Snap—
A crisp sound echoed as a lighter flicked open, igniting a cigarette.
Before Ren's eyes, the colorful roulette wheel spun wildly—but this time, nothing was ejected.
Instead, a system notification suddenly appeared.
{Jackpot triggered! You have drawn — Character Template: Eldest Calabash Brother.}
Ren immediately flipped the newly appeared secondary switch. The "Eldest Brother" template replaced the "Third Brother" template.
In that instant, an overwhelming surge of power poured into his body from the void.
Crimson energy patterns erupted beneath his gold-lined skin as searing heat and power roared through his veins.
Instinctively, Ren unleashed the innate ability of the Eldest Brother.
His body began to grow—violently. From a height of 178 centimeters, he shot up to 298, doubling in size in the blink of an eye.
The overflowing power caused his limbs to flush bright red, blood pounding with explosive energy.
Nami's house immediately turned into something like a coffin—barely containing his massive frame.
Another holographic window appeared.
[Character Template — Calabash Brother: Eldest Brother!]
[Origin: Calabash Brothers]
[Type: Template]
[Effect: Upon use, your physique is replaced by the Eldest Brother Template. All physical parameters increase moderately to massively depending on base attributes. Grants constant divine strength and gigantification.]
[Cost: Stamina]
[Traits: Divine Strength, Gigantification]
[Trait: Divine Strength]
[Type: Passive]
[Effect: When using the Eldest Brother Template, the user gains Divine Strength, significantly boosting muscle power.]
[Cost: Stamina]
[Trait: Gigantification]
[Type: Active Ability]
[Effect: While in the Eldest Brother Template state, you can actively use Gigantification to greatly enhance strength and constitution. Consumes massive stamina while active.]
[Cost: Stamina]
Perfect. This jackpot was easily worth a billion in value.
All the effort Ren spent convincing Nami to hand over the treasure had finally paid off. Without her seventy million Beli, he would never have scraped together the hundred million required.
{You have completed 100 total draws. The Dimensional Roulette has now unlocked the Silver Tier. Each spin requires 10 million Beli.}
"Ten times the cost? Robbery…"
Ren's lips twitched. He was finally beginning to understand how this roulette really bled people dry.
A glance at his remaining balance showed:
{Chips Remaining: 18 million}
Just enough for one Silver-tier spin.
After a moment's hesitation, Ren decided—why not? He pressed the button.
The colorful wheel spun again, lights flashing—then a new message popped up.
{You have obtained: Breathing Regeneration.}
No physical item appeared this time—just another text notification.
[Breathing Regeneration]
[Origin: Call of Duty]
[Type: Permanent Passive Rule]
[Effect: When taking damage or losing stamina, as long as the user is not under attack, health and stamina will gradually regenerate through controlled breathing. Healing continues regardless of injury severity until full recovery. Health regeneration rate: 1% every 5 minutes. Stamina regeneration rate: 1% every 1 minute.]
[Cost: None]
[Trait: Rule]
When Ren read the description, he blinked—then gasped sharply, as if contributing a breath to world peace.
Overwhelmed with excitement, he accidentally moved, causing the entire house to creak in protest.
But he couldn't care less now—his eyes stayed glued to the screen.
"Out-of-combat automatic regeneration of health and stamina? Ignoring injury severity—so even broken bones or ruptured organs will heal over time? Damn it, this is absurd! Is this the real value of a 10-million-Beli spin?!"
He clenched his fists, exhilarated.
"And the stamina recovery completely negates the drawbacks of the Sharingan. Endurance won't be a weakness anymore!"
If he could, Ren would've conjured more cash right there and spun until he reached godhood—Ten-Li Sword Saint style.
A new idea struck him.
"If this tier's jackpot is already at this level, what about the next? I already have two Calabash Brother templates—maybe I can use the Tidal Adventurer trait to collect all seven."
"Then find a way to merge them… into Calabash Golden Steel, combining all their powers into one."
It was a solid plan—and Ren immediately decided to make it his next goal.
Then reality hit him.
He had subconsciously activated Gigantification, turning into a giant—and completely shredded his clothes in the process.
As he pondered how to handle this, the door creaked open.
Nami stepped in with her staff in hand, probably to say something—but froze mid-step.
Naked? Giant!?
Her stunned gaze moved upward—then stopped at the "long spear" in front of her before locking eyes with Ren.
Realization dawned on her face, followed by panic and a half-step backward.
"Y-you'll die if you try that, you know?!"
Ren: "…"
After a few silent seconds, he calmly deactivated Gigantification.
"Don't get the wrong idea. Something went wrong—my clothes ripped. You got any spares?"
Still… maybe the Dimensional Roulette should consider adding Hulk's indestructible shorts to the prize pool.
He definitely needed those right now. Urgently.
Meanwhile, at Arlong Park,
The headquarters of the Arlong Pirates loomed near the bay—a massive building crawling with fishmen, decorated in imitation of Sabaody Archipelago's coral architecture.
Nami's room was at the very top.
By now, dusk had fallen.
Most of the fishmen had retreated to rest, leaving a few guards posted around the area.
Arlong himself had returned to his quarters. After all, he had to maintain his act—pretending to know nothing about Cocoyasi Village, letting Nami continue deceiving herself while working for him.
That unreachable one hundred million Beli was just like the carrot dangled before a donkey—forever out of reach.
"You'll never escape my grasp, Nami!"
Arlong sneered as he gazed out the window toward Cocoyasi Village, already savoring her inevitable return.
But he had no idea—this time, Nami wasn't coming back alone.
At the front gate, three figures had appeared without warning: a young woman with orange hair, a green-haired swordsman, a black-haired man—and a dog.
The guards rushed in only to be cut down instantly by the swordsman's blades, while the dark-haired man raised a crystal monocle, locking eyes with Arlong from afar.
"Nami! You've betrayed me!"
Arlong ripped the window open, roaring down at her and her companions.
"So those are your allies? Fools! You think anyone from the East Blue can stand against fishmen? Humans are weak and worthless! You had your chance—and now you'll pay for it!"
His furious voice echoed through the compound.
Ren lowered the crystal monocle, checked the gilded pocket watch in his hand, and smirked.
"Arlong, huh? So that's you. Quite the swagger… Too bad it's suicidal."
In the next instant—
BOOM!
An explosion tore through the base of the building, a blazing inferno ripping it apart as shockwaves sent debris flying.
"Crush them!"
Ren crushed the Eye of the Herald in his palm.
A massive spectral beast—six meters tall—burst forth behind him, roaring to life.
(End of Chapter)