Chapter 172: The New World, and a Refresh of Items!
"What's wrong with this?" Shane asked, noticing this, a little puzzled.
Nami looked up, her expression pitiful.
Before she could speak, two of the Ryugu Palace maids, who were passing by with Princess Shirahoshi's fat shark, Megalo, saw Nami and their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. They threw their arms in the air and shrieked, "Waaah! It's the Pet-Eater Devil!"
"Run! Megalo! What are you waiting for?! You're the one who should be running!"
"If you get eaten, Her Highness will cry her eyes out!"
The two of them, and the shark, ran for their lives, disappearing in a flash.
"..."
Shane turned and looked at the now-numb Nami. With a mixture of understanding and exasperation, he realized what was going on.
This unlucky kid. Why was the Marine intelligence department always picking on her? Her bounty had finally reached a decent level, and now they had given her this ridiculous epithet.
He could only gently pat Nami's head in comfort.
"Big Bro," Nami said, looking at the little mochi-like creature, on the verge of tears. "You don't think this little guy is going to evolve again, do you?"
Shane looked at her with pity and didn't answer.
But his eyes were the best answer.
It's over!
Nami was really going to cry now.
Why does it have to evolve again?! Does that mean that next time, Marine Headquarters will think I ate the dog too?
This shitty "Pet-Eater Devil" label is going to be hard to get rid of!
She remembered when she had bought the newspaper, and the cute little newsboy had looked at her as if he had seen a ghost, so scared he hadn't even dared to take her money…
Nami was both ashamed and angry. How could those idiots in the Marine intelligence department come up with such a ridiculous story?
Dammit!
In that wanted poster photo, she was clearly eating cotton candy! Cotton candy!
…
After everyone had arrived, the banquet soon began.
The main hall was brightly lit, and the chefs of the Ryugu Palace brought out one exquisite dish after another, each one unique and fragrant.
The crew was already hungry, and with Shane leading the way, they didn't hold back, digging in.
The cups clinked, and the hosts and guests all enjoyed themselves.
Princess Shirahoshi had been sitting timidly beside Neptune at first, her head down, too scared to speak. But after Nami and Nojiko started talking to her, she gradually opened up and would occasionally cover her mouth and giggle.
Neptune took in the scene, took a sip of his wine, his eyes full of relief.
"Speaking of which, Shirahoshi, now that Vander Decken has been captured, you're completely free," Nami said, her mood much better now. She rested her chin on her hand and said with a grin, "Where do you want to go the most?"
"Hmm, let me think…" Shirahoshi said, tilting her head. She then smiled sheepishly. "There are a lot of places I want to go, but the first place I have to go is the Sea Forest. My mother is buried there, but because I was so scared, I've never been able to pay my respects…"
"That's not your fault, Shirahoshi!"
"We were the ones who wouldn't let you leave the Hard-Shell Tower! If you're going to blame someone, blame us!"
the eldest prince, Fukaboshi, and the second prince, Ryuboshi, quickly said.
"The Sea Forest…" Robin said softly. "What a coincidence. I was just there."
"Did you find the Poneglyph?" Shane chimed in.
Robin was taken aback for a moment. She turned and looked at him, and then she smiled. "Nothing gets past you, Captain."
"I was just guessing,"
Shane said with a shrug. He had actually forgotten that there was a Poneglyph on Fish-Man Island. It was only Robin's barely concealed joy when she had come to the banquet that had reminded him.
But they already had a Poneglyph on the ship.
The one on Fish-Man Island seemed to be much larger, and it would have been inconvenient to carry. There was no need to uproot it. A rubbing would be enough.
"It's not so much a Poneglyph as it is a letter of apology, written by a man named Joy Boy because he couldn't keep his promise to the Mermaid Princess,"
Robin said, looking at Neptune.
"..."
Neptune was taken aback.
How did this girl know that? He looked at Robin's face, and it seemed more and more familiar. He suddenly remembered something. "I remember now! You're the last survivor of Ohara, aren't you?"
Robin nodded. Ever since she had been under Shane's protection, she no longer had to hide her special identity from outsiders.
No wonder.
Neptune let out a long sigh.
Joy Boy… it's been a long time since I've heard that name…
In the blink of an eye, eight hundred years had passed. The Merfolk and the Fish-Men were still trapped at the bottom of the sea, ten thousand meters deep, their hopes of returning to the surface almost completely dashed. When would the next Joy Boy appear?
Could it be him?
Neptune's gaze fell on Shane.
The man was happily eating, his eyes fixed on the distant Hard-Shell Tower. He didn't know what he was thinking.
This young man, at such a young age, was already famous throughout the seas. Even the Dark King, Rayleigh, had been defeated by him, and a Marine Admiral couldn't stop him. He was on the verge of becoming the number one under the Four Emperors.
And from his selfless actions on Fish-Man Island, his character was also trustworthy.
A man like this, could he be the next Joy Boy?
Who could say?
Neptune wasn't sure, but one thing was clear. When this man left Fish-Man Island and officially entered the New World, the entire sea would probably experience the most violent upheaval since the beginning of the Great Pirate Era…
"Your Majesty?"
Robin's voice brought him back to reality.
"Ah, I'm sorry. I was lost in thought,"
Neptune said with a smile, raising his glass. "Come! To celebrate today's perfect victory! To express our gratitude to Lord Shane and the young Mr. Jack! Let's all have a toast!"
"Cheers!"
Everyone laughed and raised their glasses in response.
Clink!
…
As the night grew deeper, the banquet at the Ryugu Palace also came to an end.
They had already bought the pointers for the New World. Shane had originally planned to set sail that night, but Neptune had been too enthusiastic and had insisted that they stay for another night.
The group settled down in the Ryugu Palace, staying in the side hall on the left. The side hall on the right had been converted into Princess Shirahoshi's bedroom.
Without the threat of Vander Decken, and for the first time in years sleeping outside the Hard-Shell Tower, Princess Shirahoshi slept exceptionally well.
And because of that, she didn't hear the rumbling sound of something being uprooted from the ground behind her side hall…
The next morning, Neptune, with his three princes, personally escorted Shane and his crew to the exit valve.
Princess Shirahoshi followed behind, her long, pink hair fluttering in the night wind, her eyes full of reluctance.
"Are you… really leaving?" she asked her two new friends in a small voice.
"Mmm,"
Nami said with a grin, standing on her tiptoes and patting Shirahoshi's… tail. "Don't be sad! We'll come and visit you again sometime!"
"That's right!" Nojiko also said with a smile and a nod. "It won't be long! The next time we see you, we'll bring you a gift!"
Shirahoshi's eyes lit up, and she nodded vigorously. "Th-Then it's a promise! Don't break it!"
The three girls linked their pinkies. Kuina stood at the bow of the ship, her arms crossed, watching. Smoker quietly approached her from behind and said in a low voice, "Hey, you were having a good time talking to Shirahoshi last night too. Why aren't you joining in now? Sometimes you just have to be a little more forward. Don't be so hung up on your vice-captain's dignity!"
"So annoying!"
Kuina said, without even looking at him, and she chopped him with the back of her hand. Smoker yelped and was sent flying a dozen meters, crashing into the railing, his cheek swelling up, his face a mask of pain.
Dammit.
When he had first joined the crew, he could still hold his own against her in their spars. But now the gap between them was getting wider and wider!
Is there a timeline where he's the superior officer, and the sword-obsessed girl is his timid subordinate?!
...
...
Rumble!
Thick, dark clouds churned in the sky, and lightning snaked between them, illuminating the dark sea in flashes.
The wind howled, and from time to time, a wave dozens of meters high would crash against the ship, making The Curtain Call rock and sway.
"A big storm is coming,"
Shane said, sitting under a parasol in the second-floor dojo, sipping his orange soda and looking up at the ominous weather.
He and his comrades, after being seen off by Neptune and the others, had left Fish-Man Island five days ago.
They had continued to sail in the deep sea for the first two days, and it was only three days ago that they had finally surfaced, shedding their coating and entering the New World.
They hadn't even reached the first island yet, and in the past three days, they had already gotten a full taste of what the "New World" was.
It was hard to imagine…
An hour ago, this sea had been cloudless, the sun shining brightly. And four or five hours before that, it had been a frigid, snowy landscape.
And last night?
It had hailed all night, a constant, rattling sound. No one had probably gotten a good night's sleep.
This was the climate of the New World.
Deeply influenced by the extremely chaotic magnetic fields between the islands, it was bizarre and unpredictable.
It could be said that unless they were close to an island of a certain size, where the magnetic field stabilized, this would be their new normal.
In comparison, it was no wonder that the first half of the Grand Line was only called "Paradise."
But,
he had a sturdy ship made of Adam Wood, the most talented navigator in the world, and a helmsman with an endless supply of muscle—
that's right, Jack was now the helmsman, having replaced Smoker.
In any case, it was hard to imagine them capsizing in a mere "weather" incident!
Shane downed his orange soda and opened the system panel. The system marketplace should have refreshed in the past two days.
He took a look, and sure enough.
But before he bought anything, he had to take stock of his gains and see how many points he had.
The points he had sheared from the Whitebeard crew were substantial, a total of 9700, bringing his remaining points over the fifty-thousand mark, to 50,900.
And if he added the wool he had secretly sheared during the night at the Ryugu Palace…
[You have sacrificed Princess Shirahoshi's Hard-Shell Tower and received 1500 points.]
[You have sacrificed Neptune's crown and received 500 points.]
That was 2000 points, and the other three princes, the Minister of the Left and the Minister of the Right, and the riffraff from the New Fish-Man Pirates had also contributed a total of 3000 points.
A total of five thousand points, bringing his remaining points to 55,900, probably the highest he had ever had.
He had never been so rich! It was time for a shopping spree!
He opened the marketplace and scanned the items.
The first one was of no interest, so he skipped it.
And the second one, the moment it appeared, immediately caught his eye—
[Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist]
[Type: Training Manual]
[Price: 7000 Points]
[Description: From the world of One-Punch Man, the ultimate martial art. It uses the flow of water to neutralize immense force and the power of smashing rock to break through steel defenses. This martial art emphasizes a balance of softness and hardness and requires a high level of physical strength and aptitude for physical arts.]
[When used, it can both enhance your defensive capabilities and also imbue your every blow with the terrifying destructive power to shatter mountains.]
[Seller's Note: I just want to know who the other guy who went to the pirate world is. How come all he sells is trash?]
Shane: "?"
Is my reputation among my fellow transmigrators already that great?
What can I do?!
I don't want to sell trash either, but I can only sacrifice these things! My system seems to be completely different from the others! We just share a common marketplace!
Tsk, this note… annoying, but I still have to buy it.
Shane quickly went over it in his mind.
He had no shortage of ultimate techniques for his attacks, with the Spear of Elbaf and the "Godsplitter," which was a modified version of the Destructo Disc.
But his regular combat methods were a little lacking.
The few martial arts he had learned before, even though he had been combining them with the Six Powers and developing new moves, at his current level of strength, they were starting to fall behind.
The Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist was the perfect replacement.
And besides, if he remembered correctly, after mastering this martial art, you could further develop a number of upgraded derivative techniques. In Garou's hands, its power was enough to destroy a star…
The power ceiling in the One-Punch Man world was much higher than in the pirate world.
Add to cart, next!
…
[Digital Gem]
[Type: Consumable]
[Price: 700 Points]
[Description: A special gem from the Digital World. When fed to a Digimon, it can greatly increase its growth rate, allowing it to evolve to the next stage as soon as possible.]
[Seller's Note: I just want to know who the other guy who went to the pirate world is. How come all he sells is trash?]
That's enough!
A vein throbbed on Shane's temple.
You're ganging up on me, aren't you?! You're looking down on me too, aren't you?! Well, this piece of trash, I…
…still have to buy.
Shane dejectedly added it to his cart.
He couldn't help it. He really did have a Digimon among his pets, and at a few hundred points, it was just too cheap to pass up.
Speaking of which, he remembered that the little mochi-like creature had spent over a month in its first two stages, and over two months in the second. The further it evolved, the longer it seemed to take.
He didn't know how much "greatly" was, but it couldn't possibly be that he would have to wait for several more months, right?
Next!
…
[Skill Steal]
[Type: Consumable]
[Price: 6000 Points]
[Description: A one-time use item. Upon use, you will randomly copy one of the target's signature skills and learn it instantly, including but not limited to physical arts, swordsmanship, Haki techniques, etc.]
[Warning: If the target is a Devil Fruit user, it will attempt to replicate the skill with the user's body. If it is difficult to replicate, there is a risk of stealing the skill but being unable to use it due to the lack of the corresponding fruit ability.]
[Seller's Note: System direct sale, none]
Shane's eyes lit up.
It can even steal skills?
And you learn it instantly?
This is a god-tier skill!
It said "random," but it also said "signature skill."
That meant that there was no trash in the prize pool!
For example, if he used it on Magellan, he would get one of his signature killing moves, not his ability to fart and have diarrhea all day…
If he used it on Aokiji, he wouldn't get the skill of riding a tricycle with his long legs.
As for the risk of it not working on a Devil Fruit user, that was easy to understand.
It depended on the situation.
For example, if he were to steal Luffy's "Gum-Gum Battle Axe," he could probably replicate it with his Life Return and his extreme control over his body.
But if he were to try and steal Kaido's "Boro Breath"… he could spit until his mouth was dry, and he still wouldn't be able to do it.
In that case, three of the Four Emperors were Devil Fruit users. If he wanted to be completely risk-free and guarantee that he would get a usable skill…
"…I'll have to find you, won't I?"
Shane's gaze was distant as he looked out at the horizon.
His old friend, who had once given him a hand…
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