[Pet: Laboon]
Stamina: 5432
Strength: 1724
Agility: 835
Mental Power: 224
A glowing status screen opened directly across Luffy's retinas, displaying Laboon's stats.
The numbers were mostly in line with what Luffy expected.
Aside from the stamina, which had reached the level of a powerhouse from the New World, the other attributes were only average, barely enough to show off in the first half of the Grand Line. Nothing too impressive.
The Mental Power stat, in particular, was pitifully low.
For an ordinary creature, that level of Mental Power might be considered decent. But on Laboon's massive frame, it was almost negligible. After all, controlling such a vast body came with its own biological limitations.
Not that Luffy minded. He never intended for Laboon to be a primary combat pet anyway. As long as his stamina was robust enough to sustain endless voyages, that was all that mattered.
With a body the size of an island, Laboon was practically a mobile base, freer than Moria's Thriller Bark, with the added bonus of being able to dive underwater. As a seafaring mount, he was simply perfect.
His practical utility far outweighed his combat capability. After all, power isn't everything.
Below Laboon's stats were five empty boxes, each with a small, dark gray "+" symbol in the center.
Pointing at one of them, Luffy asked, "System, are these Laboon's skill slots?"
[Answering the host:] Yes.
Simply focus your thoughts on one of the plus signs to bestow a skill on Laboon.
– The first slot is for a Passive Skill, granted by the system.
– The second, third, and fourth are Active Skills. Upon clicking, you'll be prompted to select the skill's level and pay the corresponding gold cost. Higher-level skills provide more powerful effects.
– The fifth slot is for the Ultimate Skill, the most powerful of all. Highly recommended.
Luffy couldn't help but feel like he was being upsold. Was it just him, or was the system trying to market features just because he hadn't spent any of his massive stash of gold?
No time to dwell on that!
Following the system's instructions, Luffy focused his mind and tapped the first plus sign.
[Ding! Laboon has received a passive skill: World Within the Belly.]
Boom!
The world around Luffy suddenly shook. A mysterious power surged briefly, then vanished just as quickly.
The sensation passed in an instant. Had the timing not been so specific, Luffy might've dismissed it as nothing more than his imagination.
"What was that just now?" Luffy asked quickly, sensing that it must have been tied to Laboon's newly awakened skill.
[Answering the host:] That was a minor rules disturbance triggered by the system's modification powers during the skill imbuement. No need to worry.
"Rules disturbance?"
"Modification powers?"
This was the first time Luffy had heard such terminology from the system. Even when he'd helped Zoro draw items from other worlds, nothing like this had happened.
"World Within the Belly"… it sounded like a spatial ability. Could it be that Laboon's stomach had been expanded?
"System, give me the details on World Within the Belly!"
[Certainly, host.]
World Within the Belly: Transforms the pet's stomach into a miniature independent world.
This pocket world can be freely shaped, controlled, and modified.
Mountains can be moved, seas created.
However, the more drastic the changes, the more energy it consumes.
Creating matter from nothing drains an enormous amount of energy and can only produce inorganic substances.
This world also serves as an energy reservoir. When Laboon runs low on energy, materials within the internal world can be consumed and converted to restore it.
The total area of the world = Stamina × 10,000 square meters.**
"A pocket world?!!! System, are we inside that world right now?!"
[Yes.]
The system responded coldly.
[Laboon's stomach has been converted into a spatial node, forming a completely separate realm, independent from the world of One Piece.]
"Stamina × 10,000 square meters…"
Luffy quickly did the math in his head. A standard football field was about 10,000 square meters, so Laboon's internal world spanned the size of 5,432 football fields. And as Laboon's stamina increased, so too would the size of the world.
Excited, Luffy threw open the door of the small hut and dashed outside.
His arms ignited in flames as he shot himself into the air toward the sun.
"Luffy?" Robin had just finished calculating their route and looked up in surprise at the sight of Luffy launching skyward. "What are you, ?"
But Luffy didn't hear her. He was too focused on testing the skill.
He soared through the sky for a long time, yet the sun remained perfectly still. That confirmed it, this wasn't the real sky. If it were, he would've long since collided with the enormous spotlight posing as the sun.
Once the test was complete, Luffy returned to the island.
Robin quickly approached, puzzled. "What happened, Luffy?"
"Ah, yeah, something weird. I'll explain it to you and Brook once I've figured everything out."
"Alright," Robin replied with a graceful smile. "By the way, the course is plotted. We're ready to head out."
"Perfect. Then let's wait!"
Just as he was about to agree, something occurred to him.
"Robin, can you head back to the ship first? I'll join you in a moment."
"Uh… okay?"
Though confused, Robin nodded and obediently returned to the ship.
At the moment, Laboon's belly only had this one island. Robin and Brook would continue living aboard the warship, while Luffy stayed here for now.
Once Robin was gone, Luffy looked around, then asked in his mind:
"System! We're in the pocket world now, how do we get back out?"
[No need to worry, host. Simply speak aloud to the sky. Your voice will be transmitted directly to your pet's consciousness.
Laboon can control the internal world freely and can transport you, or anything else inside, back to the outside.
Two exit points are currently available: through the mouth or the back.]
"Got it…"
So that solved the exit issue.
Luffy thought for a second, then asked again, "And this 'create matter' part, moving mountains, forming seas, how exactly does that work?"
[Answering host:]
With the World Within the Belly skill, Laboon is the master of the internal world.
He can expend energy to alter the terrain or fabricate objects.
However, creating objects from thin air consumes massive energy and risks depleting Laboon's reserves, potentially harming his body. Usage is not recommended.]
The system explained patiently as always.
"I see… and anything we bring in from outside, Laboon can control it freely too?"
[Correct. As long as it's inorganic and devoid of intelligence or life, Laboon can manipulate it at will.]
"Alright, that makes sense."
Looking at the four remaining skill slots on Laboon's profile, Luffy grinned.
"Let's keep going!"
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