Prologue: I Awaken to a Side-Effect-Free Play Life!

The words I had shouted dozens of times already finally received an answer. A blinding flash of light exploded from my smartphone screen, slamming straight into my eyes.

"Ack! My eyes!"

For a moment I couldn't see anything, but after the light faded and my vision returned, I cautiously turned the screen back on with a mix of nerves and hope. There, glowing with undeniable presence, was an app that had never been there before.

"Finally!!! Thank you, God, Buddha, Allah!"

I shouted in excitement and, with trembling fingers, carefully tapped the app.

"Huh? This isn't the Play Life I remember. Is this some kind of fake?"

The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠contents were different from the original, so suspicion crept in, but I couldn't let go of my excitement just yet. I decided to check the status window first.

"It says status window, but that's all? Where are the stats? Where's the character customization?"

I was flustered that there was nothing besides my name and age, so I quickly tapped the next tab.

"Thank goodness. This part hasn't changed much from the original. Does that mean I have to start playing without a status window or stat increases? That sounds a bit rough..."

Still not fully grasping the situation, I decided to check every tab and tapped on the Internet Broadcast section as well.

"Am I really going to do internet streaming?"

A moment later, a system notification appeared before my eyes.

"It's a little complicated, but I think I get the gist."

After roughly understanding it, I moved on to the next part.

"So basically, I can stream, get donations, and use that money to raise my stats. That's a relief—at least the status window isn't completely gone... But if I stream, my face will be out there. What if someone tries to kidnap me or something? ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠That sounds dangerous..."

"The system can talk? It must be voice recognition! So, System! I can create an avatar for Play Life, raise stats only with donated money, and unlike the avatar, the real me won't get any stat increases, right?"

It was a bit disappointing that I couldn't actually obtain powers like in the original, but after thinking about it, there wasn't really any need to use abilities in reality anyway, and it wouldn't interfere with enjoying the play worlds. Satisfied, I tapped the next tab.

"Everything looks good. If I can enter creative works, the obvious starting point is One Piece, right? I only know up to Fish-Man Island, but there's always the wiki, and once I get more viewers they can fill me in on the rest. Should be fine. Before I make the avatar, I should check the gacha first."

1 Pull = 10,000 won

10 Pulls = 90,000 won

Premium Pull = 100,000 won

10 Premium Pulls = 900,000 won

Is this like the free first pull they give you in mobile gacha games? I thought. Since there was no visible "free pull" button, I hesitantly tapped the 10 Premium Pulls option.

"Yes!"

Flash!

The moment I agreed, golden light burst from the screen. When the light faded, the list that appeared made my mouth split open in a massive grin as I danced around the room like a madman.

"Hell yeah! I really am the man of fortune now that I've obtained Play Life! A Zanpakuto! It might be a weak one, but at least it's a guaranteed baseline... Next is the Devil Fruit... I don't have to eat it myself; I can give it to a future crewmate later, so that's fine. The Information Deletion Ticket is probably similar to the original's memory erasure. Mental Resistance is useful, and Hacking would be completely broken in modern settings. My early gacha luck is insane. Must be because I've lived a good life, huh? Alright! Time to create my avatar and head to One Piece first."

When I tapped Avatar Creation, the system's voice rang out.

"Can I customize the appearance automatically but set the stats manually?"

"So I raise them by pressing the plus buttons... System! What's the limit for the initial setup?"

"Got it. So what should I raise first? Stamina? Strength? Agility?"

But my eyes kept drifting to the very bottom—Vigor. My brain screamed that I shouldn't, but my hand slowly moved toward it anyway. In the end, I gave up and decided to think positively.

"That's right! For a man, vigor is everything. The other stats are only a little lower than the starting point in the original; I can just train harder once I get there."

After raising the stat rank, I looked at the automatically generated avatar's appearance. The automatic customization performed far better than expected. The looks were extremely satisfying—188 centimeters tall with a well-proportioned, muscular build. The face looked like a handsome actor with great aura. I smiled in deep satisfaction and lowered my gaze to the lower half.

"Whoa... It's handsome as hell. Too ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bad I can't have this face in real life. And little Jin...? System, can I modify the customization? I think it should be at least 18 centimeters."

"Nice! Thanks, System! This is perfect. The other stats are a bit low so I'm a little nervous, but it'll work out somehow... I've done everything, so let's get started!"

I selected One Piece from the play list. A moment later, several character backgrounds appeared, and it seemed I had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to choose one.

"Number one is forced gender-bender, huh? A female streamer would probably have higher success rates, but since my goal is a harem, I should go with number two. It's a shame there's no Conqueror's Haki, but not having it doesn't mean I'm weak... System, I'll start with number two, Jin!"

"Yes! Set the starting point to two years before Luffy sets sail... Can I also set the location?"

"Then I'll naturally run into Luffy first!"

The play life begins.