A Navy Extra Wants to Become a Fan-Favorite Character

[I ran out of inspiration for the tycoon trope, so I changed it. Feel free to take what you like, mwah!]

*

I discovered that my world was a comic.

My boss was labeled [Future Admiral],

the new pirate I ran into was [Protagonist's Guide],

and my idiot colleague had [Doomed First Love] floating above his head.

I excitedly looked in the mirror, thinking I had to be at least the second lead.

But all I found were three words:

[Background Character].

I was devastated.

Looking at the crowd of [Background Characters A, B, C, D, E, F, G],

I grew furious, grief welling up inside me!

I climbed right onto the dining table and made an announcement!

"I'm going to become a fan-favorite character!"

"Sure, sure," my hapless colleague, the only one with an important label over his head, said helplessly. "So how are you going to do that?"

I gave him a cold smile.

"Obviously, I'll stir up drama, market myself, and ride the hype."

"I'll become the King of Legendary Associations!!"

East Blue, here I come!!

*

Manga artist Oda O Ichiro has released a new series!

The new work is filled with all kinds of characters!

And it's become a massive hit!

Readers eagerly discuss its world, plot, and characters.

The character readers are most excited to meet is [That Person], who has only appeared in silhouette.

The Straw Hat crew says she's kind and approachable,

the Seven Warlords say she's inscrutable,

and the Four Emperors say she's impossible to figure out.

[That Person] serves in the Navy, yet gets along with every faction. Her strength is unfathomable, and she's become the King of Legendary Associations!

Countless readers post their theories, competing to guess [That Person]'s true identity. It is...

"Achoo."

I rubbed my nose and glanced at the cactus on the office balcony.

"This is a disaster!! Admiral! Your cactus is dead as a doornail!!"

That's right. That's me.

An utterly ordinary Navy background character who relies entirely on other people's imagination, yet manages to become a fan-favorite!

I am the Navy's only hope!

A certain admiral: "...Are you done? Get off the Fleet Admiral's desk already!!!"

A certain admiral: "By the way, what does 'fan-favorite character' even mean?"

"Aren't you always growing crops in Marineford?"

I gave a little oh.

"The me from the alternate farming timeline next door told me I was the King of Farming, so I'm trying to activate my golden finger. As for 'fan-favorite character'..."

I said innocently, "Have you heard what people are saying out there? That I'm as famous as Mihawk, the world's greatest swordsman?"

A certain admiral said bluntly, "Who wrote that article? That's hilarious."

Is it?

I, who'd been orchestrating the hype behind the scenes, looked at the newly updated label above my head and smiled without a word.

Until the day the Golden Lion returned,

with the admirals and the Fleet Admiral's staff watching,

I picked up my beloved hoe.

One move, and I took down the Golden Lion.

"Sorry," I said innocently. "You're in the way of my farming."

The [Manga Forum] exploded.

My bosses, coworkers, and fellow cadets went crazy too.

"When did you get so strong????"

Well, let me introduce myself again.

My name is Lia.

My hobby is farming.

I used to be a Navy background character.

Now I'm the world's greatest swordsman, with ever-increasing combat power!

The path to getting stronger is simple.

As long as you can ride the hype and market yourself like me,

and become the King of Legendary Associations,

You, too, can become the Navy's shining light!

What? Imu uses a sword too?

Then he must be avoiding my blade!

--Excerpt from the preface to Morgans's The Life and Lies of Marshal Lia.

Everyone: What marketing? What hype? We don't understand a word of it.

Everyone sighed in unison.

"Lia, you've been hiding your true abilities all along!"

#The Power of Journalism in Action#

#Marketing, Hype, and Clout-Chasing: Marshal Lia Teaches You How to Become a Fan-Favorite from Scratch!#

[Content Warnings]

1. A lighthearted story written wherever inspiration strikes. Although it features a manga forum, the release schedule doesn't match the real-world One Piece manga.

2. The protagonist is an alternate-timeline farmer, but you can follow the story without reading that version. The heroine is a miraculous big dog, belongs to the Navy, and gets increasingly misunderstood as powerful. The story makes fun of everyone, ends happily, and even the author doesn't know who the male lead is. The romance is almost nonexistent.

Theme: Let's all become good friends!