In the East Blue, Devil Fruit users were pathetically rare—you could count them on one hand during the early stages.
But once you reached the Grand Line, Devil Fruits were no longer anything special.
Just take Baroque Works for example—they had more than a dozen ability users, a perfect opportunity to expand one's "Devil Fruit Ability Encyclopedia"!
But what Klein cared more about was…
With the Smoke-Smoke Fruit, he'd be able to store a second Devil Fruit power. Then he'd simultaneously wield the powers of the Chop-Chop Fruit and the Smoke-Smoke Fruit!
Dual Devil Fruit powers, with the ability to swap and replace them at will.
That was the key to surviving on this vast sea, and more importantly—
His trump card!!
His nuclear bomb!!
Of course, he also knew that this kind of thing absolutely, positively, could not be revealed to others. At the same time—
He couldn't let anyone see it either. Unless it was some obscure Devil Fruit ability, or a power that wouldn't appear for another few decades!
Like…
The Rumble-Rumble Fruit or the Flame-Flame Fruit.
No one could say what might happen in the next few decades!
Klein pondered for a moment. "Looks like I need to recruit more crew members, and make them stronger too. Good thing I've got the training room..."
"Upgrading the pirate ship can increase the entire crew's stats."
Right now, the only main combatant was Imu's Dad—no second main DPS.
It all came down to character strength… and the strength of the crew!
Returning to the main screen, Klein opened the Adventure tab. This time, it was a solo adventure stage.
Last time he'd reached the Buggy the Clown stage.
Next up was the Black Cat Pirates—a stage that wasn't particularly difficult for Imu's Dad in his current state.
Among the Black Cat Pirates, the strongest was Kuro, a so-called "genius" who had actually invented a move very similar to Rokushiki's Shave on his own.
The problem was…
He couldn't fully control it, so he'd attack indiscriminately.
In the game, the move just added damage and dodge, but with Imu's Dad's current stats, boosted by his gear, skills, and level—
Every stat utterly crushed Kuro.
Once this stage was cleared, next would be the captain of the Krieg Pirates: Admiral Don Krieg!
And his subordinate, "Demon Man" Gin, was still fondly remembered by anime fans.
He was arguably more famous than the captain himself.
That stage, Imu's Dad had to pull out all the stops to win—it wasn't easy soloing it.
It felt like opening a Hard Mode or Nightmare Mode dungeon.
So...
Klein wondered—was he just doing this the wrong way??
Was the "all-crew battle" mode the normal mode?
Then the real problem had to be the game design!!
Dammit!
What a scam!
Still, when he thought about how the rewards translated to real life, Klein couldn't help but grin. "Sooo worth it!"
He was practically drunk on the thrill!
After clearing the Krieg Pirates stage, a golden pop-up appeared on screen.
Flashy.
Like it was terrified you might miss it—such a huge upgrade, no one with working eyes could possibly ignore it.
[Special Event Triggered: The World's Greatest Swordsman – Dracule Mihawk!!]
[Limited-Time Special Event Now Open!!]
[3 free challenge attempts per day. Each attempt has a chance to drop: Supreme Grade Meito "Black Blade – Yoru," Yoru Fragments, Swordsmanship Instructor Character Mihawk, Mihawk Fragments, Sword Technique "Hawk-Eye Basic Slash," Skill Fragments, Crew Cards, Swordsmanship EXP Packs (S/M/L)·····]
On screen—
The world's greatest swordsman, Mihawk, sat atop his coffin boat, arms folded over his knees, his domineering presence and piercing gaze radiating arrogance.
Epic entrance.
Dracule Mihawk.
Footnote: Dracule Mihawk (喬拉可爾·米霍克) – One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea and the world's strongest swordsman.
A mountain of luxury rewards lit up Klein's eyes. "Special event! The rewards are insane!!"
The first Warlord to appear—yet by far the most badass among them.
He rarely made a move, and when he did, it was just the tip of the iceberg. From the original Seven Warlords to now, everyone suspected his strength was at the Emperor level.
Completely in a league of his own compared to the others!
"Can't deny it—Black Blade Yoru is sick! Those jewels on the hilt could blind a man!" Klein's eyes sparkled with greed.
There were quite a few Supreme Grade swords shown in the anime, but in terms of style and aura—
Yoru was second to none.
As for Whitebeard's Murakumogiri? Not a good fit. Too much blade for too little man. Totally impractical.
And besides, the rest of the rewards were just as drool-worthy!
At the same time—
A discounted lottery bundle popped up on screen.
The familiar Fourth-Tier pack!
"Buy!"
The moment he bought it—shards, small prizes everywhere. Klein was already used to it.
If he ever actually pulled a "grand prize" out of nowhere, it'd probably be as likely as seeing a ghost.
"Face it—games run on RNG. 'One pull jackpot'? Keep dreaming, garlic bird." Klein hadn't seen any other players in the game yet.
So...
He figured RNG probably didn't mean much here anyway.
Then—
Klein began the challenge against the world's greatest swordsman, Mihawk. Even though Imu's Dad was already a top-tier powerhouse in the East Blue...
In front of Mihawk, he was like a street rat—instantly slashed to ribbons by the tiny knife on the man's necklace.
Thankfully, it was just a game.
No matter how strong Mihawk was, he still had a glowing red health bar above his head.
The challenge ended with some rewards in hand.
The event would last for half a month.
Whether he'd be lucky enough to pull something rare... who knew?
Then—
Klein advanced to the next chapter. This one featured the East Blue's major boss: Arlong the Fishman.
The small stages weren't hard. The chapter had plenty of elite mobs—mostly Arlong's crew: like Hatchan the Octopus, Moo...
And finally, the boss himself—Arlong the Fishman.
Worn down by all the little fights along the way, Klein eventually fell to Arlong and failed the stage.
[Stage Failed.]
[Your first encounter with a Fishman has revealed the overwhelming strength of this special race. Tenfold grip strength, underwater breathing—these are their innate racial talents.]
[Talent System Unlocked!]
[Please access the Talent System. This system allows players to unlock more talents and boost stats and combat power···]
"A new system!?"
Klein lit up. "This game really does have a lot of fun stuff. The mechanics go deep."
Back on the main screen—
The new Talent System icon had appeared!
Upon clicking it—
The screen filled with silhouettes of powerful figures: an illustration of Kaido, Big Mom...
Plenty of them.
All known for their unique racial or combat talents.
Looking through the talent pool, Klein's breathing became ragged.
Golden Body, Iron Balloon, Voice of All Things, Triple Lifespan, Mind Net, Lunarian, Innate Observation Haki, Brute Strength, Roar, Giant Strength, Electro Fur, Sulong Form...
"Holy crap!!"
"This talent pool is insane! A single SSS-rank talent would be enough to dominate the Grand Line!"