An Eye Beneath the Shadows

Atop the roof of an abandoned building, Louay paced back and forth, his black hair falling along the sides of his face.

His thoughts poured relentlessly through his mind like an untamed river.

He muttered to himself,

"I used to read to escape this world... and now I find myself imprisoned in another story.

Is this my punishment—or a chance?

And does someone who has read the ending truly deserve to write it anew?"

"Still, I am not the hero of this world.

But I'm not a part of it either.

I am something else... a shadow between the pages, one who knows the end but refuses to be just another line within it."

Louay rubbed his scalp, sighed, then sat on the edge of the rooftop.

His eyes scanned the scene below. A large tent, circus-like in color, stood in the distance—its top bearing the emblem of Buggy the Clown's pirates.

"Heh... like hell I'd really witness this scene."

He chuckled bitterly before something caught his eye: a girl with orange hair, wearing a white outfit striped with blue, pulling along a boy tied with rope. He wore a straw hat, a red shirt, and knee-length blue shorts.

"Hmm... and now the story's hero stands before me. What a farce."

Louay wasn't shocked to realize it was Nami deceiving Luffy. He had already accepted that he was inside the story.

As they entered the tent, Louay hesitated—torn between intervening now or simply observing.

"If I act now, the future I know will change—and that's no good, not in my current state. Even a mere marine could kill me. No... even if I did interfere, everything would shift. Not just the fate of the Straw Hats... but mine too.

I'm not living in a novel—I'm walking a tightrope between knowledge and danger. And even the smallest pebble I toss might ripple into a wave that swallows me whole."

Then, a sudden thought lit up in his mind.

"Ha! Yes... maybe it is possible. Hehehe... if that really happens—"

A wicked smile spread across his face.

"I can't act until then. But I have to find a way to grow stronger... hmm..."

Louay stood and descended from the rooftop. As he walked through the ruined town, a chill ran down his spine.

His eyes widened.

"How could I forget... this world has a power system!"

His unease quickly shifted into excitement.

"Hey, you."

The deep voice yanked him out of his thoughts.

Louay turned to see a young man in a white shirt and green pants—matching the green of his spiky hair. His eyes were sharp and gleaming.

"What do you want?"

Louay replied, feigning confidence.

"Have you seen a guy wearing a straw hat? Or maybe…"

He hesitated, then added,

"...someone who can stretch, or something like that?"

"Stretch?"

Louay asked, puzzled—until his black eyes caught sight of the three swords at the man's waist.

"Aha... it's Zoro!"

Caught off guard, he answered uncertainly,

"No... I don't know him."

Louay tried to slip away, altering his path.

"If I interfere now, I'll ruin everything I've planned... I need to step back. One wrong move could tear the future apart."

"Stop right there. You do know something."

Zoro's sharp instincts were triggered by Louay's awkward attempt to end the conversation.

Turning back, Louay met the swordsman's fierce gaze. Zoro grabbed him by the collar and yanked him forward.

"If you don't speak now, I'm afraid my voice will be the last thing you hear."

Louay chuckled, trying to mask his fear.

"But if you make me your enemy... you'll regret it. Not just you... all of you."

At that moment, Zoro felt something unsettling stir within him.

Louay's words, spoken with a quiet yet heavy tone, carried something beyond a threat.

They weren't empty.

There was something in them... something that made Zoro pause. Hesitate.

Yet the words lingered, as if they were a promise of some kind.

"Hah..."

He sighed and placed his other hand on one of his swords.

"Should I kill him?" he thought.

Louay stood frozen, sweat dripping from his brow. For ten seconds, Zoro's piercing eyes locked onto his.

Then, Zoro slowly let go of his collar and released his sword.

"You're lucky. I don't have time to waste on you right now."

He turned and walked away.

Louay exhaled and straightened his shirt, watching Zoro disappear into the distance.

"I just hope that little encounter didn't alter the timeline too much... it'd ruin everything."

He turned and quickly left.

"I need to keep my distance for now."

He sighed.

"Right... there's the ship Zoro arrived in. But if I take it, it'll change the future."

Torn, Louay headed toward the port, searching for a solution.

Two boats sat at the dock—both no bigger than half a compact car.

He quickly realized one must've belonged to Nami.

He chose the more rugged-looking one, its planks uneven and weathered.

"Let's just hope this doesn't cause me any trouble later."

With both hands, he rowed until the island faded from view.

...

After about 40 minutes of rowing, Louay dropped the oars, exhausted.

"Haah... this is exhausting."

He lay on his back, gazing up at the sky, and whispered with a smile that was both light and serious,

"You'll be mine soon... Ki ki ki."

As he chuckled, he noticed a white sack nestled between the wooden boards of the boat.

"Huh? That wasn't in the original story…"

Curious and cautious, he reached over and pulled the sack open—only for a golden glow to burst out.

"What the—!? That's money… no, a lot of money!"

He laughed joyfully, though a flicker of worry touched his expression.

"This is weird… but it's like the heavens are smiling on me."

The sack was full of glowing golden coins, each stamped with a dollar sign.

Louay tied the bag shut and tucked it back into its hiding spot.

Lying down again, he muttered,

"Right… if I recall, money here is called Beri. Heh... I might look lucky, but as weak as I am now, I'll lose this fortune before I can even use it.

Hell, I might even lose my life."

Caw, caw

As seagulls cried overhead and the waves rolled beneath him, Louay drifted into thoughts of his old, meaningless life.

A life without aim, without belonging—not to his family, his school, or his homeland.

Nothing.

"Everyone moves for some reason—fear, greed, love, hate.

But me?

I move just because I breathe.

And breathing... is just a stupid habit."

"But now... if I reach out my hand, something might change.

But I'm no god. No hero.

I'm just a reader... dragged into a story that doesn't deserve to be rewritten."

He paused for twenty seconds before adding,

"Maybe I should thank this world.

At least here, destruction makes sense.

No promises. No heartbreak. Just laws… I know them. I can control them—if I choose to."

He sat up and picked up the oars again, resuming his rowing.

...

After around four hours of rowing with breaks, Louay finally spotted an island in the distance.

"Finally... I thought this would take days."

He sighed in relief and picked up the pace.

Upon arriving, he found the beach deserted, but it didn't feel safe.

Palm trees swayed in clusters, scattered rocks littered the sand.

To his right, he noticed a cliff overlooking the sea—but ignored it.

He dragged the boat into a nearby cave—one he remembered from the manga—and hid it inside.

Growl

His stomach rumbled.

"I'm starving… I'll take a few coins and look for a village."

He took ten gold coins from the sack and hid the rest deep inside the cave, just in case someone stumbled in.

...

After hiding the gold, he ventured into the island's interior. Palm trees crowded the path, and birds chirped all around—offering a false sense of peace.

Half an hour of walking brought him to a strange, familiar town—where the houses stood upside down.

As he wandered, he saw a large, blue-skinned man with a fish-like head.

"Just as I thought… this is Nami's island.

What was it called again...?

Cocoyashi, right?"

Louay chuckled, then turned back toward the forest, deciding to avoid trouble for now.

In his current state, even fighting a single fishman would be suicide.

As he made his way back, a small, hidden shop on the town's edge caught his eye.

He stepped toward it quickly, hands in his pockets.

The place was nearly empty, old and dusty.

Behind a wooden round table sat a man covered in scars—his face and arms marked by battles long past.

Louay thought he recognized him, and spoke in a casual tone.

"Got anything to eat here?"

The man looked up, his gray eyes hollow with fatigue.

"Yes. What exactly are you looking for?"

"Is there even anything to choose from?"

Louay mocked internally.

He found it strange the man didn't ask who he was, like most would.

But Louay could tell just by looking at him—he was a man already half-dead.

He smiled faintly.

"Anything to kill this hunger."

For three Beri, Louay bought some meat. The man placed it in a gray bag and handed it over.

...

Louay left the shop after thanking the man and returned to the cave.

He devoured the meat and washed it down with water.

Breathing out, he muttered,

"The Straw Hats will take a while to get here. Until then... I need to get stronger."

He paused, chewing, then smiled with his mouth full.

"Oh right...

I guess it's time... to learn Haki."

---

The Power System of This World...