Is he hacking?

(Third Person POV)

"Sir! Come quickly to the control room! I think we have a hacker!" A panicked worker busted into the room.

The man he was addressing turned around, with an expression one would have when looking at a dumbass.

"A hacker. Are you serious?"

"Y-yes, sir! A hacker!"

"How in the hell would we be hacked? Not only do we have technology leagues ahead of quite literally anyone in the world, but we are backed by the UN. The United Nations. You know... the coalition of some of the biggest global superpowers to exist. Ever heard of it?" The man stared at his subordinate in exasperation and annoyance.

"B-but sir! There's no other way!"

The superior sighed. "You know what? I'll humor you. Let's say that hypothetically, someone managed to get past literal military-grade firewalls and hack a technology that only OUR COMPANY has, and even managed to get past our literal SUPER-AI who could literally take over the world if we wanted it to. What did this so-called 'hacker' do?"

"He... got some abilities in Grand Line way earlier than he should've."

"Frankly, I want whatever the fuck you're smoking. So this 'super-elite-hacker' infiltrated us... not to steal our technology. Not to look into our AI. But to get a minor advantage in the game that we made? Which, to this day, I still don't understand why the hell the CEO developed literal SkyNet only to use it to make a game.

But hey, there's a reason why he's Goda, and I'm not. You know what? Take me to the control room. If this isn't some valid reason, I'm punching you in the face. I may not be able to fire you since you're related to some of the higher-ups, but I can definitely smack you."

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"So... you want me to believe. That this player, Tarnished is a hacker because he managed to activate a questline early in the game?"

"You don't understand, sir! His movements are way too suspicious! First, he already knew about Gol D. Roger, Silvers Rayleigh, and multiple other figures. Then, he deliberately put the D initial in his name, and he even completed the quest for it! This should not have happened on the first day!"

"Tell me then. What 'should' he have done to trigger this 'legitimately'?"

"Well, first, he should've already been extremely high level on a character. Then, through talking to one of the key figures, such as Rayleigh or Shanks, he would learn about the Will of D. He would continue through their questlines to find out more about the Will of D, and their potential. Through this, he would then have to make the decision to completely wipe his character, and create a new one with the D initial. From there, he should use stories told to him about Roger's early fighting habits from Rayleigh or Shanks to dispatch the young Roger after many tries."

"First of all... why the hell is it so convoluted? Second of all... you ever think that maybe... he just got lucky?"

"There's no reason he would allow himself to die that many times to get the Will of D without knowing what it is!"

"Maybe he's insane, or stubborn?"

"He knew about the D initial!"

"What if he just thought it was a cool initial?"

"He knew the true surname of Gol D. Roger!"

"A good guess, maybe?"

"And about Rocks D. Xebec!"

"Alright, so maybe he knew a few things he shouldn't have. But that doesn't mean he's a hacker."

"You're right, sir. I was too impulsive. It's clear that he's actually an ex-company worker!"

"We keep track of literally everyone who has ever participated in the creation of the game. This kid is not one of them."

"Maybe he's related to one of them. It might be nepotism!"

"And? What if he is? First of all, you have no proof. Second of all, even if we did have proof, we can't interfere with any players, no matter what, remember? Goda made it so only the AI, Eichiro, has any ability to interfere with the game once it's launched."

"Alright then, let's consult Eichiro, then!"

The superior put a hand on his forehead, sighing. "Why are you so obsessed with this, anyway?"

The worker replied, "I'm not letting the game everyone in the company worked so hard to make to be ruined by some hacker!"

"We... literally only oversaw the development. Eichiro did everything." The supervisor sighed once again. "You know what... let's just go consult Eichiro."

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Soon, the supervisor and the worker arrived in front of a control panel. Pressing a few buttons, a hologram of a blank human face popped up, beginning to speak.

"Hello, supervisor Takano Ken, worker Iwasaki Yuji. How can I help you today?"

The worker, now known as Yuji, spoke up. "Eichiro! Find everything you can on the player 'Tarnished'. We suspect foul play!"

Eichiro responded. "Running records. Nothing of note has been found."

Eichiro paused for a second. "I just got a message from Goda himself. He said not to worry about that player, or anything else about the game. 'Just let it run by itself', he said".

Yuji grumbled a little, but ultimately conceded.

The supervisor Ken mumbled to himself a little bit, saying, "Jeez. Sometimes Goda really does feel like a god. He always manages to intervene at the right times. And he managed to create a company with never before seen technology, all to create a single game. Honestly, it wouldn't be that farfetched to say that he really is a god."

He chuckled to himself once more. "What the hell am I saying? The lack of sleep has to be getting to me. There's no way Goda would actually be a god."

Right?

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Back inside the game, Shin was looking at his rewards. Summarizing his thoughts, all he could really conclude is, 'Wow. This is bullshit. In a good way.'

To start, the 'worst' reward he got was [Conqueror's Haki] which is saying an absolute ton. It's description read like this.

[Active Skill: Conqueror's Haki]

[A rare form of Haki, only accessible to those who possess the qualities of a king. In it's most basic form, it is used to exert one's willpower over others.]

Already, this was an incredible skill, but the next few skills were even more broken.

[Passive Skill: Natural Born Conqueror]

[You have the aura of a natural born conqueror. +100% to Conqueror's Haki Mastery gain. +100% to reputation gain with NPCs]

Next, comes:

[Passive Skill: Will of D]

[You possess the Will of D. +100% reputation gain to friendly NPCs. -100% reputation gain to hostile NPCs. Automatically hated by Celestial Dragons. +50% Haki Mastery gain. +50% mastery gain in any fighting styles. +50% mastery gain in Devil Fruit usage. +10% chance of unlocking ???]

The Will of D by itself is broken, but with Unbreakable Willpower stacked on, it was even better.

[Passive Skill: Unbreakable Willpower]

[You possess an unbreakable will. +100% Haki Mastery gain. +500% resistance to Conqueror's Haki. +50% mastery in anything related to fighting. +20% chance of unlocking ???]

Finally, last, but not least, was Haki Prodigy.

[Passive Skill: Haki Prodigy]

[You are a prodigy in the ways of Haki. +200% Haki Mastery gain]

Overall, only one word could be used to describe Shin. Cheat.