章 224: Chapter 224 Three-Star Treasure Box and BOSS Template
Chapter 224 Three-Star Treasure Box and BOSS Template
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Bonar slowly opened his eyes and pressed a hand against his forehead, feeling as though his skull was splitting apart. The pain was excruciating, and the dizziness made it seem as if the entire world was spinning.
He rubbed his temples, and as the dizziness subsided slightly, he raised his head.
A handsome young man with black hair and piercing black eyes came into view. Bonar's expression changed drastically. Using his hands to drag his body, he instinctively retreated two steps.
Aoki heard the sound and glanced down. "Awake? As expected of an zoan type—you've got good resistance to blows."
Bonar's mind flashed back to what had happened before he fell unconscious, and his face darkened. "Why? Why are you so strong?"
"You're just too weak," Aoki replied flatly.
Suddenly, a thick black tail extended from behind Aoki.
"Wait!"
Bonar stumbled back another two steps, his face twisting in fear. "Let's talk this over! You can name any terms you want—I'll agree to all of them!"
Aoki paused, his expression unreadable.
A glimmer of hope flickered in Bonar's eyes.
"Believe me, keeping me alive will benefit you far more than killing me. From now on, I'll do whatever you say. If you tell me to go east, I'll never go west!"
Aoki's lips curled into a faint smile. "You were such a heroic figure before, yet now, facing death, you've become so pitiful."
With a sigh, Aoki flicked his tail.
Swish!
The tail blade pierced through Bonar's head. Fear and resentment flashed in Bonar's eyes before quickly fading into nothingness.
---
[Killed a human. Gained 30 experience points and a Revenge Treasure Chest (Three Stars).]
[Mission "Destroy the Experimental Base" completed. Rewards issued.]
[Congratulations! You have leveled up.]
As the system notifications sounded, Aoki froze.
"A three-star treasure chest? What's going on?"
By his calculations, Bonar, as the prince, should only have been worth a one-star treasure chest. The experience points earned aligned with that level.
Then, a thought struck him. "Is it because he possessed special abilities?"
It was the only explanation.
"In other words, eating a Devil Fruit is equivalent to obtaining an advanced template, which allows for higher-level rewards even at a lower base level."
Aoki's mind wandered to the mechanics of the system. Everyone knew that loot from creatures of the same level differed drastically between normal templates and boss templates.
Until now, all the enemies he had slain were ordinary monsters. But this prince, though undeveloped, was a boss.
"They want me to become a hunter of people with special abilities," Aoki muttered with a sigh.
Still, a three-star treasure chest was a good haul. The real question was what he would find inside.
Without hesitation, Aoki opened the treasure chest.
He had already opened twenty-five one-star treasure chests before, all of which yielded nothing but junk.
[Opened a Revenge Treasure Chest (Three Stars) and obtained a Devil Fruit: Cat-Cat Fruit, Lion Form.]
In Aoki's hand appeared a strange fruit resembling a pineapple, adorned with swirling cloud patterns on its surface.
"I actually won," Aoki murmured.
Despite how common Devil Fruit users seemed among the Straw Hat Pirates' enemies in later arcs, the reality was quite different.
Devil Fruits were exceedingly rare and precious. Only the most powerful forces—like the World Government, the Navy, the Four Emperors, and the Seven Warlords—had numerous users within their ranks.
In weaker regions like the East Blue, Devil Fruits were almost mythical. Only a handful of people in the entire sea had ever consumed one.
Even in the first half of the Grand Line, Devil Fruit users were uncommon, with perhaps only two or three appearing in an entire country.
Alabasta has a long and rich history. As a member of the World Government, it is one of the kingdoms eligible to participate in the World Conference. Yet, despite its stature, it only has two users of ordinary zoan-type Devil Fruits.
The lion form of the Cat-Cat Fruit stands out as one of the best among ordinary zoan-type Devil Fruits.
"It came from a three-star treasure chest," Aoki murmured, staring at the strange fruit in his hand. "If I eat it, I should be able to obtain a three-star job, right?"
Even in his current state, achieving a three-star job would significantly enhance his strength.
However, after a moment of contemplation, Aoki stored the Devil Fruit in his dimensional space.
He had no intention of being short-sighted. Like imperial weapons, Devil Fruits clearly varied in quality. The most valuable Devil Fruits were undoubtedly of four-star quality or higher.
Moreover, each person could only eat one Devil Fruit—how Blackbeard managed to possess multiple abilities was a mystery. Aoki wasn't about to stake his hopes on replicating that anomaly.
With only one chance, he couldn't afford to settle for anything less than the best. How could he waste this opportunity on a mere ordinary zoan-type Devil Fruit?
More valuable than the Devil Fruit itself was the realization he'd just made. The rewards from the Revenge Treasure Chest could include items owned by the original owner, including their abilities.
In particular, Devil Fruit abilities could drop.
"It's time to head back," Aoki said, closing the system panel.
This discovery was important, but Aoki didn't intend to rely on it too much. The reason was simple: the Devil Fruits he truly desired—Kaido's mythical beast-type Fish-Fish Fruit in its Azure Dragon form, Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit, Sengoku's mythical zoan-type Human-Human Fruit in its Great Buddha form—were in the possession of the most powerful individuals in the world.
Even in his "ultimate form," Aoki wasn't confident he could defeat them.
More importantly, the process was far too unreliable. While it was confirmed that the Revenge Treasure Chest could yield the Devil Fruit abilities of its original owner, the abysmal drop rates for specific items—evident from the one-star treasure chests he had opened—made it clear this method was far from guaranteed.
Pinning all his hopes on such an uncertain gamble could easily lead to disappointment.
---
Robin stood at a distance, her gaze fixed on the palace.
Suddenly, a group of soldiers hurried inside, led by General Graham.
"It seems Aoki has already taken action. I wonder if he succeeded or failed."
Time ticked by, each second feeling like an eternity.
Robin couldn't help but feel a twinge of worry.
"What's going on? Why hasn't Aoki returned yet? Did something happen?"
Tap!
A light touch on her shoulder startled her.
Robin's expression shifted as she quickly sidestepped and turned, her eyes sharp with vigilance.
"Aoki?"
"What are you looking at so intently?" Aoki asked with a teasing smile.
"Nothing." Robin shook her head, though a glimmer of anticipation shone in her eyes. "I just saw General Graham leading his soldiers into the palace. Did the plan succeed?"
"Of course," Aoki replied casually. "It's all been taken care of."
"It really worked!"
A flicker of surprise and relief appeared in Robin's expression. "You saved the Ram Kingdom and all its citizens!"
"Saved?" Aoki shook his head, chuckling. "That's giving me too much credit. I acted primarily for my own benefit. Besides…"
He turned to Robin, his smile softening. "If anyone saved them, it was us. We did this together."
Robin blinked, momentarily stunned.
Since fleeing O'Hara, her life had been one of constant struggle, filled with danger and uncertainty. She never imagined she would one day play a role in saving others.
For a fleeting moment, a thought crossed her mind: Could someone save me too?
But she quickly suppressed it. The enemies of the Ram Kingdom and the ones who hunted her were in completely different leagues.
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