Outside on the deck, Marcus and Luffy stood side by side, both wearing their iron armor sets.
"Usopp, hit us with your Exploding Star," Marcus called out, adjusting his stance.
Explosions didn't care if you were made of rubber, physics was physics, and he wanted to test exactly how much punishment their armor could take.
Usopp looked between Marcus and Luffy, his slingshot loaded but his finger hesitating on the release. "You guys are absolutely sure about this? My attack packs a serious punch. I'm not talking about some firecracker here."
What he got in return were two confident nods.
"Alright, but don't blame me if this hurts like hell," he muttered, taking aim.
Two explosive blasts echoed across the deck in rapid succession, sending up clouds of smoke and debris. When the dust settled, both Marcus and Luffy were standing exactly where they'd been, completely unharmed.
Well, mostly unharmed.
"Ugh, that stings," Luffy complained, rubbing his eyes. "Why does everything have to be so smoky?"
Marcus blinked away tears and checked his armor's durability display. Three points of damage, not bad at all for a direct hit from Usopp's explosives.
"Luffy, let me see your armor."
Luffy pulled off his iron chestplate and handed it over. Marcus examined the durability meter and nodded. Same result, three points of wear.
So armor works the same whether I'm wearing it or someone else is.
After collecting the test armor, he found himself deep in thought.
"How'd it go?" Sanji asked, wandering over.
"I think it really is related to those kicking techniques you mentioned," Marcus replied, pulling out some cobblestone blocks and setting them up for the next experiment.
He'd been puzzling over why Sanji's iron boots had lost durability so much faster than expected. His tools and weapons degraded quickly when other people used them, sure, but armor should have been different. The boots weren't just protecting Sanji's feet, they were being used as weapons.
"Try this," Marcus said, placing two cobblestone blocks on the deck. "Kick these until they break. But take off your boots first, I want to get a baseline."
Sanji shrugged and slipped out of his new diamond footwear, then took a fighting stance. His leg techniques were precise and powerful.
It took him five solid kicks to completely shatter the first cobblestone block.
"Now try these," Marcus handed over the worn iron boots that Sanji had been using before the upgrade.
This time, the block exploded after just three kicks, fragments scattering across the deck.
Sanji's eyebrows shot up in surprise while Marcus checked the durability meter on the boots.
Sure enough, it had dropped. But not as much as he'd expected, three kicks had only cost one point of durability.
"When you kicked the exploding guy back at Whiskey Peak, your leg went numb, right?" Marcus asked.
Sanji nodded reluctantly. He wasn't proud of showing weakness, even something as minor as temporary numbness.
"That clinches it," Marcus said, snapping his fingers. "The iron boots definitely boost your attack power, there's no doubt about that. But force works both ways. When you kick something and it explodes, the boots absorb damage from both your kick and the explosion. That's why the durability loss was so high."
It was fascinating how his Minecraft abilities interacted with real-world physics. The game mechanics were still there, but they were being filtered through cause and effect.
"Shame that my equipment won't last as long as I'd hoped," he sighed. "Guess I'll need to keep crafting replacements."
A sudden memory struck him, back when he'd used an iron sword against Jango and Chew, they'd screamed in agony way beyond what the wounds should have caused. Could his weapons actually add some kind of pain amplification effect? If so, that was a serious combat advantage, since not everyone had the pain tolerance of a hardened pirate.
Just as he was pondering these mechanics, he heard a familiar sound.
Experience orbs. Lots of them.
He turned toward the sound and watched as a steady stream of glowing orbs came floating out of the dining area, drawn to him like magnets.
"What the hell?" he muttered, watching his experience counter climb rapidly.
What had just happened? Had he somehow changed someone's fate without realizing it?
The orbs kept coming, an almost endless stream that had him staring in disbelief. His level jumped from 40 to 41, then 42, and kept climbing.
Finally, it settled at Level 45.
He stood there stunned. That was a massive experience gain, the kind you'd get from altering the course of major events. Had Vivi officially joined the Straw Hat crew? That would qualify as a major destiny change.
But what exactly had happened while he was running experiments outside?
"Shit, Level 40," he breathed, suddenly remembering that hitting certain level thresholds unlocked new mods.
Marcus quickly opened his character panel and checked the newly available mod slot. What he saw there made him groan.
Soul Possession.
He'd played around with this mod before, mostly when screwing around with friends during multiplayer sessions. The classic prank was to turn into a ghost while your buddy was mining, find a Creeper, then quietly guide it to their location for maximum explosive surprise.
Good times. Loud, explosive, hilarious times.
He opened up the mod's details, and sure enough, it was exactly what he remembered. The ability to separate his soul from his body and potentially inhabit other living beings.
But why this mod? Why now?
Then it hit him, every time he'd unlocked a new mod, it had seemed to correspond with something he'd been thinking about or wishing for.
At Level 1, he'd desperately wanted mining abilities, and got Vein Mining.
When he'd been craving better resource management, the Transmutation Tablet appeared.
And recently, he'd been wondering about developing new Devil Fruit abilities... So the system had given him Soul Possession?
Just like that?
He shook his head. If he'd known it worked that way, he would've wished for something more useful. Though he had to admit, the ability to scout ahead or gather intelligence by possessing others could be incredibly valuable.
Setting aside his philosophical questions about game mechanics, he headed back into the dining area to see what had caused such a massive experience gain.
Inside, he found Igaram completing the same disguise routine from the original story, dressed as Vivi, complete with her blue hair and royal outfit.
"You're not seriously planning to sail to wherever that Eternal Pose points, are you?" Marcus asked incredulously.
Igaram nodded firmly. "That's correct."
Marcus threw his hands up in exasperation. "We're incredibly strong, honestly, there's no need for this kind of sacrifice. And besides, it's obviously a trap."
He couldn't understand it. Was fate somehow pulling events back on track despite all the changes they'd made? Had his presence somehow doomed Igaram to die here instead of escaping like in the original timeline?
If so, that would explain the massive experience gain. Changing the fate of a key supporting character could definitely be worth that many levels.
But something still felt off about the whole situation.
The other crew members had gathered around by now, and when they saw Igaram's transformation into a Vivi lookalike, their expressions ranged from confused to amused.
Usopp couldn't contain his laughter, snorting and covering his mouth with both hands.
Igaram didn't bother explaining his reasoning. He simply gathered his supplies, gave Vivi one last look, and headed for his ship.
Vivi stood silently on the deck, watching him go.
Marcus looked to Nami for some kind of explanation, but she just shook her head.
Alvida spread her hands in a "don't ask me" gesture.
Finally, he looked to Kira, who was scratching her head like she wanted to say something but couldn't find the words.
Meanwhile, Vivi stared blankly at Igaram's retreating figure. She said nothing, no one could tell what was going through her mind.
Unlike in the original story, there was no explosion. No dramatic fireball lighting up the sky.
Igaram's ship simply disappeared quietly over the horizon, leaving behind only the sound of waves.
Marcus found himself wondering if Vivi really had officially joined the Straw Hat crew. If so, then in a sense, he'd changed the destiny of an entire kingdom. That would definitely justify shooting up to Level 45.
But what exactly had happened during his armor experiments?
Judging by the atmosphere and her body language, nobody was going to volunteer that information anytime soon.
He considered his options for a moment, then made a decision. Time to test out his new mod.
Soul Possession, he thought, activating the ability.
Instantly, he felt his perspective shift. He could see his own body standing there, but it was just an empty shell now. His consciousness had separated and was floating free.
In this state, other people couldn't see him, it felt different from Brook's soul projection ability somehow.
Interestingly, he could still control his physical body with a thought, making it move and act normally while his consciousness explored independently.
He drifted over to where Kira was standing. She seemed the most likely to have witnessed whatever conversation had led to Vivi's decision and Igaram's sacrifice.
As he approached, he felt a strange sensation, like he could enter her mind if he wanted to.
He needed to understand what had happened, and everyone was being suspiciously tight-lipped about it.
"Here goes nothing," he muttered to himself.
"I'm coming in."
He felt himself being pulled into a spinning vortex, his consciousness whirling like he was caught in a washing machine on the spin cycle.
At that exact moment, Kira's body gave a small shudder. Her eyes took on a distant, unfocused look, like she was staring at something nobody else could see.
Then her perspective shifted completely.
Inside a vast, pure-white space, she opened her eyes and found herself standing in what looked like an empty void.
"What is this place?"
"Kira."
She spun around at the familiar voice. "Marcus?"
"Yeah, it's me."
"Where... where are we exactly?"
"I think this is some kind of consciousness space. Look over there."
Kira followed his gaze and saw what appeared to be a window or screen showing the exact scene she'd just been watching on the ship's deck, everyone standing around awkwardly after Igaram's departure.
"This is... what's going on?"
She was completely bewildered. Instinctively, she turned her head and spotted Marcus standing in the distance. In front of him was another screen-like display, this one showing ocean waves.
"This is..."
"Should be my ability, though I didn't expect it to work like this," Marcus said, and in the next instant he was standing right beside her without having moved at all.
"You can control space in here?"
"Apparently. You should be able to do the same thing. Try thinking about going over to where I was standing," he explained, pointing to where he'd been standing.
Kira scratched her head, but tried lifting her leg to walk. When she took a step, nothing happened, she didn't move at all.
"Don't think about walking. Think about being there."
Kira concentrated, focusing on the spot where Marcus had been moments before. In an instant, she found herself there, while her consciousness seemed to slip into Marcus' perspective.
Suddenly, "Marcus" opened his eyes and found himself looking down at his own body on the ship's deck, wearing clothes that felt foreign. Kira instinctively reached up to touch her chest, flat, definitely not her own.
Then she felt a strange sensation coming from deep inside this borrowed body, something that definitely hadn't been there before.
Her vision snapped back to the white consciousness space, and she stood there in shock for a moment.
"Did I just... did I just control your body?!"
Marcus nodded, walking over to stand beside her. "Looks that way."
"But... why?! How is this possible?!" Kira was stunned, barely able to process what had just happened.
"It's my power, a new ability that just awakened," Marcus explained calmly.
"Is it just you and me in here? Because if it is, then..." As she spoke, her face turned bright red, because her mind wandered to all sorts of... inappropriate possibilities.
After all, this was body-swapping. She'd read plenty of books, including novels with these exact themes. She'd never imagined it could actually happen in real life.
Marcus thought for a moment. "For now, it should be just you and me."
"I... I see..." Kira's face turned even redder, and she could feel heat rising to her head. The consciousness space itself began taking on a pinkish tint.
Marcus narrowed his eyes at her reaction but decided not to pursue it. "By the way, what were you guys talking about before I came out here?"
Kira blinked, taking a moment to understand what he meant. Then her expression turned strange as she answered, "Vivi said something about how if victory required sacrifice, maybe she shouldn't inherit the kingdom at all. Igaram got really angry with her."
"What?" Marcus was surprised. He hadn't expected Vivi to say something like that. It didn't fit her character at all.
She was supposed to be the person who, for the sake of her country, ultimately chose not to board the Straw Hat ship in the original story.
And she'd joined Baroque Works in the first place for her country's future.
So what the hell was going on now?
Kira began recounting what had happened after Marcus left for his armor experiments.
"When Igaram said, 'Someone has to do it,' Vivi shot back with, 'Why does it have to be you? I'm the one who's supposed to inherit this country in the future.'"
"Then Igaram told her that she'd be a good ruler in the future, which is exactly why she needed to be cautious and strategic now."
"And that's when Vivi said, 'If victory comes at the cost of sacrifice, then I'd rather not inherit the kingdom at all.'"
"After that, Igaram really let her have it. He was so angry that Vivi just went completely quiet and didn't say another word."
Kira acted out the entire scene in the consciousness space, switching between characters and doing surprisingly good impressions of both Vivi and Igaram.
"I don't really understand this... was Vivi wrong?" she asked. She genuinely confused by the turn of events. After all, knowingly walking into a trap seemed obviously wrong to her.
Marcus thought it over, feeling confused himself.
Logically, Igaram shouldn't have needed to leave alone. If anything, he should have stayed with the Straw Hats.
His princess was here, surrounded by pirates. As her retainer, wasn't his duty to protect her? Why would he knowingly walk straight into a trap by himself?
That was basically suicide.
"Maybe we should try to see it from his perspective," Marcus suggested, attempting to think like Igaram.
Kira tried to imagine it too, but in the end, Marcus still couldn't understand Igaram's choice. No matter how he looked at it, the man was just throwing his life away.
But then Kira suddenly nodded. "I think... I might understand what he was thinking."
"Really?" Marcus was stunned. "You figured it out?"
"Igaram wanted to protect Vivi, right?"
Kira took a deep breath, explaining her theory. "The leader behind Baroque Works is one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and not just any Warlord, he's a Logia user with the Sand-Sand Fruit. No normal attack can even touch him. Meanwhile, our pirate crew doesn't even have bounties. Sure, there are some really strong people here, but..."
She paused, organizing her thoughts. Then, she gestured around the consciousness space as if indicating the crew. "When you look at the bigger picture, what can a small crew with no reputation possibly do against Baroque Works and a Warlord? They've got thousands of bounty hunters in their organization. Their influence reaches everywhere. Rather than let Vivi return home to face constant assassination attempts or imprisonment, wouldn't it be better to send her to that Little Garden place? At least there, no matter what happens afterward, she'd be safe."
"You really think that's what he was thinking?" Marcus blinked, finding it hard to believe, but then he started considering it from that angle.
The more he thought about it, the more Igaram's suicidal plan began to make more sense. He had been viewing the situation with knowledge of future events, knowing that the Straw Hats would eventually defeat Crocodile. But from Igaram's point of view, he was facing a legendary Warlord of the Sea who commanded a massive organization of bounty hunters. Their influence was so vast that a tiny crew with no bounties couldn't possibly challenge them.
Looked at that way, it actually made sense.
Trap or no trap, Igaram had to go.
If it wasn't a trap, he could return to the kingdom and formally report everything, giving them time to prepare resistance against the Warlord. If it was a trap, then at the very least he could fake Vivi's death by taking her place. That way, her safety would be secured, leaving her with a chance at survival in the future.
If she went back to Arabasta now, the result would be endless assassination attempts and pursuit.
Finally understanding the logic, he thought it through further.
But then... what about that massive experience gain he'd received? Something had definitely changed to trigger that kind of reward.
Could it be that because the Straw Hats had no bounties, Vivi's fate had actually shifted? Maybe she really would join their crew now instead of returning to Arabasta? Or... would Igaram actually die this time?
But could Igaram's death alone give him such a huge surge of experience? Marcus knew that gaining levels past thirty had become increasingly difficult.
The experience from animals like cows, sheep, or chickens was practically nothing, he'd stopped bothering with them entirely.
But this gain, if he had to compare it to something, it was like the experience you'd get from killing the Ender Dragon.
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Flame after reading Chapter 69.