Chapter 125: Item Refresh, Fortune's Favor

Siano didn't know whether the desert's way of treating guests was truly like this.

Anyway, his own way of treating guests had never changed; it remained as simple and honest as ever.

【You sacrificed Ikaram's curling iron and obtained 80 points.】

【You sacrificed Vivi's bracelet and obtained 320 points.】

Is it really only four hundred in total?

Siano shifted his gaze and looked at the Fast-Running Duck beside him, which was curiously sizing him up.

Hmm?

Isn't this Vivi's bird? The one that gets lost every day and runs in the wrong direction; seems its name is Karoo.

Speaking of which, could this fellow count as Vivi's pet and be sacrificed entirely?

"Gah! Gah-gah!"

Karoo suddenly felt an inexplicable chill; every feather on its body stood on end, and in terror, it buried its head in the sand while sticking its butt high up in the air.

Are you an ostrich or a duck, exactly!

Siano irritably slapped that plump duck butt; the texture was actually quite nice.

Too guarded, you coward!

How could he possibly bring himself to harm such a cute little animal?

【You sacrificed Karoo's sunglasses and obtained 100 points.】

Hmm, now I've finally scraped together five hundred; that's barely acceptable.

Siano glanced at the system panel.

The shop would refresh tomorrow, and his current remaining points had already reached 52,200.

This amount even included Boss Hua Zha's contribution from earlier.

But as for that guy, Siano had specifically severed his right arm to sacrifice, yet it only provided him with a thousand points.

Probably because he suffered the disadvantage of only existing in the SBS column and never making an appearance in the manga, his value was far inferior to Old Sand, who was also a Warlord of the Sea.

Oh, right, there was also that fool Jack.

Siano called Sister Sister Guyina over and asked how the subordinates under Boss Hua Zha's command had been dealt with.

The response he received was that the several high-bounty leaders at the forefront had all been taken out by Smoker.

As for the rest of the ordinary pirates, they had all been frozen into ice sculptures by Nojiko and handed over to the Alabasta guard corps.

As for Jack, who had punched straight through the ice layer and sunk to the riverbed the moment he appeared...

He had long since drifted off to who-knows-where.

In any case, Siano had used Observation Haki to search the area around the port in a full circle but simply couldn't find the man.

Thus, he could only let the matter drop.

The banks of the Sandora River, now under the command and coordination of the guard soldiers, had returned to tranquility.

Merchant ships had begun normal navigation.

Meanwhile, Ikaram, representing King Cobra who was bedridden with illness, issued an invitation to Siano and his group, wishing to arrange a grand banquet for them in the royal palace.

This happened to suit Siano's intentions perfectly, as he had been keeping the Poneglyph in the capital in mind all along.

Moreover, meeting with Cobra was a good opportunity to clear his name and thoroughly expose Crocodile's true face.

However, this was not a place to linger.

As soon as he got his hands on the Poneglyph, he planned to leave this desert kingdom immediately.

After all, the battle at Hekou earlier had too many eyes and ears, and the collapse and disintegration of the Hua Zha Pirates was undeniably big news, estimated to reach Marine Headquarters very soon.

If he stayed too long, there was no guarantee it wouldn't attract some mad dog who bore a grudge against him once again.

——————

The next day, morning.

The Curtain-Fall Ship hoisted its sails to the fullest, speeding along the channel of the Sandora River toward the capital located in the hinterland.

Ikaram had already taken Vivi and gone ahead yesterday to return to the palace and prepare the banquet.

Therefore, at this moment on the deck of the Curtain-Fall Ship, only their own people remained, yet it was still incredibly noisy.

To be precise...

It was Nami alone who was making everyone's heads ache with her noise.

"Aaaaaah, what is that News Coo doing? Why hasn't it arrived yet!"

Nami leaned over the ship's railing, stretching her neck to gaze at the sky; the mochi atop her orange hair swayed dizzily with her anxious leg-jiggling.

"It's already eleven o'clock in the morning; the World Economic News Company's efficiency is far too low!"

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

Leaning against the mast, Sister Sister Guyina wiped Wado Ichimonji and the Huazhou blade Robin had gifted her, saying without looking up:

"Can't you rest for a while? No matter how fast Morgans' subordinates are, they still have to wait for news of Hua Zha's defeat to reach the newspaper office, don't they?"

"One night is enough! I finally got to show off in a big way!"

Nami waved her fists indignantly, "Big Brother single-handedly took down the Warlord of the Sea Hua Zha, but what about me? Nojiko, Smoker, and I were even faster than him!"

"It only took half an hour to easily clean up the entire Hua Zha Pirates! Shouldn't such big news be rush-printed?"

"But even if the newspaper comes out, if you want the bounty adjusted, you still have to wait for Marine Headquarters to finish their meeting."

Robin walked out holding two cups of black coffee and said with a light laugh:

"So, Nami, even if you really buy the rush extra edition, your bounty won't have changed; it's still eighty thousand Berries."

"I don't care!"

Nami suddenly darted forward to Silver, grabbed its furry ears,

"It's all your fault, you stinky Silver! If you hadn't shown off so much last time, making the Marines mistake my flames for your ability, how could my bounty be only 80,000 Berries!"

"..."

Silver couldn't even be bothered to respond; it yawned, continued lying lazily in the sun without moving a muscle, and let Nami twist its ears into a braid.

"80,000?"

Siano, who had been dozing under the sun umbrella, lifted his sunglasses in surprise and raised an eyebrow:

"I seem to remember it being 80 million?"

"... You!"

Nami's face turned crimson with anger, but seeing that Siano genuinely looked surprised and wasn't intentionally mocking her, she couldn't lash out and could only stomp her foot in frustration.

Stupid big brother, stupid, stupid, stupid!

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

"It really is 80,000. You had just woken up then and were looking at the newspaper while talking to me, so you probably didn't notice and misread it."

Robin smiled as she came under the sun umbrella, casually placing coffee beside Siano. "Captain, your coffee."

"Thanks."

Siano picked up the coffee and took a sip.

Glancing at Nami, whose cheeks were puffed out high, he immediately burst into laughter and casually offered a word of comfort:

"Alright, I remembered wrong; don't take it to heart. Rest assured, this time it will definitely skyrocket."

After all, this time, Silver didn't even leave the ship to make a move.

And Nami, to prove herself, had used various magnificent and cool large-scale techniques throughout the entire journey, drawing continuous exclamations of awe from the people on the shore.

Unless the intelligence department of Marine Headquarters is truly filled entirely with big fools who only know how to hold meetings and show PPTs,

there is absolutely no way they could get it wrong again this time.

"Let's hope so..." Nami leaned on the railing, her whole spirit still wilted.

Siano shrugged, paid no more attention to his sister, and while drinking his coffee, opened the System Shangcheng.

The trading market had already refreshed.

Now was the time to begin his second-favorite activity: treasure hunting!

It's been a while.

The last time he browsed the market was before going to Little Garden.

His luck wasn't very good that time; among the Ten Items, most were useless, and in the end, he only bought two.

And this time,

the Goddess of Luck finally seemed to have favored him.

As soon as he clicked in, the first item that refreshed made Siano perk up, instantly sparking his interest.

【Pickpocket Card Set】

【Type: Consumable】

【Price: 2000 Points】

【Description: After purchase, obtain a total of five 'Pickpocket' cards. Each use allows you to ignore distance and randomly snatch one item from anyone within your line of sight. One free trial is available to check the effect.】

【Seller's Note: "Steal!"】

Although the note was a bit baffling, the effect was very practical.

As long as the target appears within line of sight, one can directly snatch an item?

This was simply tailor-made for him.

In the future, there will always be situations where one encounters top-tier experts but cannot conveniently approach to steal; at those times, these cards will come in handy.

Moreover, five cards mean five chances to act, yet it costs only 2000 Points.

Averaging no more than 400 Points per card, it can be said to be high quality and cheap.

Buying it, buying it, next item!

【Knock Staff】

【Type: Permanent Item】

【Price: 3000 Points】

【Description: A magical spell staff. Simply place it in your inventory slot to automatically learn the Knock spell. After using this spell, you can instantly unlock any locked item before you—doors, treasure chests, shackles, mechanisms... a gentle tap breaks through everything.】

【Seller's Note: I'm at the very bottom layer of the Baldur's Gate Bank vault; who understands the pain of not having the Knock spell? Boo hoo!】

Can it unlock any lock?

The scope of application is too broad; Siano didn't hesitate much and directly added it to his shopping cart.

The items are good items, but...

Why does he always feel that on his road to becoming the Pirate King, he is already sprinting further and further off course?

With these two items in hand, he dare not imagine to what peak level of perfection his thievery skills will reach.

Laugh Tale is right before his eyes!

【Wish Spell Scroll】

【Type: Consumable】

【Price: 15000 Points】

【Description: Power bestowed by the Children of the Stars. This spell scroll has no activation threshold, but requires the host to chant continuously for one hour without interruption. Upon successful completion, it can heal all injuries and illnesses and dispel all negative statuses.】

【This technique is a group spell, capable of healing up to five people simultaneously; each use will additionally consume 5,000 points.】

【Seller's Note: "As long as I am alive, no comrade shall come to harm!"】

Another divine skill!

Siano sat up abruptly in excitement, nearly spilling the coffee in his hand.

The price was indeed high, a full 15,000 points; aside from certain spectacles with completely indiscernible utility, this was the most expensive item he had seen so far!

Moreover, the restrictions were quite significant; unlike Senzu Beans, it could not be used during combat.

But compared to this effect, what did that matter?

Spending 5,000 points per use could completely heal five people in one go!

With this technique, wouldn't the ship no longer need a ship's doctor?

No, no.

Siano gulped down a large mouthful of coffee to calm himself down.

A ship's doctor still needed to be found; otherwise, a mere fever or headache could torment someone to death—one couldn't possibly spend 5,000 points for every trivial matter; even with ample wealth, one couldn't be so wasteful.

In any case, add it to the shopping cart immediately.

Next item!

……

【The Ultraman Stone Statues in the Pyramid】

【Type: Spectacle】

【Price: 12,000 points】

【Description: An ancient stone statue located to the right of the Tiga statue; in the original timeline, it was shattered by Golza and Melba; those not chosen by the light cannot activate this object.】

【Seller's Note: "Just as sunlight pierces through the night..."】

Well, no sooner had I mentioned spectacles than one appeared.

Who in the world buys such flashy but useless things!

Siano shook his head; he was still in his growth phase and couldn't squander points like this.

Skip!

……

【Yasuo's Secret Manual of Swordsmanship Insights】

【Type: Cultivation Secret Manual】

【Price: 2,000 points】

【Description: After returning to his hometown, Yasuo, the white-haired grandmaster of swordsmanship, compiled and summarized his lifetime of swordsmanship insights into this book; profound and mysterious, the gains one derives from it are closely tied to one's innate talent in swordsmanship.】

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

"……"

Siano narrowed his eyes.

Were the last two sentences of this description not a bit too malicious?

Damn it, can't a swordsmanship Bai Chi gain anything!

He knew nothing about swordsmanship, yet hadn't he now become a genuine dual-wielding great swordsman!

Alas, but he still had to grit his teeth and buy it.

He himself would have no use for it, likely falling asleep after reading it for a while, but on the ship, there was a sword-obsessed young girl who would crave this above all else.

—Sister Sister Guyina.

This young girl, whom he had officially appointed as his vice-captain, was destined to become his right-hand man and accompany him to the peak of this vast sea.

As captain, he would lend a slight hand to the young girl's dream of becoming the world's greatest swordsman!

Next item!

……

【Cart Titan Transformation Card】

【Type: Consumable】

【Price: 3,000 points】

【Description: Upon use, transform into the Cart Titan, becoming one of the Nine Intelligent Titans; the transformation can last up to one month at most, and the transformation state can be cancelled early.】

【Seller's Note: "Beyond the sea are pirates... Sob, I wanted to go to the pirate world, why was I assigned here? The Rumbling countdown has already started."】

What an unlucky kid.

Siano sincerely wished that the other party would survive the Rumbling.

What a pity; if he were swapped over, even if the Rumbling stepped on his head, only the Titan would be injured.

Therefore... someone like him who didn't even regard the Colossal Titan as a threat would have to be out of his mind to spend 3,000 points to transform into the Cart Titan.

Skip this one too!

……

【Prism Tower】

【Type: Defensive Structure】

【Price: 1,500 points】

【Description: One of the core defensive structures of the Red Alert Allied faction; once deployed behind the base, it enters an invisible state; if it detects a stranger harboring hostile intent entering the base's range, it will automatically stun them with a prism beam.】

【Maximum alert defense range can reach a radius of fifty meters.】

【Seller's Note: "Steal one of these things back today, twist the neck to the right, charge!"】

"Oh?"

Siano raised an eyebrow. Defensive structures?

This was the first time he had encountered such a thing; it seemed quite practical, making him somewhat tempted.

He just didn't know if it could be installed on the ship. The Curtain Call was sixty meters long; if placed at the vessel's center, it could provide complete, blind-spot-free protection for the entire ship.

In that case, after docking in the future, there would be no need to specifically leave someone behind to guard the vessel.

During normal voyages, he wouldn't have to worry about anyone using bizarre Devil Fruit abilities to bypass his Mantra perception and sneak up on him quietly.

(End of Chapter)