Looking at the rewards, Klein's heart burned with excitement. He wanted to grab every single one of those talents and slap them onto himself right away.
'Adamant Body' came from one of the Four Emperors—Kaido, the definition of tanky and tough-skinned.
Kaido's first appearance? Dripping with style.
Even the background narration got Klein's blood boiling.
Then he landed a Thunder Bagua on Luffy that served as the ultimate anti-addiction therapy...
But no matter how strong, two fists can't beat four hands. Even heroes fall to packs of wolves. In the end, the buffed-up Luffy still took him down.
Speaking of absurd HP bars...
Nothing beats the "locked HP" and "regen hack" that is the Sun God Nika form!
Then there's 'Iron Balloon,' a talent from another Four Emperor—Big Mom. Even a monster like Kaido had scars.
But Big Mom? Skin as smooth as glass.
Decades of piracy and not a single scratch—thanks to her 'Iron Balloon' body!
It's arguably even better than 'Adamant Body.' Unfortunately, she ran into Trafalgar Law's Ope-Ope Fruit, which deals true damage...
And just like that, two Emperors exited the stage in a blur.
Still, their talents were absolutely broken—no way Klein was ignoring that.
Eyes blazing, Klein muttered, "If I had those kinds of talents..."
"I wouldn't be human anymore!!"
"I'd be a monster among monsters!!!"
"Adamant Body plus Iron Balloon? That's peak meathead mode!"
Next second, a promo banner popped up in the center of his screen.
[Unbeatable Deals!! Monster Talents Await!!]
[Talents Rule the World! Draw Yours Today!]
[Super Discount Bundle Incoming!!!!]
[...]
Another set of four-tier draw bundles. Klein didn't hesitate—purchased and drew immediately.
And was sorely disappointed.
He only unlocked a pretty mid-tier talent: Underwater Breathing.
A talent from the Fishmen.
Not useless, to be fair. In the right situation, it's just as good as any high-tier talent.
It's just... freaking lame!
After unlocking the talent, Klein noticed something alarming: he only had one talent slot.
His heart skipped a beat. Cold sweat trickled down his back.
Then, yet another popup hit the screen.
[Limited-Time Offer!]
[Super Bundle—Unlock Second Talent Slot for ONLY 6,888,888 Berries!]
[Offer Expires In: 167:59:58]
"How much??"
"You tryna kill me?!"
Klein nearly coughed up blood. He'd been maxing out bundles every day, and he didn't even have a million Berries in his account.
Where the hell was he gonna get 7 million?
Are you trying to bury me alive??
Gritting his teeth, Klein skipped the offer. No choice...
He was broke!
Every day, he woke up not from dreams, but from poverty.
Even his alarm clock screamed: "Oi, workhorse, get your ass up!"
You don't work, you don't earn. You don't earn, you don't grow stronger. You don't grow stronger, you're dead.
Close it!
Klein hit the close button on the recharge page, his heart eager but wallet empty.
"It's not that I don't wanna top-up, I just... don't have the cash!"
No sooner had he closed the page than another one popped up.
[Surprise Bonus!]
[Talent System Activated! Super Deal to Boost Your Growth!]
[Talent Star Upgrade Bundle Incoming!]
[800% Value Bonus!]
[...]
Yep—even the most basic talent like Underwater Breathing starts at level 1.
To make it stronger, you need Star Upgrade Stones—items that level up your talents.
Same four-tier bundles again. Klein didn't hesitate this time—he bought it.
But he didn't use the upgrade stones right away. He was saving them for when he got something stronger.
That's where those stones would truly shine.
"Now I have to buy two bundles every day, plus those special event triggers... the pressure's real!"
After exiting the game, Klein collapsed onto his bed, buried in frustration. "Pressure's one thing... but that second talent slot is driving me nuts!"
And it's a limited-time deal—only seven days.
Miss it, and who knows when it'll come back. Dual slots would be a massive power boost.
Klein lit up a cigar and took a long drag, brow furrowed. "Huff—how the hell am I gonna make that money?!"
"This isn't tens of thousands... or even hundreds of thousands... It's 7 million Berries!"
Headache!
One cigar down, and he still had no ideas.
Screw it. He yanked the blanket over his head and went to sleep.
But...
It was far from peaceful.
In his dreams, he transformed into a monster. No matter how the Straw Hats or their allies attacked, they couldn't kill him. At first, it was awesome. Then he dreamt of eating Luffy...
...and bursting from the inside out.
Meanwhile, Klein wasn't the only one having trouble sleeping.
"Why is it that Klein picks up Rokushiki the moment he touches it? I've taught so many cadets, but I've never seen someone with such monstrous learning ability..."
The instructor just couldn't figure it out. He'd seen talent before—the Marines had no shortage of geniuses.
But someone like Klein?
Maybe once in a few centuries.
After tossing and turning, the instructor made up his mind: "I need to test Klein directly tomorrow. I'll teach him the rest of Rokushiki myself. If he really picks it all up that fast..."
"Then his talent..."
"Hsssss—"
"How far could he actually go?"
The more he thought about it, the more excited he got. With Klein's potential, he could become the strongest Marine in history—
A true scourge to pirates!!
And he, the instructor...
Would go down in history as the greatest teacher the Marines had ever known!
There'd be a statue of him at the Marine Academy, eternalized in glory, worshipped by future generations.
Just imagining it made him giddy.
Jejejejeje...
The next day.
As soon as class ended, Klein was summoned to the instructor's office.
"Cigar?" Klein offered one, upholding the sacred tradition of being chill.
The instructor raised a brow but waved it off. "I don't smoke."
"I do." Klein popped it in his mouth and lit up with one flick.
Huff—
The instructor's temple twitched. This was the first time a student had been this brazen.
But he didn't scold him. Instead, he asked, "Klein, do you know why I called you here?"
"No clue." Klein flopped onto the couch like he owned the place.
"I'm here to teach you the rest of Rokushiki. I want to see if you can really learn them all that easily."
"..." Klein's expression shifted—genuine surprise, followed by silent panic.
Oh crap.
I haven't even unlocked all the Rokushiki techniques yet.
If the instructor taught him everything now, wouldn't he get exposed?
Klein sucked hard on his cigar. Huff—
Then quickly plastered on a look of pleasant surprise. "Wait... you're gonna teach me all of Rokushiki?"
"Can I teach them to the other cadets too?"
"I'd prefer if you didn't," the instructor said, shaking his head. "They don't have your talent. Even if they knew every technique, they couldn't learn it."
"Come on, let's head to the training room. I'll teach you myself."
Trailing behind, Klein was already sweating bullets.
He hadn't unlocked Rankyaku yet.
What now!?
'Well,' Klein sighed inwardly, 'I started this flex... I'll damn well finish it, even if it kills me!'