He smirked.
Good.
They would feast together.
"I need a test subject."
He stepped out into the hallway. Two guards stood at attention.
"Lord Shamrock," one saluted.
He didn't reply. His eyes narrowed. Above the guard's head—
[Entry Detected: Marine Combat Training Lv.3]
[Entry Detected: Willpower Resistance Lv.1]
[Entry Detected: Sword Technique – Crescent Arc]
He blinked.
He could see entries.
So it begins.
He moved.
In a single, clean slash, his sword opened the guard's chest from clavicle to hip. Blood sprayed against the golden wall like abstract art.
The other didn't have time to react before the second slash took his head.
Both bodies dropped.
[Two enemies killed. Entries absorbed: Crescent Arc, Marine Combat Training Lv.3]
[Cerberus satisfaction: +2%. Blood essence devoured.]
[Cerberus evolution: 1%]
He felt it immediately.
His stance refined. His balance shifted naturally. Swordplay danced in his veins as if he'd trained for years.
"Power through blood... I like it."
The system chimed again.
[Warning: Holy Land Guards signal detected approaching outer perimeter. Estimated force: 30 men.]
A grin curled on his lips.
"No Marines… of course not. I'm a Celestial Dragon. They wouldn't dare."
"Let them come."
He walked forward, Cerberus in hand, leaving red footprints behind.
The world had seen Emperors. It had seen Marines, Pirates, and Gods.
But it had never seen him.
And now, it never would forget.