"Hahaha!" Usopp slapped his thigh, roaring with laughter. "Newcomers are all like this! I started with 'whatever' too!" He mimicked Zoro's tone from back then, "'Long Nose, you're in charge of… uh… just doing whatever odd jobs.'"
Luffy laughed so hard he rolled on the deck, his straw hat tumbling to the side.
Ron bent down to pick up the straw hat, a gentle smile in his eyes: "Don't worry, Chef, on this ship—" His voice suddenly became meaningful, "Everyone will eventually find the position that suits them best."
Sanji's mouth twitched unnaturally, the cigarette between his fingers nearly snapping. Just as he was about to say something, Ron suddenly raised his hand, his sea-blue cloak swaying gently in the morning breeze.
"That was just a joke," Ron teased. "As a newcomer, there always has to be a formal welcome ceremony."
Usopp's long nose suddenly perked up excitedly, his eyes shining as if he had discovered a treasure: "Could it be… Sanji's getting a System?!" He jumped up, waving his arms and legs, "Great! This way we can all get stronger together!"
"Sy… System?" Sanji's golden eyebrows furrowed, the cigarette trembling slightly between his lips. "What kind of slang are you speaking?"
Luffy had already lost interest in repeating explanations and was concentrating on poking a piece of roast meat with his fork.
Zoro sighed, rubbing his temples: "So troublesome… Simply put, everyone on this ship has a special ability System." He pointed to himself, "I can get stronger by sleeping."
Usopp immediately struck an exaggerated pose: "My Tall Tale System has already upgraded to Silver-tier! As long as I successfully tell a tall tale, I'll get rewards…"
Then he looked at Sanji very smugly, and said disdainfully, "This Captain Usopp is already a Haki master."
"Stop, stop, stop!" Sanji suddenly raised his hand to interrupt, cigarette ash falling. "Are you making up stories? What 'getting stronger by sleeping,' 'telling tall tales to upgrade'…" His gaze swept back and forth across their faces, but he only saw serious expressions.
Zoro impatiently drew Wado Ichimonji: "Watch closely." The blade suddenly glowed with a faint green aura. "This is 'Sword Aura Resonance' from the Slumber Training System."
Usopp, not to be outdone, raised his slingshot, and the pellet arced eerily through the air: "Behold my 'Sure-Kill: Tracking Star'! A gift from the Tall Tale System! It only requires a small tall tale, it's too easy."
Luffy finally looked up from his food, his rubber arm stretching out with a "whoosh" to wrap around the deck: "My Choice System is the best! Every time I choose correctly, I get meat!"
Sanji's cigarette fell onto his shiny leather shoe. His gaze swept over everyone, finally settling on Ron: "You… what exactly did you do to them?"
Ron smiled slightly, and a swirling stream of blue data suddenly appeared at his fingertips: "I'm a Devil Fruit user of the System-System Fruit, I can grant others special growth Systems."
The data stream formed into mini icons: a sleeping Marimo, a storytelling Long Nose, a gobbling Straw Hat…
Sanji staggered back two steps, his back hitting the mast: "Are you kidding me! This… this is too absurd!" His voice was even a little distorted. "How can a Devil Fruit have this kind of…"
"Don't get hung up on scientific issues!" Usopp hooked Sanji's shoulder. "The important thing is—" He lowered his voice mysteriously, "What System do you want? A Chef System? A Kicking Skill System? Or…"
Sanji's pupils widened slightly. Under everyone's expectant gazes, he suddenly turned and rushed into the kitchen: "I need a glass of rum to calm down!"
The deck erupted in laughter.
Ron watched Sanji's hasty retreat, a playful glint in his eyes. He knew that the blond chef would soon come to him asking for a System.
After all, in this vast sea, no one could refuse the temptation of becoming stronger.
The waves gently lapped against the ship, and the Going Merry was sailing at full speed towards its destination. In the ship's kitchen, Sanji stared at his trembling hands, his understanding of himself shaken for the first time.
If what those lunatics said was true, could his dream be realized?
Sanji suddenly pushed open the kitchen door, his leather shoes making urgent sounds on the deck. His golden bangs were ruffled by the sea breeze, and his eyes gleamed with determination.
Everyone turned their heads in unison, still wearing mischievous smiles.
"I've decided!" Sanji stood ramrod straight, a wisp of smoke rising from his cigarette in the morning light. "My dream is to obtain the ability of the Suke Suke no Mi!" His voice suddenly became solemn, and he bowed to Ron, placing his right hand over his chest. "If Vice-Captain can help me achieve this wish, I will be eternally grateful!"
The deck immediately fell silent, even Zoro temporarily stopped sharpening his swords.
Ron's mouth twitched slightly: "Well…" He deliberately drew out the sound, "The rewards from Systems are varied, who can say what's inside? An invisibility ability… maybe it really exists~"
Sanji's eyes instantly lit up like spotlights, and his cigarette dropped from his wide-open mouth: "Re… really?!" He lunged forward to stand before Ron, slapping his hands against the ship's rail with a "smack." "Please, Vice-Captain, give me a System! Give it to me now!"
Usopp muttered softly to the side: "This change of face is faster than my tall tales…"
Luffy picked his nose: "Suke Suke no Mi? What's that? Can you eat it?"
Zoro sneered: "He definitely wants to use it to peek into the women's bathhouse, right?"
"Are you trying to die, Marimo?!" Sanji's leather shoe kicked a dent next to Zoro's head, then he immediately reverted to a fawning expression and looked at Ron, "Vice-Captain~"
Ron suppressed a laugh, raised his hand, and snapped his fingers: "As you wish."
A pink data stream descended from the sky, enveloping Sanji. A semi-transparent light screen appeared before his eyes:
[Combat Endurance System · Bound]
[Host: Sanji]
[System Trait: Taking Hits = Getting Stronger]
[Current Durability Level: Rookie (0/100)]
[Today's Mission: Take three hits (Reward: Kicking Skill Power +15%)]
Sanji's expression froze. He mechanically turned to look at Ron: "Wha… what kind of cursed System is this?!"
"The Combat Endurance System," Ron explained seriously. "You get stronger by taking hits. Getting hit in different ways grants different rewards, and the degree of the hit changes the reward…"
"Are you kidding me?!!" Sanji's roar startled a flock of seagulls. "I'm a chef! Not a punching bag!"
Usopp was already rolling on the deck with laughter: "Hahaha! It's perfect for you! The violent chef who fights all day!"
Zoro rarely showed such a schadenfreude smile: "Do you want me to help you complete today's mission right now? Three-Sword Style · Special Love Edition?"
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