"Oh~!" Upon Robin's warning, Luffy finally noticed the strange change in their surroundings.
He set aside his plan to scold Robin for now.
Together, the two quickly pulled in the ship's sails, working in sync.
With the fog thickening to an eerie blanket around them, they relied purely on luck as they drifted through this cursed and fog-choked stretch of ocean, the Devil's Sea.
After sailing for a while and seeing no change in the mist, Luffy told Robin to go rest in her cabin while he stayed on deck to keep watch.
After all, she had just cooked, washed clothes, and helped him in countless ways. She deserved the break.
Gazing at the barrel they had found earlier, a sudden inspiration struck Luffy like lightning, he'd come up with a brilliant idea.
He'd left the Sabaody Archipelago to train in both the Lightning Flame and the Dying Will, aiming to achieve the elusive "Zero Point Breakthrough" of the first-generation style. But due to the immense destructive power of the Lightning Flame and the rigorous environmental demands of the training, a remote, deserted island would've been the ideal location.
However, staying on a deserted island for too long would pose a huge problem, resupplying essential materials. On the other hand, islands rich in flora and fauna usually weren't quiet enough for focused training.
Then it hit him, how had he forgotten about this place?
Thriller Bark.
Originally just an island within the mysterious Florian Triangle, it had been modified by Gecko Moria, future Warlord of the Sea in the original timeline, and turned into the world's largest pirate ship. It was essentially an enormous mobile island.
After Moria's crew was annihilated by Kaido's Pirates, he fell into despair. Believing that "only the living suffer loss," he partnered with the genius surgeon Dr. Hogback and used his Kage Kage no Mi (Shadow-Shadow Fruit) powers to create an undead zombie army.
And yet, Thriller Bark was a perfect fit for Luffy's training: isolated, eerie, and sparsely populated. Only Moria, three of his subordinates, and a handful of unlucky survivors stripped of their shadows remained there.
In other words, all Luffy had to do was beat them, and the place would be his.
Come to think of it, it could even be a training ground for Robin. With Perona, who had the Ghost-Ghost Fruit, and Absalom, with the Clear-Clear Fruit, around, it'd be like having natural Haki sparring instructors.
Perona, for instance, was basically a permanently loli-formed cutie. Her Devil Fruit ability wasn't bad, though limited, and her growth potential didn't seem that high. Luffy estimated she'd peak at an S-rank at best. Otherwise, well… he might have been tempted, just a little.
Thinking of Robin, Luffy opened the crew system and brought up her stats.
Name: Nico Robin
Aptitude:SS
Stamina: 490
Strength: 230
Agility: 330
Mental Power: 770
Thanks to Luffy's level boosts and the Varia Ring enhancing her potential, Robin's attributes had skyrocketed. Her base stamina was already at 490, and her Mental Power was a massive 770.
Seeing her about to cross the 500 mark in stamina, Luffy excitedly asked the system, "Hey, does this mean Robin's about to awaken the Conqueror's Haki?"
The thought thrilled him, if he could boost his crew's Mental Power stats past 500 as he leveled up, maybe he could give all of them Conqueror's Haki. Imagine that, his entire crew standing on deck, their mere presence knocking enemies out cold!
But the system's cold response popped that fantasy bubble fast.
[System]: Negative.
The 500-point awakening for Conqueror's Haki is a unique trait exclusive to the Host.
Other individuals must meet two conditions: sufficient potential and surpassing the 500-point threshold in stamina and Mental Power.
Without the required potential, high Mental Power alone only grants resistance to Conqueror's Haki and other mental attacks. It does not enable one to learn it.
Also, reaching 500 in any stat doesn't guarantee proficiency in Armament or Observation Haki. It's merely the baseline. All others, aside from the Host, must train diligently to master Haki.
"Ugh..." Luffy groaned, frustrated. "So it really is about talent… I thought hitting 500 in Mental Power was proof of potential in itself."
The system, still emotionless, added:
[System]: In general, that's correct.
Anyone who can naturally grow two attributes past 500 is one in a million, basically a born king.
That said, some ordinary people can still reach those heights through sheer determination and grit. They may not be 'geniuses,' but they're just as capable.
Luffy paused to think. Maybe Robin's high Mental Power stat came from the trauma of her childhood, always forcing her to stay on guard. Under constant pressure, she might've unlocked this level of strength.
He sighed quietly.
There was no need to pity her, Robin didn't want pity. What mattered was that now, she could smile from the heart. That meant her perseverance had paid off.
"If I invested my entire 1.3 million gold into Robin..." Luffy began calculating, resting his chin on one hand.
"Oh right! I haven't checked this month's random item!" Since he rarely had enough gold to buy from the system's random item shop, he'd fallen out of the habit.
If he hadn't been considering gear options today, he might've missed it entirely. What if there was something amazing inside?
He opened the system shop, and froze.
The system had refreshed three identical items.
[Pokéball]
From the world of Pokémon.
Allows the capture of any lifeform that contains no human genes, binding it to the Host as a loyal pet. The captured creature will obey the Host unconditionally and gain a dedicated Pet Status Panel. It will also receive stat bonuses based on the Host's level.
Successfully capturing a creature unlocks a new subsystem: Pet System.
Price: 100,000 gold
After carefully reading the Pokéball's details several times, Luffy immediately bought all three.
This was the first item he'd ever seen that could trigger a subsystem. No hesitation was needed, he had to get it for that alone!
Besides, as the system explained, these would essentially become three extra non-human crew members. They wouldn't boost his own stats, but having more life aboard made things more fun.
His crew had a limited recruitment cap, and bringing in outsiders beyond that would create distance. Luffy would rather keep his group tight-knit.
Spending 300,000 gold without blinking, three red-and-white Pokéballs appeared in Luffy's inventory, now quietly waiting to be used.
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From Naruto Onwards, I Control Time — Up to Chapter 314
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