Chapter 140: Luffy: Help, Nami! I've Been Poisoned!
And just like that, a new function of the contract was unlocked.
The fruit vanished, and instead of displaying the contract text on its surface, a light screen appeared directly in Luffy's mind.
[Contract Quest (1/5)]
Objective: Defeat members of the Buggy Pirates (0/8)
Reward: Fist Qi Lv.1 (White)
Nearby,
Nami's expression shifted slightly upon hearing that she needed to kill Luffy.
Over the years, she had stolen from pirates, but she'd never killed anyone. Her weapon of choice was a wooden staff—at most, she knocked people unconscious.
Such wicked pirates.
"Can't bring yourself to do it?"
Buggy gave her a scrutinizing look and asked, "Are you trying to deceive the great Buggy-sama?"
His mood was already terrible. If she dared say no, he'd toss both of them into the sea to feed the sharks.
"Of course not,"
Nami answered with an innocent smile, glancing at the Buggy Ball being loaded into the cannon, and the torch being handed to her to light the fuse.
"Then hurry up!"
"Yes, Captain Buggy…"
Just as she finished speaking,
Nami drew the short stick at her waist and swiftly knocked out the two closest pirate grunts. She sighed, "I knew I couldn't go through with it."
"You idiot in the straw hat—if you weren't so dumb, I wouldn't have had to fight. I could've just stolen the treasure."
She grumbled under her breath,
but showed no fear at the encroaching pirates or Buggy's dark expression.
"I knew it! You're meant to be my navigator!"
Luffy grinned from ear to ear—then suddenly looked distressed. "Nami… that apple was poisoned! I think I'm dying!"
He flailed his hands, trying to swipe away the light screen text in front of him.
"Kill them!"
Buggy roared.
The pirates surged forward.
A woman with a stick and thin arms? No threat at all. Their faces twisted into cruel smiles.
Whack!
Nami swung her staff in a wide arc.
The tip of the staff traced a brilliant icy-blue curve, and what had once been a plain wooden rod now resembled a broom tipped with crystalline strands.
[Frost Powder]: Coats a broom-like weapon with frost-enchanted alchemical powder. Enemies struck may be frozen.
Origin: Demon Realm magitechnologists obsessed with fusing magic and science in a world wracked by chaos and famine.
"What the hell!?"
The pirates froze up—literally.
It felt like plunging into icy seawater in the middle of a blizzard. One pirate even turned into an ice sculpture before their eyes.
Terrified, they turned to their captain.
"Another Devil Fruit user?"
Buggy's expression turned serious. This bizarre ability could only be explained by a Devil Fruit.
He had once sailed with the Pirate King—his experience far outstripped these East Blue rookies.
Even the weakest Devil Fruit user deserved caution.
"No, I've never eaten one of those,"
Nami replied, slamming her staff against Luffy's cage.
A layer of frost coated the bars, turning the once-solid rock brittle.
Nami's strength didn't come from a Devil Fruit—it came from something far more mysterious: the Samsara Game.
Since there were fewer players in the Pirate World, and no major factions had taken notice yet, most were still hunting Corrupted Creatures solo.
Nami, now Level 10, was a magitechnologist.
She didn't know her full strength, but these common pirates posed no problem. Only Buggy demanded caution.
Bang!
Luffy stretched his arm and punched upward, breaking the rock atop the cage. His rubbery limb extended two meters before snapping back.
"Another Devil Fruit user!?"
The pirates, so cocky just moments ago, were now wide-eyed with fear. Both of them had powers?
Buggy sneered. "So what if you've got powers? Some are strong, some are weak! I don't believe two East Blue brats can take on the great Buggy-sama. Get them!"
Encouraged, the pirates gritted their teeth and lunged—targeting Luffy, who looked easier to handle.
Gum-Gum Gatling!
Luffy pummeled the attackers with rapid-fire punches. His rubber arms stretched and recoiled like springs, sending pirates flying one after another.
[Quest Complete. Reward Granted]
Text flashed before Luffy's eyes.
"Weird hallucination… that fruit was definitely poisoned!"
He shook his head furiously—then felt a surge of foreign memories in his mind.
Panic-stricken, he grabbed his throat and cried out, "Nami! Help! The poison's gotten to my brain!"
"Idiot,"
Nami leaned over, checked him, and didn't find any signs of poisoning—then bonked him on the head.
How could a guy this unreliable become a pirate?
Luffy rubbed his head with a pout. "But something really popped into my brain!"
[Fist Qi Lv.1 (White)]: Consume energy to release Fist Qi, increasing punch power and range.
Origin: A sect of holy warriors who abandoned light magic to train their bodies and fists—to purge the Blood Curse and slay imposters.
After Luffy explained,
Nami suddenly felt a strange familiarity. Then, when she saw the faint colorless flame glowing on his fists, she understood.
That was clearly a Samsara Game skill.
Her gaze fell on the scattered fruit. She thought to herself, "Contracts… anyone who completes all five quests becomes a player."
"You're not poisoned. I know what's going on. I'll explain once we get out of here."
"Out of here?"
Buggy grinned wickedly. His arms had already detached and vanished under his cape.
Just then—
a green-haired swordsman came charging in, shouting, "You bastard, Luffy! Do you know how hard it was to find you?!"
Luffy lit up. "Zoro!"
Two pirates moved to intercept, but Zoro drew his blades and easily dispatched them with two quick slashes.
Shhk!
Buggy's detached hands twisted in midair. While Zoro was focused on the pirates, they plunged into his side.
Zoro froze, looking down at the blade sticking out of his flank.
He'd never imagined someone's hands could move independently like that.
"Zoro!"
Seeing his crewmate injured, Luffy erupted in fury. His rubber fists smashed into the surrounding pirates with even greater force.
Now empowered by Fist Qi, his Gum-Gum Gatling felt like a barrage of iron gloves, knocking out enemies by the dozen.
[Quest Complete. Reward Granted]
This time, the reward was skill experience and proficiency for Fist Qi.
Luffy stared at his fists, watching the aura grow slightly larger.
All he could think was that the "poison" must be spreading.
"Let's get out of here. Grab that fruit too,"
Nami said, glancing at the wounded Zoro. They needed to tend to his injury first.
She pointed at the Contract Fruit.
Luffy understood. He stretched out his arm—but just as he reached for the fruit, Buggy's split-off hand intercepted him.
He only managed to grab one fruit.
"Alright, explain,"
Nami said later, after bandaging Zoro's wound in a nearby pharmacy. "What exactly is going on with that fruit?"
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