Xiano pondered for a moment.
In the end, he added it to his shopping cart.
The reason for his hesitation was simply that he wasn't sure whether this item could consider a "ship" as a "base."
If it could be set up on a ship, then it would be worth every penny.
But if not, it didn't matter much. At worst, he could let it gather dust for a while, and it would surely come in handy someday.
A mere 1,500 Points as a trial cost was something he could afford.
...
The next few items were all things he wasn't interested in at first glance.
Xiano quickly skipped over them.
After swiping a few times, the last item finally caught his attention.
[Deep Sea Breathing Technique]
[Type: Cultivation Secret]
[Price: 5,500 Points]
[Description: A special muscle control technique. To begin, one must possess a relatively high level of physical strength. Once mastered, it allows the pores on the body's surface to temporarily mimic the function of gills, enabling the muscles to deliver oxygen to the body and achieve underwater breathing. The maximum duration is closely related to the practitioner's progress and physical strength.]
[Seller's Note: "Damn it, I transmigrated into that cursed mother octopus!!"]
Xiano: "?"
What kind of deep sea is this Deep Sea Breathing Technique from?
Well, it didn't matter how miserable his fellow transmigrators from other worlds were. It had nothing to do with him.
Xiano quickly focused on the description, narrowing his eyes slightly.
The ability to breathe underwater like the Fish-men was indeed expensive, but in other worlds, it might not be that appealing.
But this was the world of the Pirate King!
A world with no continents, where the ocean covered more than 95% of the surface!
Not to mention 5,000 Points, even 10,000 Points would be worth it.
As for the prerequisite of cultivating this technique—requiring a relatively high level of physical strength—Xiano believed he met that qualification.
In terms of physical prowess alone, he was confident he stood at the forefront of the second tier in this world, only slightly behind those top-tier powerhouses who stood at the pinnacle of the world.
So he decisively added it to his shopping cart.
...
Having browsed through the new batch of items, it was time to check out.
This time, he bought a total of six items, spending 29,000 Points, with 23,200 Points remaining.
It was the largest expenditure in recent years, but the richness of the rewards was undeniable and fully justified the price.
Xiano eagerly closed the system panel, picked up his coffee cup, and headed into the cabin to start testing out these new abilities.
Let's try the Knock Spell first.
As described in the item's details, as long as the Knock Spell Scepter was in his backpack, the method of using this spell was already imprinted in his mind.
He walked along the corridor to the kitchen at the end.
Next to the corner was the door to the food storage room.
Since Agin had an irregular schedule and often came out to move around in the middle of the night, Zeff had installed a heavy iron lock on the door to prevent it from stealing too much strawberry milk.
Xiano silently recited the incantation for the Knock Spell, and the moment his fingertip touched the lock…
Click.
The iron lock opened directly.
Heh, that's fun.
The whole process took less than half a second—it really was an instant unlock.
With this skill, he'd never have to worry about food or drink anywhere.
Xiano, like a child with a new toy, excitedly ran around the ship, trying almost every locked item in the cabin.
After a long while, he finally emerged from the cabin, still unsatisfied, and walked to the deserted stern deck. He then looked at the remaining items in his backpack.
First, he took out Yasso's sword manual and flipped through it.
Hmm, as expected, he couldn't understand a thing.
It seemed that he was destined to have no connection with true swordsmanship in this lifetime. He decided to hand it over to Kuina later.
Don't ask, it was just something that dropped from Hanafuda.
After all, as the brother of Kay, who was entrenched in Wano Country, it was only natural for him to carry a sword manual with a samurai style.
Next, Xiano attempted to deploy the Prism Tower.
Surprisingly, it went smoothly. The Prism Tower automatically completed its setup and merged with the main mast.
No wonder it was said to be invisible. Even with his Observation Haki, he couldn't sense anything special about it.
This made things easier. In the future, if the crew happened to see the mast emitting prismatic light, they would probably think it was some advanced technology built into the mast.
Don't ask, it was just the default setting from the Giant Whale Shipyard.
Xiano then looked at the remaining three items in his backpack.
"Wish" wasn't necessary for now, and "Deep Sea Breathing Technique" would only show its effects after some practice.
So, the only thing left to test was the Kleptomaniac card set.
When he bought this set of cards, it came with a free trial. When he opened the backpack, a text box specifically reminded him that the items obtained during the trial would be returned to their original place.
In other words, the trial was purely to familiarize him with the skill's effects, so he wouldn't waste an opportunity due to improper operation during formal use.
Coincidentally, at that very moment, a News Bird flew by in the distant sky.
It was at least twenty kilometers away from the Sunset, barely a tiny white dot at the edge of his vision.
It was the perfect test subject.
Xiano took out the card set from his backpack, and six pale golden cards instantly appeared in his hand. Five were solid, while the trial card was just a phantom.
Aiming at the News Bird, Xiano willed it, and the phantom card instantly turned into a stream of light and disappeared.
Then Xiano patiently waited for something to appear in his hand. Although it was supposed to be a random item, the News Bird didn't carry much.
It was probably either its hat or a newspaper from its mailbag...
Splat!
The next second.
A sticky, warm substance accurately landed in the palm of his hand.
Xiano looked down—
Bird droppings.
And fresh ones at that.
Although the droppings disappeared the next moment, returning to their original position, the wet sensation and foul smell still lingered on his hand...
"..."
Xiano was silent for two seconds, a vein throbbing on his forehead.
Is this what you call a straight-shooting animal? Of all times, it had to take a dump in the sky right when I made my move. How inconsiderate!
A trial version, huh? A free experience, huh?
Indeed, free things are never to be trusted!
Fuming, he looked up at the News Bird.
The News Bird seemed to have noticed the ship speeding along the river and happily changed direction, heading towards it.
A moment later.
The bruised and battered News Bird flew away, looking pitiful.
Hmm, that felt better.
Xiano patted his hands with satisfaction. Such a bird with no sense of public decency deserved a good beating to teach it a lesson and vent some frustration.
However, as compensation, he also wrapped up all the newspapers in the mailbag, allowing the hardworking bird to finish its tasks early and clock out.
Picking up the swordsmanship manual and the newspapers, Xiano headed toward the bow of the ship.
He planned to deliver them to Kuina and Nami, who had been eagerly waiting for the newspapers.
Along the way.
He casually opened the newspaper and glanced through it.
As expected, the news of the Hanafuda Pirate Crew's downfall had not yet reached the headquarters of the World Economic Journal.
But it wouldn't be long now, at the latest, it would be tomorrow.
The latest novel is first published on 69shuba!
However, this didn't mean that this issue of the newspaper had nothing to do with them.
In fact, quite the opposite.
The headline news this time was almost entirely Xiano's doing!
—"Judicial Island Falls! Blue Ogre and Red Ogre, Two Legendary Giants from a Century Ago, Reappear on the Seas!"
Beneath the bold, blackened headline was a massive photo that took up half the page.
In the photo, Judicial Island was in complete disarray, with ruins and fallen guards everywhere.
Even the towering Judicial Tower, along with the World Government flag that should have been flying proudly, had collapsed to the ground!
Amidst the rubble, four enormous figures embraced each other, bathed in blood, clearly having just emerged from a fierce battle.
The accompanying article, true to Morgans' usual style, was sensationalized and exaggerated to the extreme.
"Shocking! One of the World Government's three major institutions—Judicial Island—has recently suffered a devastating blow!"
"According to eyewitnesses, two legendary giant warriors—Blue Ogre Dorry and Red Ogre Brogy—led two equally massive giant companions, cutting through the island's defenses like a hot knife through butter!"
"The naval fleet that rushed to support from the whirlpool behind the Gates of Justice was also annihilated! Two vice admirals were severely injured!"
"The Judicial Tower has collapsed! The Gates of Justice have been destroyed!"
"The flag symbolizing the authority of the World Government was torn apart and trampled underfoot by the legendary warriors from Elbaf!"
"Where did they return from, and who unleashed these two fearsome beasts that were renowned a century ago?!!"
"This is going to be quite the spectacle."
Xiano chuckled softly and closed the newspaper.
It seemed that, unintentionally, he had caused a major headache for the Marine Headquarters.
Well, that's just the straightforward and fiery nature of the giants for you.
Judging by the timeline, the two elders, after reading the note he left, could no longer sit idly by and ended their century-long duel, setting sail once more.
Their first stop? Judicial Island.
Stirring up a storm on the seas.
For Xiano, this was naturally good news.
From now on, he had two incredibly powerful allies on the seas, and if he ever decided to visit Elbaf, he now had people who could bridge the connection.
Moreover.
The bigger the commotion caused by the Judicial Island incident, the more the World Government and Marine Headquarters would be distracted. In the short term, they probably wouldn't have the time to come after him.
————
The Sunset continued its journey along the Sandora River.
As night fell, the group successfully arrived at the capital of Alabasta, Alubarna.
The palace was brightly lit.
The banquet had long been prepared.
As a nation situated in the desert, with most of its territory being extremely barren, Alabasta was not particularly wealthy.
Nevertheless, to express their gratitude for the assistance provided by the Falling Stars Adventure Crew, the scale of the banquet was set exceptionally high.
In the main hall, silver candlesticks cast a warm glow, illuminating the long table laden with a dazzling array of delicacies.
There were golden roasted bone-in steaks, aromatic lamb stew with dates, and a mountain of assorted precious fruits...
The royal family's treasured wines, aged for many years, were also generously brought out for Xiano and the others to enjoy.
Even King Cobra, who had been bedridden, mustered his strength to personally attend and host the banquet.
With such grand hospitality, the atmosphere was lively, and both guests and hosts were thoroughly enjoying themselves.
Under these circumstances.
Not to mention Xiano and his crew, even the most ruthless pirates would likely find it hard to harbor any ill intentions.
By the time the banquet ended, the night was deep.
The thoroughly drunk crew members were assisted by maids to their rooms to rest, while Nami, who was underage and not allowed to drink, was taken by Vivi to her room to play.
As for Xiano and Robin, both had tacitly not drunk much.
After leaving the banquet, they made their way to the side hall of the palace, where they were to meet with Cobra to discuss matters concerning Crocodile and the Poneglyphs.
...
Meanwhile.
Far away, on the Red Line, in the Holy Land Mariejois.
Another meeting was taking place.
Though the level of this meeting was slightly higher...
————
In Pangaea Castle.
The Five Elders gathered in the top-floor meeting room, the atmosphere so tense it felt like water could be wrung from it.
On the long table in front of the sofa, several newspapers and intelligence reports were scattered, with the headline of today's World Economic Journal prominently displayed on top.
"Enies Lobby destroyed, the Gates of Justice collapsed..."
The blond Elder in a deep red suit slammed the newspaper on the table, his voice icy:
"In just one month, first the Warlord of the Sea Crocodile was killed, then the siege on Toll Island failed, and now this sudden major event. The prestige of the World Government has been trampled into nothingness."
His name was Shepherd Ten Pyther, currently serving as the God of Agriculture.
"Blue Ogre Dorry and Red Ogre Brogy..."
The Elder in a kimono, holding a demonic sword, narrowed his eyes, "Those two giants have been dueling in Little Garden for over a hundred years. How did they suddenly leave and precisely attack Enies Lobby?"
Izmarlin V. Nusjuro, the God of Finance.
"Someone intervened."
The curly-haired Elder in a flat cap flipped through the intelligence reports from the CP department, speaking calmly:
"According to the descriptions from the severely injured guards, when the giants were embracing each other and crying in celebration, they mentioned a name—Xiano. It seems it was thanks to him that Blue Ogre and Red Ogre learned about the giants we deceived and sent to guard the Gates of Justice at Enies Lobby."
Jaygarcia Saturn, the God of Science and Defense.
"Xiano?!" The blond Elder turned sharply, "It's that Xiano again?!"
The two major events he mentioned earlier were also caused by this guy!
"From Loguetown to Toll Island, it's been less than two months since he entered the Grand Line, and already he's caused so many major incidents. Now even the turmoil at Enies Lobby is related to him? That brat is like a plague—wherever he goes, chaos follows..."
"Complete upheaval."
The long-bearded Elder with white hair, who had remained silent until now, interrupted him and spoke indifferently:
"By the way, before I came to this meeting, I just received the latest urgent report from CP0. Another Warlord of the Sea, Hanafuda, was killed yesterday in the Kingdom of Alabasta. The one responsible for this is none other than Xiano."
"What?!!!"
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