Chapter 133: Contracted Fruit
"This is..."
Koby collapsed to the ground. Just as he picked up the strange fruit, a sharp-eyed pirate snatched it from his hands.
"Captain Alvida, look! What is this thing?"
"A Devil Fruit!?"
Alvida examined the fruit closely, recalling the legendary tales often dismissed as fairy tales in the East Blue.
"It's said that pirates who eat a Devil Fruit will be forever cursed by the sea, but at the same time gain powerful abilities!"
Upon hearing this, all the pirates' eyes turned greedy.
But with Alvida gripping her massive spiked mace, none of them dared to make a move and could only look on enviously.
Alvida excitedly lifted the fruit. She was about to eat it in one bite, but before it reached her mouth, the fruit transformed into a strange scroll inscribed with a mission.
[Contract Mission (1/5)]
Mission: Submit 5,000,000 Berries
Reward: Lv.1 Beginner Iron Fist Gloves (White)
Hint: Complete five bounty missions to become a beginner player in the Samsara Game.
Alvida stopped abruptly, her brows furrowing as she sneered at the scroll. "Who dares try to scam me out of my treasure? Five million Berries just for a pair of gloves?"
The pirate who had just snatched the fruit quickly pointed at Koby. "It's him! I got the fruit from his hands!"
"Koby!"
Alvida angrily hurled the scroll at Koby, shouting, "If I didn't need a deckhand, I would've smashed you into a meat patty! Get your worthless self into the cabin and start cleaning!"
The scroll hit Koby hard, sending him tumbling twice before slamming into the mast.
Hearing the order, he quickly hugged the scroll and ran toward the ship's hold with his head lowered.
"Master, do these Devil Contracts actually work?"
When the first fruit was activated, A'Fu was immediately able to sense it and observe the user's state—just like monitoring a player.
These Devil Contracts seemed like low-tier versions of Trial Tokens combined with mission scrolls.
Watching Koby—who, though hesitant, was already captivated by the Devil Contract—Fang Yi smiled. "Exactly. Anyone who gets a Devil Contract can trigger a nearby low-difficulty task."
For example: submitting treasures, fishing for Sea Kings, collecting rare minerals, harvesting herbs, and so on...
Completing these low-tier tasks grants corresponding rewards. Complete all five to enter the Pirate Beginner Village.
"Unlike the ninja world, where most ninjas have inherited jutsu and can exchange them for starter rewards..."
On the screen, Koby was seen sneaking into the treasure storage while pretending to clean.
Fang Yi chuckled and pointed. "In the pirate world, most beings rely on crude combat techniques and primitive instincts. They don't have the qualifications to earn reward points."
"However, unlike the established class system of the ninja world, in the pirate world—even the weakest civilians or slaves possess something incredibly powerful."
"Ambition!"
The total treasure hoarded by the Alvida Pirates barely added up to five million Berries. The Devil Contract would never trigger a task beyond what the user could feasibly accomplish.
In the ship's hold,
Koby recalled the innocent villagers who were killed, the vengeful look of the child who had been spared, and the burning village consumed by fire...
Suddenly, the entire storage room became empty.
[Mission Complete. Reward Delivered]
Koby swallowed hard, nervously scanning the now-barren treasure room, a wave of regret washing over him.
He had impulsively trusted a bizarre Devil Contract.
The treasure was gone.
Even if he couldn't be proven guilty, Alvida would likely take her anger out on him. He could easily end up thrown into the sea to be shark bait.
At that moment,
a pair of heavy iron gloves dropped onto Koby's body.
[Beginner Iron Fist Gloves Lv.1 (White)]: A beginner weapon from the Samsara Game. Strength +2 when equipped.
Hint: The holder of a Devil Contract can temporarily activate the player template.
[Koby]
Level: 1 (EXP 1/50)
Attributes: Strength 2 (+2), Agility 2, Constitution 2, Spirit 3
Equipment: Beginner Iron Fist Gloves
Skills: None
Note: In the pirate world, the average physical attribute for an adult male human is [3].
"This... is the power of the Devil Contract?"
Koby had never seen anything like it. Dazed, he slipped the iron gloves on and suddenly felt his whole body surge with strength.
[Contract Mission (2/5)]
Mission: Kill Pirate Tozz
Reward: Lv.1 Random Skill (White)
"You want me... to kill Tozz?"
Koby's lips trembled.
Naturally timid and cowardly, he had never killed—not even a chicken or duck.
Clumsy and fearful since childhood, he was always ostracized by his peers. That's how he ended up setting out to sea alone, accidentally boarding the wrong ship and becoming a deckhand for the Alvida Pirates.
Courage.
It was something he had never possessed—and believed he never could.
Let alone the courage to kill.
Even if the treasure vanished and he got beaten to a pulp by Alvida's mace, he wouldn't dare to resist.
"Pathetic. What a waste to let someone like this get a Devil Contract."
A'Fu clearly didn't think much of Koby, whose round face and chubby frame made him look like an easy target.
In the ninja world, even the weakest genin had seen blood and killed. They were weapons forged for battle.
In comparison, Koby was far too lacking.
Fang Yi still wore a calm smile. "Don't rush to judgment. Just keep watching."
In the future, Koby would awaken Observation and Armament Haki and be trained by Garp himself—his soul's potential wasn't low.
He just hadn't yet faced the courage buried in his heart.
"Koby!"
"You bastard, get over here! Bring another barrel of rum!"
"Yes!"
Trembling all over, Koby responded loudly.
He carefully locked the treasure room and headed to the cargo hold at the rear of the ship to grab a barrel of rum.
The iron gloves were fascinating. When worn, they vanished from sight, but could reappear on his fists at will—and as long as he had them equipped, he continued to gain their strength boost.
He effortlessly lifted the barrel—but then heard a soft yelp from within.
Opening the lid,
he found the child who had earlier escaped, now curled up in fear inside.
"Of course. The whole village had been raided. Hiding in a barrel was the safest option."
Unfortunately, the barrel had been hauled onto the Alvida Pirates' ship.
Koby took a deep breath. "Shhh, stay quiet. I'll sneak you out when we get to shore."
Bam.
The warehouse door was kicked open.
Tozz, reeking of alcohol, stared at Koby and growled, "I told you to bring a barrel, and you're slacking off?"
Then, his eyes landed on the child peeking from the barrel.
His expression darkened. "So it was you, Koby! You helped my prey escape. Looks like you don't want to be a deckhand anymore. Maybe you'd rather be shark food."
"No, that's not it... she just accidentally boarded the ship. She can work too—please don't tell Alvida!"
Shing.
Tozz drew his short blade, smirking cruelly as he walked toward the barrel.
"First, I'll kill the runaway brat. Then you, Koby... I'll tell the captain everything. Let her deal with you."
Tozz sneered, shoving Koby aside and turning his back to him, completely unguarded.
A coward like Koby wouldn't even know what to do with a weapon if you handed him one.
The child began to cry.
Koby's head buzzed with noise—the villagers' screams, the pirates' laughter, the crackling of burning houses...
What should I do? Just stand here again?
But I'm just Koby—the weakling everyone mocked as Coward Koby.
Could I really defeat a pirate like Tozz?
Can I even try?
Koby's body shook violently, cold sweat dripping from his forehead. As he looked at Tozz's sneering face, the iron fists appeared on his hands as if summoned by instinct.
Bam!
He landed a heavy punch on Tozz's back.
Before the pirate could even react, a flurry of punches rained down like a storm.
Tozz, though strong and bulky, couldn't even fight back. Koby's iron fists struck his head twice—and he blacked out.
[Mission Complete. Reward Delivered]
Suddenly, combat techniques appeared in Koby's mind.
[Straight Punch Lv.1 (White)]: A martial arts move passed down from the long-destroyed Southern Heavenly Kingdom. Gathers strength throughout the body and delivers a powerful forward punch.
Upgrade Requirements: 50 Proficiency, 50 Skill EXP
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