"Why are you back so soon?!"
"You didn't just bring back some useless junk, did you?"
"A single trip cost me 2,000 euros! Don't disappoint me, little guy!"
A flood of thoughts raced through David's mind.
In the dimly lit room, he could hear nothing but his own breathing and the faint hum of the city outside. His heartbeat quickened as anticipation mixed with unease.
Taking a deep breath, he summoned the game interface in his mind.
The familiar "Traveling Frog" screen appeared before him. His little frog cub, having just returned from its trip, was calmly reading a book at its desk.
At the same time, David noticed an exclamation mark flashing in the [Travel Specialties] section.
With nervous excitement, he clicked on it.
A new item icon appeared in the once-empty [Specialties] grid. It looked like some kind of fruit.
"Is this...?"
David's pulse raced as he focused on the item's details. A description box popped up:
[Magnetic Fruit]
Origin:One Piece world
Type: Superhuman (Paramecia) Devil Fruit
Abilities: Grants control over magnetism, electricity, and metallic objects. Allows the creation of a magnetic field, enabling metal manipulation.
Awakening Potential: Power scales with the user's strength and creativity.
System Adjustment: Some original drawbacks have been eliminated.
"No way! It's Eustass Kid's Magnet-Magnet Fruit!"
David almost leaped off the bed in excitement.
As a die-hard anime fan, he knew exactly what this meant.
Eustass Kid—one of the infamous Worst Generation captains in One Piece, alongside Luffy and Law—possessed this very fruit. When fully awakened, it allowed him to magnetize anything and form giant metal constructs.
And now, this power belonged to him.
In Night City, a place dominated by cyberware and high-tech weaponry… wouldn't this ability make him unstoppable?!
The system notification appeared again:
[Extract Specialty: Magnetic Fruit?]
David didn't hesitate for even a second.
"YES!"
The next moment, as if a 3D hologram had materialized in real life, a strange fruit formed in his hands.
It was covered in gray spiral patterns, resembling crackling lightning streaks, while a yellow vine curled around its surface like a magnetic coil.
David swallowed hard.
This wasn't just any fruit—it was the key to his survival in this brutal cyberpunk world.
He exhaled sharply.
Even if Devil Fruits were said to taste horrible, he didn't care. If it meant gaining power, he'd eat it in a heartbeat.
With no further hesitation, David took a huge bite.
…
"…Huh? It's actually… delicious?"
David blinked in confusion.
Wasn't a Devil Fruit supposed to taste like pure garbage?
Did the system remove that drawback too?
Shrugging, he finished the rest of the fruit.
The moment he swallowed the last bite, a powerful shockwave pulsed through his body.
His nerves tingled, a strange energy surged through his bloodstream, and an invisible force field seemed to ripple from within him.
David could feel it—an unseen magnetic aura now surrounded his body.
He clenched his fists, feeling his senses heighten.
This power… It's real!
Suddenly, as if responding to his thoughts, his body lifted off the bed—floating weightlessly in the air like a piece of metal caught in a magnetic field.
"Holy shit! I can levitate?!"
Excitement surged through him. If he could control magnetism with precision, could he actually fly?
But before he could celebrate, a sudden wave of exhaustion hit him.
BOOM!
His body crashed back onto the bed.
"…Damn, I overdid it."
Clearly, using this power drained a lot of energy. His stomach, which had felt full from eating the fruit, suddenly growled with hunger.
"Looks like I still need food. The system didn't completely remove all drawbacks."
Even so, David wasn't discouraged.
If he could master this power, he would no longer be just a helpless native struggling to survive in Night City.
In fact, he started thinking of ways to fully develop the fruit's potential.
He grabbed a notebook and pen, then scribbled down ideas:
Electromagnetic Flight: Control magnetic fields to fly, just like Magneto.
Railgun Shots: Use magnetism to launch metal objects at supersonic speeds.
Force Field Creation: Generate an impenetrable magnetic barrier.
Metal Manipulation: Shape metallic objects into weapons, armor, or even giant mechs.
Electromagnetic Cloaking: Bend light around himself to become invisible.
By the time he finished, David had basically turned Magneto into a god-tier character in his notes.
He laughed at himself.
"Okay, maybe creating black holes and wormholes is a bit much… but hey, gotta dream big!"
Just then, his stomach growled again.
Right. Food.
He glanced at the vending machine near the door.
Every rental unit in this building had one, but they required credits to use. A glowing red message on the screen read: [Please insert payment].
But David smirked.
"Electromagnetic locks, huh?"
He stretched out his hand and tapped the machine's screen.
Zzzzt!
A faint crackling sound filled the air as a blue spark jumped from his fingertip.
The red [Insert Payment] message flickered. Then—
Ding!
It changed to [Transaction Approved].
"Success!"
He grabbed the food that popped out and ate it eagerly.
After finishing his meal, David sat back, feeling more energized.
With his powers now awakened, he turned his attention back to the system interface.
He wanted to send his frog cub on another trip as soon as possible.
But when he checked the travel fee—
"WHAT?! 40,000 EUROS?!"
His jaw dropped.
The cost had increased twentyfold since the first trip!
He groaned.
"Of course! This system is just as greedy as the corporations in Night City!"
If he continued doing low-paying part-time jobs, he'd never save up 40,000 euros.
He needed real money—and fast.
As he pondered his next move, his gaze drifted to the corner of the room.
A few small metallic chips lay scattered on the floor.
David picked one up and recognized it immediately.
"These are cyberware chips from the gang prosthetics I stole last time!"
Back then, he'd barely had the nerve to scavenge the bodies after a gang shootout. In his panic, he must have overlooked these chips when he sold the prosthetics.
Now, though…
A slow grin spread across his face.
"These should be worth a decent amount."
Pocketing the chips, he grabbed his jacket.
Time to make some money.