The cold dawn light slipped through the broken shutters, streaking pale grey lines across the bloodstained floor. The sharp scent of rusted iron still hung in the air, mingling with the damp chill of sea mist creeping in from the distant coast. Lupin stirred, wincing as soreness rolled through his battered frame. The pain was grounding — a cruel but certain reminder.
This wasn't a dream.
He wasn't Lupin anymore.
Not to the world.
To them, he was Donquixote Rosinante.
His gaze drifted to the cracked mirror leaning against the far wall. The man staring back at him looked like a stranger. Sharp, haunted eyes rimmed with exhaustion, tangled blond hair matted with dried blood. A dark red hood hung low over his brow, heart-shaped trinkets swaying against a bloodied, tattered shirt patterned with fading pink hearts. A feathered purple mantle weighed on his shoulders — just like the one his brother, Doflamingo, wore with that unbearable arrogance.
But beneath the clothes… beneath the borrowed face… this body ached with memories that weren't his. He pressed a palm against the old wound on his side, hissing through his teeth.
Then came the familiar ping in his mind.
[DING.]
[Daily Quest Completed: Stabilize Host Body – Critical Injury Status Removed.]
[Reward: 10 Edit Points (EP)]
It had taken the whole goddamn night. Primitive first aid kits. Makeshift stitches. The kind of pain that made his vision swim more than once. The system didn't lift a finger to help — no hints, no guidance. Just trial, error, blood, and desperation.
But he made it.
He could move now. He could stand.
And he could finally make his first move.
[Edit Points Available: 10]
Drawing a slow breath, Lupin summoned the system's menu in his mind. The interface flickered into view — clean, cold text against the void behind his eyes.
[Wanted Poster Editing System]
Names and numbers scrolled down the list. Pirates, crooks, killers. Most of them small-time for now, though Lupin knew better. Many of those faces would one day become monsters.
But only one name clamped around his throat like a noose.
Donquixote Doflamingo – 130,000,000 Berries
It was a fraction of the 340 million bounty he remembered. In this world, fifteen years before Luffy ever set sail, Doflamingo was still rising. A venomous thing coiled in the shadows, clawing his way up.
But Lupin knew what he'd become. He knew the rivers of blood in his future. And he wasn't about to let him climb unchallenged.
His fingers brushed the edit menu.
Current Bounty: 130,000,000 Berries
Edit Cost: 10 EP
Maximum Increase Allowed: 500,000,000 Berries
Temptation hit like a wave. Raising a bounty wasn't just a number. It was a warning to the world. A signal to hunters, rival pirates, and Marines. A heavy price on your head meant you were dangerous. Worth chasing. Worth killing.
Maxing it out would be like tossing a lit match into dry grass.
His lips curved into a faint, grim smile.
"Five hundred million," he murmured.
And he confirmed it.
[DING.]
[Edit Successful. Updated Wanted Poster will disseminate globally within 24 hours.]
A pulse of satisfaction rippled through him. Ten points, gone in a heartbeat — but worth every single one.
"Let's see how you dance now, Joker."
Spider Miles
The island fortress buzzed with tension. Gunrunners, smugglers, mercenaries — all moving under the sharp eyes of the Donquixote Family. In the heart of it, inside a gilded chamber thick with velvet and gold, Donquixote Doflamingo reclined lazily in his chair.
A wine glass dangled between two fingers, crimson liquid catching the flicker of lamplight. A smirk played at his lips. Then a Den Den Mushi crackled to life, voice high with panic.
"Boss! It's bad — your bounty, it's been changed!"
Doflamingo's brow twitched. "What?"
"It's… it's five hundred million now!"
The glass in his hand cracked. Wine bled down his knuckles.
"You're kidding me."
"No, boss — it's official! New posters everywhere, Marines scrambling, bounty hunters losing their shit! The underground's in chaos!"
A cold, heavy silence settled in the room.
Doflamingo rose from his seat, slow and deliberate, the lazy grin curling into something razor-edged.
"Who did this?"
"No one knows! Nobody's claiming it!"
"Get the ship ready," Doflamingo ordered, voice low and sharp. "We leave Spider Miles. Now."
"Boss—"
"Now."
His men scattered like rats. Doflamingo's thoughts churned. Someone, somewhere, with the power to forge Marine bounties or tap high-level records had just painted a target on his back. And whoever it was, they'd declared war.
His grin widened, teeth bared.
"Alright, mystery man… let's see you try."
Back in Lupin's ruined safehouse
The scent of burning paper hung in the air from a brazier in the corner. Lupin leaned against the wall, pulse steady. Another ping echoed in his mind.
[DING.]
[Monthly Quest Unlocked: "Shadow in the Emperor's Court"]
Objective: Create a secret identity and successfully infiltrate the crew of a Yonko pirate.
Reward: +1 Creation Point (CP)
His brow rose.
"A Yonko crew…?"
Whitebeard. Kaido. Big Mom. Shanks. Each of them a monster in their own right. Each with a ship full of killers and zealots. Infiltrating one wasn't impossible — but it wasn't far from suicide either.
The system wasn't playing around.
He let out a quiet, humorless laugh.
"Bold of you, system."
Names flashed through his mind. Whitebeard's crew valued loyalty above all. Kaido's was a beast's den. Big Mom's world was madness and bloodlines. Shanks? Maybe approachable… maybe not.
And then there was the matter of a new identity. No help. No hints. No mercy.
He pushed himself off the wall and moved to a battered table. Scraps of paper, ink-stained brushes. He started sketching ideas. Names. Symbols. A face. If he was going to play this game, he needed a reputation first. A legend in the making.
He'd use the system to spread that name when the time was right.
But for now, one step at a time.
Lupin glanced at the light breaking through the shutters. The first true dawn of his new life.
And somewhere far away, Doflamingo's world had already started to burn.
"Alright then," he murmured, a dangerous spark in his eye. "Let's decide who I'll be."