บท 26: Chapter 27: The Secret Trade
On their boat, sailing toward a random island where pirates might be found, Mikita turned to Josh, who was gazing up at the sky.
"Now this makes me wonder. What are you doing with your money? You collect it all the time, yet you always look like you're nearly broke," she asked.
Josh knew exactly what she was thinking. He had spent millions of Berries right in front of her eyes, but he couldn't just tell her that he was giving them to a mysterious system and then making a lottery out of it.
"See, Mikita. What I'm about to tell you is a secret," Josh replied, his voice lowering.
"A secret?" Mikita's expression froze as she took a step back, her curiosity piqued.
Josh locked eyes with her, his gaze intense, as if piercing through her soul. "I'm trading it for power, with a... friend of mine."
"A friend?" Mikita raised an eyebrow in disbelief.
"Yes," Josh nodded. "He's a merchant. You can't see him or touch him. I give him money, and if he's satisfied, he gives me things. It depends on his mood."
Mikita put a hand on his forehead, feeling his temperature. "What kind of nonsense is this? Your temperature is high. I think the desert heat got to you."
Josh laughed softly. "Just let me show you, later."
"Fine, show me," Mikita agreed, giving him a quick kiss on the lips.
---
At one of the Baroque Works bases, after receiving his salary of 15 million Berries, Josh now had a total of 115 million Berries. If he stopped turning in pirates to Crocodile, he could keep more of the money for himself. But with only 29 days left for his mission, the risks were increasing.
"Josh, what are you doing?" Mikita asked.
"Just this," Josh replied.
They were in an isolated spot, behind a forest, facing the beach. Josh had drawn a circle in the sand, with a devilish pattern etched in the centre.
Mikita stared at the pattern, her breath catching. "I've already eaten a Devil Fruit, and I have enough enemies. I don't want to make another!"
"Are you afraid?" Josh asked, his tone teasing.
"There are people out there you don't want to mess with," Mikita replied seriously, her eyes wide with concern.
In a world where Devil Fruits granted power, belief in devils wasn't far-fetched.
"Do you believe in God?" Josh asked, his eyes twinkling mischievously.
Mikita, still wary of the devilish pattern, looked at him with skepticism. "No. I'm not religious. Great, now I have two enemies I don't want to mess with." She shot him a playful glare. "If you're teasing me, I swear I'll execute you by Snusnu."
Josh laughed. "Good, very good."
He lit some candles and sat down, placing a hundred million Berries in the centre of the circle. Mikita's eyes widened in confusion as the money disappeared before her eyes.
"The money… it's gone?" she asked, baffled.
"Yes. It's a trade," Josh explained as he opened the system interface, discovering that he now had 110 draw points.
Strategizing, Josh decided to use 10 points each time, giving him a higher chance of getting something good. After that, he'd use one point at a time, hoping luck would favour him with an epic-tier reward.
"Mikita," Josh called, sitting in front of the circle.
"Yes?" she replied, crossing her arms.
"Give me a kiss, please."
"Why?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.
"I want to feel lucky."
Mikita sighed and leaned in, giving him a deep kiss on the cheek.
"Muah."
Josh pumped his fist in the air. "Jackpot!"
The system rewarded him:
[+1 Strengthening Pills Package (4 pills) (Excellent Tier)]
"Why are you so happy?" Mikita asked, raising an eyebrow.
Josh grinned and kissed her on the lips, making her blush. She was his lucky charm. He handed her one of the pills from the package.
"Eat this."
Mikita swallowed the golden, milky pill, while Josh took the remaining three. Each pill boosted strength by 300 kilograms. Josh felt like he'd gained the benefits of two months' worth of training in an instant, increasing his strength by +900 kilos, giving him a total of +2 tons of power.
However, Josh knew better than to get cocky. In the One Piece world, that wasn't nearly enough.
"What's this?" Mikita asked after swallowing the pill.
"Try lifting something heavy."
Mikita walked over to a nearby rock. She was already quite strong, needing to handle the impact of her Devil Fruit ability, which allowed her to crush things with a weight of 10 tons. Even so, she was surprised to find the rock suddenly felt much lighter.
"Are these Devil Pills?" she asked, looking at the pattern with a smile. "Sorry if I was rude before. I was just teasing. How should I call him?"
"Call him whatever you like," Josh shrugged. "Alright, we have a long journey ahead of us. Stay here."
Mikita continued to kiss him on the cheek, boosting his luck.
The results were impressive:
[+ Angel Tears (Epic)]
(Removes the curse of Devil Fruits)
[+ Devil Blood (Boosts Devil Fruit power by +50%)]
[+ Strengthening Cigarette Packet (Excellent Tier)]
(Each cigarette increases stamina by 30%)
Josh grabbed a few cigarettes from the system, lighting one up. Mikita gave him a curious look.
"Why are you smoking?"
"It's a gift," Josh replied, handing her three cigarettes. "Try these."
Josh wasn't normally a smoker, but he had a lighter on hand for his missions. The cigarettes would give him a stamina boost, which could come in handy later—both for battle and, well, other things.
As he continued drawing from the lottery, more rewards came in:
[+ Judo Manual (+Excellent Tier)]
Josh frowned at the martial arts manual. Great, another one.
[+ Superhuman Serum (Epic)]
(Increases senses, physical abilities, and learning capacities by 100%)
He grinned, feeling lucky.
Meanwhile, Mikita was drawing another devilish pattern in the sand.
"What are you doing?" Josh asked, amused.
"The same as you. I want to use my own money," she said.
"Silly girl," Josh chuckled. "You need to make a contract with him first."
"How do I do that?" she asked, genuinely curious.
"You need to… well, suck me off, and then he might appear," Josh joked.
Mikita realized he was teasing her and threw a handful of sand at his face.
"Lame," she muttered.
"Come on, it's a unique ability. Give me money, and we'll play with him together."
He retaliated by tossing sand back at her.
"Hey, that hurt! I have sensitive eyes," Mikita complained, rubbing them.
"Sensitive? You wash them with lemon every morning. How can they be sensitive?" Josh rolled his eyes.
"Hmm... Don't you like them?" Mikita asked, giving him a playful, wide-eyed look.
"I love them," Josh replied, pulling out a vial of Devil Blood from his storage. He handed it to her, explaining that it would boost her Devil Fruit powers.
As for himself, Josh focused on using the remaining points in the system lottery, drawing one point at a time. With sixty chances left, the possibilities were endless.
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