Chapter 25 Luffy obtains the Blitz King template, causing his Observation Haki to skyrocket.Only then did he realize that Shanks didn't care whether Luffy was a Marine or a pirate; he only cared whether Luffy had set foot on the sea.
Recalling his battle with Luffy at the Baratie restaurant, Hawkeye slowly drew his black sword, Yoru.
"Marine or pirate! The path of the sword has no end!"
"Just wait, I will find you again!"
"Monkey D. Luffy!"
Poor Hawkeye had no idea that Luffy had already prepared a reason for avoiding future battles.
This frenzy wasn't limited to Shanks.
Everyone who knew Luffy saw the newspaper and it sparked a heated discussion.
Windmill Village.
The villagers gathered around, excitedly passing the newspaper around.
"Hey, really? Luffy, that mischievous monkey, joined the Marines? Didn't he always say he wanted to be the Pirate King?"
"My god, he's already a Commodore! That's amazing!"
"Garp's only a Vice Admiral, isn't he? This kid's really something."
"Maybe our village will have a Marine Admiral someday!"
"That's fantastic news!"
The elderly village chief, leaning on his cane, beamed with joy, looking at Luffy's picture in the newspaper with eyes full of satisfaction: "That brat's finally figured it out. I hope he'll become a great hero like his grandfather... That way, our village will have two Marine heroes, and the East Blue will be a bit more peaceful."
"Cheers to Luffy!"
"Cheers!"
The tavern was instantly filled with laughter and cheers. Compared to becoming a pirate, Luffy becoming a Marine brought far greater joy and glory to his fellow villagers.
[Ding! Kisame character template expired.]
[Congratulations, host! The Kisame template's accuracy has reached 100%. System rewards are being randomly drawn...]
[Congratulations on obtaining the item reward: Greatsword Samehada]
[Activate a new round of template randomization?]
"Huh?!"
Luffy looked at the strangely shaped greatsword in his hand with disgust. "Damn it, why did I have to get this thing? Even the most basic Three Body Technique would be better than this useless sword!"
Zoro, who was working out nearby, looked at the sullen Luffy with a strange expression: "What's wrong? Why the long face?"
Luffy's eyes lit up, and he looked at Zoro with a mischievous grin: "Zoro, want a peerless sword?"
Zoro: "???"
Before he could react, Luffy handed him Samehada: "This sword is yours, take it!"
Zoro looked at the bandaged mess with disgust: "I don't want it! This thing doesn't look like a sword at all! It's more like a club!"
When Samehada was bandaged, it did indeed look like a club. Once unwrapped, it was even more exaggerated—covered in barbs, bearing absolutely no resemblance to a traditional sword.
"Don't be ignorant! This is a famous sword! Its status is comparable to the Twelve Supreme Grade Swords! It can absorb the enemy's blood to replenish its wielder, restoring stamina and chakra... life force! It can even fuse with its master to become a half-fishman! It's incredibly awesome!"
Luffy launched into a scathing sales pitch to Zoro.
Unfortunately, Zoro remained disgusted, showing absolutely no interest in this unappealing weapon.
"Tch, you don't know what's good for you."
Luffy could only silently put Samehada back on his back.
It's only because this sword doesn't fall for Li Jing's "100% bare-handed catching of a blade" ability that Luffy could show Zoro what "100% bare-handed catching of a spiked club" really means.
Although he complains about Samehada's appearance, Luffy knows deep down that this sword is actually very powerful.
Just consider its passive ability to drain life force and restore stamina; for Luffy, who needs to burn a lot of lifespan and stamina to activate Gear Second, it's practically a tailor-made artifact.
Usopp, seeing this from the lookout tower, immediately leaned out and shouted, "I want it! I want it! Luffy, let me play with it!"
Luffy chuckled and tossed Samehada up: "Catch!"
Usopp excitedly reached out to catch it, but the next second, tragedy struck.
The heavy Samehada knocked him off balance, nearly breaking his back.
"So heavy!!"
Usopp was drenched in sweat, using every ounce of strength he had to barely lift Samehada a fraction of an inch, and that was it.
Kisame was a ninja with superhuman strength, and Samehada's weight was a disaster for an ordinary person.
What terrified Usopp even more was that the moment his hand touched Samehada, he felt his stamina drain away like a flood.
Within seconds, his legs gave way, and he collapsed onto the observation deck like a rag doll.
"Hey! Luffy, what kind of weird, broken sword is this? It's so incredibly heavy! And I feel like my body's been hollowed out!" Usopp complained weakly.
Luffy, laughing so hard his stomach hurt, exclaimed, "This thing is a monster that sucks your life force! If you don't take it to fight and drink your blood, it'll eat your stamina, though not much usually!"
"Not much?! I'm practically dried up!"
Usopp roared, on the verge of tears.
Suddenly, Samehada found Usopp's chakra (vital energy) too scarce and unpalatable, so it snapped its bandages and jumped back to Luffy like a dog, rubbing against him.
"Holy crap!"
The sight of Samehada's huge mouth and sharp teeth terrified Usopp.
Looking at Samehada clinging to him like a puppy, Luffy was exasperated. "You're supposed to be the Seven Ninja Swordsmen's weapon, can't you have some dignity?!"
"I'm not Killer Bee, that rapper, why are you clinging to me like that?"
Left with no other choice, Luffy picked up Samehada again, secretly planning to give it to Chopper if necessary. This thing could change size, and maybe it would be a good match for the reindeer who ate the Human-Human Fruit.
"Sanji! Is breakfast ready yet?! I'm starving!"
Luffy yelled towards the kitchen. His broken sword had absorbed a wave of energy, making the already voracious Luffy even hungrier.
However, Samehada's absorption of life force did have a slight training effect; Luffy could feel his physical strength slowly increasing.
"Hey! Almost done, just a little longer."
Sanji, who was adjusting the sails, slid down from the ropes and reassured him.
For Sanji, cooking for beautiful women and his crew was always the happiest moment. "Good morning, Nami-san~"
Sanji stared at Nami, who had just stepped out of the cabin and was stretching, with a lovestruck expression, and instantly rushed into the kitchen with renewed energy.
"Hey Zoro, we're just killing time anyway, how about we play hide-and-seek?"
Usopp, now recovered, squatted down in front of Zoro, excitedly suggesting something.
"That's a good suggestion," Luffy nodded. The seafaring life before reaching the next island was indeed incredibly boring.
"Huh?!" Zoro looked at the two idiots like they were mentally challenged. "Are you two out of your minds? How old are you, still playing these childish games? So pathetic! *Yawn*... I need to catch up on some sleep before breakfast."
"Eh... you're not afraid of losing to us, are you?"
Usopp grinned mischievously, using a low-level provocation.
Zoro's retreating figure froze on the spot.
"What did you say, kid? You think I'm afraid of you?"
Usopp slapped his thigh and laughed wildly, "Haha! See! He got all worked up as soon as his sore spot was hit!"
"What?! Come on then! Who's afraid of who? The loser's a dog!"
Luffy laughed heartily beside him, "Zoro's like a child when he gets serious, haha!"
"You two bastards, stop right there! Don't run!"
Zoro's forehead veins bulged, his eyes blazing with fury, and he frantically chased after Luffy and Usopp.
"Come and chase me, if you catch me I'll let you...hehehe..."
"Stop! I'm going to kill you two today!"
Nami stood on higher ground, chin in hand, watching the three of them fooling around on the deck, a warm, happy smile playing on her lips.
Just then, Sanji came out of the kitchen carrying a fragrant breakfast.
"Hey! You three idiots over there! Time to eat!"
Nami turned around and gave Sanji a sweet smile: "Thanks for your hard work, Sanji-kun."
Sanji instantly turned into a human-shaped puddle of mud, writhing and swaying: "It's my honor to serve Miss Nami~"
The three who had stopped fooling around below looked at Sanji with disdain and spat in unison: "Pah! You deadbeat simp!"
Sanji instantly flew into a rage: "Get lost! You three clueless single dogs, how could you possibly understand Miss Nami's noble charm!"
"Tch..."
"System, reloading character template."
[Ding! New template being randomly generated...]
[Congratulations on obtaining this random template... King Ace - Richter Bach!]
Luffy, who had been yawning, suddenly had his eyes light up like light bulbs.
King Ace - Richter Bach?
The overpowered protagonist from the anime *Plunderer*!
The legendary "Blitzkrieg King of Ace Attorneys"!
Although this anime isn't particularly popular, Luffy knows very well that Richter's strength is absolutely monstrous, representing the pinnacle of combat in action anime!
Simply put, speed is the ultimate weapon!
Richter Bach's core ability is absolute speed!
Terrorizing maneuverability beyond the speed of sound!
And matching superhuman perception, physical endurance, and mental processing speed!
Luffy eagerly opened his attribute panel.
[Host: Luffy (Monkey D. Luffy)]
[Currently Loaded Template: Blitzkrieg King of Ace Attorneys - Richter Bach!]
[Equipment: Specially Made Greatsword]
[Talent Abilities: Blitzkrieg (Supersonic Movement), Critical Strike (Super-Fast Sword Techniques), Overclocked Mind (Brain Processing Speed Adapted to High-Speed States), Extremely Resilient Physique (Body Can Ignore the Load Caused by High-Speed Movement)]
[Character Reset Countdown: 6 days, 23 hours, and 59 minutes]
[Character Fidelity: 10%]
A dazzling golden light flashed, and a large katana, roughly the same height as Luffy, appeared out of thin air at his waist.
At the same time, Luffy felt his Observation Haki surge as if injected with stimulants, his "Overclocked Thinking" talent not only unrestricted by his physical strength but also reaching its maximum level!
His Observation Haki, originally at a beginner level, now covered more than ten times its original range. Luffy could even vaguely perceive fragments of the next few seconds!
This was a high-level Observation Haki that could only be mastered in a life-or-death battle against a top-tier powerhouse like Katakuri!
What thrilled Luffy even more was that he could clearly feel every cell in his body rejoicing, his physical strength experiencing a qualitative leap!
He had a strong intuition that even if a sword were to strike him directly now, it would probably only leave a faint white mark.
This level of physical toughness is completely comparable to the "iron blocks" forged through countless hammer blows by CP9!
He's only a thin veil away from awakening true Armament Haki!
"Huh? Luffy, when did you get a new sword?"
Zoro, sweating profusely, put down the massive barbell and immediately noticed the long katana hanging at Luffy's waist.
A mysterious smile played on Luffy's lips, and the next moment, he vanished into thin air!
"What!?"
Zoro's pupils contracted sharply; even with his dynamic vision, he hadn't caught Luffy's movement at all!
"As expected of the Blitzkrieg King of Ace Attorneys, this speed is practically cheat code!"
Luffy's voice floated lightly from behind Zoro.
Zoro whirled around, horrified to find Luffy already leisurely standing behind him.
"Hey, are you kidding me?! How come your speed is insane again?"
Zoro stared at Luffy in disbelief, utterly bewildered.
"Calm down, it's just a limited-time trial card, a temporary cheat code."
Luffy waved his hand, feigning modesty, "It'll be gone in a few days."
Zoro rolled his eyes, speechless, and turned back to his weightlifting. With such a monster captain running ahead of him, the pressure on the vice-captain was so immense he felt like he was going to lose his hair.
Luffy drew his katana, and on the blade, a number was clearly visible: 213.
This was the so-called "Star Points."
In the world of *Plunderer*, it was a post-nuclear war aerial Eden established by superhumans, where everyone's life was governed by these numbers.
The ways people earned points were varied and unpredictable, but the higher the points, the stronger and higher their status.
The protagonist, Richter Bach, has two sources of points: one is the number of enemies killed in place of his comrades, displayed on his greatsword.
The other is the number of times he's been dumped by girls, displayed on his left hand.
The number 213 on his greatsword is precisely the number of pirate grunts Luffy has defeated since setting sail.
Luffy then curiously looked at his left hand, only to see the number 57 clearly displayed on the back of his hand.
Luffy gasped, "Wow! I never knew my charm was this strong!"
You see, in the original story, every time the protagonist, Richter, was dumped by a girl, the number on his left hand would decrease by one.
That perverted protagonist's initial negative number on his left hand was a whopping -1002 (representing he'd been dumped 1002 times; because it's negative, it's actually a reverse representation of positive counting logic, following the original setting or Luffy's interpretation), or perhaps it was positive counting logic.
But Luffy's hand showed a positive number, 57. This meant that in this world, at least 57 girls were willing to give themselves to him.
Luffy's mind instantly flashed back to Cocoyasi Village and the 20 girls from the surrounding rescued villages.
"Tsk tsk tsk, being a Marine is definitely more appealing; the popularity is undeniable!"
Luffy exclaimed excitedly and narcissistically.
He then glanced at the numbers on his greatsword, his brow furrowing slightly. Compared to the terrifying 300,000 star points that the protagonist of the original work possessed, this was a drop in the ocean.
If he wanted to perfectly recreate Richter's peak strength, he might have to rack up 300,000 kills on his greatsword, only to be outmaneuvered by 1002 girls?
That's ridiculous!
Luffy smirked speechlessly. Unless this template remained until the future battle against the Big Mom Pirates, facing an endless array of chess pieces in Whole Cake Island, perhaps he could ever reach this insane stat.
Following this current upgrade path, unless I blindly and relentlessly crush everything in my path, accumulating 300,000 kill points was simply a pipe dream.
However, on the other hand, while points are hard to come by, the talent boost from the "Bach of the Departed" template genuinely elevated Luffy's Armament Haki and Observation Haki by several levels.
Especially in Observation Haki. The so-called foresight is essentially the brain receiving massive amounts of information instantly, frantically calculating countless parallel branches through extremely subtle observation, and finally locking onto the future scene with the highest probability.
And Blitzkrieg King's terrifyingly fast reflexes and mental processing speed, comparable to the speed of sound, pushed Observation Haki to its absolute peak!