The "Shimashima-Go" bobbed rhythmically atop the azure sea, its Psyduck-shaped prow gliding slowly toward the northwest.
Though the boat looked like a ridiculous toy, the atmosphere on board was anything but peaceful. It was loud, chaotic, and thick with the scent of a brewing brawl.
"Ah... my dear Nami-san..."
Sanji leaned against the edge of the duck-boat, holding a heart-shaped fruit platter he had painstakingly prepared for Nami. He looked at the group of sweaty, rowdy men around him, his face twisted in pure disgust.
"Why?! Why do I have to be squeezed in with you lot?!" Sanji wailed in tragic indignation. "It's bad enough that the beautiful Nami-san isn't here, but why did we have to add a half-dead Marimo covered in bandages?!"
"Who are you calling a Marimo, curly-brow?"
Zoro, lying in the shadows of the cabin to nurse his wounds, refused to let the insult slide despite his weakness. He cracked one eye open and shot Sanji a frigid look. "If you want to fight, I don't mind kicking you overboard to feed the fish."
"Ha?! You're making big talk for someone who can barely stand!" Sanji's forehead bulged with veins. "Believe it or not, I'll turn you into a seaweed salad right now!"
"Sanji! I want that!"
Luffy completely ignored the tension. His arm stretched out like a rubber band, snatched the fruit platter from Sanji's hands, and shoved the entire thing into his mouth. Munch, munch! "Mmm! Delicious! Sanji, your cooking is the best!"
"You bastard! ...Fine, giving it to a beast like you is a waste anyway." Sanji covered his face in despair.
"Caw! So noisy!"
A sharp, annoyed cry rang out. Klay, the crow, had been napping on Viktor's chest until the shouting woke him up. He fluttered his wings and landed on the gunwale, tilting his head to look down at Zoro and Sanji with his beady green eyes.
"You two idiots! You're louder than a crow in heat! Can't a Great One get some shut-eye?!"
"HUH?!"
Sanji and Zoro turned in perfect unison, glaring murderously at Klay.
"What did you say, you fat bird? Want me to roast you?!"
"I am getting hungry. Roasted crow sounds fine," Zoro added, his hand drifting toward his hilt.
Despite the threats from the crew's two main combatants, Klay didn't flinch. He puffed out his chest, pointed a wing at them, and switched to full taunt mode: "Come on then! A love-struck cook who only chases skirts and a green-haired moss-head who can't find his way out of a paper bag! You think I'm scared of you?!"
"Pfft—hahaha!"
Usopp and Luffy (whose mouth was still full of fruit) burst out laughing, rolling around on the deck.
"HAHAHAHA!"
"DAMN CROW!!"
Zoro and Sanji reached their breaking point simultaneously. In a rare display of unity, they lunged at Klay from both sides.
"Caw! Can't catch me! Idiots! Nyah nyah nyah!"
Feathers flew as the small cabin descended into a chaotic game of tag. At the stern, Johnny and Yosaku were sweating profusely as they rowed the oars, looking ready to cry. "Big brothers... please stop... the boat is going to flip..."
Amidst the ruckus, Viktor remained exceptionally quiet. He sat at the prow with his arms crossed and eyes closed, appearing indifferent to the madness. In reality, his mind was submerged in the System space.
[Current Ninja Way Points: 3700]
Looking at the number, Viktor felt a surge of satisfaction. Between defeating Fullbody and Krieg, and the massive payout for altering Gin's destiny, his assets had reached an all-time high.
"The next stop is Arlong Park. The enemies are Fishmen."
Fishmen possessed ten times the strength of a human by birth and were even more formidable in water. Fighting them at sea was a massive disadvantage for Devil Fruit users. Viktor scrolled rapidly through the vast list of Ninjutsu.
Soon, his eyes locked onto a technique he had coveted for a long time.
[Lightning Style: Chidori]: Rank-A Ninjutsu. Cost: 2000 Ninja Way Points. Concentrates a vast amount of lightning-natured chakra into the palm, forming a high-intensity current with extreme piercing power and paralyzing effects.
Viktor's lips curled into a smirk. "Exchange!"
[Ding! Consumed 2000 points. Congratulations, Host has learned Rank-A Ninjutsu: Lightning Style: Chidori.]
Viktor had no intention of hoarding the remaining 1500 points. As they approached the Grand Line, the more tools in his belt, the better.
[Ding! Consumed 800 points. Exchanged for: Shadow Clone Jutsu (Rank-B).] [Ding! Consumed 700 points. Exchanged for: Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes (Rank-B).]
The latter was a powerful Genjutsu that used the Sharingan to trap an enemy in an illusionary space, depriving them of movement by making them feel as if stakes were being driven through their limbs. It was one of Itachi Uchiha's signature moves.
[Ding! Exchange successful. Current Ninja Way Points: 200.]
Seeing his balance hit near-zero hurt, but the power was worth it. His consciousness returned to reality.
The first thing Viktor saw was Klay's zoomed-in bird face. The fat crow, having "won" the shouting match, was standing on Viktor's chest, laughing triumphantly.
"..."
Viktor's eye twitched. Without a word, he reached out and grabbed Klay by both feet.
"Caw?" Klay's laughter stopped abruptly. He looked down. "Boss? What's up?"
"Your laugh is annoying."
Viktor spoke flatly. With a flick of his wrist, he dunked Klay head-first into the seawater over the side of the boat.
"Glug-glug-glug!!" "HELP!! Boss... glug... we're on the same team!!"
Several hours later, the sea breeze carried the faint scent of land.
"I see it! There's an island ahead!" Luffy, sitting atop the Psyduck head, shouted excitedly.
Just then—SPLASH!!
The sea ahead erupted, sending a massive wall of water into the air. A sea beast the size of a small hill surged from the depths, blocking their path.
It had the head of a cow and the body of a giant sea serpent. It opened its massive maw and let out a deafening roar:
"MOOOO—!!!"
It was Momoo, the fighting sea beast kept by the Arlong Pirates.
"Whoa!! A giant cow!!" Luffy's eyes instantly turned into the shape of meat, drool leaking from his mouth. "That looks delicious!!"
"Oh? An excellent ingredient," Sanji said, rolling up his sleeves with a chef's glint in his eyes. "With a size like that, we could make steaks for a month."
"Meat!! Leave it to me!" Luffy prepared to charge.
"Wait."
A hand stopped Luffy. Viktor stood up from his seat, cracking his knuckles with an eager smile.
"Luffy, Sanji, don't be in such a rush to eat this big guy." He looked at the massive beast, a sharp light flashing in his eyes. "I just bought a fine 'new blade,' and I've been looking for a place to test it."
"New blade?" Zoro subconsciously glanced at the sword at Viktor's waist.
Viktor didn't draw the sword. He walked to the prow, facing the lunging beast, and took a deep breath. He gripped his right wrist with his left hand, palm facing down.
The newly acquired lightning-natured chakra began to surge through his meridians, coiling into his palm.
Zzzt... Zzzt...
Blue-white sparks began to dance at his fingertips. Violent energy was compressed and condensed.
Then—
"CHIRP! CHIRP! CHIRP! CHIRP!"
A sharp, deafening sound of a thousand birds erupted over the sea! What started as a few sparks transformed into the cacophony of ten thousand birds screaming at once. The high-pitched noise was so piercing that everyone on the boat covered their ears.
"Wh-What is that sound?!" Usopp screamed in terror.
"Lightning Style: Chidori."
Viktor murmured the name. His right hand was now enveloped in a blinding sphere of blue-white lightning, looking as though he were holding a restless thunderbolt in his palm.
"Moo?!" Momoo was startled by the light and sound, its movements hesitating for a split second.
In that instant—"Body Flicker Jutsu."
Swish!
Viktor vanished. A second later, he reappeared on the surface of the water, directly beneath Momoo's massive bulk. With a burst of chakra from his feet, he launched upward like an arrow, thrusting his lightning-clad hand into the sea directly below the beast!
"Go."
BOOM—!!!
The lightning hit the water and exploded. Using the sea as a natural conductor, the blue current diffused at a terrifying speed, completely enveloping Momoo's massive body.
"MOOOOOO-OOOOH!"
The sea beast let out a pathetic, agonizing scream. The intense current surged through its nerves, paralyzing its muscles and searing its skin. Amidst the crackling of electricity, the beast twitched violently before its eyes rolled back. It coughed out a puff of black smoke and floated belly-up on the surface.
"Done."
Viktor shook the residual sparks from his hand, standing calmly on the water's surface using chakra. He nodded in satisfaction. "The effect is quite good. Let's call this... electric fishing."
Silence fell over the boat.
Johnny and Yosaku's jaws hit the deck; they didn't even notice their oars falling into the sea. Sanji's cigarette fell from his mouth as he stared at the fading electricity. "That red-eyed bastard... can actually release lightning?"
Inside the cabin, Zoro stared intensely at Viktor's back, a storm raging in his own heart.
That sound... that piercing power... and that lightning...
Zoro gripped the hilt of his sword, a smirk crossing his face. "This guy... is an unfathomable monster."
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