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Chapter 375: Winning Big: Red-Haired's Severed Limb Will Regenerate
Foosha Village. Makino's Tavern.
The holographic projection froze on the image of Shanks being blasted away by a single punch, his fate unknown. Soon after, the ruined landscape of Z-City began to peel away like a shattered mirror. The lights and shadows twisted and spun, eventually merging into a blinding flash of white light.
Hum—!
The sharp stench of scorched flesh instantly filled the tavern as two figures materialized, tumbling onto the floorboards.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Benn Beckman fell to one knee, coughing violently. Despite his immense physical fortitude, his face was deathly pale, and the signature flintlock in his hand trembled slightly. The sheer helplessness of facing a "God" directly still gripped his heart like an icy claw.
Beside him, Yonko Red-Haired Shanks was in a state that could only be described as pathetic.
His iconic black cape had been shredded into ribbons. His upper body was bare, exposing a horrifying, charred fist imprint sunk deeply into his chest. Although it hadn't pierced completely through, the surrounding flesh was completely blackened, as if branded by a searing iron. He lay spread-eagle on the floor, eyes rolled back, smoke billowing off his body like a freshly roasted slab of meat.
Silence. Deathly silence.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on the man who had once terrified the seas, now reduced to a bruised and battered mess. No one spoke; the residual terror of that punch still echoed vividly in their minds.
"Uwororororo!!!"
Finally, a gloating, manic laugh broke the silence. Kaido clutched his club, laughing so hard tears streamed down his face. He pointed at Shanks on the floor, unable to even stand up straight.
"Red-Haired! Look at you now! Why didn't you shout your famous 'Give me face' line? Did that bald guy not understand you? Uwororororo!"
This was Kaido. Seeing his old rival eat dirt—even though Kaido himself was currently a security guard—made him laugh like a three-hundred-pound child.
Whitebeard sat quietly in his corner. While he didn't laugh out loud, his twitching mustache clearly betrayed his amusement.
"Gurararara... he looks a bit ragged, but I must admit... that Red-Haired brat certainly has guts."
To dare draw a sword against a monster like that. Just the sheer courage alone meant that even while lying charred on the floor, Shanks was still a certified badass.
"Cough..."
The "burnt charcoal" on the floor twitched. Shanks sucked in a massive gulp of air, shooting awake as if roused from a nightmare. He groggily forced his eyes open, taking in the familiar ceiling, the swaying chandelier, and the circle of faces looking down at him—a bit punchable, but familiar nonetheless.
"I'm... I'm alive?" Shanks' voice was as raspy as sandpaper. He struggled to sit up, only to find every bone in his body screaming in protest. He bared his teeth in agony. "Hsss—!!! That bald guy... hit so damn hard! What happened to his 'Normal Punch'?! If he had gotten even a little serious, my grave would already have weeds growing on it!"
Recalling the utter lack of killing intent in the bald man's eyes at the very end, Shanks couldn't help but shudder. It was too terrifying. That kind of power defied all logic and reason!
"How do you feel?" A lazy voice drifted over from behind the counter.
Blake stood there, holding a steaming cup of coffee, staring playfully at the Yonko who had just had his worldview beaten out of him. "A hundred million Berries to buy a severe beating. Do you think it was a bad deal?"
Shanks paused. He looked down at the fist imprint on his chest, which was already rapidly healing. The system's return-healing mechanism was taking effect. The pain remained, but the sensation of being shattered and rebuilt was incredibly vivid.
He flexed his remaining left hand. He wasn't coating it in Armament Haki, but he could clearly feel every single cell in his body cheering in jubilation! It was the rebirth that came from shattering a limiter!
"A bad deal?" Shanks' lips curled into a wide grin, exposing a row of teeth that, while stained with blood, gleamed brilliantly. There was not a shred of defeat in that smile; instead, it radiated an unprecedented, fanatical clarity.
"Boss Blake, you underestimate me. Never mind a hundred million... even if I had to sell the entire Red Hair Pirates..." Shanks snapped his head up, his eyes shining intensely. "I would still say... it was absolutely fucking worth it!!!"
Once you've seen the view from the absolute peak, who would ever long for the mud at the bottom of the mountain? Even if he was kicked off that peak, at the very least, he now knew exactly how high the mountain was and how vast the sky truly could be!
"Excellent." Blake nodded in satisfaction. These pirates might not be the brightest bunch, but their pure, unadulterated pursuit of power was truly commendable.
"Then," Blake gently snapped his fingers. "Let's begin the settlement."
Hum—!
A translucent virtual panel unfolded before Shanks and Beckman. The glowing golden text instantly drew the eyes of everyone in the room. Even Imu, hiding in the corner, couldn't resist leaning forward to look.
[Dungeon: One Punch Man - Elder Centipede Arc]
[Players: Shanks, Benn Beckman]
[Task Completion: Killed Demon-Level Monster 1/1, Killed Dragon-Level Monster 0/1 (Assist), Challenged the Plane's Strongest (Survived)]
[Overall Evaluation: A-Class]
Seeing the "A-Class," Kaido curled his lip disdainfully. "Tch, only an A-Class? I got an SSS-Class! Red-Haired, you really dropped the ball on this one. How embarrassing!"
Shanks completely ignored the dimwitted dragon's taunts. He kept his eyes glued to the bottom of the panel. The reward settlement section!
One hundred million Berries. An A-Class evaluation. What kind of insane loot would it yield?!
[Congratulations Player Shanks, you have obtained the following rewards:]
[1. Physique Enhancement: Dragon-Level Monster Standard (No Side Effects)]
[Description: Your physical strength has broken through the human limit of the One Piece world, gaining defense and recovery comparable to a Dragon-Level Monster. Regenerating your severed limb is just around the corner.]
[2. Skill: Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist (Grandmaster Level)]
[Description: The ultimate technique of martial arts master Bang, the pinnacle of defense and counterattack. Using softness to overcome hardness, borrowing strength to strike back, you can neutralize attacks even from foes several times stronger than yourself.]
Reading the first reward, Shanks violently vaulted up from the floor, entirely forgetting the pain wracking his body.
"Severed limb... regeneration?!"
He stared intensely at the description, breathing as heavily as a teenager in love. Ever since he sacrificed his arm in the East Blue to bet on the new era, he had always claimed he didn't care. But as a swordsman, losing an arm was a fatal blow to his overall combat prowess!
And now, this damn system was telling him that as long as his physical stats met the requirement, this arm... could grow back?!
"Are you serious?!" Shanks instinctively reached up to touch his empty left sleeve. Right there, at his stump, he could actually feel a warm current pulsing. It itched slightly. It felt exactly like... a tender sprout pushing its way out of the soil!
"Uwororororo..." Kaido stopped laughing. He stared at Shanks' aura, which had noticeably skyrocketed. The sheer physical pressure radiating from Shanks was faintly beginning to resemble his own presence as the "Strongest Creature"!
"Dragon-Level Monster Standard? What the hell is that? It sounds incredibly durable?" Kaido felt a sharp twinge of jealousy. He had to get beaten like a dog in the Pokémon world to earn his Demon Dragon Body. Red-Haired just took one punch and instantly got toughened up?
However, before anyone could fully recover from the shock, the demonstration sequence for the second reward forcefully injected itself directly into Shanks' mind.
Boom! In his vision, a hunched, silver-haired old man faced a barrage of thousands of incoming meteors. His hands flowed like water, displaying the absolute pinnacle of martial technique! The moment a meteor touched his fingertips, its trajectory was deflected, its momentum shattered by a bizarre, redirecting force!
That smooth, fluid motion—the grace of moving through a storm of blades without a single cut—was practically tailor-made for Shanks right now!
If he couldn't beat the bald man with raw strength, he would use technique! He would use the world's most ultimate deflection art to seize a sliver of a chance for survival!
"So this is... the Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist?"
Shanks closed his eyes, his body subconsciously slipping into the opening stance. A faint blue aura began swirling around his fingertips. It was subtle, yet it carried a terrifyingly resilient, unyielding force!
"Gurararara..." Whitebeard was genuinely moved this time. As a master of hand-to-hand combat himself, he instantly recognized the terrifying potential of this martial art. "If he combines that fist technique... with his Haki... that Red-Haired brat is truly going to evolve again."
Not only had his physique improved, but he had completely covered the defensive shortcomings caused by losing an arm. Shanks had essentially hit the jackpot!
"We're not done yet," Blake gently tapped the counter, drawing everyone's attention to the other man. "Don't forget, we have a very sharp-minded First Mate here too."
Benn Beckman took a deep breath. He looked down at his own panel. While his rewards weren't as flashy as Shanks', what he saw made even a seasoned gunner like his palms sweat!
[Congratulations Player Benn Beckman, you have obtained the following reward:]
[Item: High-Dimensional Material: Infinite Magazine (Conceptual Version)]
[Description: A magazine that never runs out of ammo. It automatically switches bullet attributes (armor-piercing, explosive, incendiary, freezing, gravity...) based on the user's will. Compatible with any firearm.]
"Infinite... ammo?" Beckman muttered. "And I can switch attributes?"
With trembling hands, he pulled out his old, trusty flintlock from his coat. With a mere thought...
Click. No physical magazine appeared, but he could feel it. Inside the chamber, a bullet radiating a terrifying, freezing aura had automatically loaded itself! No gunpowder required. No reloading needed.
As long as he willed it, this gun was now a mobile artillery platform capable of unleashing an endless barrage of firepower!
"This thing..." A long-lost, sinister smirk crawled onto Beckman's face. He turned slowly toward Kaido. The look in his eyes actually sent a faint chill down Kaido's spine.
"Hey, you over there. Kaido of the Beasts, right? My shot didn't pierce your tough hide earlier today. Next time we get the chance..."
Beckman raised his flintlock, mimicking a precise aiming motion.
"Care to test out a Gravity Armor-Piercing Bullet?"
Kaido: "..."
Damn it! These guys went into one dungeon and came back acting like absolute demons!
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