Chapter 11

Drifting on the surface of the sea on a wooden boat, Veya appeared tired and her figure slightly emaciated.

She lay on the wooden boat, holding a fishing rod and patiently fishing.

It had been seven days since she set sail.

"Gurgle~"

Suddenly, Veya's stomach made an embarrassing noise.

She couldn't help but rub her stomach and let out a long sigh.

"Sigh~ I'm so hungry. Come on, fish, bite the hook. If you don't, I'll starve to death."

Subconsciously, Veya turned her head and looked at the shriveled sack by her side.

"Sigh~" Another long sigh escaped her lips as Veya supported her cheek with her hand and began to complain.

"If only I had brought more food with me."

"If I continue like this, forget about finding One Piece, I might starve to death before even seeing another person in this vast sea."

As she spoke, Veya glanced around her surroundings.

"In this vast sea, not even a single bird in sight..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Veya's gaze suddenly caught sight of a black dot on the distant horizon of the sea.

This discovery instantly energized Veya.

"Is that... a small island?"

"There's hope!"

Excited, she exclaimed and grabbed the oar, rowing towards that black dot.

...

...

On the other side, inside the cabin of the Eternal Gale.

Carnes sat at the desk in his bedroom, contemplating the events of the past few days.

After several days of testing, Carnes had gained a comprehensive understanding of the system, the ship, Demiurge, and the other crew members.

Firstly, there was the reward mechanism of the system after recruiting special crew members.

Carnes obtained 50% of Demiurge's strength and randomly acquired 20% of his abilities.

The acquired abilities did not require Carnes to familiarize himself with them.

Once obtained, these abilities became an extension of Carnes' own body, allowing him to wield them perfectly.

Carnes could easily summon a meteor with the magic he obtained from Demiurge. With just a single thought, he could bring it forth. Through testing, Carnes discovered that using this ability didn't consume any magical power but rather his own physical stamina. The same applied to the "Word Magic" he acquired from Demiurge. The strength of the enemy determined the amount of physical stamina he expended.

The only aspect that puzzled Carnes was the Influence Value on the attribute panel.

[Host]: Carnes

[Influence Value]: 135

He distinctly remembered that his initial Influence Value was only 100, provided by the system as the starting value. This value hadn't changed even after recruiting the crew members.

However, a few days ago, when Carnes checked the system panel, he suddenly noticed an increase in his Influence Value, without any notification or indication. Initially, he suspected that it was due to the ship developing a Ship Spirit.

This led him to a conjecture that the growth of the crew members might contribute to the increase in Influence Value. However, after testing the basic crew members in the past few days, Carnes discovered it wasn't as simple as he thought.

"If there's no indication of how to increase the Influence Value, it will be difficult to gather all the possible avenues for enhancement," Carnes murmured softly.

Just as Carnes finished speaking, a knock on the bedroom door interrupted him.

"Knock, knock, knock~"

Carnes turned his head towards the closed door and responded, "Come in."

"Click~"

The wooden door was pushed open, and a young-looking crew member entered and reported, "Captain, we have spotted a small boat approaching from the starboard side. There's someone on board, and it seems they are heading towards us."

Hearing this report, Carnes felt slightly surprised. If they were in the Four Blues, it wouldn't be strange to hear about someone sailing alone on a small boat. But this was not the Four Blues; this was the Grand Line. Even in the first half known as the "Paradise," the weather and danger levels were incomparable to the Four Blues.

Sailing alone on a small boat in this place would require a certain level of confidence in one's own abilities. Thinking of this, Carnes stood up slowly and gave the order, "Take me to see."

...

On the other side, as Veya exerted her strength to row the boat, the 'small island' she spotted grew closer.

As the distance decreased, Veya realized that what she had seen was not a 'small island' after all. The good news was that it was a large ship, and there would surely be food and drink on board. The bad news was that it was a pirate ship, and there were many people on board.

Looking at the majestic ship with a silver-white exterior and a colossal skull sculpture at the bow, Veya's panic intensified. Beads of cold sweat rolled down her face like raindrops.

"This... This is bad! I must be hallucinating from hunger!"

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