You've Hit the Jackpot

Unlike Earth's laws, in this world dominated by the sea, acts like murder, arson, rape, and looting are not considered highly heinous crimes. The maximum punishment is usually life imprisonment, not the death penalty.

By Earth's standards, "life imprisonment" is a severe punishment. However, in this world, whether it's a legendary pirate or a small-time pirate causing trouble in the first half of the Grand Line, if they are caught, they all face "life imprisonment." The only difference is whether they are held on the first or sixth levels of Impel Down.

There is only one type of person who is sentenced to death: those who threaten the rule of the World Government.

Three years ago, the World Government ordered Admiral Sengoku to launch a Buster Call on Ohara in the West Blue. Vice Admiral Garp, who refused to participate, complained that those people were not terrorists but merely scholars studying history.

But only Garp dared to say such things, and even then, he spoke ambiguously.

Through years of observation, Hailan learned that the Navy's mission was to maintain the rule of the World Government. As for the so-called justice, it was all based on the interests of the World Government. Anything that threatened their rule had to be eradicated, roots and all.

Because the grand ideals of the World Government had long diverged from the justice many people believed in, the Navy's high command had various interpretations of "justice." Coupled with the indulgence of the Celestial Dragons' perverse whims, Hailan gradually realized that this anime world he had crossed into was far more complex than he had imagined.

Speaking of crossing over, Hailan's experience was unique. Before crossing over, Hailan was an orphan raised in an orphanage. Fortunately, he hadn't encountered any abusive caregivers, so his childhood was relatively healthy.

On his 16th birthday, a clear "ding" sounded in his mind, and he suddenly acquired a "golden finger" typically reserved for novel protagonists.

When Hailan thought he could ascend to the pinnacle of life without explaining his actions to anyone, he experienced a whirlwind and crossed over.

Though crossing over seemed commonplace these days, this was too much. Hailan would give it a bad review if there were a rating system.

The system Hailan acquired could enhance two skills.

The first skill was called "Perception."

As the name suggests, it referred to Hailan's ability to perceive external objects.

Take vision as an example: ordinary people sitting on a speeding train cannot see the changing scenery outside due to the limitations of human dynamic vision.

"Soru," a technique from the "Rokushiki," involves high-speed movement. If one's vision can't keep up with their movement speed, they can't master Soru and would have to attack blindly, hitting the enemy by luck.

In severe cases, they might even run into obstacles themselves.

"Perception" enhanced Hailan's vision and the sensitivity of all parts of his body, such as his skin feeling subtle airflows.

The enhancement of the "Perception" skill was through achievement points.

In the system, all Rokushiki techniques had a "proficiency" gauge. Each time the indicator was filled, Hailan gained an "achievement point," which could upgrade his "Perception" skill by one level.

Unfortunately, what actions earned skill points was beyond Hailan's control. Otherwise, he would have maxed out "Perception" long ago.

The second skill was called "Calculation."

"Calculation" wasn't just mathematical calculations but applied in various aspects of life.

For example, finding the safest route through a barrage of enemy fire in the shortest time manifests calculation ability.

Vice Admiral Kuzan could also use his "Ice-Ice Fruit" to craft perfectly chilled ice cream.

Vice Admiral Sakazuki could use his "Magma-Magma Fruit" to boil water without melting the kettle.

Top snipers in the world could accurately hit an ant's antennae.

These are all manifestations of calculation ability.

The "Calculation" ability enhancement also used achievement points, but these came from "recognition points."

Whenever someone felt "recognition" towards Hailan, his recognition points increased by one. When the recognition points reached a specific number, Hailan would gain an achievement point to enhance his "Calculation" ability.

Since people's views can change, recognition points fluctuate up and down. However, once an achievement point was earned, the system wouldn't take it back, so there was no worry about suddenly becoming weaker.

Hailan's initial calculation ability was 6.

His data on the system panel was as follows:

Identity: HailanPerception: Lv5Calculation: Lv6Skill Proficiency:Shigan: 76%Tekkai: 100%Kami-e: 100%Rankyaku: 100%Geppo: 100%Soru: 100%Recognition Points: 128/1000

The 100% skill proficiency didn't mean he was the best in the world, but he could utilize the maximum potential of his current body.

The benefit of this skill proficiency was that the skill wouldn't be forgotten once learned. Even if he neglected training it later, the ability wouldn't degrade.

Returning to reality from the system, Hailan mused, "I wonder if I can max out Shigan by the end of the year."

As the most complex skill to master in Rokushiki, Shigan had blocked many aspiring new Navy recruits.

For Hailan, the question wasn't whether he could learn Shigan but when he could unleash its full power.

In the cell of the Navy branch in Carnival Town, Buggy, who was in solitary confinement, was having an earnest conversation with the jailer.

"Brother Buggy, you've hit the jackpot."

Clad in handcuffs and shackles, Buggy grasped the iron bars of his cell, looking miserable. "I was enjoying hot pot and singing, and you guys just grabbed me. How can that be good? Wait, I didn't even get to eat the hot pot!"

"You might not know, but once you've been a pirate, after a trial on Enies Lobby, you're looking at life imprisonment."

Buggy sniffled, suddenly sobering up. "Wha... what should I do?"

"That's why I said you've hit the jackpot. Officer Hailan from the headquarters might want to take you back to join the Navy!"