True nightfall had arrived.
Even in the vibrant and bustling inner city, everything had gone utterly silent.
Behind tightly closed doors, the nobles shed their daytime pretenses and indulged themselves freely under cover of darkness.
Across the entire inner city, only one estate near the royal castle remained brightly lit.
Inside, Luffy and his crew were busy settling in, arranging their belongings just the way they liked them.
A group of maids bustled around, helping out in complete silence, not a single complaint on their lips.
Because to their utter shock, their master, the esteemed noble of the estate, was also assisting these mysterious guests, carrying luggage and even helping clean up.
To the maids, it felt as if the sky itself was falling.
Some of the smarter ones had already started to suspect, Could these strange visitors be Celestial Dragons in disguise?
The thought alone was terrifying. Memories of the infamous Tenryuubito, cruel and capricious, sent shivers down their spines. They worked even harder, determined not to slack off for a second.
Once everything was ready, Luffy finally settled into a chair in his new bedroom.
Now that things were quiet, his mind drifted back to Robin's odd behavior over the past few days.
He had assumed she was still upset from that confrontation with Nami, not realizing there might be more to it.
Either way, Luffy had decided:
It was time to spend some money on her.
He wasn't the sentimental type, but if he was being honest, Robin had been with him longer than almost anyone.
Among all his crewmates, he held a soft spot for her, a private affection he'd never openly show.
That's why, when Robin's confidence was shaken by Nami, he'd been the first to step in and comfort her.
And now, he figured it was time to make her feel good again, with a gift.
Tonight, he'd go all out.
With practiced ease, he pulled up the system interface and opened the gear menu under Robin's profile.
Apart from the black-rimmed glasses he had gifted her long ago, two equipment slots remained empty, one for upper body gear and one for footwear.
He considered for a moment, then gave the order mentally:
"System, purchase the remaining two companion gear pieces for Robin, make sure both boost Agility and Mental Power."
In an instant, the cold mechanical voice responded in his mind:
["Companion Gear: Body" purchased. Added to inventory.]
["Companion Gear: Shoes" purchased. Added to inventory.]
Luffy looked at the newly acquired white shirt and white cloth shoes, then gave the next command:
"System, bind the gear to Nico Robin."
[Ding! Binding complete.]
Luffy nodded to himself, though there was no one around to see it.
Suddenly curious, he asked:
"System, what's the highest tier these gear pieces can reach?"
The system answered promptly:
[Companion gear can be upgraded to Tier 8. There is no limit on enhancement level.]
"Tier 8, huh…" Luffy murmured.
That was lower than he'd expected.
While enhancement had no limit in theory, the cost of upgrading later tiers would be astronomical, far beyond what even he could afford at the moment, despite his current fortune.
Still, he figured he might as well spend what he could now.
Doing the math, Luffy quickly purchased 80 Ascension Stones, burning through 800,000 gold in an instant.
Then, he bought 16 more, 1.6 million gold gone.
In just a few clicks, his balance had dropped below 30 million.
He sighed.
"This is exactly why I hoard gold…"
When you really needed it, you'd always find that no amount was ever enough.
But if you're not willing to risk, you'll never gain.
So, without hesitation, Luffy maxed out both items to Tier 8.
A flood of system notifications rang in his ears for nearly a minute before finally quieting down.
He picked up the upgraded white cloth shirt, examining it curiously.
"System, show me its stats."
A soft white light flashed, and a screen appeared in front of his eyes:
─────────🏴☠️─────────
[Companion Gear: Body]
Agility +410
Mental Power +410
Skill 1: Can transform into any upper-body clothing based on the user's will
Skill 2: +5% All Elemental Resistance
Skill 3: +10% Damage Absorption
Skill 4: +20% Defense
Skill 5: +20% Damage Reflection
Skill 6: +50% Stamina Recovery
Skill 7: Blood Shield
Skill 8: Death Immunity
─────────🏴☠️─────────
"System, what exactly do 'Blood Shield' and 'Death Immunity' mean?"
Luffy was caught off guard by these two unexpected skills.
The rest were simple stat buffs, but these?
He could guess what "shield" probably meant. But "death immunity"?
That sounded way too overpowered…
Thankfully, the system answered right away:
[Blood Shield: Grants a daily shield equal to the user's total HP. Absorbs all damage until depleted.]
[Death Immunity: Once per day, negates a single fatal attack.]
Luffy's shoulders slumped slightly.
So it wasn't as broken as he had imagined. "Immunity to death" wasn't literal, just a once-a-day life-saver.
Still, that was a very strong effect, especially for someone like Robin.
"She's going to be really happy with this," Luffy thought, smiling to himself.
He wasn't done yet.
"System, show me the stats for the other item."
Another flash of white light brought up a second screen:
─────────🏴☠️─────────
[Companion Gear: Feet]
Agility +410
Mental Power +410
Skill 1: Can transform into any footwear style based on the user's will
Skill 2: +5% All Elemental Resistance
Skill 3: +10% Damage Absorption
Skill 4: +20% Leg Strength
Skill 5: +20% Movement Speed
Skill 6: Wall Walk
Skill 7: Water Walk
Skill 8: Blink (Teleport)
─────────🏴☠️─────────
"Huh? Three active skills?"
Luffy was genuinely surprised.
He quickly asked:
"System, explain skills 6 through 8."
The system answered by directly projecting the info into his mind:
[Wall Walk]: Consumes stamina to walk along walls or upside-down like a gecko. Stamina cost depends on the surface's angle and texture.
[Water Walk]: Consumes both Mental Power and stamina to run or walk freely on water. Cost depends on water's stability.
[Blink]: Once per minute, instantly teleport to any visible point within 100 meters. No energy cost.
─────────🏴☠️─────────
Luffy blinked.
"Isn't this just basic ninja stuff…?"
Still, he was impressed.
"Blink" in particular had excellent combat potential. One teleport per minute with zero cost? That was huge.
Sure, the 100-meter limit and line-of-sight restriction were drawbacks, but still, it was a powerful and versatile movement skill.
Overall, these two pieces of equipment would significantly enhance Robin's strength and survivability, especially the latter, which gave Luffy some peace of mind.
"Now then… when should I give them to her?"
He looked out the window into the moonless night, the wind whispering through the dark.
"Maybe… tonight?"
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