Chapter 124: A Refresh of Items, and a Stroke of Luck
The hospitality of the desert, whether it was really like that or not, Shane didn't know.
But his own hospitality had never changed; it was as simple as ever.
[You have sacrificed Igaram's curling iron and received 80 points.]
[You have sacrificed Vivi's bracelet and received 320 points.]
Only four hundred in total?
Shane's gaze shifted to the Super Spot-Billed Duck that was curiously looking at him.
Hmm?
That's Vivi's, right? The one that's always getting lost. I think its name is Karoo.
Speaking of which, does this guy count as Vivi's pet? Can I sacrifice the whole thing?
"QUACK! QUACK, QUACK!"
Karoo suddenly felt a strange chill. His feathers stood on end, and he buried his head in the sand in terror, his butt sticking high in the air.
Are you an ostrich or a duck?!
Shane slapped the chubby duck-butt, annoyed. The feel of it was actually quite nice.
Such a scaredy-cat!
How could he possibly harm such a cute little animal?
[You have sacrificed Karoo's sunglasses and received 100 points.]
Mmm, that's five hundred in total. Barely acceptable.
Shane looked at the system panel.
The shop would refresh tomorrow, and his current remaining points had already reached 52,200.
Hanafuda had also made a contribution to that.
But with that guy, Shane had specifically cut off his right arm to sacrifice, and it had only yielded a thousand points.
It was probably because he was a character who only ever appeared in the SBS corners and never in the manga itself, so his value was far less than his fellow Warlord, Crocodile.
Oh, right, there was also Jack the Drought.
Shane called Kuina over and asked her what had happened to Hanafuda's subordinates.
The response was that the top, high-bounty officers had all been taken care of by Smokey.
The rest of the ordinary pirates had all been frozen into ice sculptures by Nojiko and handed over to the Alabasta Royal Guard.
As for Jack, who had crashed through the ice and sunk to the bottom of the river at the very beginning of the fight…
He had long since drifted away.
Shane had searched the entire port with his Observation Haki, but he hadn't found any sign of him.
So, he had to give up.
…
The banks of the Sandy River, under the command of the Royal Guard, had now returned to a state of calm.
The merchant ships began to pass through normally.
And Igaram, on behalf of the bedridden King Cobra, extended an invitation to Shane and his crew, wanting to host a grand banquet for them at the royal palace.
This suited Shane just fine. He had been thinking about that Poneglyph in the royal capital.
And meeting with Cobra was a good opportunity to clear his name and expose Crocodile's true nature.
But he couldn't stay here for long.
Once he got his hands on the Poneglyph, he planned to leave this desert kingdom immediately.
After all, the battle at the river mouth had been witnessed by many, and the collapse of the Hanafuda Pirates was big news. It would probably reach Marine Headquarters soon.
If he stayed too long, he might attract a certain mad dog who held a grudge against him.
——————
The next morning, The Curtain Call set sail at full speed, following the Sandy River toward the royal capital in the interior.
Igaram and Vivi had already left yesterday to prepare the banquet at the palace.
So, the deck of The Curtain Call was now occupied only by the crew, but it was still quite noisy.
To be precise… Nami alone was giving everyone a headache.
"Aaaah! What's with the News Coo?! Why isn't it here yet?!"
Nami leaned over the ship's railing, craning her neck to look at the sky. The little mochi-like creature on her head was getting dizzy from her anxious leg-shaking.
"It's already eleven in the morning! The World Economic Journal is so slow!"
"You've been shouting that every ten minutes since dawn. You've asked fifteen times already," Kuina said, leaning against the mast and polishing the Wado Ichimonji and the Kashu that Robin had given her, without looking up. "Can't you just rest for a bit? No matter how fast Morgans' subordinates are, they still have to wait for the news of Hanafuda's defeat to reach the head office, right?"
"A whole night is enough! I had a big moment, you know!" Nami said, puffing out her cheeks and shaking her fist. "My brother took down the Warlord, Hanafuda, single-handedly! And me? Me, Nojiko, and Smokey were even faster than him!"
"It only took us half an hour to take care of the entire Hanafuda Pirates! Shouldn't that be big news, worthy of a special edition?!"
"But even if the news comes out, it will still take time for Marine Headquarters to hold a meeting before your bounty can be raised," Robin said, walking out with two cups of black coffee and a small smile. "So, Nami, even if you do buy a special edition, your bounty will still be the same. 80,000 Berries."
"I don't care!"
Nami suddenly shot forward and grabbed Gin by his fluffy ears. "It's all your fault! You stupid Gin! If you hadn't stolen the show last time and made the Marines think my fire was your ability, my bounty wouldn't be only 80,000 Berries!"
"..."
Gin couldn't even be bothered to react. He yawned and continued to lie there, sunbathing, letting Nami twist his ears into a pretzel.
"Eighty thousand?"
Shane, who had been dozing under the parasol, pushed up his sunglasses and raised an eyebrow. "I seem to remember it being eighty million."
"...You!"
Nami's face flushed red, but seeing that Shane looked genuinely surprised and not like he was deliberately mocking her, she couldn't get angry. She just stomped her foot in frustration.
Idiot brother! Idiot, idiot, idiot!
If it were eighty million, it would be even higher than Nojiko's! Would she still be so obsessed with the News Coo?!
"It's really eighty thousand. You had just woken up then, and you were talking to me while you were reading the paper, so you probably didn't notice and misread it," Robin said with a smile, coming under the parasol and placing a cup of coffee beside Shane. "Your coffee, Captain."
"Thanks," Shane said, picking up the coffee and taking a sip.
He looked at Nami, whose cheeks were puffed out, and couldn't help but laugh. He casually comforted her, "Alright, I remembered it wrong. Don't worry about it. I'm sure it'll go up a lot this time."
After all, this time, Gin hadn't even left the ship.
And Nami, in order to prove herself, had been using all sorts of flashy, large-scale moves, drawing gasps of admiration from the onlookers on the shore.
Unless the Marine intelligence department was really just a bunch of idiots who only knew how to hold meetings and give presentations, there was no way they could get it wrong this time.
"I hope so…" Nami said, slumping over the railing, still dejected.
Shane shrugged and didn't bother with his sister anymore. He sipped his coffee and opened the system shop.
The marketplace had refreshed.
Now, it was time for his second-favorite activity: online shopping!
It had been a while.
The last time he had browsed the market was before Little Garden.
His luck hadn't been very good then. Of the ten items, most were useless, and he had only ended up buying two.
But this time, it seemed Lady Luck was finally smiling on him.
The very first item that appeared when he opened the shop immediately caught his interest.
[Sleight of Hand Card Set]
Type: Consumable
Price: 2000 Points
Description: Upon purchase, you will receive a total of five "Sleight of Hand" cards. Each use allows you to randomly take one item from anyone within your line of sight, regardless of distance. You can try it once for free to see the effect.
Seller's Note: "Yoink!"
Although the note was a bit strange, the effect was very practical.
As long as the target is in my line of sight, I can just take one of their items?
This was practically made for him.
In the future, there would be times when he would encounter top-tier powerhouses but wouldn't be able to get close enough to steal from them. These cards would be perfect for that.
And besides, five cards, five chances, for only 2000 points.
That was an average of only 400 points per card. A real bargain.
Buy, buy! Next!
…
[Rod of Knocking]
Type: Permanent Item
Price: 3000 Points
Description: A magical rod. Simply by having it in your inventory, you will automatically learn the Knock spell. With this spell, you can instantly unlock any locked item in front of you: doors, treasure chests, shackles, mechanisms… with a gentle tap, nothing can resist it.
Seller's Note: I'm in the lowest level of the Baldur's Gate bank vault, and I didn't bring Knock! Does anyone understand my pain?!
It can unlock any lock?
The range of application was too wide. Shane didn't hesitate and immediately added it to his cart.
It was a great item, but…
Why did he feel like he was straying further and further from the path of the Pirate King?
With these two items, he couldn't even imagine what level his thievery skills would reach.
Laugh Tale is within my grasp!
…
[Scroll of Wish]
Type: Consumable
Price: 15,000 Points
Description: A power granted by the Star Child. This scroll has no activation requirements, but the user must chant continuously for one hour without interruption. Upon successful completion, it can heal all injuries and illnesses and dispel all negative statuses.
Details: This is a group spell and can heal up to five people at once. Each use will cost an additional five thousand points.
Seller's Note: "As long as I live, no one will be harmed!"
Another divine skill!
Shane shot up in excitement, nearly spilling his coffee.
The price was not low. 15,000 points was, aside from some completely useless Wonders, the most expensive item he had ever seen!
And the restrictions were quite significant. It couldn't be used in battle like a Senzu Bean.
But compared to its effect, what was that?
For five thousand points, it can completely heal five people at once!
With this, we wouldn't even need a ship's doctor, would we?
No, no.
Shane took a large gulp of coffee to calm himself down.
I still need to find a doctor. Otherwise, a simple fever or headache would be a real pain. I can't just spend five thousand points on every little thing. I'm not that rich.
In any case, he immediately added it to his cart.
Next!
…
[Ancient Statue in the Pyramid]
Type: Wonder
Price: 12,000 Points
Description: The ancient statue to the right of the Tiga statue. In the original timeline, it was destroyed by Golza and Melba. It cannot be activated by anyone who has not been chosen by the light.
Seller's Note: "Just like the sun, piercing through the night…"
Well, speak of the devil.
Who the hell is buying these flashy, useless things?!
Shane shook his head. He was still in his growth phase. He couldn't afford to waste his points like that.
Skip!
…
[Yasuo's Swordsmanship Manual]
Type: Training Manual
Price: 2000 Points
Description: The white-haired sword master, Yasuo, after returning to his hometown, compiled his life's swordsmanship insights into this book. It is profound and mysterious. How much you can gain from it is closely related to your own talent for the sword.
Seller's Note: "Death is like the wind, always by my side!"
"..."
Shane narrowed his eyes.
Aren't the last two sentences of that description a little too malicious?
Dammit, can't a sword-idiot get a break?!
He was clueless when it came to swordsmanship, but wasn't he now a bona fide dual-wielding master swordsman?!
Sigh, but he still had to buy it.
He couldn't use it himself; he'd probably fall asleep after reading a few pages. But there was a sword-obsessed girl on the ship who would be desperate for it.
—Kuina.
The girl he had officially appointed as his vice-captain, who was destined to be his right-hand woman and accompany him to the pinnacle of this sea.
As her captain, it was only right that he help her achieve her dream of becoming the world's greatest swordswoman!
Next!
…
[Cart Titan Transformation Card]
Type: Consumable
Price: 3000 Points
Description: Upon use, you will transform into the Cart Titan, one of the Nine Titans. The transformation can last for up to a month and can be canceled at any time.
Seller's Note: "On the other side of the sea, are pirates… waaah, I want to go to the pirate world! Why was I sent here?! The Rumbling is about to start!"
That unlucky kid.
Shane sincerely hoped he would survive the Rumbling.
It was a shame. If it had been him instead, the Rumbling would have just stomped on his head, and only the titans would have been hurt.
So… a guy who didn't even care about the Colossal Titan, why would he spend three thousand points to become the Cart Titan?
Skip this too!
…
[Prism Tower]
Type: Defensive Structure
Price: 1500 Points
Description: One of the core defensive structures of the Allied forces in Red Alert. After being placed in a base, it will become invisible. If it detects a hostile stranger entering the base, it will automatically stun them with a prism beam.
Details: The maximum defensive range is a radius of fifty meters.
Seller's Note: I'm going to steal another one of these today! Right turn, Clyde! Charge!
"Oh?"
Shane raised an eyebrow. A defensive structure?
He had never seen this type of item before. It was quite practical, and he was a little tempted.
He just didn't know if it could be placed on a ship. The Curtain Call was sixty meters long. If he could place it in the center of the ship, it would be able to provide complete, gapless protection.
Then, when they docked, they wouldn't have to leave someone behind to guard the ship.
And while they were sailing, he wouldn't have to worry about someone with a strange Devil Fruit ability sneaking on board, bypassing his Observation Haki.
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