Chapter 1: Restart on a Pirate Island With a Comic System

Ye Fan’s body felt drained. His legs were sore after the long walk home from work. As he stepped into the apartment complex, he looked up at the towering skyscrapers, marveling at the hustle and bustle of city life.

“Ding dong!”

Suddenly, his phone buzzed in his pocket, snapping him out of his thoughts.

Ye Fan’s expression shifted as he hurriedly answered, “Hello? Mom, is your health okay?”

He asked with genuine concern.

“You’re already 27. Can’t you find someone? Today, our neighbor’s daughter-in-law gave birth to a big, healthy boy and came over just to show off. Can’t you at least try…”

Ye Fan’s mother continued nagging him nonstop over the phone.

Ye Fan managed a weary smile, holding the phone away from his ear as he tried to escape her barrage. “Hey, Mom, the signal might be bad over here—I can’t really hear you. Beep, beep, beep…”

He hung up, hoping to buy himself a little peace.

“Why is she even nagging about marriage these days? Seriously…”

Ye Fan sighed, longing for freedom. He wasn’t ready for a relationship, not after seeing so many dramatic stories around him. The last thing he wanted was to step into the so-called grave of marriage so soon.

Finally, he reached his apartment door, pulled out his keys, and went inside.

This cramped apartment was clearly his haven from the world.

Here, he could drop every mask and just be himself.

“Ding dong!”

Ye Fan glanced at his group chat and saw that Team Leader Zhou had tagged him again, urging him to find some design references. He remembered he still needed to search for character references for the new comic, or he’d have nothing to submit tomorrow.

He sighed to himself, “When will this miserable office worker life end? I thought studying computer science in college would land me a good job, but who knew I’d end up doing comic design?”

Talking as he moved, he dragged out his chair, booted up his computer, and fired up his favorite game—League of Legends.

Ye Fan hoped to find some comfort in gaming, maybe rediscover his true self in a virtual world and blow off some steam.

“Let’s play Garen top lane today.”

Muttering to himself, he queued for ranked and locked in his hero.

Next, he headed to the fridge, grabbed a bottle of soda, then sat back at his chair, completely focused on the game ahead.

With each match, Ye Fan’s mood simmered down, letting his mind slip away from work and stress.

His eyes grew sharper, fingers tapping across the keyboard with skill and speed, charging into battle alongside his chosen hero.

That night, Ye Fan lost himself in games, sweeping aside all his real-world worries for a while.

He was just an ordinary young man—longing for freedom, hoping for a purpose only a virtual world could seem to give.

But he had no idea his life was about to change completely—turning everything upside down.

……

A new world. A nameless, wild island.

Ye Fan shivered.

Cool air brushed his skin as he sprang upright, taking in his unfamiliar surroundings, hands examining his body.

Am I dreaming? It feels so real.

Ye Fan shut his eyes tight and scrubbed them with his hands.

But when he opened them again, stunned, nothing had changed. Animal calls echoed across the island and he could hear the waves slapping the shore.

Sunset was already painting the sky, but something felt off. Suddenly, a flood of strange memories crashed into his mind…

I’m Ye Fan. No, I’m Lux D. Carl. I’m eighteen. When I set out to sea with my parents, pirates attacked. I escaped in the chaos but a storm swept me onto this island—and this body drowned. So… did my soul transmigrate? Holy crap, I’ve crossed into another world!

It finally clicked—he must have transmigrated. In a panic, he yanked down his pants and looked himself over. Hmm. Not bad.

He never expected to be in someone else’s body, but now he had to take stock.

From Carl’s memories, he’d set sail with his parents on a merchant ship, but pirates had ambushed them. In the chaos, he thought he heard them mention looking for a Devil Fruit.

The only thing he managed to grab from the ship was a box. Just one, randomly snatched amid the panic. It wasn’t big, but—could it be the Devil Fruit?

For now, survival mattered most. After all, this was a world of pirates. Even a wild animal here could finish him off in seconds.

“System, are you there? Hello? System?!”

Carl called out anxiously. In every transmigration story, the protagonist always got some cheat, right?

As his plea lingered in the air, he sensed a faint energy rising inside him, as if something was answering.

A flash appeared before his eyes, slowly swirling together until it formed a blue, holographic humanoid figure.

“Hello, Carl. I am the Guoman System. My mission is to help you survive in this unfamiliar world.”

The Guoman System’s voice was icy cold, like an automated program stuck on default.

At least this cheat was easy enough to understand. From the name, it must be related to characters from Chinese animation—maybe other two-dimensional sources too. Luckily, he loved anime and could recognize a lot, even if not every single one.

He did wonder, was this all some prank by powerful people? Maybe there were even spectators watching him right now. (Just a little author’s mischief!)

But right now, he had no way to fight back.

And Ye Fan—no, now he was Carl.

Carl was certain he had a golden cheat now.

There was no time to open the system panel. He quickly scanned the area for shelter—on an uninhabited island, there wouldn’t be something as convenient as a house.

Glancing around as the sky darkened, he hurried.

He found a giant tree and climbed it right away.

Trees in this pirate world were truly massive. This one must take at least five grown men to wrap their arms around. And it was just a random pick.

Fortunately, it was thick enough for Carl to scramble up quickly. He settled on a sturdy branch about ten meters off the ground.

Perched on the trunk, Carl tightly gripped a thick branch. His body trembled as he stared up at the black sky, moonlight trickling down. He had to admit—he was a little afraid of heights.

“System, what can you do?”

Carl was shivering from the cold, but curiosity and longing sparkled in his eyes. He wanted to know what powers the system offered.

He watched the blue figure before him expectantly, while keeping a wary eye on his surroundings. He didn’t want to die here before even using his cheat.

“Hello, host. I am the Guoman System. This system contains all sorts of templates from the Chinese animation and gaming characters you know.”

Again, the Guoman System delivered its robotic, chilly reply.

Carl’s eyes glowed with excitement. He knew there were some absurdly powerful characters in Chinese animation—if he could get their templates, life would get a whole lot easier!

After all, a normal guy like him stood no chance of surviving in a pirate world otherwise.

And being a huge fan of Chinese animation, the idea of obtaining character templates thrilled him.

“There are also all sorts of skills, talents, and equipment from Chinese animation.”

The system continued, its words holding limitless possibilities.

Carl’s eyes widened in disbelief. He’d thought templates were powerful enough, but now skills, talents, and equipment too? He was overjoyed.

Did that mean he could get techniques like the Nine Yang Divine Skill, Qi Body Origin Flow, or Six Vaults Immortal Thief?

“Because transporting you to the pirate world cost a lot of energy, currently only the lottery function is available. You get one normal draw a month, and one unrestricted draw a year.”

The system added, sounding almost regretful.

“To unlock more rewards and features, please disrupt the main timeline of the pirate world as soon as possible.”

Carl made up his mind on the spot. He had to mess with the world’s timeline and get more system rewards.

That was the only way he’d survive here.

Still, Carl frowned slightly. While just having the lottery was a bit disappointing, he already had a powerful cheat—the perfect footing for surviving the pirate world.

He finally relaxed a bit, leaning back against the trunk, eyes shining at the hologram. His heart was pounding with anticipation. He knew calm days were already behind him.

And with this Guoman System—offering templates, skills, talents, and gear—his odds of making something of himself here had just skyrocketed.