Chapter 10
Chapter 10
A/N: This chapter went through so many revisions it's not even funny. It's been over a month though. Time to just ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ and post it.
Centaurea, Revolutionary Base
I groaned in annoyance as I rolled to the other side of the bed. You ever wake up in the middle of the night and you just know it's not even 5 AM yet?
'Ugghhhh…not now [Game]...I don't need to be up until nine today.' I internally grumble, turning into the pillow and away from the shining yellow notification. I can read it in two or three hours when-
'...wait...yellow?'
I cracked one tired eye open and confirmed that yes, this particular pop-up was in fact not blue. Which made no sense as every single screen the [Game] has ever presented to me has been the same shade of pale cyan.
That wasn't all though.
It was glittering.
Special Event: Counting Your Lucky Stars.
Click here to participate.
Time Remaining: 1 Hour, 14 minutes
"What in the world…?" I muttered, slowly rising to sit upright in my bed. I pressed one finger softly to the screen and watched as the image shifted into a picture of an orange shark with dozens of yellow stars patterned across its back.
A niggling voice in the back of my head tried to place where I had seen the creature in canon before but that thought was quickly discarded as the picture shrank down, leaving text in its place.
Special Event: Counting Your Lucky Stars.
Known for their devious and sneaky nature, Star Sharks are a migratory species that naturally inhabit the waters of South and West Blue. They hunt together in large packs in order to take down prey substantially bigger than themselves and though it is rare for them to attack humans, they do possess an annoying habit of overturning fishing boats, causing many seafarers to consider them as terrible nuisances. This reason, combined with their natural star aesthetic, has led to the popular belief that catching one will bring about good fortune.
Event: Catch as many Star Sharks as you can!
Reward: +1 LUK for each Star Shark caught.
Bonus 1: Catch 15 for 5,000 Exp.
Bonus 2: Catch 40 for 10,000 Exp.
Time Remaining: 1 Hour, 13 minutes
"Holy shit..." I muttered in a daze, not quite believing what I was reading. "Holy Shit!" I damn near screamed as I skimmed the text over again.
'Would this have just disappeared if I didn't wake up? WAIT! HAVE I SLEPT THROUGH ONE OF THESE BEFOR-gah! No time to think about it! I've only got an hour and thirteen-'
Time Remaining: 1 Hour, 12 minutes.
I exploded out of my bed.. Sheets flying into the air as I rushed outside in nothing but my sleep shorts. I grab clothes form my [Inventory] as I run to the waterfront and a few of the night shift watchmen stare at me in confusion as I pass them. No doubt wondering why one of the hired hunters is trying to put on a shirt while moving at a full sprint.
There's no time for embarrassment. I have LUK points to earn. You know when I first tried putting points in the stat all those months ago and it said my LUK could improve through 'special events and encounters' I hadn't realized the [Game] was being so literal.
Iraak, one my fellow passengers on board The Marjhan is sitting by the waters edge watching the orange fish- wait are sharks fish? Most of them don't lay eggs. I feel like you have to lay eggs to be classified a fish. Bah! What am I doing wasting time thinking! There's LUK to farm!
"Oh, good morning Jack. You're not usually up this early." Iraak smiles as he sees my approach. "Mischievous little scamps aren't they?" he muses, gesturing to the school of Star Sharks, some of whom could actually be seen snickering at the plight of a poor seal-like creature that a trio were chasing around in circles.
"They always like to play with their food." Iraak informs me. "They're not that different from us really."
One of the sharks wanders closer to Iraak and I and halfway surfaces, a wide grin of razor sharp teeth spread across its face.
"You up to something naughty little guy?" Iraak teases, "You better not be thi-
I shot it in the face.
Didn't even hesitate. Just pulled my pistol and blam-o!
"Jack! What the hell!" Iraak yelped in shock. "I know they're pests but-"
"Yeah yeah lecture me later! Help me pull it in!" I shouted back, reaching into the water to grab the corpse. The leathery skin slapped down onto the wooden planks of the pier and just as I hoped a blue pop-up materialized overhead.
+1 LUK!
LUK (25) → (26)
'Excellent. So I am allowed to kill them first. This would be a lot harder if I had to catch them live.'
"Umm..Jack.." Iraak begins.
I raise my head. "Hmm?" I follow his nervous gaze and see dozens of orange sharks glaring daggers at me, some are even growling.
'Huh. Sharks can growl in this world. Who'd have thunk it?'
Today is a great day. No I didn't get the 2nd bonus. Didn't really come close to be honest. After the first five minutes the sharks quickly abandoned the idea of attacking me while I was on the safety of land. 'Though some of them did make some pretty impressive jumps.'
They briefly rallied again when I got a little too cocky and waded down into the thigh-deep water -at which point Iraak really started cursing me out- but not even that could convince the sharks to stick around for long.
So no I didn't manage to get 40 of the blighters.
I did get 17 though.
Seventeen beautiful points in LUK and a healthy bonus of 5,000 Exp that shot me straight through Lv.34 and halfway to the one beyond that. I placed 5 points into STR and 10 into INT and moved on to one of the trickiest questions I've ever had to ponder.
'What to do with 1 ½ dozen shark corpses...'
One Week Later, Aboard The Marjhan
It's been mostly a quiet week since departing Centaurea. No storms, no pirates. It's given me some time to catch up on some books that have been piling up on my reading list.
Ding!
Skill Lv up! Anatomy Lv. (19/50) → (20/50)
-Your understanding of the human body and all of its functions.
Ding!
Quest Complete!
Quest: Level up a [Skill] two times by the end of the day.
Reward: 250 Exp.
I dismissed the two notifications and flipped the page to the next chapter in the book I had borrowed off of Claire. "Section Eight: The Endocrine System..." I softly murmured. Just because I had completed today's daily quest didn't mean I couldn't keep going.
We have a new passenger onboard. A silent samurai type named Yukimura. He was originally one of the hunters stationed to The Taniwha, but seeing as how that ship isn't hitting the high seas anytime soon he's going to be joining us for the remainder of his contract. The man seems polite enough but he does have a bad habit of sleeping through most of the day. 'Kind of reminds of another One Piece swordsman that we all know in that regard.'
'Land ho!' A voice reverberates throughout the cabin. Our man in the crows nest has quite the pair of lungs on him. 'ETA four hours captain!'
I closed my book and set it aside with a small puzzled frown. 'Four hours? That's odd. Cherrytown should still be a day and a half out at least.'
Making my way out onto the deck I slid up next to Korka staring at a speck of an island on the horzion. "We're making good time I see."
The revolutionary briefly looks my way before turning back. "The weathers been kind. When we changed course to Mirifield I was worried that the winds might shift and delay us but-"
My hands raised up in alarm. "Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Back up!" I protested in mild panic. "What the hell do you mean we're sailing for Mirifield? I thought we were restocking in Cherrytown!"
"We were." My employer answers. "This is just a mild detour. We only had to alter course by 11 degrees. We'll head to Cherrytown afterwards. Why? What's got you so worked up about it?"
My jaw almost fell off in disbelief. "Mirifield is Fleet Admiral Sengoku's home town! Every person living in South Blue knows that! They have a giant statue and everything!"
Korka rolled his eyes at me. "Just because an island is the original home of someone dangerous doesn't mean the place itself suddenly is."
Under normal circumstances he'd be right. Goa Kingdom for instance didn't become powerful just because it happened to spawn the entire Monkey D. family. In the case of Mirifield however, I have a retort.
"Except the Fleet Admiral had an officers academy built there! Marines from all across South Blue come to this island to prove they're worthy of wearing the 'Coat of Justice'. Do I need to remind you what organization you -and by extension me- work for!" I spoke with exasperation.
The zoan-user had the gall to actually chuckle at my distress. "What? Haven't you heard of hiding in plain sight before?"
"Korka!"
"Relax Parker. It's fine. I've run this game before. Mirifield is a commercial hub like any other. We stay in the civilian docks, buy what we need to, and then leave a day or two later for Cherrytown. Now that I know you're a Storage-Human we may as well stock-up as much as we can. Especially on perishables." The man turned to me with a satisfied grin. "Besides. This way we can turn in the corpse of that water rat Pellora. Repairing ships isn't cheap you know. You've still got him right?"
Now it was my turn to roll my eyes. "Of course. It's not going to just disappear on me." I spoke, extracting the body from my [Inventory] and laying it flat on the deck just to make a point.
Korka lifted the tarp covering the 5.5 million bounty and whistled. "Perfectly preserved...blood on his jacket hasn't even dried...you're a real useful man to have around Jack. This is much more convenient than stuffing a body in the freezer and hoping it keeps. The cooks get all pissy at me when I force that on them you know."
Shortly thereafter, The Marjhan pulled into port and the deckhands went to work tying off the mooring lines to the bollards along the pier.
"Alright. You fellows know the drill." Korka announced to the crew as he hoisted Pellora's wrapped body over his shoulder. "I'm going to go turn this in. You're free to leave the boat so long as you stay out of trouble and be back by the morning."
Over the next few hours I watched various people depart the ship, all of them enjoying the brief shore leave allowed to them. Two or three groups asked me to tag along for a trip to the saloon but I waved them off each time.
I'm sure going out for the evening could be fun. I'm just being paranoid and a tad silly. The vibe of this island just screams as the kind of place where I could wander into town with the innocent intentions of grabbing myself a drink and somehow get roped up into a wacky, zany, and possibly perilous side-quest.
I turned my head over to the west where a mighty Marine tower encroached into the sky. Looming so high that it actually shielded whole districts of the surrounding town with its shadow. 'There is no reason they needed to make it that big. It's one thing to be excessive. It's another to just blatantly waste natural resources like that.'
The whole thing kind of reminds me of something Axe-Hand Morgan would build. 'Hmm. I wonder what happened to that guy. Didn't he escape custody after Luffy and Zoro knocked him on his ass?'
Well. No matter. My stare slowly drifted down to the small bustling city that had grown around the circular base of the imposing stone edifice. Apparently just 20 years ago it was a small sleepy village like any other. The Fleet Admirals influence has really transformed the place.
Ding!
New Quest Alert!
Quest: Head towards the Mirifield market and investigate the Officer Acade-
"Nope!" I say aloud to the air. Popping the 'p' for emphasis as I mentally hit [DECLINE]. "I'm good right here on the boat thank you very much."
"Jack? Is that you?"
I peered down to the dockside and caught a glimpse of a familiar face I certainly wasn't expecting to see again soon.
Dan, Merchant Boat Captain, Lv.6
"Holy crap, Dan? Well if it isn't a small world after all." I reply with a smile, hopping down off of The Marjhan. "What are you doing here guy?"
My fellow Kivuruk-ian meets my handshake halfway. "I'm moored just a little down the way." he answers, gesturing with a head tilt. "Any island with a Marine base this large goes through more supplies in a few days than most villages would need in six months. This has always been one of my reliable spots to sell. What are you doing here? That bounty hunter nonsense not work out? You know you left me in a right pickle when you just walked off that day."
"Well...uh.."I started, scratching my neck a bit bashfully. "Thing is, it actually worked a bit too well. I got hired to help protect this ship here for a few months after I turned in a pirate worth 8.2 mil. Life's been going pretty great for me to be honest."
Dan's eyes nearly exploded out of his head. "E-eight million! That's! That's incredible Jack! All the cargo in my hold isn't worth half that much. Even at full retail!"
The merchant captain took a moment to really look at me. "You certainly look stronger too. Hmm..." The man reached out and clapped me on the shoulder. "I've decided then. I'll forgive you walking out on me if you come back and visit sometime to tell us all about your adventures. Lots of folks will want to see ya again. I know Ms. Rika was mighty disappointed when my ship came back without you on it."
Ding!
New Quest Alert!
Quest: You've had a good trip. Made a lot of money. Certainly collected some stories. Maybe it's time to take a break. Return to your adopted home of Kivuruk Isle and catch up with old faces.
Reward: 500 Exp and Lv.1 [Skill Disk].
[ACCEPT/DECLINE]
Y'know Dan and the [Game] are right. I should schedule in a visit sometime soon. It's not good to stay away from home for too long.
"Sure Dan. Sounds like a plan."
Nine Days Later, The Marjhan
I struggled in vain to wipe my eyes clear of the water running down my face. The rain was thicker than usual today. Droplets so heavy you could feel each one as they splashed against your person.
"How much longer!" I heard Maken bark towards the navigator.
"What am I, a psychic?" The old sea dog bit back, trying to downplay his shivering from how cold and soaked he was. "The storm will be over when it's over!"
White ocean spray washed over the side of the ship, drenching a pair of my shipmates down to the bone. The Marjhan climbed over the crest of a wave and then bounced atop the sea as we came crashing down on the other side. Streaks of lightning lit up the sky in violent awe-inspiring patterns and despite their incredible fury, I had to be grateful for them. They were the only thing preventing us from sailing in almost total darkness.
The cracks of thunder, the yells of the crew, and the endless plop plop plop of millions of raindrops were so deafening that I almost missed it. The thing that would that would this day go from bad to...distinctly below-average.
The alarm bell ringing from the crows nest.
Korka's shouting voice was barely discernible, "What do you see Mr. Skinner!"
"It's the Witch!" the lookout cried with an arm pointing to the rear of the ship. "It's 'Red Witch' Mira-jane! She's on our stern and gaining fast!"
Several people, myself included, rushed towards the aft to confirm it with our own eyes. I squinted against the inky blackness of the night but I couldn't pick out one dark shadow of the ocean from the next.
Lighting rumbled in the sky once more and I caught a glimpse of them. Only for a moment or two. But it was still enough to see the pirate vessel heading right for us. The words Bloody Jewel emblazoned proudly across it's main sail.
This wasn't the largest concern though.
Something was pulling their ship.
I couldn't get a perfect look. I doubt any of us did with the few seconds we had. But I distinctly saw spiny electric blue frills just barely jutting out the waters surface.
Korka whipped around to the helmsman and the rest of the crew. "More speed!" he bellowed, having seen the same thing I did.
"Oh ho. South Blue's very own 'Beast Tamer'." Waldstein spoke cheerfully but with a hint of nervousness in his throat. "I can think of worse dance partners than the 19 million beri wench...and I think her first mate is worth a little something as well."
"Crowler 'The Weasel'. 7.3 Million." Guilford supplied with an uncharacteristic scowl. "We've met before. When the battle starts, stay out of my way. He's mine."
A thumb-gnawing seven minutes ticked by as the shadowy ship in the distance grew closer and closer. Cannons were loaded and swords were distributed as the crew scrambled for what was about to happen.
"Arm yourselves comrades!" Waldstein announced, planting a barrel full of rifles in the center of the deck.
I ignored my fellow hunters declaration as I took position at the very aft-most part of The Marjhan. I won't be needing one of those rifles.
I brought my own.
Reaching into my [Inventory], I withdrew a small project I had been fiddling with while we were moored in Centaurea...a minor experiment if you will.
Now I've seen plenty of rifles in this world that have come with a glass reticle. Even spotted two or three cannons with them added on. But what's bizarre though is that I have yet to see a single proper scope. Or any device that actually provides amplification for lining up your shot.
The closest thing that comes to mind is Van Augur's unique eyepiece, but I'm not sure if that monocle actually does anything besides provide the man a pair of cross-hairs. I can only imagine it'd be massively disorienting to magnify your vision in just a single eye all day.
I'll admit what I'd thrown together was..crude. Basically just a miniature spyglass I had affixed atop the gun barrel.
But even though my device is far from perfect, it does allow me to make out the vague contours of pirates aboard the Bloody Jewel...as well as combo well with a certain [Skill] of mine.
Firearms Mastery Lv. (6/10)
-Your ability to accurately use pistols, rifles, and portable cannons. Current Accuracy: 49.5%. Accuracy % is equal to [Firearms Mastery Level x5 + ¼ INT].
Note: Due to the conditions of the storm your accuracy is receiving a -10% penalty. (49.5%) → (39.5%)
See I've gotten some good practice under my belt with this [Skill] now and I've picked up on a pretty significant detail of how it operates. The percentage it presents to me isn't a measure of 'did my shot hit the target?'. No. It's a measurement of 'did my shot go exactly where I intended it to go?'
Yes, its still affected by outside forces -such as this storm- and I doubt I'd be able to land a hit on a Haki user even if I had 100% accuracy, 'Fingers crossed that I never encounter one', but the end result of this important distinction is this.
If I line up the sights with a silhouette on the enemy vessel and I intend it to be a headshot…
I depressed the trigger twice in quick succession and the shadowy figure crumbles.
+70 Exp!
Then it's a headshot.
Bullet Time Skill Active!
-Time is being slowed for you by 6%.
And with this, combat is officially initiated. 'Now let's go again.' I think firing the rifle twice more.
+25 Exp!
'Only 25? I almost feel bad taking out a mook so low.'
+45 Exp!
'Forty-five. That's a bit more average.'
A series of flaps opened on the Bloody Jewel's bow and a triplet of 'long nines' rolled into view.
'Oh that's not good.' "Incoming!"
The cannons roared to life, spouting fire and smoke, and at the same time I felt our ships newest addition, Yukimura, glide up next to me.
The swordsman's grip tightens over his hilt and he bends slightly at the waist. "One-sword style..." I hear him mutter under his breath.
I fail to suppress the slight internal cringe. 'Have I really hit the stage where people around me are going to start 'announcing' their attacks?' Don't get me wrong. It can be good fun to watch someone on the computer screen pull off a big finisher or a special technique...but seeing it in real life just hurts to look at.
"Snapdragons bite!" The man finishes, swiping his sword out in three separate arcs, causing the cast iron cannonballs to detonate well before reaching The Marjhan.
'...though it is hard to argue about the results...how many levels in [Bladed Weapon Mastery] do I need before I can pull that off?'
I peer through the sights once more and notice that the metal chains that had been attaching the creature hauling their ship have gone slack. The blue spines have disappeared and the -whatever it was- that was pulling them along has vanished beneath the deep.
Ding!
New Quest Alert!
Quest: Defeat Slinn Voda!
Reward: 15,000 Exp.
[ACCEPT/DECLINE]
'Wha-? Fifteen thous- Who the fuck is Slinn Voda?'
That's when the gunfire started.
A titanic red serpent had emerged off The Marjhan's starboard side and towered over the ship like a demon straight from a storybook nightmare. It's body was a deep red, spiny electric blue frills ran all the way down its spine and it's crimson eyes were filled with hate. Bullets bounced pathetically off its scales and even though I couldn't see its health yet, I simply knew they weren't doing a single point of damage.
And above it's head, a simple title. The same size that it would be for anyone else.
Slinn Voda, Lv. 8
'Come on [Game]...' I whined. 'I'd really rather not...'
Wait. Calm down. Maybe this isn't as bad as it seems. It's only Lv. 8 and Luffy took down one of these things in like chapter one! It even looks like a similar species to the 'Lord of The Coast'. It's got a thick hide sure, but how tough could this thing actually be?
'Oh? Are we comparing ourselves to Luffy now?' A mocking voice rang in my head.
'Shut up voice. It's only Lv.8. I've got plenty of help. [Observe].'
I skimmed over the page that appeared and felt my stomach plummet as I reached an important conclusion.
Sea Kings are not operating on the same level scale as humans.
Slinn Voda, Lv. 8
Slinn Voda is an adolescent Scaled-Eel Sea King who is currently bewitched by the South Blue pirate captain 'Red Witch' Mira-Jane via some unknown mechanism. Although he is small in comparison to most of his fellow Sea Kings he is still plenty large enough -and certainly aggressive enough- to swallow a man whole.
[BEWITCHED] Slinn Voda's mind is not fully his own due to Mira-Jane's influence. His mental traits are being reduced by 90%.
Health: 8,000/8,000
STR: 1,050
VIT: 800
DEX: 250
INT: 45 (-90%) = 4.5
WIS: 30 (-90%) = 3
LUK: 0
I glanced around at the more capable of my comrades. Korka had morphed into his hybrid form but so far hadn't moved. Yukimura was still busy handling the cannon fire situation, Waldstein had his warhammer in a white-knuckled grip and Guilford- fuck I don't even know where Guilford is right now.
A plan attempts to form in my mind. 'Maybe we can somehow knock it out of the mind-control. Put enough of the hurt on it that the beast breaks free and runs away. I don't really see another-
With a speed that shouldn't even be possible from something that large. Slinn Voda's entire body springs forward like a snake and the monstrosity's jaws snap down over a mans body with a nauseating crunch.
'HOLY F- New plan! This fuckers dead!'
Waldstein rushes in, striking one side of the Sea Kings face with his hammer at the same time that Korka spin-kicks an ostrich leg into the other. The creature's head is thrown forcibly backward but it's already too late. All that remains of Satori is a pair of severed feet, still in their black boots.
The serpent shakes off the brief daze and hisses angrily. Furious that such small beings would dare to strike it.
Slinn Voda: (7,763/8,000)
Cassian, one of the revolutionary soldiers under Korka, brings a medium hand-held cannon to bare against the beast, but with the same agility it displayed before, Slinn Voda twists its body out of the way and dives head first beneath the waves, vanishing from view.
"Where'd it go!" "Does anybody still see it!" "On your toes people!"
"Captain! The Red Witch's ship is still advancing on us!" Mr. Skinner announces from the lookout.
"Muster your courage men! Just stand fast and we'll see this night through!"
A great splash erupted from the port of the ship as Slinn Voda exploded from the deep and wasted no time in selecting his next piece of prey. 18 inch teeth closed around one of the hired deckhands, and hoists the screaming man off the boat and out over the ocean.
The crew and I are forced to watch in horror as the creature tosses Ethan high into the air... and then swallows him whole a few seconds later when he begins to fall.
You ever do something so stupid that you can't properly explain yourself later? An action that is so utterly asinine that the best justification you can come up with for your action is 'I don't know! I just reacted!'
This is how I'd reply later when someone asked me why I leapt off the boat with nothing but a battlecry and a sword in each hand.
In hindsight it's a minor miracle that I even managed to jump far enough, but apparently there's just enough luck on my side for the twin blades to make impact and embed themselves deep into the sea monsters torso...neck...torso…I'm not exactly sure where one stops and the other begins.
-324 Damage! (7,439/8,000)
A sky-shattering roar erupts from Slinn Voda's throat, shaking my whole body from the vibrations alone. His head whips down to snap at me like a dog would against the worlds most annoying flea but I'm positioned just high enough that he can't get a proper angle.
Not discouraged by failure in the least, the Sea King simply switches tactics. To put it in a word? Thrashing. Flailing so hard and fast that the world disappears into a blurry painting. He shook and swung, writhed and jerked, doing everything in his power to to throw me away from his body.
His stratagem nearly works. My body is flung back and forth from the violent shifts in direction. My arms scream from the abuse of holding on. On one particular sharp turn the blade in my right hand slides loose and I quickly stab it back in to avoid being tossed into the sea.
-150 Damage! (7,289/8,000)
The creature shrieks again, ceasing its savage throes and for the briefest moment I have peace.
And then he dives.
The freezing ocean engulfs us both and I desperately keep my mouth shut as water floods my nose and ears. The bone-chilling cold permeates into every cell and with the exception of the blue title over Slinn Voda's head, every speck of light disappears from view.
What begins next is the wildest ride of my life. Slinn Voda diving and breaching, diving and breaching, diving and breaching. Each respite above the water offers nothing but one or two lungfuls of air before I'm pulled back beneath the drink.
We break the surface once more and this time I just can't keep my grip. My fingers slide off the handles and momentum sends my body ragdolling through the air.
The world is spinning. The oceans on the left, the sky is below me, nausea builds in my throat but I'm twisitng too quickly to even have the luxury of vomiting. 'Fuckfuckfuck get your bearings Jack! Get your- Tail! Tail! Get away from the-'
The massive appendage smashes into me with enough force to powderize a normal human skeleton and I am launch -nay ejected- skyward into an entirely different section of the troposphere.
-1,032 HP!
Skill Lv up! Physical Endurance Lv. (8/30) → (9/30)
-Your body's durability to damage from physical sources. Resistance increased from (24%)→ (27%)
HP Regen Skill Active!
-Current speed: 0.2% max health per minute.
The clouds rush in, filling my vision as my limp form rises higher and higher into the sky. My ascension reaches its climax and I linger there for a moment. Helpless in the air with every muscle and bone feeling like It just went head to head with a fleet of semi trucks.
My descent begins and through hazy vision I watch the titanic predator explode out of the sea at an upwards 90 degree angle. Like a dragon of myth rising into the sky, the serpentine body climbs higher and higher, it's maw wide open to grant me the same fate that befell Ethan.
In my old life I was always a big fan of nature shows. Watching a fish jump clear into the air to snatch it's dinner was one of the coolest things for the young me to watch on television. Now seeing it in first-person, upscaled a few orders of magnitude, my one time awe sees only terror instead.
My senses start to clear as I realize how truly and utterly fucked I am right now. "Uhhh [Game]! Could really use a suggestion if you have one!"
Skill Lv up! Bullet Time Lv. (2/30) → (3/30)
-Your ability to perceive time at a slower rate while in combat. Slowed perception increased from (6%) → (9%)
'Fantastic! Now I can watch myself die in slow motion!'
I've fallen half the distance by this point. In a few more seconds I'll be able to smell the rancidness of Slinn Voda's breath.
'No! No! No! I will not die to something on the same level as fucking Momoo!'
I pull my last disposable sword from my [Inventory] and hold it straight down. Determined on being defiant until the end.
Only four seconds left. I was almost close enough to see the victory gleaming in the Sea Kings hateful red eyes.
'Screw you ya damn fish! I'm not going down that easy!'
At the last possible moment, with perhaps but a few milliseconds to spare on my side, I thrust the weapon downward and bounced it off one of Slinn Voda's humongous razor-like teeth. The brief contact vaults me over the top of his jaw, and sends me rolling down the bumpy ridges of his snout.
"GG MOTHERFUCKER!" I screamed as the combined force of gravity and the Sea Kings own upward momentum help me slide the entire length of the blade straight through the monsters cornea and into the depths of its skull.
CRITICAL HIT!
8,000 Damage! (0/8,000)
'BOOM! Get one-shotted ya bitch!'
Skill Level Up x3! Bladed Weapon Mastery Lv. (8/150) → (11/150)
-Your ability to expertly wield swords, knives, spears, or any other sharpened tools.
Ding!
Quest Completed!
Quest: Defeat Slinn Voda!
Reward 15,000 Exp.
You have reached Lv. 35!
You have reached Lv. 36!
You have reached Lv. 37!
You have reached Lv. 38!
You have reached Lv. 39!
You have 75 points to spend!
For a moment, time itself came to a standstill.
Slinn Voda's corpse still towered in the air and I stood atop its face, my hands covered in all sorts of foulness from the monsters eye rupturing outward like a splattered fruit.
The rain was still pouring. The lightning was still thundering.
And it is in this moment of triumph that the horrifying realization hits me.
I don't know where the ship is.
My head snaps around, scanning for its outline through the murkiness of the storm. I spot it quickly, which I suppose is lucky, but the sight does nothing but fill me with dread.
It's far. Too far.
They're...they're going to come pick me up right? They'll realize pretty quick that the Sea King is dead r-right?
The second realization comes just as swift as the first.
Only this one isn't horrifying.
It's worse.
'I told them I have a Devil Fruit...'
There would be no rescue attempt. No searching of the waters. No looping the ship around to look for me. 'No one is going to come...'
They'd probably already written him off. Tragically lost at the bottom of the Blue like so many other 'hammers'.
Slinn Voda's body begins to crumble and my calm goes with it. 'Shit!! Shit! What do we do? Do something! Do fucking anything! Do something or you're gonna fucking die again Jack!'
Oh god. What if he treaded water for hours or even days before he finally drowned? What if the [Game] respawned him in the middle of the ocean?
He could spend all of his remaining lives just swimming aimlessly...lost in a storm with no sense of direction or where the nearest island could be...all in sea-monster infested waters...this...this could be it...if he didn't think of something this could really be the end. Game ov-
'NO! I REFUSE!'
I leapt off the falling beasts head and towards The Marjhan in the distance. Trying not to focus on how the ship was getting farther and farther away with each passing second.
'This is insane Jack! You don't know how to- Stop it! Do not think like that!'
This will work. It has to work.
It will work because I will it to work. Because the alternative of it not working is wholly and entirely unacceptable.
Slinn Voda's form sinks beneath the waves and my own horrible crash with the ocean surface is approaching just as quickly.
'I've only got one shot at this! [Game]! Dump everything I have into DEX! DUMP IT ALL!
Request Acknowledged!
Points to spend (75) → (0)
DEX (115) → (190)
I angled myself forward as best I could…
...tucked my legs in…
….and pushed!
Ding!
New Skill Acquired!
Rokushiki Technique #3 of 6. (Geppo). Lv. (1/50)
-One of the vaunted 'Six Powers'. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. By kicking out at incredible speed, users of this technique are able to generate an impulse off of the air itself and launch themselves in a desired direction. Masters of this [Skill] can use it to hover in place, perform it with only a single leg, or even combine it with other techniques.
Note: Due to your low level with this [Skill] there is an 80% chance the [Skill] will fail on use.
A white cloud of displaced air and rainwater flares into existence beneath my feet and suddenly...I was flying.
Holy shit I was flying!...and now I'm falling again. 'Go up go up go up go up!' I panic, kicking my feet out wildly.
[Skill] Failed!
[Skill] Failed!
[Skill] Failed!
[Skill] Failed!
'Go up!'
Geppo activates again and I manage to avoid a watery grave...for a few more seconds at least. For three and a half heart-palpatating minutes my mental state swings erratically between hopeful and panic-stricken as I slowly shorten the distance between myself and the two dueling ships, one of whom has just broken off and is in full retreat.
A pop-up informing me that [Geppo] has reached Lv.2 startles me and almost breaks my concentration but thankfully the home stretch is less than 15 meters away now….wait how do I slow down?
'Slowdownslowdownslowdown'
[Skill] Failed!
[Skill] Failed!
[Skill] Failed!
'Slow dow-'
I crash face first into the central mast of The Marjhan and my ears fill with the sickening crack of my nose fracturing on impact.
-17HP!
'Oww...landing could use some work...'
I slid down onto the deck of the ship and simply lay there as a crowd gathered 'round, many of their faces boggled in disbelief. "Jack..? How did you..? You were just..."
"I'll explain later. What happened to the Witch?" I slur slightly as one hand reaches up and pops my nose back into place. 'OH SWEET LORDY THAT HURTS!'
"Drove her off." Waldstein muttered. Still blinking dumbly at my miraculous return.
I turn my head slightly towards Guilford. "You get your guy?"
"No." The man said with a frown before it slowly morphed into a small smile. "Got his eye though."
"Cool...got my guy in the eye too." I replied after taking a long heavy breath.
"You going to be alright?"
"Yeah...just...just give me a minute."
The Next Day
'Again.'
[Skill] Failed!
'Again.'
[Skill] Failed!
'Again.'
Gravity's really starting to pick up now. That downward acceleration is no joke. 'I wonder if it's still 9.8 m/s2. I don't know how this worlds mass -and therefore its gravity- compares to earths. Questions for later.'
'Again'
Skill Lv Up! Rokushiki Technique #3 of 6. (Geppo). Lv. (5/50) → (6/50)
-One of the vaunted 'Six Powers'. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. By kicking out at incredible speed, users of this technique are able to generate an impulse off of the air itself and launch themselves in a desired direction. Masters of this [Skill] can use it to hover in place, perform it with only a single leg, or even combine it with other techniques.
Note: Due to your low level with this [Skill] there is a 55% chance the [Skill] will fail on use.
A sizable puff of white air erupts beneath my feet once more and my direction is reversed back towards the beautiful sunny sky hanging overhead.
"Heeeey. Jaaack." Korka calls from the deck below. His hands cupped around his mouth to augment his voice. "Are you going to be doing that all afternoon!"
A jubilant child-like laugh escaped my throat as I ignored another '[Skill] Failed!' notification.
"You're damn right I am!" I hollered back, letting another jump push me even higher towards the clouds. My fellow crew members on The Marjhan were nothing but blocky outlines at this distance.
I threw my arms above my head as I hit my zenith and cheered louder than I think I ever have in either lifetime.
"This is amaaaazing!"
Jack Parker, The Gamer, Lv. 39
Health: 2,300/2,300
Exp: 580/3,900
Money: 12,159,060 Beri
STR: 135
VIT: 115
DEX: 190
INT: 78
WIS: 66
LUK: 42
Points to spend: 0
Click here to see list of [Skills]
-Current number of [Skills]: 40
Click here to see list of [Perks]
-Current number of [Perks]: 3
A/N 2: Star Sharks exist in canon. Mirifield does not. Though Sengoku is from South Blue. Side note in case anyone actually cares about the math, Jack received an average of 120 Exp from daily quests for each day passed off screen.