Capítulo 58: 56. Happy Al! Everyone Becomes Stronger!
In the vast expanse of the Grand Line, amidst the rolling waves...
Nami scowled, shooting an angry glare at Carina who had ensnared her within a barrier.
"Carina, you rotten scoundrel! Release me this instant!"
Ignoring Nami's tirade, Carina leisurely sipped her juice, marveling at the usefulness of her Barrier-Barrier Fruit.
But just as Carina began to feel satisfied, Spike stepped forward, his expression seething with anger.
I watched as Spike retrieved a bone crafted from the barrier, brandishing it from behind. He widened his mouth, indicating his broken teeth with a furious expression.
Carina couldn't help but shiver. This bone barrier was crafted by Tom earlier on.
Back then, Carina had no clue about Tom's intentions, so she merely used the barrier to fashion a bone for him.
However, witnessing Spike's reaction, Carina couldn't help but feel a slight tremor at the corners of her mouth.
With a forced smile, she shouted, "Tom, you scoundrel!"
Tom, concealed within the wine barrel, couldn't contain his laughter as he watched the unfolding scene, clutching his stomach in amusement.
He appeared immensely pleased with his handiwork.
Yet, in the blink of an eye, Spike lifted the lid of the barrel, casting a gentle gaze upon Tom, who was still chuckling.
Sensing the warmth of the sun on his face, Tom's laughter gradually subsided. He patted Spike on the shoulder, then suddenly leaped up.
Before Spike could react, Tom swiftly kicked him into the barrel.
Suddenly, a bolt of blue lightning crackled before everyone's eyes, and Tom swiftly darted off to conceal himself.
Peering out from the barrel, Spike sniffed the air, transforming into a gray-white blur.
For the next five seconds, demonic screams and assorted clamor echoed from the cabin's depths.
"Those two troublemakers... there's never a dull moment," Al remarked, shaking his head in disbelief. He let out a long sigh before asking:
"Nami, how many days until we reach Arabasta?" Al inquired.
Glancing at the Eternal Pose on her wrist, Nami pondered for a moment before responding.
"Captain Al, if those folks weren't fibbing, we should arrive in Arabasta in at most nine days."
"However, what's been boggling my mind is, why is the Baroque Works after us?"
"We've only been in the Grand Line for two weeks, and we've never tangled with that Baroque Works!"
Confronted with Nami's inquiry, Al found himself equally baffled.
As far as he knew, there had been no communication between himself and Crocodile!
However, such details seemed insignificant now.
Reflecting on the events from a day prior, when they sailed past Whiskey Peak.
The individuals identifying themselves as Baroque Works seemed to react to their presence as if they had hit the jackpot.
Excited like they'd struck gold!
One after another, they boldly declared their intent to sever Al's and Tom's heads as offerings to their superiors!
Al and his companions, irritated by the audacity of these assailants, stormed straight into the small town of Whiskey Peak without uttering a word.
They engaged in a brawl with every inhabitant of the town.
The reason they refrained from killing was mainly to earn EP!
For this purpose, Al specifically requested Tom to fashion some tools for interrogating individuals, and then proceeded to question those affiliated with the Baroque Works agency relentlessly, day and night.
During this process, Al gleaned that it was none other than Crocodile, the mastermind behind the Baroque Works agency, who had issued the bounty order.
Anyone who captured him and Tom stood to claim a substantial reward!
Al, sticking to his principle of "no harm, no foul," promptly resolved to set course for Arabasta!
How dare does Crocodile target me! He's barely set foot in the Grand Line and already he's being hunted down!
Is this something we're just going to let slide?
Even the typically timid Nami has shed her former cowardice.
She's adamant about teaching Crocodile a lesson!
However, Nami's newfound courage stems from her ignorance of the other party's true identity.
Al also had no intention of informing Nami that Crocodile was one of the Shichibukai.
Her newfound courage would vanish in an instant if she knew.
Opening the system page, Al observed:
[Received 9999 EP from Garp]
[Received 6214 EP from Smoker]
[Received 951 EP from Arlong]
[Received 654 EP from Miss Tuesday]
[...]
Looking at the list spanning several pages of EPs, a smile spread across Al's lips.
However, to his surprise, he recieved EP from Garp?
The meaning it conveyed was different!
"It's not negative emotions. Will I gain EP as long as Tom and Spike engage in battle?"
Al stared at the EP acquisition method in astonishment.
Suddenly, he realized that the original rules, which only permitted the acquisition of negative EPs, had changed!
In essence, now all you need to do is summon the crew, and regardless of the opponent's mental state during the fight, you can gain EP from each other!
This is fantastic news for Al; it simplifies the EP acquisition process significantly.
However!
Before Al could fully revel in the joy of this lowered EP acquisition threshold, he discovered that all the items in the system store had increased in price!
"System, you're really not doing us any favors!" Al exclaimed in frustration.
As Al gazed at the baseball bat, which had suddenly skyrocketed in price by adding an extra zero to the end, his expression turned grim.
Thankfully, the system still maintained the setting of doubling the price on subsequent purchases after the first.
Otherwise, Al feared he might truly have a mental breakdown!
Simultaneously, while browsing the system store, Al noticed that a dozen new items had been added, none of which belonged to the "Tom and Jerry" category.
For instance:
Red Wolf's frying pan is selling for a whopping 88,888 EP.
Big Big Wolf's Weather Cube comes with a hefty price tag of 9,999,999 EP.
Shirai Kuroko's computer accessories are priced at a more reasonable 50,000 EP.
.....
"Computer accessories... Seriously?" Al mused aloud, staring incredulously at the peculiar items newly introduced in the system store. His mind was flooded with question marks.
Simultaneously, a bold conjecture began to take shape in Al's mind.
Could these newly introduced products in the system store serve as a precursor to the summoning of the next crew member, chosen from these anime worlds?
After all, previous items in the system store and crew summons were exclusively from the "Tom and Jerry" series.
Of course, this was merely Al's speculation. After all, trying to make sense of the erratic nature of the system was akin to trying to predict the behavior of a dog—it just didn't follow common sense!
Exiting the system store, Al redirected his attention to the lottery machine once again.
The EP required for the lottery hasn't changed much; it still only demands 100 EP. However, the odds of winning have been significantly lowered!
For Al, even if the odds decrease, it doesn't matter much. After all, he doesn't harbor any illusions about obtaining powerful items from the lottery machine.
Glancing at his EP balance, which now stood at 300,145, Al would have once been thrilled by such a substantial sum. But now...
Oh, how the mighty have fallen!
[Obtain three baseball bats gnawed on by Spike, consuming 70,000 EP.]
[Obtain three of Tom's golf clubs, consuming 210,000 emotion points.]
Witnessing the sharp decline in his EP balance, Al felt his heart ache!
In the past, 280,000 EP would have been sufficient to purchase numerous items, but now...
It's all gone in an instant!
Despite the considerable loss, Al harbored no regrets about his decision.
The previously acquired baseball bats and golf clubs were rendered unusable due to their exhausted durability.
Furthermore, Carina had yet to fully develop her fruit abilities.
As for Nami, aside from Spike's bell, she lacked any means of attack or defense to ensure her survival.
Upon entering the Grand Line, the adversaries encountered were of an entirely different caliber compared to those in the East Blue!
Therefore, it was imperative to bolster the overall strength of the crew!
"Hey... I'm broke again," Al sighed softly, then tossed the remaining 20,000 emotion points into the lottery machine.
[Thank you for your patronage]
[Congratulations on obtaining a set of Tom's self-discipline fitness equipment.]
[Congratulations on obtaining one of Tom's magic chalks.]
[Thank you for your patronage]
...
"Um?"
"Win it once? and twice?"
Al stared at the winning notice in surprise, feeling a twinge of excitement.
Initially, he had approached the lottery with a casual attitude, prepared to accept whatever outcome.
After all, having spent 280,000 EP already, what did an additional 20,000 matter?
But winning valuable items like this was a game-changer!
Without hesitation, Al promptly claimed these two props.
[Tom's self-discipline fitness equipment: Enhances physical fitness to the current maximum limit within a short period, limited to 3 uses per sample.]
[Tom's magical chalk: Modifies all values!]
Upon realizing the effects of these two props, a broad smile spread across Al's face.
As he picked up the chalk, everything before him seemed to shift. Suddenly, he found himself in a virtual space.
All objects transformed into strings of numbers!
Without a trace of hesitation, Al promptly set out to alter the EP required for the crew summon card!
Just as he brimmed with anticipation to summon the next crew member, his expression suddenly darkened.
In a disheartening turn of events, the moment the chalk made contact with the EP price, two-thirds of it vanished into thin air!
And the zero at the end of the EP price was wiped away, just a tiny black speck behind, akin to a mosquito's leg!
If you didn't look closely, you'd miss it entirely!
Al's smile froze abruptly, replaced by a surge of frustration.
"Damn, it's really not easy to get ahead with this blasted system..."
Al let out a prolonged sigh, realizing the intricacies of using the chalk.
While it could modify values once, it couldn't exceed the consumption value of the chalk itself.
Seeing the futility of relying on the erratic system, Al redirected his attention to the props he had just acquired. He intended to modify their durability to infinite.
However, just as Al was about to make the adjustment, he noticed a string of values displayed on his arm.
"Name: Al"
"Gender: Male."
"Age: 21 years old"
"Height: 208cm" (T/N: Still taller than me, 😭)
"Weight: 108kg."
"Strength: 311"
"Talent Value: 51."
"Conqueror's Haki: Unawakened."
Al felt a surge of excitement upon seeing his impressive body stats!
"If I can see my body's numbers, does that mean I can modify them too?"
With this thought in mind, Al promptly accessed his own value page and attempted to change his talent to 9999.
Originally, Al had wanted to max it out at 900 million, but he barely managed half of that before the chalk vanished!
Such was the extent of his disappointment that he didn't even get the chance to modify his strength value.
Initially, Al had entertained the idea of saving his EP to purchase another piece of chalk. However, upon witnessing the exorbitant price, Al quickly abandoned that notion.
"Something worth millions of EP? Sorry, but that's a bit too steep for my taste!"
After modifying his talents, Al suddenly experienced a sensation that defied description.
It felt as though his entire body had transcended into a godlike state.
"A thing worth several million EP, and the effect is truly phenomenal!"
Al now felt as though he could grasp any concept with just a single glance.
"If only I had something like this during the college entrance exams, I could've aced it with my eyes closed!" Al remarked wistfully.
He then turned his attention to Tom's fitness equipment.
The set consisted of three pieces: dumbbells, treadmills, and barbells.
This time, Al didn't immediately start using them. Instead, he carefully examined each item, trying to understand their capabilities better.
"So, each item can enhance physical fitness to the maximum of one's current state in a short period, and each one is limited to three uses?" he mused aloud, seeking confirmation.
Al rested his chin thoughtfully.
While he now understood the general function of this prop, there was one crucial point that needed clarification.
Was the limitation of three uses the overall limit, or was it restricted to three uses per person?
This was a question worth pondering!
However, considering the erratic nature of the system, the former possibility seemed more likely.
Al didn't hold much hope for this, so he sighed and fixed his eyes on the treadmill.
Initially, Al perceived it as just an ordinary treadmill. After casually running on it for a while, he stepped off.
But the moment he dismounted from the treadmill, a surge of power began spreading from his calves to his entire body!
Sensing the warm energy coursing through him, Al didn't hesitate to begin testing the dumbbells and barbells.
In just a few minutes, a devilishly muscular Al emerged from the room.
Nami, who had been about to call everyone for dinner, caught sight of the tall and burly figure and screamed in fright: "Enemy attack!"
Al froze for a moment, then immediately scanned his surroundings vigilantly, assuming a fighting stance.
In his mind, he contemplated testing the results of his training.
However, after searching around for a while, he found no sign of the enemy. Instead, he was about to inquire of Nami.
He saw Tom and Spike, each holding a kitchen knife around his neck.
Al: "...How long do you plan on holding those knives around my neck?"
Al wore a gentle smile as he regarded the two mischievous companions.
Upon seeing his expression, Tom displayed an embarrassed smile and promptly relinquished his hold on Spike, who in turn handed over the kitchen knife.
He clasped his hands behind his back in a polite manner.
If Al hadn't witnessed it with his own eyes, he might have been fooled by Tom's innocent demeanor.
Upon realizing he had been caught, Spike hastily shook his head, concealed the kitchen knife behind his back, and glared viciously at Tom.
Meanwhile, Nami observed the appearance of the devilishly muscular man clearly, then turned to Al with a look of disbelief and exclaimed:
"Are you... Captain Al?"
"What's going on? Why do you look like that?" Carina emerged from the room upon hearing the commotion, and upon laying eyes on Al, she mirrored Nami's reaction.
However, Carina's facial expressions shifted more rapidly than Nami's.
"Enemy..."
"Huh~!"
"Are you Captain Al? What's with the new look?"
Observing the strong reaction from them, Al was perplexed. Was it simply because his muscles were a bit more pronounced than before? Why such an intense response?
It wasn't until Nami carefully handed him a mirror that he understood.
Upon seeing his reflection, he realized that his appearance bore a striking resemblance to Jotaro Kujo from JOJO!
Subconsciously, he exclaimed, "Ora, Ora, Ora, Ora...!!"
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