Chapter 4: A Frenzy of Plunder
"Hah! Now that I have these Swift Boots, granting me the speed of someone walking on micro-steps, combined with the Star-Siphoning Art to drain others of their internal energy and combat power... this is an invincible combination."
Kaizen Reiya took a deep breath to calm his excitement. He carefully read through the technique's manual a few more times, then sat down cross-legged and began to practice.
*Ding. Detected that player Kaizen Reiya is practicing the high-grade Mysterious Class technique, Star-Siphoning Art. Activate 10x cultivation speed?*
"Ten times the speed?" Kaizen's excitement flared again.
"Activate!" he ordered without hesitation.
Ding. Ten-times cultivation speed activated.
As the low voice faded, Kaizen felt the miscellaneous energies in his dantian flow toward his limbs and bones, leaving his core as hollow as bamboo, an empty vessel ready to be filled. A vacuum formed within him.
Ding. Congratulations to player Kaizen Reiya for mastering the Star-Siphoning Art. A deep, resonant voice sounded in his mind.
"That's it? I've mastered it? The ten-times speed is this fast?" Kaizen opened his eyes, disbelief washing over him as he stood up.
"Now that I've mastered it, I need to find someone to test this Star-Siphoning Art on." He was eager to try it out.
"Hmm, the few men loitering outside... they seem to be lookouts Higuma posted to watch the bar and Makino. Perfect. My new technique is ready, and they'll make excellent practice dummies."
When he had entered earlier, Kaizen had spotted several men watching him from a distance.
He walked out of the bar, feigned a yawn, and ambled toward a bearded bandit.
Seeing Kaizen approach, the bandit's hand went to his sword hilt, his face wary. "Get lost, you little punk," he whispered harshly. "Don't make me cut you down for bothering me."
Kaizen continued his slow, deliberate approach, the Swift Boots making his movements unnaturally fluid.
With a shing, the bearded man drew his steel blade, the sun glinting coldly off its edge. "You've got a death wish, kid?" He swung the sword in a wide, slashing arc.
Kaizen pivoted, seeming to glide on hot wheels, appearing behind the large man in an instant. He pressed his right hand against the bandit's back.
The bearded man felt the combat power within him surge out like a burst dam, draining completely into Kaizen in the blink of an eye.
His body instantly felt decades older, collapsing to the ground like a deflated balloon.
The other two bandits watching the bar saw this, their expressions shifting dramatically. Knowing they were outmatched, they fled in opposite directions, hoping to split his attention.
Kaizen snorted coldly and shot forward. The bandit fleeing east heard the wind at his back, felt a hand on his shoulder, and then the energy in his entire body poured out like a flood. He crumpled to the ground, a dried husk.
As he fell, he saw the ghostly figure of the young man appear behind his companion fleeing west. He knew then that this phantom-like youth would spare none of them.
After draining the combat power from all three bandits, Kaizen felt his bones tremble, cracking and popping like frying beans. A warm, refreshing sensation spread from his limbs throughout his entire body.
Ding. Congratulations to player Kaizen Reiya for advancing to a Level 1 Player.
Ding. Congratulations to player Kaizen Reiya for obtaining 20x cultivation speed.
Ding. Congratulations to player Kaizen Reiya. Treasure, skill, and secret manual reconnaissance range increased to 20 meters.
"Haha! I'm finally a Level 1 Player. Let me test the power I absorbed from those three bandits."
He turned and smashed his fist into a ten-foot-tall tree by the village road. With a thunderous crash, splinters, branches, and leaves exploded outwards. The tree shattered into fragments, as if made of paper.
"This... this is the power from just three bandits?" Kaizen was momentarily stunned, looking at his own fist and the devastation it had caused.
"Even back on 21st-century Earth, no martial arts champion or heavyweight boxer could achieve this kind of power."
He was thrilled.
"With the Calm Sea Key, my life is destined to be extraordinary. I will definitely stand at the peak of this world. That bandit, Higuma, will become a stepping stone for my rise. If you dare threaten the woman I want to protect, your fate is sealed. But before you die, you'll hand over all your combat power to me. Hahaha!"
Kaizen threw his head back and laughed wildly.
When his laughter subsided, he remembered that these bandits, who looted and plundered, surely couldn't be completely penniless. Naturally, Kaizen wouldn't let their belongings go to waste, and he began to search their bodies.
Ding. Congratulations to player Kaizen Reiya for obtaining a purse containing 100 copper coins.
Ding. Congratulations to player Kaizen Reiya for obtaining a purse containing 200 copper coins.
Ding. Congratulations to player Kaizen Reiya for obtaining a purse containing 200 copper coins.
"Tch. You call yourselves bandits who rob and plunder? You're this poor?"
Kaizen's face was full of contempt.
The three bandits, already weakened from having their energy drained, heard this. Their eyes rolled back, and they nearly fainted on the spot.
Being robbed and then looked down upon for being poor... this was a first in their bandit careers.
"Ah, well, it's better than nothing. Even a mosquito is still meat." Kaizen pocketed the money.
This was the first currency he had obtained in this new world, a small gain and a good start—far better than his previous life.
After collecting the coins, Kaizen still felt unsatisfied.
In the new One Piece world, Berries were no longer used. The hard currency was now copper, silver, and gold coins. One thousand copper coins equaled one silver coin, and ten silver coins equaled one gold coin.
Money was crucial here.
"Players" needed it for everything: weapons, martial arts manuals, even Devil Fruits. Once you developed to a certain level, building villages, towns, cities, countries, or pirate fleets required recruiting soldiers, hiring blacksmiths, and purchasing vast amounts of equipment and resources—all of which demanded immense wealth.
With money, you had the startup capital to build a power base.
To dominate, you needed strength, money, influence, and resources. None could be lacking.
"Alright, I only got five hundred copper coins—not even half a silver coin. It seems accumulating funds is still a long road. I'll have to get more."
"Right, after reaching Level 1, the Calm Sea Key's reconnaissance range for treasures and manuals is now 20 meters. As my level increases in the future, the range will only grow larger. Doesn't that mean I, Kaizen Reiya, can sweep up all the hidden treasures and secret manuals?"
"My learning ability will also increase with my level, speeding up further. I need to find some more techniques to practice. In front of me, all others will be eclipsed."
Feeling this newfound power, Kaizen decided to continue using the Calm Sea Key to search for more treasures and secrets.
After all, a single pair of Black Iron Swift Boots, one high-grade Mysterious Class technique, and a mere five hundred copper coins would never satisfy him. He was destined to surpass even the King of the Pirates, Gol D. Roger.
Kaizen was determined to first scavenge every secret, skill, and treasure in this area...
He would leave the "players" who hadn't arrived yet with nothing—not even the dregs. He would walk his own path, and leave no path for others to follow.