"Auntie, seriously, there's no need I already have a girlfriend! Really!"
Wayne wiped the sweat off his forehead as he tried to reason with the overly enthusiastic woman in front of him.
"Oh, come now! What's the big deal? If you've got one, you can always switch!" The stylishly dressed aunt waved her hand dismissively, her voice heavy with a regional accent. "Listen to me, my niece is a real beauty sweet, hardworking too! I swear, you'll fall for her the moment you meet her, you hear?"
Wayne finally managed to get rid of her after what felt like a herculean effort. He picked up a wooden plank and returned to his shipbuilding project.
He had lost count of how many matchmaking aunties he had driven away by now. When he'd first arrived in Water 7, things had been peaceful. But ever since the first one brought up matchmaking, it was like a switch flipped now they were showing up at Dock One in droves, like it was a battlefield of blind dates.
Without a doubt, these "matchmaker aunties" had become one of the biggest obstacles on Wayne's path to becoming a master shipwright.
"Whew finally finished!"
Wayne looked at the cargo ship in front of him, a smile spreading across his face. It was the first medium-sized vessel he had ever built entirely with his own hands.
The ship measured about thirty meters long and seven to eight meters wide. While it couldn't be called massive, it was certainly far more luxurious than any common fishing boat.
Wayne decided that this ship would be permanently preserved in his personal collection.
[Ding! Congratulations, host! You have successfully constructed a medium-sized vessel entirely on your own. Title achieved: Advanced Shipwright. Current EXP: Advanced Shipwright (0/1000). Task rating in progress!]
[Ding! Construction completed in 31 days. Task evaluation: Excellent. Reward: 5,000 Life Points. Please check your inventory!]
The reward brought a visible grin to Wayne's face. This was by far the most relaxing job class task he had ever completed. The duration was short, the process manageable, and the rewards generous.
"Now then... where should I allocate these Life Points?"
He stared at his balance of 7,777 Life Points, momentarily falling into deep thought.
At present, his Armament Haki was still his weak point among the two main types of Haki. But ever since he'd obtained the cursed blade Rasetsu, his growth in Armament Haki had skyrocketed it was already at 2,300/5,000. In just a month, he'd improved by almost a thousand points.
He was confident that within three months, he could reach the level of Internal Destruction. With that in mind, he didn't want to waste Life Points there.
As for Observation Haki, after obtaining the Goro Goro no Mi (Lightning Fruit), it had undergone a huge leap. Occasionally, he could even glimpse fragments of the future though it was still unstable.
His physical body and conditioning were perfectly adequate for now.
After some consideration, Wayne made a decision.
"System, allocate 1,000 Life Points to Observation Haki. I want to stabilize Future Sight."
[Ding! Successfully allocated 1,000 Life Points to Observation Haki. Current Level: Future Sight (1/30,000). Remaining Life Points: 6,777. Keep up the good work, host!]
As his Haki strengthened, Wayne could feel his already-sharp senses become even more acute. He began to hear subtle, mysterious sounds echoes of something deeper.
"Nice… this feels incredible."
Wayne smiled faintly. With Future Sight now under control and his Logia elementalization, his survivability had taken another significant step forward.
"Wait, what? Thirty thousand EXP to reach the next level?"
He winced. That was a tenfold increase! Talk about a steep curve.
"Whatever. I can already use Future Sight reliably that's enough for now."
As for the remaining 6,000 Life Points… Wayne decided to go all-in on the lottery draw!
"Heh, been a while since I tested my luck. Let's see what fate has in store today!"
Wayne rubbed his hands together excitedly.
"System, initiate the draw!"
[Ding! Congratulations, host! You've received: Bamboo Copter x10. Each unit lasts one hour. Please check your inventory.]
"Ugh. Lame."
Wayne clicked his tongue. Bamboo Copters had been somewhat useful back when he was weaker. Now, they were nothing more than toys.
"System, again!"
[Ding! Congratulations, host! You've received: One Spatial Ring. Capacity: 1 cubic meter. Please check your inventory.]
"Oh?"
Now that was a useful item. The system's inventory space was limited to system-related items only, but this ring allowed him to carry personal belongings conveniently. While the capacity wasn't huge, it was still a great quality-of-life boost.
"Again!"
"Again!"
…
After five more draws, Wayne's luck seemed to dry up. Aside from the bamboo copters and the storage ring, everything else had been junk.
"Am I cursed with bad luck? Is this some kind of cosmic joke? One more! Just one last draw!"
He was down to just enough Life Points for a final spin. Fully committed, he took a deep breath and went for it.
[Ding! Congratulations, host! You've received: One Lucky Coin. Please check your inventory.]
[Lucky Coin]: Grants the host a measure of good fortune. However, the universe is governed by balance luck and misfortune are two sides of the same coin. The good fortune granted may inadvertently trigger bad luck.]
"A Lucky Coin?"
Wayne raised an eyebrow. From the description, it seemed like a valuable item but that last line from the system gave him a hint of unease.
"Well, whatever. Let's carry it around and see what happens."
He slipped the coin into his pocket and made his way toward the Apocalypse, which had just entered its final painting phase. The formerly pitch-black hull had been redesigned with a dark-gold prow and black body, giving it an air of mystery and grandeur.
"Mr. Mayor, how's my ship coming along?"
Wayne stood at the edge of the dock, calling out to Iceburg, who was working bare-chested nearby. At first glance, anyone would think the mayor of Water 7 was just another shipwright.
"Whew… finally done!"
Iceburg wiped his brow and set aside the iron chisel in his hand.
"Lord Wayne, your ship is fully modified. All that's left now is the sea trial."
Wayne nodded in satisfaction and gestured for his crew to test it in the water.
Seeing Wayne's approval made Iceburg beam with pride. Every craftsman dreams of seeing their clients satisfied with their work.
"Wayne, you finished your own ship too?"
Wayne nodded.
"Yeah, just today. Though it's nowhere near your level of craftsmanship!"
Naturally, Wayne hadn't been working in isolation these past few weeks. Water 7 boasted the best shipbuilding expertise in the world he wasn't about to let that go to waste. Between Iceburg and the undercover CP9 agents working the docks, Wayne had absorbed plenty of techniques and tricks.
Iceburg waved his hand modestly.
"Nonsense. Wayne, you have the best natural talent I've ever seen in a shipwright. In just a month, you built a fully functioning vessel on your own. Back when I was an apprentice, it took me years to even come close to that!"
A trace of admiration flashed in his eyes.
Wayne simply chuckled and didn't say more. After all, with the system backing him, any profession he pursued could lead him to the top of the world.
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