I didn't expect to die. Honestly, who does?

It had been a regular afternoon. My gaming laptop hummed on my desk, the screen glowing with the fan-made One Piece Character Creator program I'd stumbled across in an online forum. It was exactly the kind of thing I loved: building a custom character from scratch, tweaking their powers and backstory. The possibilities were endless.

The program was incredible—better than anything official I'd ever seen. Every detail of the One Piece world was represented. Zoan fruit transformations, Haki mastery, Races like the Lunarians and Mink tribes. Even rarer abilities like the Voice of All Things were included. I was in heaven. I clicked through the menus, crafting what I thought was my ultimate character: a hybrid of Lunarian and Mink, a beast of power and resilience.

The Lunarian traits meant near-invulnerability and control over fire, while the Harpy Eagle Mink gave control over electricity, enhanced senses, talons and flight. For abilities, I maxed out Observation Haki to sense everything around me, Armament Haki to make my attacks hit harder and damage Logia Devil fruit users, and Conqueror's Haki to dominate anyone who stood in my way. Naturally, I chose Marco's Mythical Phoenix Zoan fruit for regeneration and flames of rebirth.

I even selected Rokushiki techniques for martial precision. And, because I was feeling extra creative, I added the Voice of All Things—a rare gift to communicate with animals and even nature itself.

By the time I was done, I was looking at my magnum opus.

The avatar on the screen was glorious: a tall figure with ash-gray skin from their Lunarian heritage, massive wings shimmering with blue fire, and piercing golden eyes framed by feathers. Around their shoulders hung a mane of eagle-like fur, as white as snow, flowing like a cape.

I grinned. "This guy would be unstoppable."

And that's when everything went black.

The screen flickered, and my room vanished. One moment, I was leaning over my desk; the next, I was falling. Free-falling through endless darkness.

I tried to scream, but no sound came out. The sensation of falling grew stronger, faster, until it felt like my entire body was being ripped apart. Then, just as suddenly as it began, it stopped.

I hit the ground hard, but there was no pain. My senses exploded all at once. The smell of wet earth and moss filled my nose. My ears caught the distant calls of birds, the rustling of leaves in the breeze. I opened my eyes to find myself in the middle of a jungle.

It wasn't just any jungle. The trees were impossibly tall, their canopies blotting out the sun in patches. Vines hung low, dripping with moisture, and the sound of running water echoed faintly in the distance. The air was hot and heavy, sticking to my skin like a second layer.

Except it wasn't my skin.

I looked down at my hands. They were different—smaller but stronger, with faint black markings running along the backs like tattoos. My arms felt... alien, covered in light brown skin that shimmered faintly in the sunlight.

"What the hell?" I whispered, and froze. My voice was softer almost child like.

Before I could process any of it, a window popped up in front of me. It wasn't a physical window—more like a hologram—but it was eerily familiar.

Welcome to the DC Universe. Character Template Loading...

"What?!" I stared at the glowing text. It was impossible. This wasn't happening. I had been playing a game, not signing up for some cosmic joke.

The words vanished, replaced by new ones:

Primary Powers: Mythical Phoenix Zoan | Lunarian Fire Control | Mink Traits

Abilities: Advanced Haki (Kenbunshoku, Busoshoku, Haoshoku) | Rokushiki Techniques | Voice of All Things

I stumbled back, my heart racing. My game character. I was… him.

"No, no, no. This can't be real."

But then I felt it. A warmth pulsing beneath my skin, a flame that burned without heat. It was alive inside me, coursing through my veins. My senses were sharper than they'd ever been—every rustle of leaves, every distant chirp felt magnified a hundredfold.

Then came the whispers. They were faint at first, like the hum of static, but they grew louder as I focused.

I turned toward the sound and froze.

A jaguar stood about twenty feet away, its golden eyes locked onto mine. It was massive, muscles rippling beneath its sleek black coat. Its tail flicked, and its ears flattened as it lowered itself into a predatory crouch.

I didn't move. I couldn't. My mind screamed at me to run, but my body was frozen in place.

The whispers grew louder, sharper, until they weren't just sounds. They were words.

"Intruder. Prey."

I blinked. The jaguar's thoughts. I could hear them.

The animal lunged, its powerful legs propelling it forward in a blur of black fur and white fangs. Time seemed to slow.

Something inside me snapped.

I didn't think. I didn't plan. I just moved.

Blue flames erupted around me, covering my arms and chest. My body moved faster than I thought possible. One moment I was rooted in place; the next, I was in the air, leaping higher than should have been possible.

The jaguar missed, skidding to a halt beneath me. I twisted mid-air, and for the first time, I felt them—wings. They weren't physical yet, but the sensation of something extending from my back, lifting me, was undeniable.

I landed behind the jaguar, and as it turned to face me again, I raised my hand. I didn't know what I was doing, but the flames obeyed. They gathered in my palm, flickering and crackling like a living thing.

The jaguar froze.

"Alpha. Predator."

Its thoughts shifted, and I felt its fear. My presence pressed against it, overwhelming, as if every part of me screamed I am stronger. My Haoshoku Haki. I didn't know how I knew, but I was sure of it.

The jaguar growled softly, then backed away. Slowly, it turned and disappeared into the underbrush, its golden eyes lingering on me one last time before it vanished.

The flames around me faded, and I collapsed to my knees. My chest heaved, and sweat dripped down my face.

"What… the hell… is happening?"

I stared at my hands, still trembling. The faint blue glow of the flames lingered for a moment before disappearing completely. My body was different. My mind was different. And this jungle—it wasn't just some backdrop to a game.

It was real.

I didn't know how or why, but one thing was clear: I was alone in this world.

And if I was going to survive, I needed to master the powers I'd given myself.