Nox walked slow. Deliberate.
His body was a mess, bruises bloomed across his ribs, cuts trailed down his arms and legs, and his shoulder screamed with every step. But Lenny was safe.
The boy walked beside him barefoot, bruised, lip swollen and grinning like he'd just witnessed the coolest thing in the history of cool things.
"Hey," Lenny said, tilting his head. "What are you?"
Nox didn't even look down.
"Oni."
"…Whoa." ….. "What's that?"
"Big. Horned. Annoyed."
"Oh. Cool!" He blinked. "Do Oni eat people?"
"No."
"Do Oni like eating people?"
"No."
"Do Oni breathe fire?"
"No."
"…But you could, right?"
Nox stopped walking. Just for a second. Just long enough to close his eyes and very gently consider walking back into Smuggler's Bay and throwing himself down a ravine.
They kept moving.
"Do you have a bounty? Wait do Oni even get bounties or is it just like, 'WANTED: Monster With Great Hair'? Because your hair's kinda awesome. I mean, not fancy awesome, more like messy dangerous awesome"
Nox dragged a hand down his face. "Kid."
"Yeah?"
"Try being quiet for five minutes."
"Okay."
…
"…Do Oni have super strength or are you just naturally good at breaking skulls?"
Nox groaned.
But ahead distant rooftops appeared. The edge of the village. Smoke curling from chimneys. Lights glowing in windows. People. Adults.
Nox had never been happier to see civilization.
Not because he wanted praise. Not because he needed thanks.
But because, finally… finally… someone else could babysit the human question mark.
And if he was lucky?
They'd have alcohol. Strong. Cheap. And enough to drown a battlefield.
He was right.
The moment they entered the square, everything exploded.
"LENNY!!!"
A scream, a sob, a stampede all at once. Mothers, fishermen, kids, dogs. Someone shouted, someone fainted, someone tackled Lenny in a mess of hugs and tears.
And then the noise turned joyful.
Someone rang a bell. Someone else dragged out drums. Meat was slapped on grills. Ale barrels were cracked open so fast one of them exploded in a geyser of foam. Tables and crates flew into place. A fire was lit. A whole wild boar was impaled before Nox even sat down.
A party.
Raw. Raucous. Real.
He was sat down like royalty and immediately slapped on the back by five different strangers three of whom were already drunk.
"TO THE ONI!" someone roared.
"TO THE DEVIL WHO SAVED OUR BOY!" another howled.
Nox, now fully bandaged and barely able to move, raised a cup with what dignity he could summon.
"Sure," he muttered, "why not."
And then the food hit his mouth.
Hot. Spicy. Greasy. Divine.
He didn't even know what half of it was, and he didn't care. The meat was real. The booze burned. His limbs screamed with every movement, but for the first time since he woke up on the beach, he was warm, fed, and surrounded by laughter.
For one stupid, golden hour…
…it felt like he belonged.
When the drums died down and the drunks slumped over, Nox slipped away.
He found a quiet dock, sat at the edge, and let his feet dangle over the water. His bandages were already bleeding through. His shoulder ached. A headache pulsed behind his eyes like a war drum.
And then
[QUEST COMPLETE: "Clear the Smuggler Nest – Save Lenny"]
[REWARD: +1 Skill Point | System Access Unlocked]
The text flickered things he'd missed before, ignored in the heat. Now they played back like echoes from earlier.
[SYSTEM ALERT: VITAL THRESHOLD BREACHED]
[LEVEL UP: WIL D. NOX → LEVEL 2]
[SYSTEM ACCESS UNLOCKED]
[SKILL TREE AVAILABLE]
Open Menu.
⸻
[SYSTEM INTERFACE]
[Name:] Wil D. Nox
[Race:] Oni
[Level:] 2
[Status:] Stable
[Memory:] Locked
[STATS] [TRAITS] [QUESTS] [SKILL TREE] [INVENTORY]
⸻
[STATS]
STR: 20
AGI: 14
STA: 22
INT: 11
AWR: 14
WILL: 23
[TRAITS]
Onihada (鬼肌) – Lv.1
A racial trait of the Oni. Passively reduces physical damage by 10%. Grants minor resistance to knockback and piercing attacks. Evolves at milestone levels.
[SKILL TREE]
HAKI
• Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation) — Locked
• Busoshoku Haki (Armament) — Locked
• Growth nodes available upon combat experience
DEVIL FRUIT
• Status: Inactive
• Access Denied – No Devil Fruit Acquired
• ??? — Connection pending…
[QUESTS]
Main Quest:
▸ Find Your Purpose
Progress: 0%
Reward: System Core Access
Side Quests:
▸ Complete Skill Tree Node (0/1)
▸ ???
⸻
Nox scrolled through the panels slowly, brows furrowed as the menus shifted at his thoughts.
A skill tree that pulsed like it was alive. Locked powers. Hidden paths. He didn't know what any of it truly meant only that it had tied itself to him, dug deep into his soul and refused to leave.
He didn't trust it.
He didn't understand it.
But he understood strength.
And if this system could make him stronger even if it came from something broken, something wrong then he'd use it.
Use it until he could burn his own path into the world.
"…Then let's see how far this goes," he muttered.
"Mind if I sit?"
Nox didn't look up as Chief Bragga lowered himself beside him, legs crossed, back bent but eyes sharp as ever.
"You didn't do it for thanks," Chief Bragga said as he sat beside him, "but… you have them. From a father who almost lost his son."
Nox didn't speak.
He just shrugged, then winced.
"I just did what needed to be done," he said.
Bragga nodded, gaze drifting across the black waves.
"…You have a dangerous name," the chief said at last. "The kind that makes the world nervous."
Nox didn't answer.
Bragga's voice dropped low.
"They didn't follow the rules they tore them up. Every one of them was a rebel the world couldn't silence. The World Government calls them devils… monsters… enemies of peace. But the truth?"
A pause.
"They carried the Will of D. And wherever they walked… everything changed."
"It's not a blessing," Bragga said. "It's a promise. And a curse."
Bragga stood with a grunt.
"Be careful who hears your name, Wil D. Nox."
⸻
Nox's Character Stats (End of Chapter)
[Name:] Wil D. Nox
[Race:] Oni
[Level:] 2
[Status:] Stable
[Memory:] Locked
[EXP:] 20 / 200 [▓▓░░░░░░░░░░]
[STATS]
STR: 20
AGI: 14
STA: 22
INT: 11
AWR: 14
WILL: 23
[TRAITS]
Onihada (鬼肌) – Lv.1
A racial trait of the Oni. Passively reduces physical damage by 10%. Grants minor resistance to knockback and piercing attacks. Evolves at milestone levels.
[SKILL TREE]
HAKI
• Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation) — Locked
• Busoshoku Haki (Armament) — Locked
• Growth nodes available upon combat experience
DEVIL FRUIT
• Status: Inactive
• Access Denied – No Devil Fruit Acquired
• ??? — Connection pending…
[QUESTS]
Main Quest:
▸ Find Your Purpose
Progress: 0%
Reward: System Core Access
Side Quests:
▸ Complete Skill Tree Node (0/1)
▸ ???