Chapter 383: Luffy: Can We Figure Something Out? I Want a Pet!
In the world of Azure Nation: Specter Chronicles,
dozens of large towns suddenly found themselves flooded with outsiders.
The locals, already pushed to the edge of a nervous breakdown by constant zombie outbreaks and chaos, were terrified at first, thinking these newcomers were rebels or bandits.
But to their surprise,
the strangers showed no interest in harming the defenseless townsfolk.
Instead, they recklessly charged beyond the thick city walls, and every time they returned, they brought back grotesque remains of zombies—limbs, heads, torsos—making for quite a horrifying sight.
"I'm going to report this!"
At that moment, Luffy, wearing his signature straw hat, casually pulled a steamed bun out of his pocket and handed it to a beggar on the roadside.
Suddenly, a system prompt appeared:
He had gained enough favorability in the town to trigger a hidden quest from the beggar.
[In the northern part of town, the Jiang family is known for making wax figures. They're an elite and wealthy household, but late at night, eerie zombie growls can often be heard from their grand estate.]
Reward: None
Note: This is just a rumor from an unknown beggar. Offending a powerful family might decrease your favorability in the town.
"Is that a hidden quest, Luffy?"
Nami's eyes sparkled like coins, her short orange hair shaking with excitement.
Zoro cracked open one eye, resting his hand on his sword sheath, thumb already nudging the hilt forward.
Usopp and the mascot Chopper were drenched in cold sweat—
They'd both been utterly traumatized by the decaying, bloodthirsty zombies that reeked of death.
Other worlds… were terrifying!
Robin covered her mouth with a chuckle. "I've heard something about this town and the Jiang family. Supposedly, they've held six weddings, and each bride died tragically on the wedding night. Very suspicious."
"Wedding night?"
Usopp quickly covered Chopper's ears. "Kids shouldn't ask about that."
"If that's the case, then let's go fight zombies!"
Without caring about the scowl on Zoro's face, Luffy's arm suddenly stretched out and grabbed the sword case on Zoro's back,
pulling out a peachwood sword from within.
"Put that down, Luffy! That's a rare century-old peachwood sword I spent twenty thousand contribution points to get!"
Zoro was furious, gritting his teeth as he punched Luffy in the face,
carefully snatching the sword back and wiping it clean with great care.
Peachwood, imbued with yang energy, was highly effective against zombies.
And a century-old piece? That was top-tier.
"In the future, we're bound to face all kinds of enemies. My three-sword style alone won't be enough. I need to craft legendary swords for every possible situation."
Though rich in yang energy, the peachwood sword was still wooden—fragile if mishandled.
Zoro would never let Luffy mess around with it.
"You cheapskate."
Luffy picked his nose and pulled out a pair of gloves laced with peachwood heart powder, slipping them onto his fists.
Nami blinked in shock. "Wait… Luffy too?"
Zoro's sword obsession was one thing—he'd buy any long item that looked remotely sword-like.
But Luffy? Had he changed his ways?
Wasn't he usually the type to fight barehanded?
"Zombie baby!"
Before Nami could ask more, Luffy smashed his fists together,
eyes shining with excitement.
"The Straw Hat Pirates need a game pet! Otherwise, even if I become Pirate King, I won't be happy!"
Luffy flexed his fists and marched north, dragging the rest of the crew with him.
Normally,
no matter how strong an item might be, it rarely caught Luffy's attention. His dream was to gather his crew and become the Pirate King—
not necessarily the strongest in the world.
While strength was necessary to achieve that dream, it wasn't everything.
But now, the newly introduced Pet System struck a chord in Luffy's heart.
The Straw Hat crew had a navigator, a cook, a musician…
Now, they needed a pet!
"Wait, are you saying—"
Nami had a bad feeling as she asked cautiously.
Luffy grinned ear-to-ear and showed them his inventory.
He had less than four digits in contribution points, but in the first inventory slot lay over a hundred pet fragments.
"Whoa, Luffy, where'd you get all those pet fragments?"
Usopp hadn't realized the gravity of the situation and stared in awe at the stash.
They'd all been hunting zombie monsters recently, and on average, each member had collected seventeen or eighteen pet fragments.
Even combined, they didn't match what Luffy had gathered alone.
BAM!
Nami, seething with rage, slammed her fist into Luffy's face and snapped, "You idiot! Did you sell off everything valuable?!"
In the Reincarnation Game,
most hunting rewards belonged to individuals, though a portion went into the crew's communal funds.
Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji were the main combatants of the crew and had hunted the most corrupted monsters and zombies.
Ever since the Kaido incident, their total earnings had reached at least 300,000 contribution points.
Nami's mind raced at lightning speed whenever money was involved. She screeched, "You spent 200,000 contribution points for a little over a hundred pet fragments?!"
"I didn't trade for them…"
With a black eye forming and panic in his voice, Luffy quickly clarified, "You can only trade for one pet fragment per day. I didn't use trades…"
"I bought them from merchant players! Hehehe…"
WHAM!
Nami turned pale green with fury—far from calming down, she nearly passed out from rage.
She'd just checked market prices a few days ago. Pet fragment prices had doubled, reaching 5,000 points each.
Which meant…
this idiot had blown a full 500,000 contribution points!?
Nami's chest heaved with fury. Smiling sweetly, she asked, "Where did you get that money?"
Luffy scratched his head in confusion. Seeing Nami's smile, he thought she'd forgiven him, and he laughed, "Money? I sold all the materials and gear I'd saved up before…"
Zoro and Sanji turned their heads away in unison, pretending not to know Luffy.
Usopp covered Chopper's eyes.
Robin raised a [Zombie Field Guide] in front of her face, pretending to read to hide her expression.
BANG BANG BANG!
The sound of repeated punches echoed loudly through the wide street.
Thanks to the zombie outbreaks, the streets were deserted, so the echoes carried far and wide.
"Geez… leave you alone for one second and you mess everything up, stupid Luffy."
Looking at Luffy's swollen, bruised face, Nami sighed helplessly.
Even when Luffy blew their treasure funds on feasts, she didn't get this mad.
But these were contribution points—the currency of dreams.
In many ways, they could be used to fulfill any wish.
The World Government, Navy HQ, the noble elite, even the great pirates…
The current pirate world was far more perilous than it had ever been.
If they squandered contribution points carelessly,
they wouldn't just miss out on their dreams—the entire Straw Hat crew could fall behind in this grand game era.
That's why she beat him up so hard.
After all,
pet eggs were incredibly expensive. For a solo pirate crew with no major backing,
the smartest move was to wait and watch—let the big factions test the waters first, then follow their lead.
But Luffy was just too honest.
Nami clutched her head, trying to salvage the situation. "Ugh, since the money's already spent, let's all chip in and help Luffy complete the pet egg."
No point in wasting it now.
The crew pooled all their scattered pet fragments and handed them to Luffy.
Since the points were gone, they might as well see what this pet egg could do.
[Pet Egg (Zombie Baby) successfully redeemed!]
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