It was a set of data he had never seen before, detailing the attributes of that marine.
**[Cor (Navy Corporal), Strength: 10, Constitution: ***, Agility: 8, Spirit: 6, Perception: 8, Trait: Strong and Healthy]**
So, the old cat also had the ability to check others' attributes, which piqued Kiba's interest.
"Hehe, impressive, right?" The old cat casually tapped a few times, and the hidden equipment revealed itself before him.
It was a very cool-looking pair of black goggles, though the cracks covering it ruined the aesthetic, making it look more like scrap that should be lying in a junkyard.
In the Reincarnation Space, all equipment, except for weapons, had a hidden effect. Just like the old cat's glasses, they could be concealed when not needed, without affecting their function.
Seeing Kiba's interest, the old cat hesitated for a moment before straightforwardly displaying the equipment information.
**Name:** Damaged Police Goggles
**Grade:** White
**Category:** Accessory
**Durability:** 3/40
**Attribute Enhancement:** Perception +1
**Requirements:** Perception 10, Spirit 8
**Equipment Effect:** Information Scan
**Origin:** Cyberpunk Edge Runner
**Equipment Evaluation:** If you can repair it, it will become an indispensable helper.
**Information Scan (Active Skill):** Consumes 1 point of Spirit to scan the target's basic information, limited by Perception attribute.
"Sigh, it's a sad story," the old cat said with a bitter smile, shaking his head as he recounted his experience in the Edge Runner world.
It was the same old tale—a group of people confidently heading into a story world, only to be wiped out due to a small mistake.
The old cat managed to escape, but the goggles on his head were damaged during that time.
"Everyone else died?" Kiba asked coldly, showing no sign of empathy.
Strangely, the old cat didn't get angry at all. It was hard to tell whether he was just too good-natured or if there was another reason.
"Yes, they all died. I didn't even get a chance to collect their bodies."
His words were full of regret, but Kiba couldn't help but feel that this guy was more disappointed about not getting the chance to loot the bodies.
During their idle chat, Kiba brought up the fact that the Constitution attribute didn't display earlier. At this, the old cat sighed again, a familiar sound by now.
"This thing isn't omnipotent; it needs to be paired with the Reincarnator's Perception attribute."
"To put it simply, I can't detect values that exceed my Perception attribute. For the record, my highest attribute is Perception. With equipment bonuses, I currently have about 13 points."
In other words, that Navy Corporal, who looked like just a regular grunt, was actually someone with a Constitution of 13 or higher? The other attributes seemed normal enough—so how could his Constitution be so outrageous?
However, considering the fact that he recovered from serious injuries overnight and could grow teeth back just by drinking a glass of milk, Kiba suddenly understood.
The hallmark of *One Piece* is that the strong all have incredibly powerful bodies, so it's not unusual for Constitution to be high.
Kiba glanced at his own current attributes and figured that he could easily handle a soldier of this level.
**Strength:** 7 (+1)
**Constitution:** 7
**Agility:** 6 (+1)
**Spirit:** 16 (+3)
**Perception:** 12 (+2)
If he used his silver story equipment and paired it with his Black Star pistol, he could essentially achieve a flawless victory—that's the power of a summoner.
Kiba was beginning to understand the true meaning of what the guide had said.
In the Reincarnation Space, the strong always thrive, while the weak walk on thin ice.
Even he felt this way, so imagine how it must be for the super rookies who receive the large team resources—dealing with ordinary Navy soldiers must be like cutting through butter.
Treading on the soft soil, the two of them made their way to the most bustling place in town—the tavern.
As soon as they pushed open the rickety wooden door, they bumped into a drunken man. Judging by his appearance, he didn't seem like a pirate but rather a local thug.
"Hey, kid, are you blind or something?"
Before he could finish his sentence, the muzzle of a Black Star Type 54 was jammed roughly into the man's mouth, breaking two of his front teeth due to the force.
--
A sharp pain invaded his mind, but the drunk man didn't dare make a single extra move. His wide-open eyes were filled with fear, terrified that the next second, the person in front of him would pull the trigger.
"Mis... misunderstanding, I didn't mean to."
Knowing he had encountered someone ruthless, the thug immediately gave in. His pride could be salvaged later, but if his life was lost, it would be game over.
Glaring coldly at him, Kiba slowly pulled the gun away and gave a slight nod to the stunned Old Cat beside him. "My friend here is a bit thirsty."
Seeing this, the thug immediately understood and quickly pulled out a crumpled handful of cash.
[You have received 2546 Berries.]
Berries: A unique currency in the pirate world.
"Get lost."
Upon hearing this, the thug scrambled away in a panic, but not before giving them a long, hard look before leaving.
"Dude, what's up with that?" Old Cat was confused, not understanding what Kiba was trying to pull. Coming into an unfamiliar story world, shouldn't they be keeping a low profile? Acting so brazenly without knowing the situation could easily offend some unknown characters.
Like the thug who just fled, it probably wouldn't be long before he returned with reinforcements, leading to a tough fight.
If you're going to do something, you might as well take the guy out. From any angle, Old Cat couldn't understand his new friend.
To this, Kiba gave a vague explanation: "Joining the pirate forces isn't that easy; we need a stellar resume."
At the bar of the tavern, Kiba used the recently acquired Berries to buy two beers and pulled out a note, placing it in front of the young bartender: "I don't care how you do it; I need a newspaper now."
"Right away, sir, please wait a moment." The bartender happily went off.
A few minutes later, he returned with a stack of newspapers and laid them on the bar, covering all the news from the past week in the East Blue.
"Big harvest in Orange Town this year, fruit prices expected to drop further."
"Silver-haired swordsman defeated in three moves at Shuangyue Village dojo."
"Navy's 153rd branch launches large-scale military exercise."
"Black Cat Pirates suffer a crushing defeat; Admiral Krieg's bounty rises to 12 million."
"Sea restaurant holding big sale, everything starting at 30% off."
The seemingly ordinary news, in Kiba's eyes, revealed a lot of intriguing information.
If he remembered correctly, Admiral Krieg, the dominant force in the East Blue, had a bounty of 17 million when Luffy set out to sea, so the current timeline was before the main story began.
Another piece of information was that the leader of the Black Cat Pirates challenged Krieg and failed, leading to Krieg being crowned as the pirate with the highest bounty in the East Blue.
Kuro, the captain of the Black Cat Pirates, was known for his cunning and was called "Hundred Plans" Kuro.
In the original story, it was clearly stated that Kuro spent three years gaining the trust of the wealthy lady Kaya by posing as her butler, Klahadore, with the intention of stealing her fortune.
On the beach of Usopp's hometown, he was ultimately defeated by the main character, Luffy's rubber bell attack, and Usopp officially joined the Straw Hat Pirates.
So, this was 3-5 years before Luffy set out to sea.
Confirming the timeline, Kiba could better adjust his next plans.
To achieve the feat of advancing all five attributes simultaneously, he needed to keep challenging hidden tasks; otherwise, the rewards from merely completing levels wouldn't be enough.
Silently placing the newspaper down, Kiba pulled out another bill and placed it in front of the bartender: "Tell me, which pirate crews are active nearby?"
Having received several tips, the bartender's attitude became much warmer, eagerly spilling everything he knew: "Speaking of pirate crews, it's really lively lately. The famous pirate admiral is resting on the neighboring island."
Having just defeated the Black Cat Pirates, Krieg was undoubtedly at the peak of his career and naturally needed to celebrate lavishly.
Normally, joining him would be a good choice, but Kiba was more interested in the whereabouts of another pirate crew.
"You mean the Black Cats, right?" The bartender looked around and lowered his voice. "To be honest, the Black Cat Pirates are docked on the other side of the island. They don't dare show themselves openly right now; they're just quietly replenishing their crew and supplies. You two seem quite capable, so why not give it a shot?"
Just as the bartender finished speaking, the system notification arrived as expected.
[Task 14552 triggered: Side mission, join the Black Cat.]
[Mission requirement: Pass the test and join the Black Cat Pirates.]
[Hint: Tests vary; you should choose the one that suits you best.]
"Thanks." Kiba smiled in satisfaction and downed his drink.
Having waited so long and still not seeing that thug return with reinforcements, Kiba had no patience to keep waiting.
Letting the thug go served a simple purpose: Kiba needed to quickly make a name for himself, so he could join a pirate crew sooner.
Now that he had received an unexpected side mission, the thug's situation no longer mattered.
Kiba remained calm, unaware that Old Cat beside him was beaming with joy.
Joining a faction was the main mission, so normally, it wouldn't trigger a side mission. Old Cat hadn't even considered this possibility.
To his surprise, the man beside him got him a freebie effortlessly. Most importantly, Old Cat noticed Kiba's calm expression, as if he knew exactly what would happen next.
In reality, Kiba was still figuring things out. He found that interacting with key characters from the main story often triggered various missions.
Why not choose to follow Admiral Krieg?
The reason was simple: The missions tied to him probably weren't as numerous as those with the Black Cat Pirates.
At least as the leader, Krieg currently had no thoughts of retiring.
"Joining the Black Cat Pirates and helping Hundred Plans Kuro execute his retirement plan will surely bring rich rewards."
Bang!
A gunshot instantly silenced the tavern.
Kiba didn't want to linger, but trouble found him anyway.
(End of chapter)
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