Looking at the apples that Bella Smith took out from the box, the girls were all at a loss. Sarah Evans took the apple from Bella's hand, examined it carefully, and traced the lines with her slender fingers, her face puzzled.
The girls passed the fruit among themselves, each shaking their heads, unsure of its significance. John had only explained the basic power dynamics of the One Piece world, leaving it to the players to discover Devil Fruits, Haki, and physical abilities on their own.
In this version of the world, not everyone knew about Devil Fruits, especially in a town like Loguetown. Only a few notable pirates or Marine officers, like Smoker with his Moku Moku no Mi (Smoke-Smoke Fruit), were aware of them. Had it not been for Smoker's deterrence in Loguetown, someone might have already tried to steal the fruit as soon as it was revealed.
"Is this thing really worth ten million?" Bella asked, opening another box. Inside was another bizarre fruit, shaped like a pink pear with strange markings etched onto its skin.
"There's something underneath!" Bella exclaimed. She quickly pulled out a note hidden under the white apple.
"'Logia-type fruit,'" she read aloud.
"Logia? What does that even mean?" Sarah asked, her curiosity piqued.
Bella opened the second box and found another note, this time referring to a "Zoan-type, Usagi Usagi no Mi (Rabbit-Rabbit Fruit), Mythical Zoan, Moon Rabbit form."
"A rabbit fruit?" Jessica Tang raised an eyebrow. "What's a Moon Rabbit form?"
"Is it just a rabbit? We need to ask the boss."
As the girls debated, more players gathered near the execution platform. In the distance, a group of NPCs dressed as Marines began pushing people away from the platform.
Suddenly, a light flashed, and John appeared before the girls, though no one else in the game seemed to notice him.
"Why haven't you eaten the fruit yet?" he asked with a grin.
"Boss! We didn't know what it was! How could we eat it without knowing?" Bella pouted, sounding a bit frustrated.
John chuckled. "It's called a Devil Fruit, the greatest treasure in this world."
"The greatest treasure?" Olivia Su asked, leaning forward with interest.
John nodded. "Take it to any auction house, and you'll see its value. Oh, and I've activated the in-game money exchange. You can withdraw your earnings directly into your real-world accounts."
The girls gasped in shock. "Wait, boss, you're serious? We can actually make real money in the game?"
"Yup, if you don't want the fruit, just sell it."
They quickly checked their in-game property panels, noticing the new "Deposit/Withdraw" feature under "Berry," the currency of the game. Unlike typical games with complex stat systems, John's game kept it simple. There were no levels or preset moves—the players had to discover everything on their own.
"But boss, if everyone just withdraws money, won't you go bankrupt?" Olivia asked, her professional experience as a game planner making her suspicious of such a system.
John smiled, amused by their concern. "You think Devil Fruits are easy to find? These two you hold now are incredibly rare. It'll take most players a long time to find something of similar value."
He went on to explain how the game's economic system was structured. The in-game money-to-real-world exchange ratio was one-to-one hundred, meaning players could earn some pocket money, but making serious money required following the world's rules—and in this world, only the strong would thrive.
"You have to be strong to survive here," John concluded. "It's not just about earning; it's about keeping what you earn."
The girls were silent for a moment, digesting what John had said. Then, they noticed a group of players being arrested by the in-game Marines.
"Is there no one keeping order?" Bella asked, watching the scene.
"There is, right there." John gestured toward the Marines dragging the troublemaking players away. "The Marines keep things in check, but this is a pirate world. Do you think all pirates just give up when they see the Marines?"
John smiled at the group, knowing they were beginning to grasp the complex, unpredictable nature of the world he had created.
A/N: Thanks for reading, keep donating some stones of you want extra chapters!
Also check out my patreon for advanced chapters up to 52: patreon.com/AncestorX
Enjoy ✌️!
"They are the most basic state after the player comes in. This is Loguetown, and these navy soldiers are still telling you the truth. Those players who choose other places as their spawn point can only rely on luck when they encounter pirates."
Olivia suddenly looked at John with a strange expression and whispered,
"Boss, you're not going to spawn a pirate to snatch from the player just as they are about to withdraw cash, are you?"
John: "??? Do you really think I'm that kind of person?"
Thud!
John tapped Olivia's head, secretly thinking how suspicious she sounded.
"This is a complete world view, okay? Everything follows the context of the world. Unless it's a player, there won't be any sudden extra person."
"Do you think I'm a scheming developer like you?"
"??? Boss, what is a scheming developer?"
"Ahem, nothing."
While the few were chatting, the navy had already captured everyone on the execution platform, sending two teams of soldiers to guard it, preventing any players from rushing forward.
A navy soldier hurried past them, John could hear him muttering,
"Damn it, which pirate crew has landed in Loguetown? Why haven't we heard the news?"
"…"
"How about it, should we also set up a pirate crew and set sail?"
Now that they were fully in the game, it would be embarrassing not to form a pirate crew.
"Ahh! Boss, are we going to rob others too?"
"Boss, is this your plan? You want us to snatch everything ourselves?"
"As expected of you!"
"Edge Horizon Pirates! Go, go!"
John: "???"
What kind of thinking process do you all have?
Hearing that John suggested forming a pirate crew, they were all excited, with eager expressions on their faces.
Thud thud thud!
John hit one of them on the head again, frowning, "I'm just doing as the Romans do, just playing casually. Besides, what the hell is 'Edge Horizon Pirates'?"
"Eh, boss, what about this Devil Fruit in our hands?"
Sarah Evans quickly brought the topic back to the Devil Fruit. John only mentioned that it was a great treasure but hadn't explained its value.
"You should see that there is an abilities option on the character panel."
The girls nodded, and John continued,
"The combat system in this world mainly consists of three types: abilities, physical moves, and swordsmanship."
"Physical moves and swordsmanship require rigorous training to become strong, but abilities are different. As long as you eat a Devil Fruit, you can gain corresponding abilities."
"The abilities of Devil Fruits are divided into three categories: Logia, Zoan, and Paramecia."
John took the fruit from Sarah's hand and continued,
"This is the Cloud Cloud Fruit of the Logia category. Eating it will give you the ability to transform into clouds and manipulate clouds."
"Turn into clouds and manipulate clouds?"
"Yes, the Logia category is called so because the powers allow control over natural elements. Logia users can transform into an element and become immune to physical attacks."
"Look over there."
Coincidentally, Smoker arrived at the square at that moment. The presence of a large number of players had made the navy believe that a notorious pirate crew had arrived, so they called Smoker over.
"He is a user of the Moku Moku no Mi (Smoke Smoke Fruit). See how his body turns into smoke?"
Following John's direction, the girls all looked at Smoker, who was holding his Jitte in hand, half of his body turning into smoke as he rushed toward the execution platform. Their eyes widened in awe.
"That's the elemental ability. Smoke can disperse, so that guy can fly, and he can control the smoke from his body."
"Boss, does that mean if we eat the Cloud Cloud Fruit, we can all become clouds?"
"Wrong. Only the person who eats it first will gain the power of the Devil Fruit. Only one Devil Fruit with one power exists at a time. If the current user dies, the fruit will reincarnate somewhere at sea."
"So, who's going to eat it? Or should we sell it?"
After John's explanation, the girls pondered for a moment. It was clear that the Cloud Cloud Fruit was a valuable asset. Their dilemma now was deciding who should eat it, not whether to sell it.
After some discussion, Sarah, as the group's leader, made the call.
"Then let Olivia eat it. The rest of us still have unfinished work on 'Identity V,' so we can't stay in the game for too long."
"That's right. It's best for Olivia to eat it. Emily and I still have a lot of original artwork to finish. The boss works us too hard."
"I still have to finish game models. I'm swamped!"
"The game programming for 'Identity V' isn't finished either. Alice and I are extremely busy."
Olivia: "???"
Though grateful for being chosen, she couldn't shake the odd feeling.
"You're saying that I'm the only one left to do this?"
"Hehehe, the boss provided such detailed game info, after all."
"Miss Olivia, the name of our Edge Horizon Pirates depends on you for now!"
Despite their playful teasing, Olivia couldn't deny that the role had fallen to her.
"Boss, what about this other fruit?" Olivia asked, not yet eating the Cloud Cloud Fruit.
"This is the Usagi Usagi no Mi, Model: Moon Rabbit, a Mythical Zoan type of Devil Fruit. Eating it grants the consumer the abilities and physiology of a moon rabbit."
"Zoan types are divided into three categories. The first includes ordinary animals from the real world, like cats, dogs, lions, and wolves, which enhance physical abilities."
"The second is the Ancient Zoan, which includes extinct ancient creatures like saber-toothed tigers and mammoths, stronger and more ferocious than regular animals."
"The third is the Mythical Zoan, creatures from myths and legends. In addition to the physical enhancements of Zoan types, Mythical Zoan users gain the abilities of their mythological creature."
"Hmm… boss, I get all that, but what is a moon rabbit?"
John was about to see how they would divide the fruits when Bella raised her hand and asked weakly. John was taken aback, realizing they had forgotten that many myths from Earth might not be familiar in this world.
"You just need to know that Mythical Zoan types are incredibly rare, even rarer than Logia."
"Of course, how powerful it is depends on how well the user develops the ability. Any power, if pushed to the extreme, can be formidable."
"Even a pile of trash, if used skillfully enough, could overwhelm the enemy."
"Ew, boss, you're disgusting!"
"Ahem, it was just a metaphor."
A/N: Thanks for reading, keep donating some stones of you want extra chapters!
Also check out my patreon for advanced chapters up to 52: patreon.com/AncestorX
Enjoy ✌️!
Paragraph comment
Paragraph comment feature is now on the Web! Move mouse over any paragraph and click the icon to add your comment.
Also, you can always turn it off/on in Settings.
GOT IT