No, no, I can't just recklessly cut Sabo.
If he really dies and can't come back, Ace would be heartbroken.
Xiano shifted his gaze and looked at his left hand.
Hmm, to be safe, I should start experimenting with the little finger first.
...
[Tifa's Mithril Gloves]
[Type: Equipment]
[Price: 500 Points]
[Description: One of the gloves adapted for Tifa in the Final Fantasy world, produced by the Shinra Electric Power Company. Made of mithril, the knuckle area is far harder and the overall toughness exceeds that of ordinary metals.]
[Seller's Note: I was supposed to dress up as Cloud, but why did I wake up as a Chocobo?]
"Mithril Gloves?"
Xiano pondered.
He definitely wouldn't use these, but they would be perfect for Nojiko.
The metal gloves she's using now were forged by a blacksmith from the neighboring town a few years ago, and their quality is barely passable for actual combat.
In every aspect, they are far inferior to the products of the Shinra Electric Power Company.
Add to cart, next!
...
[Henry's Thieving Expertise Manual]
[Type: Cultivation Manual]
[Price: 600 Points]
[Description: A manual personally written by Henry after maxing out his thieving skills in the world of Kingdom Come: Deliverance. Grasping its various mysteries may further enhance your thieving techniques, even to the pinnacle.]
[Seller's Note: It's time, brothers, let's start picking locks!]
"The world is going downhill, utterly insane!"
Xiano was deeply distressed. How could something like this even be sold? Where is the conscience, where is the bottom line? And where is the order address?
Oh... here it is.
Next!
...
[Cassandra's Falcon Statue]
[Type: Enhancement Item]
[Price: 5000 Points]
[Description: A statue of Icarus, the falcon that blesses sailors on their voyages in the world of Assassin's Creed Odyssey. When installed on a ship, it provides a double efficiency boost for crew members training their physical abilities on board. Can be stacked with other enhancement items.]
[Seller's Note: Oh no, I ended up as Pythagoras!]
A divine artifact!
Xiano's eyes lit up, and without hesitation, he added it to his cart.
He remembered clearly that the first enhancement item he ever bought was the Statue of Heracles.
It cost 2000 Points and provided a triple efficiency boost for his martial arts training.
Now, this Falcon Statue, though more than double the price, offers only a double efficiency boost. However, it's a large-scale aura effect!
For a lone wolf, it might not be of much use.
But for someone like him, the captain of a ship, the cost-effectiveness is actually much higher.
...
The remaining items in the marketplace were quickly browsed, but none sparked Xiano's desire to buy.
Time to check out.
This time, he purchased four items.
Serum, gloves, the Falcon Statue, and the thieving manual.
Total cost: 13,100 Points. Remaining Points: 35,500. With Roger's execution platform as a safety net, it's still quite sufficient.
After closing the attribute panel, Xiano looked around.
Kuina had already gone to the open-air dojo on the second-floor balcony to train, while Nami was still relentlessly tormenting the silver wolf statue like a Husky.
It's just a bounty of 8,000 Berries, is it really that big of a deal? Look at Chopper and Bepo, they never complain!
Xiano shook his head, got up, and left the deck, heading into the cabin.
He first went to the mini orange grove and handed the Mithril Gloves to Nojiko, who was watering the plants.
The blue-haired girl was overjoyed, treating them like a treasure. She immediately put them on, carefully stored her old Metal Gauntlets in her cabinet, and then excitedly ran off to her training room to test the new gloves.
Xiano smiled as he watched her cheerful figure disappear, then turned to find a suitable place to hang the falcon statue.
After some consideration, he finally decided to hang it on the wall of the library.
Only Kuina usually came here, so there was no need to worry about accidents. The antique-style falcon statue also matched the overall decor of the library.
Leaving the library, he walked to the end of the corridor toward the training room, where the kitchen door was located at the corner.
Xiano peeked his head in, curious about what was for dinner tonight.
Just then, he happened to see Zeff with his big butt sticking out, crouched by the ventilation duct, grunting as he fiddled with something.
"What's wrong, Zeff?" he asked curiously.
"Ah, Captain," Zeff turned his head and looked at him, a bit frustrated. "The exhaust fan seems to be acting up. These past few days, I've noticed a lot of smoke while cooking, and the ventilation duct isn't working well. Do you know how to fix it?"
A lot of smoke?
"Let me take a look," Xiano leaned in and started examining it with him.
In his previous life, he had fixed a range hood before, so a more primitive exhaust fan shouldn't be a problem.
But... the tech tree in this Pirate world was really skewed. You never knew where some inexplicable black tech might pop up.
Like this exhaust fan.
It looked rough and primitive on the outside, but its internal structure was far more complex than he had expected. The most baffling part... it was powered by detergent!
Who could possibly understand the principle behind this?
The more Xiano thought about it, the more confused he became. Just before his brain short-circuited, he had an epiphany and decided to throw all his previous knowledge of science and engineering out the window.
—Right now, I'm just a muscle man who knows how to fight. Is this something I can figure out?
"We need to find a professional as soon as possible," Xiano offered his advice. "The ship can't be without a shipwright."
"Yeah," Zeff sighed. "Looks like we'll have to make do for now. When we reach the next town, we'll see if anyone can fix it."
This definitely needed to be put on the agenda.
The exhaust fan and ventilation duct were minor issues. Once we enter the Grand Line, we never know whether strong enemies or storms will come first.
The ship will inevitably take damage, and we'll need someone who can provide technical support at any time.
Speaking of which, we already have the most important positions filled—the cook and the navigator. The most urgent positions to fill now are the doctor and the shipwright.
"Let's hope we find the right crewmates soon..."
After leaving the kitchen, he walked along the corridor and entered his private training room.
Closing the door, he took the serum out of his backpack and injected it into his body using the attached syringe.
A slightly tingling sensation spread throughout his body, as if a warm current was flowing beneath his skin.
Xiano waited quietly for a while.
Until the words "Regeneration Art" appeared in his talent skill list, Xiano finally drew the "Masamune" sword from his back and slashed at his little finger.
Clang!
It didn't cut through…
Xiano speechlessly raised his little finger, which only had a faint white mark, not even a trace of blood.
The Masamune, whose quality was comparable to one of the 21 Great Grade Swords, couldn't even break through his defense. If it were an ordinary sword, it would probably have been chipped immediately.
As for him now.
The "Flesh Furnace Method" had already collected four chapters: "Copper Head," "Iron Bone," "Thick Skin," and "Steel Tendons," which he had cultivated a year ago.
The effect of "Steel Tendons" was to greatly enhance the strength of his muscle fibers throughout his body, taking his overall physical defense to the next level.
As for the last remaining chapter, it still hadn't appeared yet. Xiano was still looking forward to the additional enhancement effects that would come with completing the collection.
However, in the end, it was because he was a fake Master Swordsman.
If it were Kuina, who had truly comprehended the breath of all things, she could easily cut through it without him deliberately resisting.
It seemed this was the only way.
Buzz—!
In an instant, the sharp blade was instantly coated with a dark black Armament Haki. Xiano then reversed the use of Iron Body, softening the base of his little finger as much as possible.
With a swift motion, he finally managed to cut off his little finger.
"One, two, … five, huh?"
Xiano silently counted in his mind. Just as he reached the fifth second, something suddenly happened.
Accompanied by a tingling sensation, the blood gushing from the severed finger abruptly retracted, and the exposed bone quickly extended outward. The muscle fibers rapidly reorganized.
Then, like a bamboo shoot breaking through the soil, a tender, pale layer of new skin rapidly grew.
In no time, it completely covered the exposed bone.
The entire process took less than ten seconds.
He held it up to his eyes and shook it. Apart from the skin being slightly paler, there was no difference from the original finger.
Honestly, this scene looked a bit eerie.
But when he thought about the fact that he was the one with such terrifying regenerative abilities, it only filled him with immense joy and a sense of security.
He closed his eyes and carefully felt it again.
The process of regeneration did consume some energy, but very little—probably less than two percent.
In other words, minor injuries like a severed finger could basically be ignored from now on.
"Let's try something bigger!"
Xiano immediately turned his enthusiastic gaze to his thigh.
Today, he had to conduct several more control experiments.
He needed to see how long it would take for different parts of his body to regenerate and how much energy it would consume, so he could have a clear understanding.
After all, he had Life Return as his support.
No matter how much energy his body consumed, he could just eat a few more pieces of roasted meat, fill his stomach, and recover with a burp and a toothpick.
…
While Xiano was happily experimenting with his limbs in the training room.
Outside.
The bounty posters of the Falling Stars Adventure Crew spread across the seas like snowflakes, attracting widespread attention worldwide. Like a stone thrown into a calm lake, it quietly sent ripples across the surface…
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