The regulations mentioned something about random items appearing every week, didn't they?Aisaka Noya glanced through the system's new update, raising an eyebrow. It was actually more reliable than he expected. Sure, it didn't exactly look like some "serious love-cell cultivation system," but most of the items in the store demanded a frightening number of points.
Apparition Skill Scroll?Was that supposed to be the teleportation magic from the Harry Potter world, or just some watered-down knockoff?Either way, if he could actually redeem it, wouldn't that be perfect for traveling across the sea?
Then there was Wind Barrier—the name sounded familiar, and it definitely seemed like an incredibly powerful skill.Unfortunately, it required Advanced Swordsmanship as a prerequisite. For someone like Noya, that was still far off. No matter how greedy he was, he could only shelve that dream for now.
"Only fifteen hundred points, huh."
After finishing his soup, Noya took a big bite of the barbecue and continued scrolling through the system store's panel."It looks like I can only afford two of this week's random items at most..."
The Six-Style Paper Drawing Skill Scroll (Intermediate) and the Physical Skills Training Acceleration Card (7 Days).
Noya needed both at the moment, and even after buying them, he'd still have a few points left over. But instead of rushing to redeem them, he opened the Permanent Store section.
[Basic Strength Points: 2000 pts / per point at current stage][Basic Agility Points: 2000 pts / per point at current stage][Basic Endurance Points: 2000 pts / per point at current stage][Basic Intelligence Points: 2000 pts / per point at current stage][Basic Charm Points: 5000 pts / per point at current stage][Character Detector: 500 pts / limit 2 per day]...
"Most of these still only cost two thousand points," Noya murmured, hesitating.
An increase in his basic attributes would surely bring a huge leap in power.Should he use his current points on those two items, or save up for stat upgrades instead...?
And those intelligence and charm prices—utterly ridiculous.Maybe the system followed a different quantification scale?
Noya thought about his current charm stat—already high enough to turn every girl in the recruit camp into a blushing mess—and he understood immediately.
The gap between each point of charm must be enormous.If he ever decided to dump all his points into that stat, just a few more levels and one smile from him might rival the lethal charm of the future Pirate Empress, Hancock herself.
He was still pondering this when a sudden commotion erupted at the restaurant entrance.
"Hmm?"
Noya shifted his gaze from the glowing panel. The moment he looked up, a familiar figure stepped inside.
The navy soldiers at the nearby tables instantly jumped to their feet, excitement flooding the air.
"Vice Admiral Gabu!""Lieutenant General! You're finally back!""You're half a month later than expected, sir—was the mission a success?"
The man being surrounded was none other than Gabu, the legendary naval hero and Vice Admiral of headquarters.
The old man looked travel-worn, his clothes slightly disheveled, hair messy as if he'd just disembarked from a warship.But seeing the eager young faces around him, he concealed his fatigue behind a hearty grin.
"Hahaha! You brats—it's been too long!""Of course the mission went well! I went personally. What pirate could possibly escape from me?"
The crowd cheered as Gabu laughed his way toward the dining counter. The soldiers' enthusiasm, though, was almost suffocating—it felt like a celebrity fan event more than a naval cafeteria.
"Oi, oi! What's all this crowding? Move aside already, I'm starving! Outta my way before I faint from hunger!"
The soldiers laughed and quickly stepped aside, forming a path as Gabu made his way toward the window counter.
"That's better," he grinned, stomping happily toward the food line.
Noya didn't approach him. Instead, he observed quietly from the corner, his mind ticking.
The Character Detector—that was one of the items he'd seen earlier in the shop. According to the description, it could scan and display another person's stats and abilities in a data panel.
Could it be used on anyone? Or only on the opposite sex, like some ridiculous dating-sim feature?
He had long been curious about just how powerful someone like Gabu—the man who stood at the very top of the sea—really was.
And since the day was nearly over, the free daily scan would reset soon anyway...
He hesitated for only a second, then activated Detect on Gabu.
[Character: Monkey D. Gabu][Age: 57][Strength: ???][Agility: ???][Endurance: ???][Intelligence: 7][Charm: 8][Skills: Armament Haki (Master), Observation Haki (Advanced), Navy Six Styles (Master), Hand-to-Hand Combat (Master)...][Estimated Points Reward for Successful Relationship: Ambiguous Relationship / 8 pts | Romantic Relationship / 40 pts][Note: Not sure what kind of madness possessed you to scan a grumpy old bachelor who picks his nose daily—but if you somehow "guide" this great naval hero, the rewards will be astonishing.]
"…"
Noya stared blankly at the panel for several seconds, then closed it without a word.
What the hell is wrong with this system's brain circuits?He just wanted to see stats, not flirt with Gabu!
He was a straight man, damn it!
At least he'd learned one useful thing—the unreadable question marks probably appeared because the power gap between him and Gabu was too vast. Just like in old MMORPGs: when you're still fresh out of the newbie village and walk into the main city, the boss NPC's level above their head is just a string of question marks.
He truly deserved his title as one of the world's top powerhouses.
Even so, Noya didn't regret using the detector. On the contrary, he was satisfied—it had proven far more versatile than he'd thought.
"Ah?"
As Gabu walked past the aisle, his gaze suddenly fell on Noya in the corner. He seemed to remember something, smacked his forehead, pulled a folded letter from his coat, and strode toward him.
"Lieutenant General!"
Rosin and Shiryu, sitting nearby, immediately stood and saluted. Noya followed suit, though his eyes flicked curiously toward the letter in Gabu's hand—he already had a feeling about what it was.
"Hey, little Noya!" Gabu grinned as he reached the table, slipping the letter into Noya's hand. "Your family asked me to deliver this while I was stopping by the Sixteenth Branch. Good thing I remembered—hah, my old memory's going downhill."
"Thank you, sir."
Noya accepted it carefully, bowing in gratitude. "I really appreciate it, Vice Admiral."
He respected Gabu deeply—not just for his heroism, but for the kindness he had personally shown him. If not for Gabu's recommendation, Noya might never have entered headquarters' elite training camp at all. He'd probably still be struggling somewhere back in Higashi Umi.
"It's nothing, just a small favor."
Gabu waved off the thanks with a laugh. "By the way, it's been ages since I checked in on you recruits. Last time I asked Zefa, he said you ranked fifty-ninth in the exam. How's your progress since then?"
"Uh…" Noya scratched his head, embarrassed. "Pretty much the same, sir…"
Back at the Sixteenth Branch, he had been the top performer, catching Gabu's attention and high expectations. But after entering headquarters, his early physical potential had peaked, and he'd hit a frustrating plateau.
"Eh?"
Gabu looked mildly surprised, then clicked his tongue and clapped Noya's shoulder. "Still not working hard enough, kid! I'll be overseeing your final exam next year, so you'd better make sure you earn top marks from Zefa, got it?"
"Yes, sir!" Noya straightened, giving a crisp salute.
Gabu nodded approvingly and headed toward the counter, leaving Noya to sigh quietly as he sat back down.
It seemed the old man still hadn't realized that Noya's stagnation wasn't from laziness—but from the simple fact that he'd already pushed his body to its limits.
If the system hadn't appeared to turn things around, he probably would have ended up graduating with nothing but Gabu's disappointed gaze.
As he resumed eating, Rosin leaned forward curiously, nodding toward the letter. "Hey, Noya, come on—open it already! Let's see what's inside!"
Shiryu kept sipping his soup, pretending to ignore them, though his eyes occasionally flicked toward the envelope.
"That's private, idiot," Noya scolded, smacking Rosin lightly on the head with the back of his spoon. "Besides, it's probably just a letter from my father. What's so exciting about that?"
"Yeah, right," Rosin said, rubbing his head but grinning slyly. "I saw the paper through the envelope—it's pink. What kind of father writes his son a letter on pink stationery?"
"Huh?"
Noya blinked, caught off guard. He hadn't noticed before, but now that he held it under the light—sure enough, a faint blush of pink peeked through the white envelope.
Ah, crap...
He groaned inwardly, rubbing his temples. He hadn't written back to his childhood sweetheart in ages—too busy with grueling training.
She must be furious.
He could easily picture her: the maroon-haired girl sitting beneath a lamplight, angrily scribbling down her letter, then convincing her father to hand it over to Gabu, who carried it all the way across the sea to headquarters.
"I'm doomed…" he muttered, tearing the envelope open.
Inside were two folded sheets—one white, one pink.
The white one was clearly from his parents.The pink one… well, that needed no guessing.
On the back of the pink sheet, written neatly in the center, were the words:
[Open this, idiot Aisaka Noya!]
And in the lower right corner, a graceful signature read—
Afria F. Berumere.