One Piece: Mangaka of Legends

The salty breeze carried us forward, our stolen boat cutting through the waves with ease. Luffy sat cross-legged at the front, looking completely at peace as he stared at the vast ocean. Coby, on the other hand, was fidgeting nervously, his hands gripping the sides of the boat as if expecting it to flip at any second.

I let out a small sigh and pulled out my notebook. The system had given me a clear mission—create and submit my first manga chapter. There was no paper shortage in this world, but getting the right tools was another thing entirely. For now, I'd have to make do with charcoal and whatever scraps I could find.

As I started sketching, Coby finally broke the silence. "Ren, if you don't mind me asking… what exactly are you doing?"

"Drawing," I answered without looking up.

Coby peeked over my shoulder, his eyes widening as he took in the details. "Whoa! That's amazing! What is it?"

"A story. A really good one."

Luffy, hearing the conversation, scooted closer. "Eh? What kinda story? Is it about pirates?"

I smirked. "Something like that."

In truth, I was redrawing Naruto—or at least the first volume. The familiarity of the panels, the flow of the story, it all came back to me as if I had drawn it a thousand times before. My hands moved on their own, outlining young Naruto's defiant grin, the symbol of Konoha on his forehead protector, and the mysterious presence of the Nine-Tails looming in the background.

[New Mission Completed: Sketch the Future] [Reward: +5% Synchronization with Sukuna Template]

Nice.

Just as I finished the last panel of Chapter 1, I felt a strange pulse of energy. My sketchbook shimmered, and the pages flipped on their own as if possessed. Then, just like that, the pages vanished.

I blinked. "...Huh?"

[Your first manga volume has been published worldwide.] [Current Sales: 0] [Title: Naruto – Volume 1]

Wait. What?

I barely had time to process what just happened before Luffy pointed toward the horizon. "Land!"

Coby gasped. "That must be Shells Town!"

Right. This was where we'd meet Zoro. Things were still on track.

We pulled into the small harbor, tying the boat to a post before stepping onto solid ground. Marines were patrolling, but they barely gave us a second glance. Coby looked around nervously, but Luffy, being Luffy, walked straight toward trouble.

Before I could warn him, a loud shriek pierced the air. "KYA! You meanie! How dare you?!"

I turned toward the commotion and saw a young woman—clearly a noble—surrounded by a group of commoners. She was clutching a broken fan, glaring at them like they had personally insulted her entire lineage.

"I said buy me another one! Now!" she demanded, stomping her foot.

The commoners exchanged helpless looks. "B-But, Lady Helmeppo, we don't have that kind of money…"

Oh. So this was Helmeppo's sister? Interesting.

Luffy tilted his head. "She's loud."

Coby looked mortified. "S-She's the daughter of the Marine captain! We should avoid her!"

I, however, was more interested in the background. Among the passing civilians, whispers were starting to spread.

"Did you see this?"

"Yeah, it's all over! This story called Naruto!"

"I don't know who made it, but it's incredible! The kid turned into a massive fox monster! And that fight with Mizuki? Crazy!"

I nearly tripped.

Already? It's only been a few minutes!

[Current Sales: 12,750 Copies Sold]

Holy—

Luffy scratched his head. "Eh? What's Naruto?"

A burly fisherman nearby turned, eyes sparkling. "Oh, you don't know? It's this new manga that just appeared! It's about this orphan kid, and he has this monster inside him! But no one respects him, so he wants to prove himself!"

"That sounds like a real underdog story," another man chimed in. "The first volume ends with him finally learning a super cool technique! I can't wait for more!"

I fought the urge to grin. People were talking about it.

And it was only the beginning.

We continued walking toward the Marine base, the whispers following us everywhere. The closer we got, the more people seemed obsessed with my manga.

Then, the system pinged again.

[Current Sales: 50,000 Copies] [New Reward: F-Rank Dungeon Key Granted]

I stopped in my tracks.

Dungeon…?

Before I could fully process it, a loud voice boomed ahead.

"TIE HIM TO THAT CROSS! LEAVE HIM TO ROT!"

We turned the corner, and there he was—Zoro. Bound, battered, but still glaring defiantly at the Marines.

Luffy's grin widened. "There he is. Let's go say hi!"

I exhaled, rolling my shoulders. Between this dungeon key, my rising fame, and meeting Zoro, things were about to get really interesting.