Krieg, the scourge of the East Blue, was as strong as a bear, and his cannon roared like thunder. He hurled shells tirelessly, unwavering, leaving only smoking craters in his wake. Krieg's attacks ricocheted across the deck like explosions, but no one could decipher their mechanics.
Rodney, quick as a monkey but not made of iron, couldn't engage Krieg. He dodged, jumped, and his "cannon fodder," trembling, hid behind the sides.
"You bastard! If you're so brave, don't hide!" Krieg, unable to catch Rodney, scratched the back of his head in frustration.
Rodney eluded his wrath like a ghost. The ship's deck was riddled with bullet holes, and if it continued, it would fall apart.
"Okay!" Rodney threw a kunai loaded with an explosive tag.
Krieg, a seasoned warrior, swung his cannon, but a shuriken intercepted the kunai, changing its trajectory.
- Boom! -
Krieg was thrown back, the cannon flying from his hands and falling into the sea, kicking up a roiling wave.
"Krieg, it's over!" Rodney cut off Krieg's head with undisguised cruelty.
He put it in his pocket, looked at the pirates and, having attached the detonator to the mast, waved his hand at them.
"Farewell! Whether you survive or not depends on your luck," he said, doing a backflip, jumping off the deck, and walking across the sea as if on dry land.
"Faster, faster! The curse is gone, let's get up!" the pirates shouted, clambering onto the only boat.
But Rodney had other plans.
- Boom! -
The mast shattered, causing a chain reaction of explosions. The ship was plunged into chaos.
Rodney destroyed all hopes of the pirates.
[Mission: Kill Krieg]
Mission Level: C
Status: Completed
[Rewards: 500 Mission Points, One Constant Chakra Fruit, Shadow Clone Technique, Leaf Dragon God].
Rodney crossed his arms and whispered, "Shadow Clone Technique!"
- Boom! -
A copy of himself appeared next to him. Rodney sent the clone elsewhere, but he remained where he was.
He felt an unusual sensation, but it was indeed a method of gaining experience in an unconventional way.
— God of the Leaf Dragon! —
Rodney created a dragon-shaped whirlwind, raising huge waves.
He was a ninja who was once called "Konoha's strongest ninja in taijutsu."
Returning to the merchant ship, Rodney activated the system.
{Host: Joestar J. Rodney}
Race: Human
Level: Ninja
Attributes: Wind, Fire, Water, Thunder, Earth, Yin, Yang
Ninjutsu: Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu, Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu, Water Release: Water Body, Chakra...
Body Arts: Shurikenjutsu, Dancing Leaf Shadow, Leaf Whirlwind...
Bloodline Limit: None
[Mission Points: 760].
— "Lightning Element": Wave of Inspiration - 250, Fire Element: Dragon Fire Technique - 200, Water Element: Hand of Waves - 300".
After destroying the Krieg pirates, Rodney's reputation spread throughout the East Blue.
He possessed an unknown Devil Fruit ability that made him an incredibly formidable fighter.
From now on, the name of Red-Eyed Rodney spread widely throughout the East Blue.
— ... —
Rodney tore the newspaper into pieces.
Damn these red-eyed labels!
Can't East China Sea Press learn from the way World Economic News reports?
After all, he was a decent man, wasn't he?
His own reputation was of little concern to him, but the nickname that had stuck to him thanks to these people caused real anxiety.
"Exactly," he mused, "if this matter is not properly settled, it will haunt me for the rest of my days. And I will not allow this gang to determine my fate."
"How about... 'Copy Ninja'? No, no, that name won't do. I'm not the first ninja in Konoha."
"Rodney the Magician." That name sounds intriguing. Well, let's do it," he decided.
Grabbing pen and paper, he quickly jotted down a brilliant article. The words flowed on the paper with swift strokes of his pen. Then he headed to the nearest post office and, without thinking, dropped several large beli into the box. Money was nothing to him.
On the third day, the article he had written was prominently featured in the East Blue newspaper.
— "...Blooming amidst the bloodshed like flowers at dawn, Joestar J. Rodney, the man who dared to gamble with fate..." —
It was a well-written article, explaining the origins of the nickname and offering personal insights... ahem, factual information. The nickname "Master of Fate" quickly spread, eclipsing the previous one, "Red-Eyes."
Rodney resolved the nickname crisis without any difficulty. In other words, he spent a few bellies... but at least he didn't run out of money.
Afterwards, he went to collect Krieg's bounty and discovered it was worth no more than ten million beli. Even if he had a fleet with a substantial number of men in the East Blue, it still wouldn't have amounted to that much. Smoker and the others must have inflated the price. They knew Krieg was just a bunch of losers, right?
Because Krieg was too cunning, they couldn't apprehend him in time. So Rodney gave them a dressing down, and he didn't have to worry about how many of the gang were still alive.
He continued to go about his daily business, completing assignments. However, on this day, he was following a merchant ship and stopped in front of a seafood restaurant.
"Barati Restaurant!" he read the sign.