Why another stealing skill?
Xiano was indignant.
From Kleptomaniac cards to the Skill Stealing Technique... Wasn't it a bit too stereotypical to keep refreshing these kinds of things for him?
Added to cart.
Please refresh more of these in the future, thanks!
——————
[Evil God Gatanothor]
[Type: Summon]
[Price: 75,000 Points]
[Description: The ultimate dark ruler from the world of Ultraman Tiga, a terrifying evil god resembling a giant ammonite, extremely difficult to control, harboring ambitions to destroy civilizations and dominate the world.]
[Seller's Note: Been listed for ages. Aren't pet types supposed to be popular? Why hasn't anyone bought my stock? Weird.]
Xiano's eye twitched.
This couldn't be right—was this something people were supposed to buy?
Even if he wanted to, he couldn't afford it!
Way too high-end. His light had been borrowed for years and never returned—how could he possibly mess with something like this? Swipe away, swipe away.
Next!
——————
[Substitute Death Technique Scroll]
[Type: Consumable]
[Price: 9,000 Points]
[Description: A high-level spell from a D&D-like world. Can form contracts with up to five individuals. All fatal damage received by the contracted will be fully transferred to the caster.]
[Seller's Note: Bulk purchasing severed arms from Martial Arts experts! Buying as many as available! Fellow sellers, please list more—don't hold back! Thanks for your cooperation!]
Huh?
Who specifically collects stuff like this? The industry really has all kinds of people.
But what was being offered was undeniably a great item.
Transferring the damage you receive to others—that was the normal version of the Substitute Death Technique, which Xiano didn't need.
He had full confidence in his own physical resilience.
But this reverse version was far more practical for him.
All the death threats that those he wanted to protect might face—he'd take them all on himself. No matter how many, he'd shoulder them!
Besides, just a few thousand Points? Totally worth it.
Must-buy.
Next!
——————
Unfortunately...
There was no next.
Scrolling all the way to the last page, nothing else caught Xiano's interest.
But it didn't matter.
This haul was already plenty rewarding, and Xiano was more than satisfied.
Proceeding to checkout.
Four items purchased in total: Sky Dance Technique, Infinite Mayonnaise, Random Stealing Scroll, and Substitute Death Technique Scroll—all highly practical and valuable.
Total spent: 19,800 Points. Remaining balance: 10,600 Points.
Closing the trading market.
Xiano opened his inventory and immediately checked the Substitute Death Technique Scroll. It was even more useful than expected—forming contracts didn't require tracking people down one by one.
With just a thought, the names of the contracted flashed through his mind, and the pact was instantly sealed.
Without hesitation, Xiano first contracted Bellemere.
After a brief pause, he added his two sisters as well.
Nojiko was fine—she already had the strength of a core officer in an Emperor Crew, capable of protecting herself.
But Nami was still the same, always worrying him. Her Logia abilities might let her bully someone like Miss Valentine, but in the Haki-dominated New World, she was far from strong enough.
As for the remaining two slots...
There were too many potential candidates among his comrades, but none of them seemed particularly in need, as they were all quite strong.
After careful consideration, Xiano decided to hold onto it for now, just in case.
Next was the "Random Stealing Scroll."
Its essence was somewhat like drawing from a gacha pool, but since it was explicitly stated that it would only steal from important characters in this world, there was no way to lose.
No need to hesitate—just use all the charges at once. Triple draw!
Whoosh!
The moment the scroll unfurled, three silver chain illusions, visible only to Xiano, shot into the sky almost simultaneously and vanished in the blink of an eye.
The next second, ripples appeared in the void.
[You obtained the fishing rod of the future Marine hero, Koby.]
[You obtained the house of Marine Admiral Akainu.]
[You obtained the personal nightgown of the Ruler of the World, Imu.]
Thud!
The three items dropped one after another, appearing before Xiano. One of them, both in terms of impact and sheer size, was a bit too large, landing with a heavy thud.
"?"
Xiano looked up, dumbfounded, at the traditional Japanese-style courtyard now standing before him, his lips twitching slightly.
Seriously?
An entire house, complete with front and back yards, could just be yoinked like that?
Somewhere in the residential area of Marine Headquarters, there was probably now just an empty plot of land left… Wasn't this stealing a bit too effectively?
It took him several seconds to snap out of his daze.
Fortunately, his current location was high up in the forest, far enough away to be a blind spot. His comrades in the training grounds were too focused on their sparring to notice the commotion here.
In any case, he should quickly Sacrifice this eye-catching monstrosity.
[You Sacrificed Akainu's house and obtained 6000 Points.]
As expected, it could be Sacrificed.
This meant the one-year cooldown period had already passed. Time really flew—the grueling battle when he first encountered Akainu still felt like it happened just yesterday.
And it was worth a lot.
Xiano remembered that the Marine cap he Sacrificed a year ago was only worth a little over 3000 Points. This house was significantly more valuable, suggesting Akainu was quite fond of his traditional Japanese-style courtyard.
As for the other two items…
Xiano turned his gaze.
[You Sacrificed Imu's personal nightgown and obtained 12000 Points.]
A nightgown.
Was this person a man or a woman?
Even by the time he had crossed over, this mystery remained unresolved, with no definitive answer. It was hard not to be curious.
But that wasn't the main point.
Staring at the string of Points, Xiano couldn't help but narrow his eyes.
Compared to gender, he had obtained far more valuable information.
According to the rules, the Point value of a Sacrificed item was determined by a character's narrative importance and strength, with the latter usually carrying more weight based on past experience.
Imu hadn't appeared often, yet even a random personal item was worth this much. From this, it could be inferred that their strength existed on an entirely different level.
So, the Yonko and Admiral tier wasn't the pinnacle of this world. Above it, there was an even higher realm…
As expected of the shadow ruler who had controlled the world for 800 years.
At this thought, Xiano couldn't help but feel a bit more pressure, but even more so, a blazing fighting spirit.
That day would come.
He would eventually set foot on that so-called Holy Land Mariejois, stand atop the heads of those Celestial Dragons, and see for himself what kind of deity this high-and-mighty being who looked down upon all mortals truly was!
Shaking off his thoughts, Xiano's gaze fell on the last item—a seemingly ordinary fishing rod.
[You sacrificed the fishing rod of future Marine hero Koby and obtained 1,500 Points.]
Why so much?
Xiano was taken aback. The current Koby was just a weak, powerless boy. Logically, it should have been worth at most a hundred or two Points. Puzzled, he tapped open the details page.
[Koby's Fishing Rod]
[Quality: Epic]
[Value: 1,500 Points]
[Appraisal: A fishing rod Koby spent most of his savings to purchase. In the original timeline, this rod nurtured his passion for fishing.]
[Frequently fishing by the sea altered Koby's original fate—being kidnapped by the Alvida Pirates, meeting Luffy, and becoming Garp's disciple. This rod witnessed his entire journey from a timid boy to a Marine hero, as well as the two hundred times the effort he poured into training, drenched in sweat!]
So that's how it is.
A key item that altered the course of the timeline.
Xiano rubbed his chin thoughtfully, then grinned.
This is great news!
The Marine Headquarters, built on the foundation of serving as the Celestial Dragons' lapdogs, had long rotted to the core. The only path forward was complete demolition and reconstruction—no need for some "King of Deserters" to save it!
Even Smoker had joined him. In his view, if there was to be a future Marine hero, it should be that "White Hunter" instead!
Taking one last glance at the information stream, the triple draw had netted him a total of 19,600 Points, bringing his remaining balance back up to 30,100. The pauper had suddenly become wealthy again.
That Pilfer Scroll was truly a steal.
In high spirits, Xiano downed the last of his black coffee and decided to strike while the iron was hot—starting to study the Sky Dance Technique training scroll.
As expected, much like the previously acquired Energy Disc, this technique also required channeling one's internal "energy" to use.
"Then Haki should work as a substitute too."
Xiano's eyes gleamed. The principles of energy manipulation were universal.
...
Roughly two hours later.
Having finished reading, Xiano officially began his training.
He sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and focused, attempting to circulate the Haki within his body as described in the scroll.
At first, it felt awkward, but drawing from his experience with the Energy Disc, he soon found the right sensation.
The Haki in his body grew gentle, flowing like water under his command, gradually gathering at the surface of his skin.
"Rise."
With a soft command, despite still sitting cross-legged, his body slowly lifted off the ground, as if cradled by clouds, hovering in midair.
"First time's awkward, second time's familiar. Easier than I thought."
Opening his eyes, Xiano smiled in satisfaction at his feet dangling several meters above the ground.
Though still unpolished, he had grasped the fundamentals of the Sky Dance Technique. All that remained was practice to improve his proficiency.
Go!
He experimented with adjusting his posture midair, gliding slowly over a short distance. While his speed couldn't yet increase much, his stability was sufficient—allowing him to hover freely with far less exertion than Moon Walk.
From the looks of it...
Once he had fully mastered it,
as long as it wasn't an emergency, going all out with the technique would mean his usual consumption rate was roughly the same as his Haki's natural replenishment speed.
In other words,
from now on, he wouldn't have to worry about exhaustion when using the Sky Dance Technique for travel!
Feeling exhilarated, Xiano casually rested his arms behind his head and let his body drift upward through the clouds.
The sensation of soaring freely was truly marvelous—far more stylish than the clumsy air-kicking method of Moon Walk.
...
Night fell in the blink of an eye.
As the time for the promised gathering approached, Xiano deactivated the Sky Dance Technique and plummeted from tens of thousands of meters in the air, crashing into the northern side of the castle.
BOOM!
A cloud of dust erupted in the dense forest, broken branches and leaves raining down like a storm.
Kneeling in the deep crater, Xiano pressed a hand lightly against the damp soil, his clothes still carrying the cool night breeze from the high altitude.
He hadn't even used Armament Haki—his terrifying physical strength alone had absorbed the impact of the fall. When he stood up, even his hair remained perfectly in place.
"That was awesome."
Xiano cracked his neck and grinned. It really was exhilarating—he almost wanted to go back up and do it again. No wonder Kaido kept jumping with such enthusiasm.
But his training for the day was over. Now, it was time to enjoy a good drink. He walked out of the forest, brushing off the fallen leaves, and headed toward the castle in high spirits.
The moment he stepped through the castle gates, the lively clamor from the dining hall reached his ears.
Pushing the door open, he saw Zeff bustling in the kitchen with Sanji assisting him. Together, they had already covered the long table with a lavish spread of dishes, their aroma filling the air.
All the crew members, including the newcomers who had recently joined, had already gathered, filling the room with boisterous energy.
"Boss, you're finally back! You're the only one missing!"
Smoker, who was helping arrange the chairs and tables, greeted Xiano as he entered. Glancing around to make sure no one was paying attention, he leaned in and muttered in frustration,
"Hey, Boss, where the hell did you find someone who looks exactly like Kuina again?"
"Huh?"
Following Smoker's gaze, Xiano glanced at Tashigi and raised an eyebrow. "She's from the East Blue too. She was even one of your marines back then. You don't recognize her?"
"Hah?"
Smoker was dumbfounded. "There was such a thing?"
Had there really been such a gem among his subordinates in Loguetown?
No wonder, when they first met last week, her eyes had lit up at the sight of him—she'd even reflexively started to salute.
She must have just enlisted when he was still the base captain in Loguetown, so he hadn't left much of an impression.
"They really do look like twins."
Smoker stole another glance at Kuina and shuddered involuntarily.
And they were both Master Swordsmen—completely indistinguishable. The pressure was unbearable!
Ever since joining the crew, he'd been repeatedly scolded and beaten up by Kuina for his careless habits and blunt, tactless remarks.
Aside from the Captain, Xiano, whom he deeply respected, she was the one he feared the most.
And now he had to watch out for two of them?
Earlier, when he'd entered the castle, he'd forgotten to put out his cigar and walked into the kitchen still smoking.
The moment Tashigi gave him a look, he'd snapped awake, nearly scared out of his wits. He'd frantically stomped out the cigar and bowed apologetically to her, making quite the embarrassing scene.
"As your former superior, this is truly embarrassing," Smoker muttered, scratching his head in frustration.
Xiano was equally speechless. Never had he imagined he'd see the day when Smoker would be afraid of Tashigi.
As the two conversed, the castle doors suddenly burst open with a heavy thud, followed by hurried footsteps and ragged breathing.
Everyone turned to look.
Kuma's towering figure stood at the entrance, his face pale and his forehead drenched in cold sweat. His usually gentle eyes were now filled with panic.
"Captain… Bonney… Bonney is gone!"
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