After carefully reviewing everything, Red realized that the information was divided into two parts.
One part concerned the achievement he had unlocked: [Badge Collector].
The effect of this achievement was simple—his body would receive a boost corresponding to the attributes of the badge he had obtained.
This was something Red had already experienced back when he was still in the game world.
His current body was clearly far tougher than it had been before he entered the game.
Previously, due to the interference of some mysterious force, he had practically no offensive capability at all.
But now…
"I feel like I could punch a cow to death with one hit!"
Red clenched his fist and admired it under the cool moonlight.
The words that came out of his mouth showed absolutely no concern for the cow involved—nor any fear of accountability from some hypothetical Cow Protection Association.
If the pirate world even had such a thing…
Of course, it wasn't just his fists. Every part of Red's body had gained the same rock-like hardness.
"So does a Rock-type badge mean my entire body becomes as solid as stone?!"
"Good grief—doesn't that make me a smarter Malphite now?"
Red chuckled as he mocked himself.
No matter what, he had finally shaken off the title of being utterly useless in combat.
With both his defense and attack improved, he should at least have, what—15 points of combat power now?
No!
At least 20!
More than that, Red also noticed something else—
The speed at which the device extracted energy from his body to recharge had noticeably increased!
A full day of charging now meant he could play at least ten minutes longer than before.
Those ten minutes might not sound like much, but they were more than enough to make Red ecstatic.
"The more game time I have, the faster Luffy gets stronger!"
"The stronger Luffy gets, the more badges I obtain!"
"The more badges I collect, the longer my game time becomes…"
"So—more time! Longer time!"
"…Wait, something feels off?"
"Ah, whatever. Who cares!"
Drunk on happiness, Red laughed loudly toward the sky, then immediately focused his attention on the second reward offered by the device.
The first reward had come from the achievement itself.
The second reward was for clearing Pewter Gym.
Much like the achievement reward, the stage reward was also tied to the Rock-type nature of Pewter Gym.
The difference was that the achievement strengthened his body—
While the stage reward directly granted Red a Pokémon move!
With a thought, Red tapped the [Draw] button.
In an instant, a crude spin wheel appeared above the device's screen, looking just like the gacha roulette of a low-budget mobile game.
The wheel was filled with Rock-type move names, each occupying an equal space.
Before Red could do anything, the wheel began spinning rapidly on its own.
"Please! Come on, device! Give me something strong!"
"This is my once-in-a-billion plea in my entire life!!!"
Red pressed his palms together, wearing an expression of utmost devotion.
Since he couldn't control anything, all he could do was pray!
After more than ten seconds, the wheel gradually slowed before finally stopping.
A surge of ancient, primordial energy suddenly manifested within Red's body.
At the same time, knowledge of how to use this mysterious power surfaced in his mind.
"This is…" Red opened his eyes and blinked in confusion for a moment. "Ancient Power?!"
The very next second, his lips curved sharply upward.
"To think I'd actually roll such a special move?!"
Since he never liked using Rock-type Pokémon, Red didn't know Rock-type moves all that well.
But Ancient Power was the one exception—he had heard of it before.
With a thought, he focused on the device inside his body.
Its screen refreshed, displaying new text:
[Congratulations! You have obtained the move—Ancient Power!]
A small "*" symbol appeared in the upper-right corner of the move's name, indicating more details were available.
Red immediately checked them, revealing a familiar, game-like interface:
[Move: Ancient Power][Type: Rock][Category: Special][Power: 60][Description: A primal power from the ancient Pokémon world. It can be used to attack or to grant comprehensive enhancements to the user. Additionally, prolonged use of Ancient Power to nurture the body can result in a certain degree of permanent physical enhancement.]
"Just as I thought—it's basically what I imagined!"
Feeling the steady, heavy energy within his body, satisfaction flashed through Red's deep eyes.
Ancient Power was a Rock-type move, yes—but it was far more mysterious than ordinary Rock-type techniques.
Most typical Rock-type Pokémon struggled to learn it through self-improvement alone.
On the other hand…
Many Legendary Pokémon with little relation to the Rock type would awaken this power naturally—and wield it with ease.
Rather than a mere move, Ancient Power felt closer to Aura—a special power only certain extraordinary Pokémon could awaken!
Some Pokémon even triggered their evolution after learning Ancient Power.
It was practically a cultivation technique.
And the final line of the description served as further confirmation of that fact.
"A move that permanently enhances the body? This might be the most useful Rock-type move for me!"
"Looks like the Goddess of Luck is on my side today!"
With a light laugh, Red took a deep breath and shouted toward the distant sea:
"Ancient Power!"
Rumble—!
In an instant, an ancient and mysterious force surged forth from Red's body, rapidly condensing into chunks of stone.
Guided by his will, all the rock fragments shot outward, smashing into the distant ocean surface.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! ...
Even though the base power was only 60, the speed of the stones was anything but slow!
Like cannonballs, they slammed into the sea, sending towering waves several meters high crashing into the air.
"This power!?"
Red's eyes lit up as he watched, overjoyed.
While it still couldn't compare to true powerhouses, with Ancient Power and his reinforced body alone, Red was confident he could easily defeat a pirate with a ten-million-berry bounty!
"Could it be that the Badge Collector reward amplified my Rock-type moves?"
"So even a 60-power Ancient Power is far stronger than I expected."
"Either way… I finally have real combat ability!"
Red sighed deeply in his heart.
Turning his gaze, he looked at Luffy, who was sleeping soundly beside him.
Despite the violent testing of moves just moments ago, Luffy's breathing remained calm and steady—better than someone doped up on sleeping pills.
"Man, that sleep quality is enviable…"
After commenting, Red returned to the cabin and began using the energy of Ancient Power to nourish his body.
The night passed without incident.
Before long, dawn arrived.
The first light of morning chased away the darkness blanketing the sea, bringing warmth and brightness to a new day.
Seagulls cried noisily overhead, forcing both Red and Luffy to open their eyes.
"Huh? It's already morning?"
Luffy drooped his eyelids, looking utterly sluggish, clearly not awake yet.
In contrast—
Despite meditating all night without sleep, Red was brimming with energy, feeling even more refreshed than when he had just returned from the game world yesterday.
As he opened his eyes, a flash of golden light flickered across them.
A slow smile spread across his face as he thought:
"No wonder almost all Legendary Pokémon awaken Ancient Power!"
"This effect is ridiculously strong!"
Perhaps because his current strength was still low, after just one night under Ancient Power's influence, Red could clearly feel himself growing stronger.
And the enhancement wasn't limited to any single aspect—it was an all-around boost.
Strength, physique, agility, even mental acuity were all being reinforced.
A problem he hadn't solved in two and a half years was resolved on the very first day after setting sail.
"I remember there should be a way to learn Ancient Power in the game."
"Maybe I should arrange for Luffy to learn it too."
"With Ancient Power, even during rest periods from training, he'd still slowly grow stronger."
"Sleeping!? Like hell!"
"Once we switch to the Going Merry, I'm putting Luffy straight into extra training."
"As long as he doesn't die, we train him to death!"
"Maybe a few more sit-ups would even help awaken the Nika Fruit."
The Nika Fruit's wielder was the World Government's number one enemy. Who knew whether the Five Elders might trigger some butterfly effect due to his reincarnation and launch an early manhunt?
Better safe than sorry, comrade!
Red's thoughts spiraled far into the future—
Until Luffy, now fully awake, walked over and greeted him, snapping him back to reality.
"Yo, Red~! Thanks for taking the night watch!"
"I'll take over now—go get some rest!"
A fully energized Luffy grinned as usual.
Completely unaware that, in Red's mind, his next phase of life had already been scheduled down to the bone…
(End of Chapter)