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"That card in your hand is the only way you can enter the game world."

"I specifically designed it to allow its holder to access the game world before the official launch date. Your presence here means you're a special individual."

"The holder of the red invitation card can bring their followers into the game world once before the official launch date. This means they'll play as a group, and all their crew members will be assigned as their followers when starting from level one."

"The holder of the blue invitation card, however, can only enter alone, playing as a solo player."

After Rob said this, Roger, Kaido, and Whitebeard looked at the red invitation cards in their hands and smiled as they realized their advantages.

As for Shiki, Bullet, Redfield, and World, all of them had blue cards. The same applied to Mihawk, Issho, Doflamingo, and others.

"Step forward and place your cards on the altar in the center of the black room…"

Rob pointed to the altar, upon which the Sea Planet was floating.

"When you place your cards there, a special capsule will appear beside each of you. Since everyone is inside the Art Store, the size of each of your bodies has been adjusted to the natural height of a human… Hence, the capsules are perfectly sized for each of you."

"The time in the game world is much longer compared to real-world time… An hour for the player could be equivalent to over ten years in the game world."

"Before the official game launch, character leveling is not possible, but executive skill training is, as it depends on your efforts."

"Remember, your primary mission is not to complete quests in the game world or expand the map, but to discover bugs and anomalies within the game world."

"Again, remember this… When you enter, don't be deceived… The world may appear real, but it is still a virtual world. Don't lose touch with reality."

"The most important thing is that everything you learn in the game world will carry over to reality… From now on, the balance of power in this world will no longer exist."

"But no matter how high you rise, I will always be the sky you cannot surpass. So if you have any reckless ideas, you'd better think carefully about them…"

Kaido shuddered under Rob's piercing gaze as he said this.

Although Rob was only looking at him through the broadcast screen, Kaido was certain that his final words were directed squarely at him.

But was Kaido afraid? Not at all. On the contrary, he was excited! The stronger his enemy was—enough to drive him to despair—the more Kaido felt an insane urge to bring down this "sky," as Rob called himself.

'Sky's Sword… You truly are a formidable foe… But I am Kaido, and one day, I will surpass you. Just wait.'

Kaido suppressed his anger and hatred, keeping them hidden. He stepped forward and placed his red invitation card on the One Piece game altar.

The altar glowed red, and dozens of capsules materialized out of thin air, capturing the attention of Kaido, Queen, King, Jack, and the rest of the Beasts Pirates.

"So, this tiny thing will separate us from reality? How far has Rob mastered technology? First, the Art Store, and now this game he keeps talking about? I hope it's as exciting as he claims and doesn't disappoint me. Worororo!"

Kaido laughed as he approached a specific capsule, which opened on its own the moment he touched it.

The capsule's design was simple, resembling a tall, white egg without any ornamentation, connected to the altar by a white cord.

Kaido and his followers entered their capsules silently, without any commotion.

A similar scene occurred with Roger's Pirates, Whitebeard's Pirates, and Shiki's group.

Rob stood quietly, watching as everyone entered the white capsules.

"What do these capsules do?" Olivia, standing beside him, asked at that moment. She had no intention of starting the game yet; she would join when the time came.

Even Robin, sitting under his shoulder, felt curious. The same curiosity arose in Yamato, Hancock, Sonia, and Marigold.

"The role of these capsules is simple. They allow the soul to transfer into the game world while perfectly protecting the body and maintaining the link between the body and the soul. Without this capsule, the soul could enter the game world but wouldn't be able to return."

Rob explained carefully.

Olivia's eyes widened as she realized the gravity of the matter.

"So, it's closer to death than ever before?"

"That's why the game world is located inside the Art Store. Everyone is safe here, so you can play with peace of mind."

Olivia realized her mistake and smiled gently. "That's true. There's no place safer in this world than the Art Store."

Roger opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was darkness, followed by a screen of light appearing before him in the next moment.

It seemed mysterious yet tangible, as Roger realized at that moment.

"This is interesting," Roger said as the first words appeared on the screen of light.

[Welcome, player, to the game world - One Piece]

[What name would you like to use in the game? (Note: Player names cannot be changed once decided.)]

Roger hesitated for a moment before deciding on his in-game name.

"Since my counterpart already exists in the game world, there can't be two Rogers. Let's go with Gold."

Roger decided his in-game name would be Gold, unaware that this seemingly random choice would become a legendary name, impossible to surpass in the rankings!

[Since the player is male, gender has been set automatically.]

[What age would you like to assign to your character?]

"Hmm? Being 18 years old sounds very interesting!" Roger thought for a while before settling on the beginning of adulthood.

[What race would you like to choose? You can select from the following options:]

When this question appeared, Roger's interest grew. His eyes fell on the many races available for selection, but unfortunately, most of them were locked and unavailable!

"Humans, Longarms, Longlegs, Longnecks! Fishmen, Minks, Giants, Dwarves, Skypieans, Cyborgs, and so much more!"

"Oh, even rare races like Lunarians, Ancient Giants, and Demons! There are races I've never even heard of! My god!"

"Bad, bad, bad! Most of these races can't be selected—they're all locked! Why is that, Rob? I can't even choose to become a Giant! Are you mocking me? I can only pick Fishmen, some human variants, or Minks!"

"Fine, no problem. I'll go with the human race…"

Once Roger decided on the race of his character, new and interesting words appeared.

[Race or additional races can be changed as your character levels up. The world is unimaginably vast, so don't be disheartened.]

As if the system sensed Roger's disappointment, it consoled him at that moment.

"Wahahaha! That's definitely Rob comforting me! Fine, no problem! Humans are the best race anyway…"

[You can design your character as you wish using this template. Please maintain flexibility. Use these assistance tools to customize your in-game character, player!]

At that moment, the scene shifted, revealing a humanoid template resembling a younger version of Roger, which bore an uncanny resemblance to Ace. The template was bald and naked, requiring Roger to make all the adjustments.

"This is really interesting! Wahaha! Let's add some hair! Oh, my precious mustache! There's no way I'm starting this new journey without my mustache! Ah, but how can an 18-year-old have such a manly mustache!?"

"Oh, forget it, it's fine! Even young people can have manly mustaches!"

(Author's note: Just imagine Ace with Roger's mustache; that's Gold's character design.)

"Oh, I'll add this straw hat! Amazing, it looks just like my old one… Add this belt, and this gun! Oh, why is it unloaded?"

"No problem. What about this sword? Why doesn't it work? Is it just an accessory? So the gun is, too? Damn you, Rob! Why are you so stingy!?"

"Oh! This captain's coat is fantastic! I love it—let me add it!"

"How majestic!" After finishing his character design, Roger stood awestruck at his masterpiece.

"This man will be the Pirate King! WAHAHAHA! Let's start the journey!"

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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):

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Chapter 845: Open-World Game!

Chapter 846: Game Over!

Chapter 847: Overcrowded Beginner Village No. 3!

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