The sea was silent.
Not the silence of peace, but the void after devastation. Egghead Island was scorched and barren, its futuristic skyline reduced to molten scrap. Bodies and fragments of genius intellects littered the ground. Once the vanguard of humanity's advancement, now ash before a single man's wrath.
Figarland Shamrock stood atop the central tower, Cerberus sheathed at his back. The blade pulsed, whispering in inaudible tones only he could perceive. His eyes narrowed as a low hum filled the air.
[System Synchronization Complete] [Host Designation: Absolute Authority Confirmed]
Shamrock furrowed his brow.
[Now commencing Core Revelation Protocol...]
The wind grew still. And then it came.
A voice, not of the world, not of the system, but of something ancient, primal, and alive.
"You are finally ready, Shamrock."
The commander turned his head sharply. The sound came not from around him, but within. Deep inside his consciousness, a gate opened. He was no longer in the physical world.
He stood within a void.
Before him floated a monstrous shadow—a triple-headed beast formed of flame, darkness, and bone. Each of its heads spoke in turn.
"We are Cerberus."
"Devourer of Will."
"Weapon of the Abyss."
Shamrock stared unflinching. "What is this place? What are you?"
The center head growled. "We are the fruit of chaos, once banished to the deepest sea prison and sealed inside a devil fruit by the ancestors of Im. Our soul was severed... scattered through dimensions. You are one such shard."
The truth settled like molten iron in Shamrock's mind.
"So, I... didn't transmigrate by accident."
The left head rumbled. "Correct. Your soul drifted beyond time, drawn here by resonance with us. You became our host, and thus... the Cerberus System was born."
Shamrock clenched his fists.
"You gave me power. Let me feed on enemies. Grow endlessly. But why? Why wait until now to tell me?"
The right head bared its fangs. "Because until the Protagonist was slain, the chains of narrative could not be broken. So long as Luffy lived, the System was fragmented, vulnerable."
The center head leaned forward.
"But now… with the Sun extinguished, we are whole. We no longer need to pretend."
[Cerberus System Fully Integrated] [No further restrictions apply]
[Host may now absorb entire locations, lifeforces, phenomena, and plot devices.]
Shamrock's eyes gleamed. "So, this... is my true beginning."
A surge of power shot through his body. His Haki ignited, not as aura—but as a black flame laced with triple echoes, mimicking Cerberus's howl.
He dropped to one knee, then rose slowly reborn not just as a wielder, but as the embodiment of the system itself.
[Blood Sword Cerberus: True Form Unlocked] [Skill Obtained: Authority Over Narrative Threads]
The triple-headed shadow grinned.
"You are now the slayer of fates. Rewrite the world."
When Shamrock awoke, the world felt... lighter. Or perhaps he had grown too heavy for the world to bear.
He unsheathed Cerberus, the sword now bearing its true face—three snarling maws running down its blade, each with an open eye that glowed faintly.
"Then let the next act begin."