The warmth of the sun seared Klien’s face as consciousness returned. His eyes fluttered open, greeted by a sky so blue it hurt to stare at. The scent of saltwater and the sound of relentless waves filled the air. It took him a few seconds to realize he wasn’t in his room… and this wasn’t the world he knew.

  The sand stuck to his skin as he sat up, his body aching like he’d been tossed around by a typhoon. He scanned his surroundings: an empty beach, jagged rocks breaking the surface of rough waters, and a dense jungle beyond. The island felt… wrong. Too silent. No gulls, no chatter, no human voices. Just wind and waves.

  And then — the blue system window appeared.

  [Welcome, Host.]

  [Activating Bounty-HP System.]

  Klien stiffened. He knew this kind of floating text. It was straight out of the RPG MMO he’d spent years playing — but this time, it wasn’t a game. His heart sank as the rest of the notifications came in.

  [Character Reset to Level 1.]

  [HP: 1/1.]

  [Current Bounty: 0 Berries.]

  [Max HP = Bounty Value.]

  “…You’re joking,” Klien muttered, pale. “1 HP…?”

  Another window opened.

  [Starting Attributes:]

  Strength: 5

  Agility: 5

  Intelligence: 5

  Level: 1

  EXP: 0/100

  [Notice: Host can only gain EXP by cooking food.]

  [Each Level Up grants 2 Attribute Points to distribute freely.]

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

  “Wait… cooking? That’s it?” Klien muttered, blinking. But then it made sense. In his previous life, he wasn’t a swordsman or a pirate lord — he was a chef. He had joined the MMO not for power, but to learn recipes and practice dishes. Food had always been his obsession.

  Now, it seemed like fate was giving him a second chance… though under the cruelest of rules.

  “Great… so unless I cook something, I’m stuck at 1 HP forever.” His stomach grumbled, as if agreeing with the absurd system.

  Klien checked his inventory out of habit — empty. Not even a kitchen knife.

  He let out a shaky breath, his gaze drifting to the treeline. The island looked lifeless. No animals, no people. The currents surrounding it churned violently, making it impossible for ships to safely approach. This wasn’t an ordinary island — it was a prison of nature.

  “Just my luck,” Klien grumbled. “I reincarnate into One Piece… and land on some godforsaken rock.”

  But there was no point complaining. He needed to eat. And maybe — if he could cook even a simple meal, the system would grant him EXP.

  His eyes landed on a tree bearing small, red fruits. They looked edible… or at least not immediately lethal.

  Moving carefully, Klien approached, every step making his heart pound. At 1 HP, a fall from a branch, a poisonous bug bite, or eating a bad fruit could kill him instantly.

  He picked one of the fruits, hesitated, then bit into it.

  Sweet. Tangy. Not poisonous, as far as he could tell.

  A notification popped up:

  [HP recovered: 1/1.]

  Better than nothing.

  “But I need to cook something,” Klien reminded himself. “Not just eat raw fruit.”

  He gathered a small pile of dry sticks and leaves, arranging them in a makeshift circle. The old MMO survival skills kicked in, and after a good half hour of struggling with sticks and friction, he managed to coax a tiny fire to life.

  “Thank God,” he sighed.

  Using sharpened branches, Klien skewered the fruit and held it over the fire. It wasn’t much — roasted fruit wasn’t exactly gourmet — but it was the best he could manage.

  The fruit crackled in the flames, the scent turning smoky and caramelized.

  When it softened and browned, Klien took a cautious bite.

  A new notification blinked into view.

  [Simple Roasted Wild Fruit: Improvised dish created.]

  [EXP Gained: 10]

  [EXP: 10/100]

  Klien’s eyes widened. “It… it worked!”

  Even something this simple gave him EXP. It wasn’t much, but it meant survival was possible.

  “I just need to keep cooking,” he muttered. “If I can get to level 2, I’ll get more Attribute Points… maybe I can start increasing my Strength or Agility… or even Intelligence to learn recipes faster.”

  He glanced back at the rough sea.

  Of course, that didn’t solve his biggest problem: his max HP was still 1. Eating and resting could recover lost HP, but unless his bounty increased, he was always one bad accident away from death.

  “I need a bounty…” Klien muttered. “But how does a chef get one? I’m not a pirate. I don’t want to burn villages…”

  It was a tough question. In this world, only those who posed a threat to the World Government, committed crimes, or made waves earned bounties. But maybe, just maybe, if his cooking made enough of an impact — if people fought over his food, or if he made something legendary — his name could spread.

  And with a higher bounty, came higher HP.

  “That’s it,” Klien whispered, a spark of hope in his chest. “I’ll become a legendary chef. A menace to this world’s culinary scene. My dishes will be so good, people will fight wars over them.”

  It sounded insane. But in this insane world, it just might work.

  He glanced at his tiny fire and half-eaten fruit.

  “It starts here,” Klien said. “Level up. Get stronger. Raise my bounty. And one day… I’ll open the best damn restaurant this world has ever seen.”

  The ocean winds howled around him as if laughing at the thought — but Klien’s eyes burned with stubborn resolve.

  He had 1 HP.

  Zero bounty.

  But one unshakable will.

  And this was just the beginning.