Bab 6: Chapter 6
Chapter 6
In the end it's taken me eight days to get back to Yeutton Port. Just about every ship in Halnola's harbor was plagued by ripped sails, rotting wood or some other affliction of disrepair. It took me the better part of an afternoon before I found one I'd be comfortable sailing on. A small cutter that could be manned by just two or three people.
In retrospect I'm more surprised than ever that I found a ship heading to Halnola in the first place. It really was a first class shithole.
Anyway, hunting down the owner of the small boat was a pain in and of itself and the man turned out to be as stubborn as a goat. He was adamant that he and his ship weren't going nowhere no how. After two days I was so fed up with the situation that I slapped 100,000 Beri in front of him, figuring if that doesn't make some headway on his attitude then nothing will.
And you know what this cheeky old geezer says to me?
To double it.
And goddamn it I paid him.
It was an absolutely ludicrous amount of money for a simple boat ride to the next island over but I was desperate. I had two wanted men in my [Inventory] worth close to 9 million put together and I needed to turn them in quick. My plan was to say I kept them drugged while unconscious to explain away why they never woke up during the trip.
But there's a limit to that sort of thing. Too much time passes and there's no way that story holds up. I'm stretching it thin as is.
Maybe I was over thinking it way too hard. In the end they might not even question me on it. The people of 'One Piece' are known for many things but critical thinking skills are certainly not among them.
Whatever.
If there's a silver lining to be had from taking so long to get back, it's that I had plenty of time to come to a decision on my rewards from the Blackjack fight.
The stat points were easy. I'm a bit enamored by DEX at the moment so I tossed all 10 in there bringing the trait up to 75.
The Lv. 3 [Skill Disk] was slightly trickier. I wasn't quite sure what it was at first but it turned out to be a consumable item that would raise any single [Skill] by three whole levels.
I didn't want to rush into using it. I made a list of all my [Skills], eliminated the...let's say less than useful ones… from the running and then created a 'Pros and Cons' chart of everything that remained.
It was a bit sad that after all that work it wasn't really a competition. There's only one [Skill] in my arsenal that truly deserves it.
Skill Lv up x3! Physical Endurance Lv. (5/30) → (8/30)
-Your body's durability to damage from physical sources. Resistance increased from (15%)→ (24%)
Getting beaten to death leaves an impact on you. It's not an experience I'd like to repeat anytime soon.
I grinded the [Skill] up to Lv. 5 before using the [Skill Disk] and it was a distinctly unpleasant exercise. Maybe if I had 'Gamer's Body' or hell even 'Gamer's Mind' I could summon the mental fortitude to stab or even shoot myself in the leg or something to level it up quickly.
But I don't.
Punching trees and boulders in the jungle for eight hours over two days was more than bad enough. I broke my fingers three times. I'm lucky that [HP Regen] is able to fix them in under an hour.
In the end, I only saw the task through because my first round with Blackjack showed me the [Skill] was close to leveling up and it let me work out the stress of the old man constantly rebuffing me on a ride back to Caeba.
Also because I'm a complete sucker to the 'Sunk Cost Fallacy' and wasn't going to stop halfway through, but I digress.
The familiar metal gates of Yeutton's Marine branch come into view and a large sigh of relief passes across my lips. 'Finally.'
These past two weeks have majorly sucked but now my reward has come at last.
I push onward, pulling along a wooden cart behind me that I'd rented off a merchant. One of the wheels takes a brief dip in a pothole and Wulfric immediately starts screaming his head off again. I'm not exactly sure what he's saying, what with the gag in his mouth and hood over his head and all, but based on the tone I'm going to guess it was an insult to my mother.
The other passenger in the cart, this one wrapped in chains instead of rope, has been silent the whole trip. I actually don't even know if he's conscious yet. I thought he briefly stirred when I was bandaging his face -just to make him presentable- but it may have just been my imagination. If Blackjack is awake, he's chosen to accept his fate quietly.
I catch the attention of a nearby Seaman standing watch, who is doing his absolute best not to gawk at Blackjack's size, and waved the man over. "Excuse me, could you call Chief Mori and have him meet me down at the bounty office? Tell him Jack the bounty hunter is here with a 9,000,000 payday."
The sailors eyes nearly bugged out of his head. "N-N-Nine million!" he stammered in disbelief.
"Well, 8.96 actually. But you know...details...details.."
The Seaman straightened up and nodded vigorously. "Yes sir. I'll call the Chief right away!"
I pull my wooden cart up to the bounty office and once again find myself chuckling at the sheer absurdity of the multicolored sign overhead. I peak into the teller window and find Petty Officer Abrella missing, a conspicuous 'Out to Lunch' sign in her place.
I'm not waiting around for long as Mori, along with a half dozen men and a Master Chief in tow all round the corner and home in on me like sharks would blood in the water.
"Nine million Jack," Mori begins, his trademark barking laugh noticeably absent. "What the hell happened to working your way up slowly?"
I laughed a bit nervously and scratched my cheek with one finger. 'How best to explain this...'
"Well I was operating on that plan see...went after this fellow right here, listed at 760,000 for some dirty work he did for the Masserida crime family." I spoke, gesturing to Buchanan for a moment who then screamed something indignantly through his gag.
"..when this one showed up and tried to bury me six feet under." I continued, pointing to the large man in chains. 'He actually succeeded once too.' "Apparently he's the family's new hired muscle. Does the name 'Blackjack' ring any bells for you? 8.2 million?"
Mori nodded in the negative but the Master Chief's eyebrows rose to his hairline.
"From the 'Goldtooth Pirates'?" The man -who's name the [Game] identified as Curren- questioned. "He's supposed to be dead."
"Do you want me to wake him up? Question him yourself? Fair warning, I'm not sure he can talk correctly with the condition his face is currently in."
Curren considered my offer and peeked briefly under the bound mans hood before shaking his head.
"No, It's him." The Master Chief spat with a scowl. "Even with his face bruised to hell and back it's hard to confuse someone with a physique like his. I was serving on the ship that sank the 'Goldtooth Pirates' three years ago. I can only imagine this hard son of a bitch has gotten tougher since then."
Curren's entire demeanor shifted and his scowl morphed into a large toothy grin. "Out-fucking-standing!" He proclaimed loudly and patted my shoulder. "Fine work son. Damn fine work! I always had my doubts when they said this one drowned at sea."
The Master Chief rounded on his fellow sailors and began issuing orders. "Boys! Take these two down to the brig, I'll be along shortly. Mori! We're going upstairs to speak with Lt. Jorgen. He's been running an investigation on the Masserida's for a while now and we need an officer to sign off on a bounty payout this large."
As all the Marines disbursed to their various tasks my long awaited payoff finally arrived.
And it was…
Glorious.
Ding!
Quest Completed!
Quest: Collect 10 bounties. Progress (11/10)
Reward: +3 in every stat but LUK and 1,800 Exp.
Ding!
Quest Completed!
Quest: Collect a bounty worth at least 500,000 Beri.
Reward: +3 STR, +3 VIT or DEX and 3,000 Exp.
Ding!
Quest Completed!
Quest: Collect a bounty worth at least 1,000,000 Beri.
Reward: +4 STR, +4 VIT or DEX and 4,200 Exp.
Ding!
Quest Completed!
Quest: Collect a bounty worth at least 3,000,000 Beri.
Reward: +8 STR, +8 VIT or DEX, and 6,500 Exp.
You have reached Lv. 22!
You have reached Lv. 23!
You have reached Lv. 24!
You have reached Lv. 25!
Congratulations! You have reached Lv. 25! The effectiveness of your [Skill] [HP Regen] has been doubled! (0.1% per minute) → (0.2% per minute)
You have reached Lv. 26!
You have reached Lv. 27!
You have 60 points to spend!
Change is meant to be gradual. It is supposed to build up overtime so you don't really notice it. I certainty didn't feel like a new man every time a single point was added to one of my stats.
But in this moment, in this one special instant...
I can feel everything.
I can feel the [Game] making alterations to my body. Breaking down cells and rebuilding them better. Making me faster. Tougher. Stronger.
I can feel the sleeves of my suit slightly tighten from the increased muscle definition in my arms. I can feel my chest subtly broaden and I simply know that I can take damage a little better now. I can even feel that for some reason the [Game] has made me ½ an inch taller.
Not quite sure why it did that last one but I'm not going to complain.
"[Status]."
Jack Parker, The Gamer, Lv. 27
Health: 760/760
Exp: 2,000/2,700
Money: 2,762,390 Beri (+8,960,000 PENDING)
STR: 118
VIT: 76
DEX: 85
INT: 36
WIS: 33
LUK: 15
Points to spend: 60
Click here to see list of [Skills]
-Current number of [Skills]: 36
Click here to see list of [Perks]
-Current number of [Perks]: 1
I feel amazing. With that kind of DEX score I could probably fight three Blackjack's at once and still outmaneuver them easily. It is disappointing though that my VIT would still only be about a third of each of theirs.
Let's fix that.
To 100 we go, plus one for good luck.
Points to spend (60) → (35)
VIT (76) → (101)
Health (760) → (1,010)
Congratulations! You have reached 100 in VIT!
Please select one of the following [Perks].
1. [Second Wind]
There have always been warriors among the world who just refuse to stay down. Their spirit won't let their body quit until the day has been won. Once per week, if you would die and lose a life, instead you are restored to 40% max HP and the [Skill] [HP Regen] is multiplied by 3 in effectiveness for 1 hour.
2. [Resilience]
Many people in the world of 'One Piece' have physiologies that defy conventional wisdom or even laugh in the face of logic itself altogether. At the highest level of this phenomena there are those who can get stabbed, poisoned, or even shot in the face by a cannon and remain standing wholly unaffected. Selecting this [Perk] will add you to the bottom rung of this ladder of remarkable individuals. Each point in VIT will now add 20 health instead of 10.
Okay. Big decision time. I definitely like the sound of [Second Wind]. Now that I know I have four lives remaining I should probably get something to protect them like the precious resource that they are.
Then again, if I just straight up double my health with [Resilience] then it literally becomes twice as hard to kill me. If I had this [Perk] I may not have died to Blackjack in the first place. Hell, with this ability and my current stats I'd probably be able to beat him in a straight up fist fight. No running around/war of attrition required.
Though [Second Wind] does protect me from getting one hit KO-ed and that is an advantage that can't be ignored...hmm...decisions decisions.
Screw it. Better go with my gut. Double health is double health.
[Resilience] selected.
Health (1,010) → (2,020)
Alright next item on the list.
Dexterity. Don't forget the one for good luck.
Points to spend (35) → (19)
DEX (85) → (101)
Congratulations! You have reached 100 in DEX!
Please select one of the following [Perks].
1. Bullet Time
What good is moving at high speeds if you can't keep up with the action? Selecting this [Perk] will unlock the [Skill] [Bullet Time] which allows you to perceive time itself at a reduced rate while in combat. At Lv. (1/30) of this [Skill], time is slowed by 3%.
2. Unnatural Flexibility
Your body can contort and shape itself in ways that makes some people grimace and makes others think you belong in a circus. Selecting this [Perk] will enable you to hide yourself in tight spaces, assist in slipping out of bindings and cages, and provides an additional 35% protection against blunt sources of damage.
Well for me this one is a no brainer... No contest, [Bullet Time] is the winner. At 3% per level that means it adds up to 90% at Lv. 30. I'd be unstoppable.
Unless diminishing returns is a thing.
Shit, diminishing returns is probably a thing.
Oh well. Even if it actually caps at 80%, 70%, hell even 50%, I'd argue it's still a better choice than the flexibility [Perk]. I'm not even sure what the phrase 'blunt sources of damage' fully encompasses.
I accepted [Bullet Time] and quickly closed the windows that followed the selection. I've got 19 points left and I'm not sure what the best use of them is.
'I guess I should shower some of the love on my mental traits. It's good to have a focus but It would bother me if I became too unbalanced.'
Points to spend (19) → (0)
INT (36) → (45)
WIS (33) → (43)
I'm only waiting around for two more minutes before Chief Mori reappears alongside a plain looking man with clean black hair, a small scar on his cheek, and a chipper smile on his face. My eyes took notice of the golden epaulettes on his crisp white jacket and I involuntarily straightened my back in his presence.
Jorgen, Marine Lieutenant, Lv.31
'31. Not bad.'
Mori cleared his throat and spoke clearly. His personality shifting into 'Enlisted man in front of an Officer mode' "Jack. This is Lieutenant JG Jorgen. He's in charge of all organized crime investigations at this Marine branch and he'd like to speak to you about your recent capture."
"It's actually just Lieutenant now." The officer gently corrected with a smile. "Paperwork just finished filing the other day. None of that 'Junior Grade' nonsense anymore."
"Yes sir! Sorry sir!" Mori barked out as he saluted the man.
"No saluting indoors."
"Yes sir! Sorry sir!" Mori barked again and dropped his hand.
Jorgen rolled his eyes but smiled good-naturedly. "Well, no matter." The lieutenant turned his gaze to me and glanced me up and down.
"So you're the bounty hunter then? I was actually hoping you'd show up soon. The contact I have planted in Masserida's organization says the Don is fuming mad. Before you were a nuisance that needed addressing but now that he's down two more men he's out for blood. If he lets you live after this then it'll be viewed as weakness by his rivals. He won't stand for that."
"So what should I do?" I ask, a small frown on my face. "Keep dealing with the idiots he sends after me until he gets the picture? What would you suggest?"
The lieutenant smiles conspiratorially and leans in. "No suggestions, but how about a proposition? My contact says that there's an important meeting happening in five days time and that the Don is expected to attend. What Masserida doesn't know is I'm going to be waiting for him along with two dozen Marines behind my back. I could use a man of your talents there to help make sure no one slips away in the chaos."
"What's the catch?"
Jorgen chuckles. "Well...obviously since it's a Marine operation you wouldn't be entitled to any of the bounties at the meeting but hey at least you get to help put the big boss behind bars."
"Please sir! Allow me to participate as well!" Mori speaks up abruptly. "It would be a privilege to be part of a major operation like this."
Lt. Jorgen looks at Mori oddly for a moment, as if just remembering the man was also in the room, but quickly nods yes anyway. "Absolutely Chief. Happy to have you along."
The officer turned backed to me and extended his hand.
"Philridge is only three days trip away. What do you say?"
Ding!
New Quest Alert!
Quest: Don Masserida is determined to see you put down for capturing his underlings and disrupting business. You've gotten wind of an important meeting going down in just under a weeks time and the big man himself is planning to be there. Join Lt. Jorgen's operation and do not let any member of the 'Masserida Crime Family' escape.
Reward: 3,300 Exp and [Skillbook]: Rokushiki Technique #5 of 6
[ACCEPT/DECLINE]
'OH HELL YES!'
I don't know which one the [Game] considers #5 but it really doesn't matter. I snap my palm into Jorgen's and complete the handshake.
"Count me in."
A/N: I've got a lot of future content planned for this story. Many future scenes already written. Even more partially written.
But while I'm very happy with most of what I've planned, I'm not fully satisfied with all of it. Particularly what I've come up with for INT and WIS [Perks] at 100 and beyond. They're giving me trouble in this mana-less setting.
If an idea strikes you for a [Perk] for one of those -WIS especially- then please feel free to message me or leave the idea in a review. There's a fair shot I may like yours more than what I've come up with myself.
Jack Parker, The Gamer, Lv. 27
Health: 2,020/2,020
Exp: 2,000/2,700
Money: 11,722,390 Beri
STR: 118
VIT: 101
DEX: 101
INT: 45
WIS: 43
LUK: 15
Points to spend: 0
Click here to see list of [Skills]
-Current number of [Skills]: 37
Click here to see list of [Perks]
-Current number of [Perks]: 3
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone