Where did all these points come from?
The answer was obvious.
Just like last time, Nao had gained another massive wave of fans and admirers from around the world thanks to the newspaper's widespread, enthusiastic coverage.
"At this rate, I might as well retire someday and become an idol singer," he muttered to himself.
Given how quickly his popularity was growing, if he went public decades from now, he'd probably debut as a top-tier, A-list superstar. He could throw a concert and have Marine officers posted at the gates, catching weeping old pirates who traveled thousands of miles just to hear him sing.
Aside from the 200,000-point reward, he also received one random attribute point.
Nao glanced at his inventory and opened the reward without hesitation. A glowing blue die began to spin rapidly.
[ROLL Complete]
[Your Charm has increased by +1]
"…What a completely unsurprising result."
Nao stared at his now 18 points of Charm and wondered when he'd reach the next breakthrough where the system might grant him a new charm-based talent skill.
The first two—Radiance Smile and Craftsman's Spirit—were both powerful. So naturally, he was looking forward to the next one.
"Got over 800,000 points… Before I start boosting stats, let's see what new items are in the shop."
Nao's gaze shifted, and he opened the system shop.
The item list had refreshed two days ago, but he'd been too busy sparring with Gion to check it out at the time.
"It's been a while since I've seen any decent drops in here," he muttered. "Hopefully this time's different."
A blue shimmer lit up the screen.
The six random items refreshed for the week appeared before him:
[Forced Silence Skill Scroll – 40,000 Points]
[Altair's Hooded Robe– 30,000 Points]
[Jubei's Bowl – 7,000 Points]
[AWM Military Sniper Rifle – 2,000 Points]
[Talent Skill Enhancement Technique – 120,000 Points]
[Ivankov's Chewed Sake – 8,000 Points]
"Definitely better quality than the last few weeks."
Nao quickly browsed over each one and made a simple assessment.
As usual, he opened up the detailed info one by one:
[Forced Silence Skill Scroll]
[Type: Special Skill]
[Description: Upon learning, the user will render a designated target within their line of sight silent. The silenced target cannot make any sound for up to two hours. The user can remove this restriction at any time.]
[Note: 24-hour cooldown]
["One time I tried silencing my mom. God… there's never been a worse mistake in my life!"]
As someone who liked peace and quiet, Nao was… tempted.
The price of 40,000 points was quite steep. If he had encountered this item earlier on, he probably wouldn't have even considered it and just passed. But now, he was flush with points.
So, after only five or six seconds of hesitation, Nao decisively made his choice.
"Buy."
[Altair's Hooded Robe]
[Type: Permanent Item]
[Description: A white assassin-style outer robe. When the hood is worn, the user's presence will be significantly reduced, and damage taken from falling from a height will be lessened.] [Note: Requires Charm 10 or higher to wear]
["We work in the dark to serve the light. We are Assassins. Nothing is true, everything is permitted."]
This would be useless for someone ugly.
But for someone as ridiculously attractive as Nao—who got swarmed with attention no matter where he went—it was essential.
"Instant buy."
[Jubei's Bowl]
[Type: Permanent Item]
[Description: A crudely made, chipped bowl that appears unremarkable.]
[When holding this bowl and begging by the roadside, all humanoid creatures who see it will feel pity and involuntarily throw all the coins from their pockets.]
[Note: Only applies to metal coins in any form; checks and banknotes are unaffected.] ["Actually, I usually call it the Treasure Basin!"]
This one was… ridiculous.
Nao racked his brain and couldn't even imagine a scenario where he'd be so down-and-out that he'd have to beg with a bowl like this.
A man this handsome doesn't need to beg for a living.
Still, at only 7,000 points, it was pocket change.
He figured it could be a collector's item, or maybe something to mess around with in the future. So, he bought it on impulse.
[AWM Sniper Rifle]
[Type: Weapon]
[Description: Military bolt-action sniper rifle, uses .300 Winchester Magnum rifle ammunition, equipped with a Schmidt & Bender 3-12 × 50 PM II scope, maximum effective range 1400 meters.]
[Note: Comes with 200 rounds of Magnum rifle ammunition.]
["My lord, times have changed!"]
"…Huh."
Nao stroked his chin.
He'd seen modern firearms in the shop before—mostly pistols or assault rifles. Useless in a world like this.
But a sniper rifle with a range over a kilometer?
Even in the One Piece world of absurd power levels, that could have… some surprising uses.
Plus, it was the cheapest item of the lot. And it came with ammo.
He didn't hesitate. Bought.
[Talent Skill Enhancement Technique]
[Type: Consumable]
[Description: Upon use, the player's existing talent skill will be comprehensively enhanced.] [Note: Only one use.]
["It's time to test your luck again. Hopefully, your talent skill list doesn't have any duds…"]
No question. Must buy.
Yes, it was expensive. And if it landed on a weak skill, it'd be a complete waste.
Nao firmly believed that with his Lucky Emperor bloodline, such a situation was impossible.
Besides, his current talent list didn't really have any duds anyway.
Bought.
[Ivankov's Chewed Sake]
[Type: Permanent Item]
[Description: Low-alcohol fermented rice wine. Upon consumption, you will periodically exchange bodies with Ivankov for a period, and gain a large amount of his favorability.] [Note: Only effective on the player.]
["As long as I remember your name, no matter where you are in the world, I will… come to see you!"]
"…?"
Three big sweat drops appeared on Nao's forehead.
Drinking chewed sake? Fine. Body swapping? He'd done that before.
But swapping with Ivankov?
Just the mental image of that black-stocking-clad "lady" made him shiver. He quickly deleted the horrifying mental image and closed the item window.
"…Not bad."
All in all, aside from the nightmare-inducing sake, the rest were pretty decent. Quite a haul.
[Transaction Complete]
[Total Spent: 199,000 Points | Remaining Balance: 614,000]
Being rich is so satisfying.
Even after dropping nearly 200,000 points, Nao still had more than enough left for stat boosts.
Each upgrade to his core stats now cost 200,000 points, and he could afford to raise two of them once each.
Still, to play it safe, he decided to keep 200,000 in reserve—just in case.
With the remaining 400,000, he dropped one boost each into Strength and Agility.
A soft blue glow pulsed through him. Nao let out a long breath, feeling the sudden surge of raw power rush through his limbs.
This feeling… progressing rapidly even after reaching the ranks of top-tier powerhouses… It's addictive.
He opened his updated status panel:
[Name: Natsuya Nao]
[Age: 20]
[Strength: 30 (Next Upgrade Cost: 500,000)]
[Agility: 29 (+2) (Next Upgrade Cost: 200,000)]
[Stamina: 28 (Next Upgrade Cost: 200,000)]
[Intelligence: 10]
[Charm: 18 (Next Upgrade Cost: 500,000)]
[Remaining Points: 214,000]
"Strength at 30 already… hit the next threshold."
Nao pouted slightly, looking at the 500,000 points required for the next attribute increase.
It was ridiculously expensive. When his Agility and Stamina also surpassed 30 points, each attribute increase would likely be a significant drain.
Thankfully, he was still a training maniac, with the dual buffs of a Gravity Field and a Training Acceleration Card, and no need for sleep. Even without spending points, he could maintain a growth rate that ordinary people could scarcely dream of.
"Time to test the goods."
He turned back to his inventory.
The pack now contained all his new loot. Most of it could wait—but there was no reason to delay testing the Talent Skill Enhancement.
Click. Use.
[Randomly selecting one of your Talent Skills… please wait.]
A faint golden light flashed, and a new prompt appeared:
[Talent Selected for Enhancement: Limb Regeneration]
"…Huh?"
Nao raised an eyebrow. "Of all of them, it picked this?"
Actually—perfect.
Limb Regeneration was easily one of his most valuable talents. It couldn't be upgraded by spending points, so this was the best possible outcome.
"Let's test it."
He closed the system, drew his sword from his waist, and looked down at his left arm.
After a brief hesitation—shhk!—he swung the blade, cleanly severing his arm from the shoulder.
CRACK!
Blood gushed out. His arm dropped to the ground with a thud, bone exposed. Nao winced slightly, quickly applying a basic seal to stop the bleeding.
Then he stared intently at the stump.
One minute. Two. Five…
After around seven or eight minutes, a prickling sensation started. Then—
Muscle, flesh, and bone began to regrow rapidly, bursting out like bamboo after the rain.
In less than a minute, a perfectly intact, unscarred arm had reformed.
Ridiculously fast.
When Nao first got this skill, it took over ten minutes just to regrow a hand. Now, a whole arm took just a few minutes. And the stamina consumption had dropped drastically.
The upgrade wasn't just good—it was insane.
"More importantly, this means… I can actually use this in real combat now."
Nao grinned.
"Imagine—fighting someone like Whitebeard. He swings that massive naginata, slices off my arm, thinks he's won—only to see me still coming… and a minute later, boom! My arm's back!"
That face would be priceless.
...
New World – A Snow-Covered Island
Blizzards roared across the terrain. Inside a temporary camp built in a cave, the cold wind howled through the entrance.
"So…"
A colossal figure sat cross-legged on a beast-fur throne. He looked like an ancient demon god. After hearing his subordinate's report, he put down his wine gourd and spoke flatly:
"You're saying Dugalio really got taken down one-on-one… by that little brat?"
Below him, dozens of Beasts Pirates members stood at attention.
No one dared to speak.
Kaido's moods were notoriously unstable.
Sometimes he treated his subordinates with surprising leniency—he'd even throw offers to young pirates who challenged his authority.
But other times, he'd erupt in fury over the tiniest provocation. Countless unlucky souls had been crushed to death by his kanabo.
"Y-Yes, Lord Kaido…"
The report had come from a burly officer over five meters tall—a high-ranking member of the Beasts Pirates.
But now, sweat poured from his head. Gone was any trace of his usual swagger.
"According to our intel… Lord Dugalio arrived in the West Blue and made contact with the Corleone family… but ran into a Marine fleet soon after. He fought Natsuya Nao for three days… and ultimately lost. He was knocked into the sea and captured alive…"
"Enough. Shut up."
Kaido cut him off coldly and lowered his head, drinking deeply.
He downed gourd after gourd in silence.
The oppressive atmosphere was suffocating. Everyone in the cave knew just how pissed Kaido must be.
After all—
This was Dugalio. One of the Three Calamities . The face of the Beasts Pirates.
And he'd lost to a mere Rear Admiral in the West Blue.
To Kaido, it was a humiliation beyond words.
Then—
The silence broke.
A man seated beside Kaido uncrossed his legs, chuckling softly.
"The ship transporting Dugalio… probably just left the West Blue. It won't reach Impel Down for a while."
"How about you let me go, Kaido-sama?" he said with a grin.
"Let me rescue that loser for you."