Chapter 88: Item Refresh, Good Luck Favors

Xia Nuo didn't know if the hospitality in the desert was really like this.

Anyway, his hospitality had always remained the same, as simple as ever.

[You sacrificed Igaram's curling iron, gaining 80 points]

[You sacrificed Vivi's bracelet, gaining 320 points]

Only four hundred in total?

Xia Nuo shifted his gaze and looked at the Running Duck that was curiously sizing him up.

Hmm?

This is Vivi's, right? It gets lost and runs in the wrong direction every day, seems to be called Karoo.

Speaking of which, can this guy be counted as Vivi's pet and sacrificed entirely?

"Quack! Quack quack!"

Karoo suddenly felt an inexplicable chill, its feathers stood up, and it buried its head in the sand in terror, but its butt stuck way up.

Are you an ostrich or a duck!

Xia Nuo patted that chubby duck butt unhappily; the feel was really good.

Too much vigilance, coward!

How could he lay a black hand on such a cute little animal.

[You sacrificed Karoo's sunglasses, gaining 100 points]

Hmm, this finally makes it five hundred, barely acceptable.

Xia Nuo looked at the system panel.

The shop would refresh tomorrow, and his remaining points were already as high as 52,200.

This included Hanafuda's contribution just now.

But that guy, Xia Nuo specifically cut off his right arm to sacrifice, which only provided him with one thousand points.

It was probably because he lived in the SBS column and never appeared in the manga, so his value was far inferior to Crocodile, who was also a Warlord.

Oh, right, there's also the Drought Jack.

Xia Nuo called Kuina and asked how the subordinates under Hanafuda were handled.

The response was that all the high-bounty officers were killed by Smoker.

The rest of the ordinary pirates were all frozen into ice sculptures by Nojiko and thrown to the Alabasta guards.

As for Jack, who punched through the ice layer and sank to the bottom of the river as soon as he appeared...

He had long since drifted away to who knows where.

Anyway, Xia Nuo searched around the port with Observation Haki and didn't see anyone.

So he had to give up.

The bank of the Sandora River was now calm under the command of the guard soldiers.

Merchant ships began to navigate normally.

And Igaram, on behalf of King Cobra who was ill in bed, sent an invitation to Xia Nuo and his group, wanting to arrange a grand banquet in the palace to entertain them.

This was exactly what Xia Nuo wanted. He had been thinking about the Poneglyph in the royal capital.

And meeting Cobra was also a good opportunity to clear his name and completely expose Crocodile's true face.

However, this place shouldn't be stayed in for long.

Once the Poneglyph was in hand, he planned to leave this desert country immediately.

After all, the battle at the river mouth was crowded, and the collapse of the Hanafuda Pirates was a big news story, which would soon reach Marine Headquarters.

If he stayed too long, it was hard to guarantee that some mad dog who held a grudge against him wouldn't be attracted again.

——————

The next day, morning.

The *Looming* pulled up its sails and sailed at full speed along the Sandora River channel toward the royal capital, Alubarna, located in the hinterland.

Igaram had already taken Vivi one step ahead to return to the palace to prepare the banquet.

So the deck of the *Looming* at this moment was left with only his own people, but it was still very noisy.

To be precise...

It was Nami alone, making everyone feel a bit of a headache.

"Ahhhhh, what are the News Coos doing, why aren't they here yet!"

Nami lay on the ship's rail, stretching her neck to look at the sky, the mochi on top of her orange hair shaking with her anxious leg-shaking, making it a bit dizzy.

"It's already eleven o'clock at noon, the efficiency of the World Economic News is too low!"

"From dawn until now, you've shouted every ten minutes, you've already asked fifteen times."

Kuina leaned against the mast, wiping the Wado Ichimonji and the Kashu Robin gave her, without raising her head:

"Can't you rest for a while? Even if the efficiency of Morgans' subordinates is fast, they have to wait for the news of Hanafuda's defeat to reach the newspaper office, right?"

"One night is enough! I finally had a big moment in the spotlight!"

Nami waved her fists angrily. "Big Brother single-handedly killed the Warlord Hanafuda, and what about me? Nojiko, Smoker, and I, the three of us, were even faster than him!"

"It only took half an hour to easily clean up the entire Hanafuda Pirates! Shouldn't such big news be printed urgently!"

"But even if the news comes out, for the bounty to increase, we have to wait for the Marine Headquarters to finish their meeting."

Robin came out with two cups of black coffee and chuckled:

"So, Nami, even if you really bought the urgent extra edition, your bounty wouldn't change, it's still 80,000 Berries."

"I don't care!"

Nami suddenly rushed to Gin and grabbed its furry ears.

"It's all your fault! Stinking Gin! If it weren't for you showing off last time, making the Marines mistake my flames for your ability, how could my bounty only be 80,000 Berries!"

"..."

Gin couldn't be bothered to pay attention, yawned, and still lay there lazily sunbathing, letting Nami twist its ears into a twist.

"80,000?"

Xia Nuo, who had been napping under the parasol, raised an eyebrow in surprise, lifting his sunglasses:

"How do I remember it being 80 million?"

"..."

Nami was so angry her face turned red, but seeing that Xia Nuo was indeed looking surprised and not intentionally mocking her, she couldn't vent her anger, so she could only stomp her feet angrily.

Stupid Big Brother, stupid stupid stupid!

If it were 80 million, it would be higher than Nojiko's, would she still care about the News Coos so much!

"It really is 80,000. You had just woken up at that time, and you were reading the newspaper while talking to me, so you probably didn't pay attention and misread it."

Robin smiled and came to the parasol. "Captain, your coffee."

"Thanks."

Xia Nuo picked up the coffee and took a sip.

He looked at Nami, whose cheeks were puffed up, and laughed, casually comforting her:

"Alright, I remembered wrong, don't take it to heart. Don't worry, it will definitely skyrocket this time."

After all, Gin didn't even make a move on the ship this time.

And Nami, to prove herself, used all kinds of gorgeous and cool large-scale moves throughout the process, causing the people on the shore to exclaim constantly.

Unless the intelligence department of the Marine Headquarters is full of idiots who only know how to hold meetings and play PPTs.

Otherwise, there is absolutely no possibility of making a mistake this time.

"I hope so..." Nami lay on the railing, still feeling listless.

Xia Nuo shrugged, didn't pay any more attention to his sister, and while drinking coffee, opened the system mall.

The trading market had refreshed.

Now, it was time to start his second favorite activity: shopping!

It's been a long time.

The last time he shopped was before going to Little Garden.

That time his luck wasn't very good, most of the ten items were useless, and he only bought two in the end.

And this time.

The Goddess of Luck finally seemed to favor him.

As soon as he clicked in, the first item refreshed, making Xia Nuo's spirit lift, and he became interested instantly.

[Pilfering Card Set]

[Type: Consumable]

[Price: 2000 points]

[Description: After purchase, you get a total of five "Pilfering" cards. Each use allows you to ignore distance and randomly take an item from anyone in your field of vision. You can try it for free once to see the effect]

[Seller's Note: "Steam!"]

Although the note is a bit inexplicable, the effect is quite practical.

As long as the target appears in the field of vision, you can directly take an item?

This is simply tailor-made for him.

In the future, there will always be occasions where he encounters top powerhouses but it's inconvenient to get close to steal, and these cards will come in handy then.

Moreover, five cards, five chances to strike, but only 2000 points.

Averaging 400 points per card, it can be said to be cheap and good quality.

Bought it, next one!

[Knock Spell Wand]

[Type: Permanent Item]

[Price: 3000 points]

[Description: A magical wand. Just put it in your backpack slot, and you will automatically learn the Knock spell. After using this spell, you can instantly unlock any locked item in front of you: doors, treasure chests, shackles, mechanisms... tap lightly, and nothing can stop it]

[Seller's Note: Who understands the pain of being in the bottom vault of the Baldur's Gate bank without a Knock spell, wuu wuu!]

Can unlock any lock?

The scope of application is too wide. Xia Nuo didn't hesitate much and added it directly to the shopping cart.

The item is good, but...

Why does he always feel that he is running further and further away on the road to becoming the Pirate King?

With these two items in hand, he doesn't even dare to imagine what kind of peak his stealing skills will reach.

Laugh Tale, it's right in front of him!

[Wish Spell Scroll]

[Type: Consumable]

[Price: 15000 points]

[Description: Power bestowed by the Child of the Stars. This spell scroll has no threshold for activation, but the host must chant continuously for one hour without being interrupted. After successful completion, it can heal all injuries and illnesses and dispel all negative states]

[This spell is a group spell, can treat up to five people at the same time. Each use will consume an additional 5000 points]

[Seller's Note: "As long as I'm still alive, no crewmate will be harmed!"]

Another god-tier skill!

Xia Nuo sat up excitedly, almost knocking over the coffee in his hand.

The price is indeed not low, a full 15,000 points. It is the most expensive item he has seen so far, except for some wonders that have no use at all!

And the restrictions are relatively large, it can't be used in battle like a Senzu Bean.

But compared to this effect, what does that count for?

Spending 5000 points each time to fully heal five people at once!

With this technology, wouldn't there be no need for a ship doctor on the ship?

No, no.

Xia Nuo took a big gulp of coffee to calm himself down.

A ship doctor should still be found. Otherwise, a fever or headache could torture someone to death. He can't spend 5000 points for every little thing. He can't be so wasteful even if he's rich.

In short, add it to the shopping cart first.

Next one!

[Ultraman Statue in the Pyramid]

[Type: Wonder]

[Price: 12000 points]

[Description: The ancient statue to the right of the Tiga statue. In the original timeline, it was smashed by Golza and Melba. Those not chosen by the light cannot activate this object]

[Seller's Note: "Just like sunlight passing through the dark night..."]

Fine, just talking about wonders, and a wonder arrives.

Who on earth is buying this kind of flashy but useless thing!

Xia Nuo shook his head. He was still in a growth phase, he couldn't squander points like this.

Skip!

[Yasuo's Sword Technique Insights]

[Type: Cultivation Manual]

[Price: 2000 points]

[Description: The white-haired swordmaster Yasuo, after returning to his hometown, summarized his lifelong sword technique insights and wrote this book. It is profound and mysterious. How much harvest you can get from it is closely related to your sword technique talent]

[Seller's Note: "Death is like the wind, always by my side!"]

"..."

Xia Nuo narrowed his eyes.

Is the malice in the last two sentences of this description a bit too deep?

Damn it, can't a sword technique idiot have a harvest!

He knows nothing about sword technique, but isn't he now a bona fide two-sword-style great swordmaster!

Sigh, but he still has to grit his teeth and buy it.

He can't use it himself, he'll probably fall asleep after looking at it for a while, but on the ship, there is a sword-obsessed girl who is dying for this.

—Kuina.

This girl, whom he had officially appointed as Vice-Captain, was destined to be his right-hand man and accompany him to the peak of this sea.

As a Captain, he should help the girl's dream of becoming the world's greatest swordmaster a little bit!

Next one!

[Cart Titan Transformation Card]

[Type: Consumable]

[Price: 3000 points]

[Description: After use, transform into the Cart Titan, becoming one of the Nine Titans. The transformation period can be maintained for up to one month, and the transformation state can be canceled in advance]

[Seller's Note: "On the other side of the sea, it's pirates... wuu wuu, I want to go to the pirate world, why was I sent to this place, the Rumbling is counting down"]

This unlucky kid.

Xia Nuo sincerely hopes that the other party can survive the Rumbling.

It's a pity, if he had been swapped over, if the Rumbling stepped on his head, only the Titan would be injured.

So... even the Colossal Titan is not in his eyes, he would have to be bored to spend 3000 points to become the Cart Titan.

Skip this one too!

[Prism Tower]

[Type: Defensive Building]

[Price: 1500 points]

[Description: One of the core defensive buildings of the Allied faction in Red Alert. After being laid out in the base, it will enter an invisible state. If a stranger with hostility is detected entering the base range, it will automatically stun them with a prism beam]

[Maximum alert defense range can reach a radius of 50 meters]

[Seller's Note: Steal another one of these today, twist your neck to the right, charge!]

"Oh?"

Xia Nuo raised an eyebrow. A defensive building?

This type of thing, it seems to be the first time he's seen it, it's quite practical, making him a bit tempted.

It's just that he doesn't know if it can treat a "ship" as a "base". The *Looming* is 60 meters long. If it can be placed in the center of the ship, it can provide 360-degree, blind-spot-free, full-coverage protection for the entire ship.

In this way, there's no need to specifically leave people to guard the ship after docking in the future.

During normal navigation, there's no need to worry about anyone using weird fruit abilities to bypass his Observation Haki and sneak on board.