Ballad of the Crows

It was a day like any other. As the first light burst into the room, I woke up slowly, got up, washed my face and teeth, then went to eat something before grabbing my wallet and leaving. That's the last thing I remember. Now I'm in a dark space as far as my eyes can see.

After floating in this endless darkness for who knows how long, I saw a small flash start to get brighter with each passing second until suddenly, light surrounded everything in sight.

Suddenly, I found myself in front of an old man who, because of the light, I couldn't see directly.

Elder: Sorry to keep you waiting, my guest.

Katahara: Who are you? Where am I?

God: Ah, yes. I think introductions would be in order. Well, Katahara, I am what you would know as "God," the one above all. Although that's not the exact term, it's the closest thing. And where you are right now is in a space apart from all existence. And no, you are not dead, but I think you already knew that.

This "God" in front of me is the creator of everything, and I'm in his presence. Just when I was going to try to kneel before God, I found I couldn't move my body.

God: Easy, YOU, you don't have to kneel. And even if you tried, it wouldn't be possible because you don't have a body as such yet. I brought you here to fulfill your promise, Katahara.

Katahara: I don't remember being much of a believer in religion.

God: Hahahaha... you certainly weren't. But that's not important. The promise I'm referring to is why you were able to have a peaceful life.

Katahara: You mean I have this life because of a promise I made before... so I'm living a second life. That's a little hard to believe.

God: You had a very stormy life, my dear Thanatos. With time, you will recover everything about your past life.

Katahara: Thanatos, that name sounds familiar.

God: You were a conqueror in your old life, and in your next life, you will be again, but now under my command.

Katahara: It seems I have no choice...

God: No, you have no choice. I gave you two peaceful lives. In return, you promised to be my sword, and now it's time to deliver.

Katahara: I guess being God, you wouldn't lie. What should I do?

God: The darkness is coming, and it is devouring everything in its path. I cannot intervene directly, or it would provoke forces that stand on the sidelines to intervene. And if that happens, it would destroy all existence. That is why I have other people doing it for me. Other lesser gods are protecting their respective worlds. Your duty will be to stop that darkness and eliminate it if possible.

Katahara: Then my duty is to go to worlds where this darkness is and eliminate it. How will I do that?

God: Before you start thinking about confronting the darkness, you need to be strong enough and have a force behind you to do it. That is why I will give you three wishes.

Katahara: If I understood correctly, you want me to face alone a thing that is destroying entire worlds, and you will only give me three wishes to be able to do it.

God: I never said you would have to be alone. Three wishes are the most I can give you. There are limitations in existence and I can only grant you three. And these wishes must not exceed certain rules.

Katahara: I think I have an idea of what you are trying to say. First of all, which world will I reincarnate to?

God: You will reincarnate to a world of your choice. The first two worlds you will visit will be selected by you. You will have to be strong enough after two worlds, so choose well.

Katahara: Can I choose the worlds I want, even if they are only from anime, novels or movies?

God: If those worlds exist and they are from the thousands of worlds you will have to save.

After some thought, Katahara made a decision.

Katahara: Well, the world I want to go to is the world of One Piece. Can I choose the time I want to be reincarnated in?

God: Granted. Choose which era you want to be reincarnated in.

Surprised by what God just said, Katahara spoke up.

Katahara: Wait, I'm not the only one who has this opportunity. It's like those fanfics I usually read.

God: Although you're the first one I'm doing this with, those lesser gods do it in their respective worlds to solve local problems. So it wouldn't be surprising if you meet some of them on your journey.

Katahara: That's interesting. I want to reincarnate two years before Luffy starts his adventure. And my first wish is to have a system with all the powers from anime, manga, and different novels I've read.

God: Well, you'll have your system. That's interesting. You'll have a lot of room for improvement with this.

Katahara: Hmm, I guess it's okay. My second wish is to be reincarnated as Otsutsuki Indra along with all the talent he possessed, but please let me make a few adjustments to his appearance.

God: Well, although you could have chosen your appearance in the end, doing it with a wish is a bit silly. To make up for your mistake, I will give you the talent of an incomparable genius.

After a few moments of thinking about what wish he could make, Katahara decided.

Katahara: I could save my last wish for when I need it. Right now, I can't think of what else I could wish for.

God: That's a smart thing to do. Well then, that would be it. I hope you have a good trip and enjoy every moment.

After saying that, God gave a clap and Katahara disappeared.

God: Thanatos, I hope you get to the godhead in time to be able to stop the chaos. That fucker must pay for what he did.

[System linked to the host's soul....

[Processing.....1%....50%.....85%.....100%.]

[System merging process complete.

Welcome Host]

[Greetings, Host. I am the system. You may now modify your appearance so that you can begin your journey.]

Katahara: Well, let's start modifying. First, let's fix those eyebrows. They are too far apart and look like two dots. Well, now let's reduce the hair a little. Now it's perfect. Let's also eliminate those two tufts of hair on the sides. Ready? Now let's see. Your height of 6.2 feet would be fine. Also, I will wear the clothes that Dante wears in Devil May Cry 5. I think that's it. System, tell me what your functions are before you are reborn.

[The system consists of separate functions for the host to use, namely: the store function, the status function, and the summon function.]

[Shop: In the store, the host can buy all kinds of things that will help them with system credits. The host will receive system credits for killing monsters and/or people, depending on how strong they are. Skills, weapons and armor, clothing, healing items, power items, support or temporary power-ups are available for purchase in the store.]

Status: Shows the host their current status information. Status information includes name, race, lineage, skills, equipment, and the current amount of system credits and money.

Lottery: Lottery tickets are awarded to the host as a gift by performing different actions during their journey. Lottery tickets can be used in the lottery, which can award the host with a multitude of different prizes. The prizes are organized by grade: silver, gold, and diamond.

In the prizes, the host can get things like skills, weapons, treasures, and characters from anime, manga, and novels.

Katahara: Awesome, that's all, system.

[The system starts the rebirth process, entering the world of One Piece...3...2...1...]

Towards my new adventure, where I will definitely make sure to live without regrets.