Dream Online

"Wow! Is this the Dream Domain?" The man with the Straw Hat exclaimed in surprise, like a wild man coming down from the mountain for the first time.

Although he knew that the dream realm belonged to that man, given Luffy's personality, he simply couldn't resist learning about such a novel thing. Not to mention that he had heard people around him mention this fantastical world more than once on his journey to the New World, and his heart was itching like a cat. Finally, he couldn't resist and, under the guidance of others, bought a Dream Transmitter, which was said to be able to integrate his own dreams into the Dream Domain that gathered countless dreams.

"There are so many people, what should I do now?" Soon, looking at the surging crowd around him, Luffy was confused. He had only asked how to enter this world, but not what to do after entering it.

"By the way, I think I heard those people say that in this world, you can become stronger as long as you keep fighting. Should I go find someone to fight now and test the results of my training over the past two years?" Luffy's eyes shone brighter and brighter. This kind of world where you can become stronger just by fighting is just too amazing.

"However, I am too strong now. It would be bad if I accidentally killed someone. I should go and fight the strongest person in this village."

Luffy looked around and felt somewhat disappointed, thinking that there didn't seem to be any truly strong people in the village. He stopped a passing uncle and asked, "Uncle, do you know who is the strongest in this village?"

"Who are you? Why are you asking this?" The person who was stopped looked down on Luffy, who was dressed in a white suit, and said impatiently.

"Isn't it said that you can become stronger by defeating your enemies in this world? If that's the case, then the stronger the enemies I defeat, the more benefits I'll gain, right?" Luffy rubbed his hands together, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

The other person was completely dumbfounded. Where did this level 1 newbie get such confidence? And where did the monsters in the safe zone come from? Could this guy really be a savage who ran away from some island?

With a sudden thought, he pointed at the village gate with a rather wicked grin and said, "See those two guards? They're the strongest in the village. However, they usually won't pay attention to your provocations unless you attack them first."

"Thanks, uncle." Luffy waved without turning his head, and answered the first question in passing, "By the way, my name is Monkey D. Luffy, and I'm going to be the Pirate Kings!"

"Sigh, I didn't expect it to be another pervert who covets Nightmare's beauty!"

"With armor and weapons, you do look much stronger than the others. Alright, you're the ones I choose." Luffy nodded in satisfaction, blocking the entrance where the crowd was surging, and said apologetically to the guards, "Although I have no grudge against you, I have a reason to become stronger, so I have no choice but to defeat you. Sorry."

The crowd, who were initially annoyed by Luffy standing in the middle of the gate, suddenly widened their eyes. Did they hear that right? This level 1 rookie was going to provoke a level 30 guard?

Now they no longer cared about Luffy's rudeness and made way for him, ready to watch a tragedy unfold.

"Rubber Rocket... Huh? Why can't my arms grow longer? Where's my Devil Fruit Ability?" Luffy, with his hands behind his back, bumped into the guard's arms, looking completely bewildered.

The guard lowered his head indifferently, a crimson glint flashing in his mechanical eyes.

Click!

Luffy is dead!

"Aaaaaah! It hurts, it hurts so much, it hurts so much!" Luffy, who had transformed into a ray of light and Luffy back to his original position, clutched his head and rolled around on the ground in agony. It took him about 5 minutes to finally stop howling, his face still showing lingering fear. The pain that penetrated to the very soul was beyond words.

"Uh... you actually went to challenge the guards!" The uncle who had misled Luffy earlier was now completely bewildered and said awkwardly.

"Yes, they are really strong!" Luffy was unwilling, but he didn't hold a grudge against the old man. After all, in his opinion, he was the one who asked the old man to tell him who was the strongest in the village, so he couldn't blame anyone else.

"By the way, uncle, why have all my strength and abilities disappeared?"

"Don't you know? In this brand new world, everyone starts from the same point... Well, maybe that's not quite right, since your combat experience can still be retained." Seeing that the idiot in front of him had been tricked by him but still didn't complain, he felt a little embarrassed and patiently explained to Luffy.

"Combat experience..." Luffy looked up at the sky speechlessly. His combat experience was all based on his Devil Fruit Ability. How was he supposed to compete with that?

"Forget it, it's just starting over." Luffy gritted his teeth, regaining his resolve. "Anyway, I can keep reviving in this dream world, so what if..."

"Wait, don't do anything reckless!" The uncle hurriedly stopped Luffy's crazy actions. "Dying in this dream doesn't come without a price. The reason you were in so much pain just now was because a part of your soul was torn apart..."

"Is that so?" Luffy said weakly, but he didn't feel resentful. After all, in his opinion, this was already much better than the real world that couldn't be restarted.

"Yes, the soul you lose each time you die requires about 5 levels to replenish."

"Hey, can it be fixed?"

"Of course! Otherwise, how could Dream Online be considered a paradise for the strong and a graveyard for the weak? As long as you keep killing monsters and leveling up, your soul reflected in reality will also continue to grow stronger. In fact, in my opinion, the strongest in this Dream Online world will definitely become the strongest in the real world in the future!"

"Hiss..." Luffy gasped, then quickly asked, "Can it become even stronger than Nightmare?"

"Um... I guess not." The uncle sighed, looking at Luffy with the kind of pitying gaze one might give someone mentally challenged.

"Well..." Luffy was about to continue asking when he suddenly heard someone mention a title that he cared about a lot.

"Have you heard? That directionally challenged, Seaweed Head actually killed a powerful monster like a slime with a single sword strike in Sky City. He might be about to reach level 90 by now."

"I think it's more than that. With his crazy fighting style, it's not impossible for him to even get a second job advancement at level 100."

"That's terrifying. I heard he's died no less than ten times. You know, the pain of death increases with each death. If it were me, I probably would have collapsed by the third time."

"That's why, even starting from the same point, others can go further than us. But his name is really strange. Who would give themselves a name like that?"

"I don't know, maybe they're worried about people in the real world seeking revenge."

Luffy to the side, had been listening in a daze for a long time. Only after the two had walked away did he come back to his senses and excitedly said, "That's right, it must be Zoro. Only he would know this name."

Immediately, Luffy was moved to tears, saying, "Zoro hates being called that the most, but now he's willing to make such a sacrifice to lure us to find him. It's so touching!"

"No, I have to go find him right away. Sky City, here I come!" Luffy ran happily towards the edge of the village, waving his hand as he went. "Uncle, thank you."

The uncle stood there, completely bewildered. "Sky City, you didn't even ask how to teleport there! Besides, you're just a level 1 newbie; the monsters outside are..."

"Oh no!" The uncle's pupils contracted, and he hurriedly shouted, "Don't go out! It's very dangerous outside..."

Before the uncle could finish speaking, a beam of soul light flashed before his eyes, and the familiar scream rang out again.

"... That was dangerous!"