Mystery box?

As the crew were busy with their own things, Alyssia continued to go through her skills and slowly filter through some things that interested her like the misdirection, acrobat and various changes that had taken place within her lower body, upper body and staff based martial arts but also the blade or sword skills that could be used with her scythe blade attachments.

Although she did not have a direct path it was opening up to her slowly but she knew that she was still lacking in many places even if she had slowly practiced the basic kicks that the system had provided her when she first entered the world.

At first she had an advantage over her enemies because she was able to use low kicks to knock her opponent off balance but as she got older she found out that most high level fights usually end after a couple of blows and if it is a long fight then mostly attacks are targeted at the chest, neck and head to deal a deadly blow to the enemy but also brief exchanges of blows between the feet, shin, the back of the legs or fists but also in some other cases the head too.

After remembering the very few finishing moves and general lack of lower kicks besides the odd sweeping kick, she focussed mostly on moves that attack the upper body.

Now that she was learning acrobatics to adjust her balance, she was doing things like handstands on the ship but also cartwheels and various types of flips so that she could use various moves much like Sanji the master of the black leg style and Boa Hancock who also uses several moves that require those skills.

In a fight between powerhouses there would also be many exchanges of blows with Haki, Iron Body and many other techniques or devil fruit abilities that would help to protect their body better so the idea of weakening the lower half of her opponents body instead of going to a knockout or damaging kick would be a waste of time.

She also had her tail to keep her balance and control or stop her spinning when needed or even push herself to spin faster but that also was something that could be explored further in ways of using her tail to attack or hold onto her enemy too at times when her enemy had dodged an attack.

Then if a staff was added into that she could add vaulting and staff spinning to it but also use the staff to defend herself from weapons if she did not yet have control of her haki or another skill to protect her body.

This is one of the reasons why she has been so desperate to leave Zou…

They may have strong fighting abilities but their ways are too freestyle and wild so she could not learn from many of them since they all had a different body types and ways of fighting that may not suit her.

Human techniques suited her better for not only strengthening her body further but because of some of the additional types of techniques that can be learned.

Once she has enough skills then she can begin to rank them up and then stack them up to create her own killer moves.

After practicing for a long time she went to cook some of the sea king that she had stored away and came out wish several hot dishes. "Eat up everyone!"

After a long day of training and absorbing the new knowledge, she did not forget to look through some recipes that she had acquired from several cooks on the island for various fish dishes and put it to some use.

After reading many books on Zou and slowly learning more practical skills her intelligence stat continued to increase which gradually made memorising things easier but her thinking and problem solving skills were also increased so unlike when she was younger, she was able to memorise things and remember them more clearly but also be able to put them to use without having to always check the system if she had made mistakes like before.

As the cooked fish meal entered her mouth she began to close her eyes in delight. "This is some good stuff! Especially when cooked properly! I can see why this is so coveted by those in a high position. It's nutritional value must be huge and if the marines or agents are eating this regularly then they will definitely become strong if they train diligently."

She quickly made a mental note to one day defeat another Sea King but for now she should just enjoy what was gained and I increase her strength so that if one day she does step back onto the Calm Belt again then she would be ready to face whatever may dare to approach her ship.

Meanwhile her crew had no idea what she was talking about or thinking but continued to devour the meal with a delighted face.

Not too far away many pirates, a thief and two assassins who had been tied up smelled the food and their stomachs began to grumble but Alyssia ignored them.

After the meal, the broker showed up outside of the ship once again and stood waiting to be let on board.

Alyssia allowed him on board to let him see the situation and he couldn't help but frown.

He took a breath and then spoke calmly. "I am guessing that you have unknowingly stepped on someone's toes this time even if it is t your fault. There are a couple of options but first I would like to hear what your true goals are and when you will be leaving."

Alyssia casually shrugged her shoulders and then replied. "I am a martial artist who is looking to enhance her skills and test myself against different kind of opponents but our crew are travelling together for our own goals or even if it is to just support me and keep me company. So we could be called martial artists or explorers. I should be leaving in a couple of days and heading to my next destination."

The broker thought for a while and then locked eyes with her. "Are you really that strong?"

Alyssia nodded and then the broker spoke again. "I do not know what kind of martial artist you wish to be but from what I have heard you are doing… you will need your own set of rules to abide by. Do you perhaps know of the Davy Back Fight? Don't you think that you can do something similar but not as extreme as taking others crew members from them if they lose."

Alyssia's eyes lit up as she had suddenly remembered that part in the story that was hosted by the annoying Foxy with his Slow Slow Fruit. "You mean… like a mixed martial arts battle? Or do you mean something more coliseum based that can also use various weapons too?"

The broker nodded but said. "Something like that but I am sure that you can set up a prize to be won if you can afford it and to enter they can pay a certain amount if berries. Just like the strength test or arm wrestling challenges in festivals, everyone can join but barely anyone can beat the person who is to be challenged unless someone strong comes along. An example would be the ship and the message you left there… many people would be interested in trying to win it from you and would hire skilled fighters to challenge you. This could also let you gain more things but if you can hold out until the day of an auction.. I can arrange the auction to be in a couple of days to a weeks time and I am sure it will sell for a decent price."

Alyssia nodded after hearing the words then looked towards the pirates. "I can hand in the pirates to someone that would pay for their bounty so if you can arrange that it would be great but… those three I would like to keep. How about we do this… I will keep them and interrogate them for now and when the day of the auction comes I will deliver you three mystery boxes to sell."

The broker looked at her in confusion. "Mystery boxes?"

Alyssia smirked and then replied in a calm voice. "A thief.. and two assassins.. they must have a private stash or two… if I put the locations on a map and some riddles on how to get it then a treasure hunt can began for those that purchase it. As for whether they will profit from their purchase is up to chance. That is why it is a mystery box. All you need to say is that inside the boxes is the map which is marked for somewhere within the island that belongs to someone who has stashed away everything they have earned for many years of work in their career as an assassin or thief. This will save me from going to claim their things and making an enemy out of someone if I unknowingly enter someone's territory."

Perhaps she had been influenced a little by the programs where people purchase a garage or luggage bag that has not been paid for or claimed in a long time which lead to the idea.

Even if she abandons the idea of getting their private stash, it did not mean that she would not be able to profit from the situation.

Perhaps someone had something stolen by the thief or the assassins had took a token from their victims that people wanted back so once they heard who the boxes could belong to they would wish to buy the boxes for the chance to get their hands on it but there would always be others looking to make a quick profit.

The broker nodded with a serious face. "That means that you have to hold onto the prisoners until you have sold the boxes so that that person who has bought it can find it in time or at least get a head start."

Alyssia smiled and agreed. "Of course. They will be kept safe on board until a day after the auction then I will turn them over to collect their bounty even if it is small."

The broker revealed a small smile as he adjusted his monocle a little. "Then that should prove to be an interesting event… what made you think of such a thing?"

She could hardly reveal that she had seen similar things in her previous life so instead she put on a mysterious appearance and answered. "There are always those that get enjoyment from gambling on something even if they do not win big but if they do win big then their whole life could change for the better."