Chapter 161: The Indeterminate Form of Luck, The One Piece World, Divine Punishment Begins!
Kaito Shirogane put on the special "electrotherapy" device and pressed the switch.
BZZZZT!
A powerful current instantly shot through his brain. His body, possessing a powerful natural resistance, seemed to spark and crackle, the current arcing across his skin. A searing, agonizing pain shot through his nerves. Even Kaito's brow furrowed. The pain didn't fade; it only grew more intense as the device ramped up its power.
[You have used the item: Superpower Violent Awakening Device.]
[You have suffered a certain amount of electrical shock damage…]
[You have resisted brain damage…]
[You have resisted nerve damage…]
[Your Spirit attribute +1. Current: 20]
[Karma Reincarnator EX051, you have officially touched the Spirit limit break. You may, at any time, accept the limit break trial mission at the Rank Management Office.]
Kaito's face was pale, the electric light still flashing around him. He looked at the notification, his lips trembling, and was about to rip the device off. He hadn't expected much from an item of this grade anyway. He had just been hoping for a Spirit point boost. A C-rank Singularity for one point wasn't a great deal, but he had been desperate to touch the limit break in all four stats before his next world. In the Mob Psycho 100 world, very few people had awakened their powers this way, and those powers were all weak.
He grabbed the device, but just as he was about to tear it off, a single arc of electricity shot through his temple. This time, it wasn't the searing pain of burning nerves. Instead, it was a cool, refreshing sensation that seemed to flow through every nerve in his body. His mind had never felt so clear.
Fzzt. The current from the device died.
[Item has been destroyed.]
[Your Spirit attribute +1. Current: 20+ (21)]
[You have awakened the superpower: The Indeterminate Form of Luck (B+)]
[The Indeterminate Form of Luck (B+): A special superpower. You possess the ability to twist the "luck" of those around you. You can, through touch, attack, or even killing, plunder a target's luck. At the same time, others can also plunder your luck in the same way.]
Kaito frowned. He had actually gotten a superpower, and a very strange one at that. Of all the superpowers, the strangest were always the ones that involved [Causality] and [Destiny]. These abilities were far more nebulous and difficult to master or counter than those of [Rules], [Probability], or [Paradox].
Kaito looked at his hands. He couldn't feel any change in his body. It was as if just a single nerve had been affected.
"The Indeterminate Form of Luck..."
Kaito now truly felt that something, some invisible force, had been influencing him ever since he had entered the Infinite Space. His own "luck" had indeed been abnormally strong. And now, he was even more entangled with this concept. He couldn't tell if this was a good thing or a bad thing. But regardless of the ability's effect, his Spirit attribute had been enhanced, and he had successfully touched the limit break.
Kaito then quickly went to the Goddess's Sanctum, spent a D-rank Singularity to recharge his [Strike of Inari], and then, with ten minutes to spare, he went to the [Rank Management Office].
"Miss Knight. I'm here to accept the limit break trial."
Knight-chan put down the wide greatsword she had been polishing. She stared at Kaito, her face a mask of awe. "I never thought… that in this generation of the Infinite Cycle, a Reincarnator like you would appear…"
Her expression suddenly changed, as if she had just said something she shouldn't have. She shook her head, her energetic smile returning. "Let me bear witness to the birth of a perfect Reincarnator."
She held her hands together in a prayer, and a golden light began to radiate from her. A ball of that light fell into Kaito's hands.
[You have triggered the Special Trial: The Path to the Supernatural.]
[The Path to the Supernatural: You have felt the shackles of your species, the chains of your genes, the limits of life itself. You are determined to completely transcend these limits and become a supernatural being.]
[Trial A: Hunt 1 Strength-type supernatural lifeform; 1 Agility-type; 1 Spirit-type; 1 Constitution-type.]
[Trial B: Hunt 1 composite-type super-lifeform OR 1 legendary creature.]
Kaito focused on Trial B. He saw that the "legendary creatures" were all all-round powerhouses: Dragons, Demons, Angels, Holy Spirits… He even saw [Stellar Spirit].
The option almost made him laugh. He was reminded of a joke he had once seen online. He hadn't found it funny at the time, but now he felt a certain sense of kinship.
"Nexus: You, a first-tier Reincarnator, go kill a Stellar Spirit."
"Me?"
A [Stellar Spirit], as he recalled, was one of the three strongest species from the world of Problem Children Are Coming from Another World, Aren't They?—a life form that was born from an entire planet, or even a star.
"Because you are one of the most special types of Reincarnator," Knight-chan explained, "you have two ways to complete this trial. If you choose Trial A, you will complete a portion of the trial for each supernatural lifeform you kill, and you will gain an incomplete supernatural trait. But if you complete Trial B, you will gain all of the supernatural traits at once. And you might even… redefine a new type of human being."
Just as he was now designated as [Human - Perfect (Mythical, Myriad)], it must have been that in the Age of Myths, some human, through the blessing of various powers, had achieved a bloodline evolution and had given birth to a new species of humanity.
[Deployment will begin shortly. Please ensure your surrounding environment is stable.]
Kaito saw the notification, turned, and left the office, teleporting back to his private space. He took out the [Map to El Dorado] and used it.
[You have used a special item. Deployment target has been affected.]
[Deployment commencing…]
[3…]
[2…]
[1…]
At that same moment, in the East Sector, several teams reacted at once. In a sun-drenched garden, Moon Fiend drew his black blade, Yoru, and stood up. The [Record Pointer] and [Directional Anchor] in his hand shattered, their light swirling around him. A rare smile touched his stern face. Kyung was already standing behind him.
In another, chaotic assembly space, Flame Fiend let out a roar, holding up his own shattered anchor. "Everyone! Watch me go and cut down that Moon Fiend!" he announced, and he and his group of distinctive Reincarnators were enveloped in the data stream.
In a massive, opulent, silver-white building, the Snow Witch suddenly tapped the floor. Ice instantly froze the several men who had been about to deploy. She frowned. "Abandon the pursuit of Flame Fiend. This mission… a very dangerous person is participating…"
The others didn't understand, but no one questioned her judgment. They all knew that one of the Snow Witch's "friends" was a high-level member of the [Destiny] collective, a third-tier [Chosen] who had access to information that no other Reincarnator could obtain.
At that moment, the man in the white uniform destroyed his own tracking items. The pursuit had failed. He was instantly deployed in a normal mission.
"What's wrong? This world should have been a grand stage. The conflict between the [Final Sun] and the [Silent Fate] is in its final window. [Destiny], [Nexus Throne], and [Azure Sky] have all intervened. Even those two should have backed down after this mission cycle. The deathmatch between Moon Fiend and Flame Fiend, the rebellion of Great Fiend… this should have been the last chance…"
"What danger could possibly make you order us to abandon this hunt?"
The man standing next to the Snow Witch had a strange, pale complexion, and the veins under his skin were clearly visible, flowing with a green blood.
The Snow Witch glanced at him. "Treant. If you really think this is a good opportunity, you can go and try. I'm just telling you… a member of the [Black King's Assembly]… has been deployed."
[Treant]'s pupils contracted. He said nothing more.
Kaito suddenly felt a chill. Waves were crashing at his feet, slowly bringing his senses back to his body. He blinked, and his vision returned. His powerful senses instantly began to process all the sights and sounds around him.
The sky in the far distance was as black as ink. A terrifying hurricane connected the sky and the sea. The immediate area was dark and overcast, the air so thick with moisture that every breath felt heavy and wet. On the nearby beach, the half-sunk wreckage of a massive wooden merchant ship was lying on its side. Around him, on the sand, several other figures were just beginning to stir.
Clearly, their entry into this world was as the survivors of a shipwreck.
White seabirds were screeching overhead, as if desperate to escape some danger. A shower of wanted posters fell from the sky. Kaito confirmed that they weren't seagulls, but the special [News Coo] birds from this world. He picked up one that had stuck to his leg.
Red text, in a messy cursive, began to appear.
[World Load Complete.]
[Mission World: One Piece Derivative World A9981]
[Mission Type: Team Battle]
[Challenge Difficulty: Medium ~ High]
[Time Limit: 30 Days]
[Notice: Based on WD10095210's influence, the plot characters Hawkeye and Perona are DEAD. Related quests are being removed…]
[Notice: Based on GV23177331's influence, the plot character Crocodile is DEAD. Related quests and factions are being removed…]
[Notice: Based on KH74035572's influence, the plot characters Hachi, Arlong, etc. are DEAD. Related quests and factions are being removed…]
"Ha. This world has really been torn to shreds by those bastards," a jaunty voice called out from the other side of the beach. A Reincarnator with a half-silver mask was spinning a black revolver, deliberately drawing everyone's attention. He had dark skin, thick eyebrows, and his hair was in dreadlocks.
Seeing that everyone was awake, he tested the space in front of him. The invisible barrier was gone. He grinned, his face flushed with excitement, his body trembling.
"Well, well! It's rare to have so many Reincarnators in one place… Let's… have a slaughter!"
BANG!
He suddenly fired. A protective amulet on another Reincarnator instantly lit up. He realized what was happening, and with a flash of light, a machine gun appeared in his hands. He immediately opened fire.
These two were the spark. In an instant, the entire beach erupted into a chaotic, free-for-all firefight.
Kaito watched, impassive. He had to admit, the mental state of Reincarnators was truly worth studying. The biodiversity here was a delight. You had the types who would try to communicate and form alliances, and you had these madmen who would just start shooting.
BANG!
Kaito's body moved. A bullet grazed past him and buried itself in the sand. He looked up and saw the man with the mask, dodging and weaving, his own protective amulets constantly flashing, still firing his gun at everyone else. He seemed to be deliberately provoking them.
Kaito lifted his left foot high. A few of the others finally noticed him. Their pupils contracted. "Look out! It's Mercenary Tao!"
BOOM!
A massive amount of sand exploded. Kaito vanished, reappearing nearly a hundred meters away, right next to the dreadlocked man, who was still in shock. Kaito took another step, instantly reversing his direction and appearing behind him, his hand reaching for his neck. But an invisible barrier stopped him.
The man, now recognizing him, fired two more shots, not even aiming, just hip-firing. But Kaito just stood there.
Clang! Clang!
After the two sounds, his right hand blurred, seeming to disappear. The next moment, he had tapped the man's chest, and his protective amulet had shattered.
"Mercenary Tao, don't kill me—" the man began to plead, but his neck was already in Kaito's grip. Kaito had no interest in listening to any of his schemes. He squeezed.
Crack. The sound of a snapping larynx.
But in the next instant, an extremely horrifying feeling washed over Kaito. He looked down at his arm. His super-human vision could clearly see the hairs on his arm standing on end. He suddenly realized something. The dreadlocks on the man he had just killed… they were slowly coming undone.
This phenomenon meant… a lightning strike!
CRACKLE!
A pillar of blue-white lightning fell from the sky, instantly enveloping both Kaito and the dreadlocked man.
CRACKLE! CRACKLE!
A storm of lightning bolts rained down from the sky. A moment later, the beach was silent, covered in blackened corpses.
BZZT~
A streak of electricity shot in from the distance. A bare-chested man, his body wreathed in lightning, his eyelids low, floated in the air, looking down at the carnage. His eyes shifted.
"There's still one more sound…"