21 Chapter 21

The yacht-like Merry glided effortlessly through the undulating seawaves, basking in the warm glow of the sun and the morning breeze.

It has been a week since the Mugiwara crew delved into the training virtual world, and since then, sightings of them on board have become rare.

Despite the Merry being akin to a six-star hotel with all its amenities, the allure of the virtual world, where one could conjure anything with a mere thought, proved to be more enticing. Even Merry spent most of its time there, while the ship autonomously navigated by scanning the sea within a radius of hundreds of miles. This ensured that the entire journey remained peaceful, devoid of any troubles, big or small.

In the distance, a newspaper coocoo bird adorned in a postman's outfit descended towards the deck. There, a stunning young woman with fiery orange hair stood poised in a vibrant red-lace bikini, as if anticipating its arrival.

The young woman turned her face with a displeased expression as she regarded the bird. After a prolonged haggle and negotiation, she begrudgingly paid the fee, her face contorted with an ugly expression of disdain.

"Damn, the price of the newspaper has risen by a whole 100 baileys new? What could possibly be so exciting in the news to justify such a cost?"

 Nami grumbled to herself, irked by the steep increase in price. Her habit of perusing newspapers to select potential targets for her schemes was the only reason she considered buying it.

However, judging by the bird's demeanor, she surmised that the news must indeed be worth the exorbitant price.

Before she could even peruse the contents of the newspaper, wanted notices began to cascade from its pages, fluttering to the ground in a mesmerizing display. Nami's attention was immediately drawn to one particular notice that resembled a piece of art.

"Isn't that Seph? When did he become wanted? And Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Ussop too?!" Nami exclaimed in disbelief, her eyes scanning the pristine and meticulously crafted wanted posters.

 "And why are these wanted notices so perfectly crafted? They're almost too beautiful! And why isn't there a wanted poster for me?!" she added, a hint of indignation coloring her tone.

Packing the wanted notices aside, her eyes fall on the newspapers big titles, and the more she read, the more shocked she become.

"Goodness gracious, Seph's ninjas are infiltrating the other three seas?! All of East Blue's wealth has been stolen? The shortage of funds and currency has thrown the entire sea into chaos? Marine facilities across the four seas are disabled? Control over the four seas is diminishing?

The pirate rate is skyrocketing by the second, and the influence and membership of the Revolutionary Army are on the rise. Now they're even daring to reveal themselves? The World Government is helpless? What in the world is happening? Seph! I must ask him to put a stop to this!"

Nami, both frightened and bewildered, hurriedly moved toward the sauna room.

There, Seph lying bare naked on his front, his bare buttocks exposed freely. Surrounding him were the gentle Kaya and the blushing Nojiko, their hands moving warmly and gently as they gave him a relaxing massage.

Suddenly, a resounding shout sounded, and Nami's terrified face appeared at the door.

"Seph!!!"

Seph looked at her, and without waiting for her to speak, he unleashed the special ability of Observation Haki that he gained throughout the fights all week.

Omniscience.

In an instant, all her thoughts, the journal news, and even images of the degree of damage made by his shadow ninjas were transferred to his head. All it took was a mere thought. Even subsequent news that would appear in the future were mastered by him. It seemed as if his will was connected to an invisible network, and all knowledge needed could be extracted from there. But the price paid was also high. For Seph, however, it was easily replenished the next moment.

In this week, everyone awakened a kind of Observation Haki feature. other than the basics, Nami could affect the weather with her thoughts, Nojiko could read minds, and Kaya could hypnotize and brainwash. Luffy could hear the sounds of things while Zoro could see the future, which was quite shocking at that time.

It seemed that everyone's ability had something to do with their own will nature.

Seph raised his hand, his finger halting the hurried Nami in front of him. With a gentle touch to her forehead, he calmed her down. After all, Nami was a kind person, but in Seph's eyes, such chaos was interesting.

As Seph's finger shone with a dreamy light, the perspective of Nami, Kaya, and Nojiko changed to a grey space. Inside this space, there were seas of banknotes and mountains of gold, jewelry, and coins. Treasure chests and devil fruits were strewn all over, creating a mesmerizing scene of wealth and abundance.

Nami's face contorted in shock as her wealth symbol failed to appear, clearly indicating her astonishment. The sheer magnitude of the wealth was beyond her comprehension. Were there billions? Trillions? Quadrillions? She couldn't fathom the extent of it all. In a sense, Seph seemed richer than tens of celestial dragons combined.

Teasingly, Seph remarked from the side, "Do you still want me to stop? You know all this money is useless for me."

With a sigh, he added, "I actually wanted to give this money, but since you didn't want it, then I'll let the ninja take it back..."

"What?!" Nami exploded in shock. "Why return my money?! Who cares if the world is burned to death? I will never return my money back!"

Nami's innocence and kindness vanished in an instant, shocking both Kaya and Nojiko, who had just regained their composure. Kaya looked at Seph with bright eyes. "Seph-sama, you are so rich! How much wealth is there?"

She was genuinely curious. Nojiko shared the same sentiment, her wildest dreams of treasure paling in comparison to this sea of wealth. Both of them swallowed saliva in shock.

Nami laughed happily, her eyes glued to the mountains and sea of riches from start to finish.

Seph laughed mischievously. "How about we play a game? The winner will get a mountain or lake of banknotes..."

Nami's eyes sparkled with excitement at the prospect of such a game. Kaya and Nojiko exchanged glances, their curiosity piqued by the challenge. It was clear that this game would be unlike any other they had played before, with stakes higher than they could have imagined.

...

Merry, having just emerged from the portal, was greeted by a cacophony of wild moans and the unmistakable sounds of wet slapping.

Merry's cute face blushed a deep shade of crimson.

"Shameless!" she exclaimed, her voice ringing out with a mix of surprise and disapproval at the scene unfolding inside her external body.

She gazed at the horizon, trying to distract herself from the scene unfolding onboard.

"Seph-sama is truly incorrigible. We're already nearing Loguetown, and he's up to his mischief!" With her fists clenched in adorable anger, she stomped on the ground emphatically.

It seems that the others on the other side of space have become quite absorbed in the new facilities and interesting features added by Seph. They resemble internet addicts, particularly Luffy and Usopp, who have turned into avid otakus.

During the morning, they engage in battles with the top powerhouses of the sea, while in the evening, they move to theaters where they watch movies and anime. Thanks to Seph's authority, they can watch a movie in a minute and complete an anime with hundreds of episodes in just five minutes.

Sanji has been meeting with cooks from around the world, learning various nutritious menus and even mastering cooking fight styles. He seems particularly interested in shows like "Shokugeki no Soma" and "The Little Master."

Meanwhile, Usopp is exploring planets and bizarre islands, delving into all sorts of adventurous manga. Zoro spends his days battling various kendo masters and takes breaks to read swordsmanship manga for enlightenment.

The only drawback of this world is the limited number of NPCs. Aside from vendors and powerhouses, there are no other inhabitants, making it seem somewhat deserted. However, there's no shortage of entertaining activities.

With Seph's ability to fuse his image training success, ir give him more ideas. Since he is akin to creator god, he has imported all the knowledge from his past life into this world—culture, fashion, food/gourmet, entertainment facilities, games, manga, novels and anime...

 It's truly an otaku paradise, with women addicted to shopping while men immerse themselves in manga.

Even Seph, if it weren't for the company of the girls, he might have reverted to his original state. Their presence and acceptance of such indulgence were new experiences for them all.

Resisting such temptations was proving to be quite challenging.

He might have been the only one/traverser to ever come near to shatter Luffy's dream of becoming the Pirate King.

Because Luffy didn't seem to care much about the next island...