The moment his in-game character leveled up, Klein felt a sudden warm current surge through his body, spreading to every limb and bone, leaving a comforting heat in its wake.
But just as quickly as it came, it vanished.
The whole thing lasted less than three seconds.
"Three seconds of bliss? That's way too fast—come on, let me enjoy it a little longer!" Klein groaned, disappointed. There wasn't even time for a 'post-bliss cooldown' before he realized—
"Holy crap, this game's level-up feedback... actually reflects on my real body? That's—"
"Freakin' amazing!!"
Klein was overjoyed, laughing uncontrollably from the overwhelming surprise. He just couldn't help it.
"Panda boy, you... you haven't gone nuts, right? Is insomnia really that bad?" Garp waved his huge hand in front of Klein's face a few times.
Klein immediately forced down the grin, though his lips twitched like a trigger-happy AK. He slapped his cheeks and said, "Nah, I'm fine. Just didn't sleep well."
Inside though, he was dancing with joy: 'As long as my character keeps leveling up… I'll be unstoppable!'
"If talent's lacking, let the game make up for it!"
"One day, this sea will remember the name Klein!"
"Rocks, Whitebeard, Golden Lion, Kaido… once they meet me, they better step aside!"
All the frustration in his heart was instantly blown away. After setting his character to auto-grind, Klein did a quick wash-up, ate, and started the day's lessons.
"Yesterday, we ran a simple assessment. Starting today, you'll undergo daily physical training. One month from now, we'll conduct a second, more comprehensive evaluation," the instructor announced.
Garp cracked his knuckles excitedly and asked, "Instructor, when do we start combat training?"
"Combat modules are scheduled for later. For now, your priority is physical training!"
The day kicked off with non-stop workouts—long-distance running, swimming, strength training. The schedule was packed.
For Klein, the intense workload made him feel like a mule grinding out a twelve-hour shift in a factory.
He collapsed onto his bed afterward, drained. "This is like ten times the training I used to do..."
"And yet Garp, Sengoku, and Zephyr even added extra sets on top of it all. Are they trying to kill the rest of us with overachievement?"
It wasn't just that they were naturally gifted—these guys were insanely hardworking too. It was like they were born to crush everyone's hopes.
They even wore weights while training and still outpaced everyone else by a mile.
Totally out of reach.
"At this rate, the rest of us are just going to be left in the dust..." Klein suddenly grinned. "But I'm built different."
"I've got the system."
"Time to grind!"
He logged into the game, excitement bubbling up inside. The moment he entered, a pop-up appeared.
A golden banner flashed at the center of the screen, sparkling and radiant.
[Newcomer Bonus! Essential Boost!]
[First Top-Up of 600 Beli Grants—The King's Potential!]
[Conqueror's Haki!]
[Conqueror's Haki: The rarest form of Haki, unattainable through training. Effects: Permanently increases attack damage by 5%!]
[Permanent 5% boost to EXP gain from training!]
[Permanent 5% increase to stamina cap!]
"First top-up gives Conqueror's Haki??" Klein nearly screamed with joy. In the world of pirates, Conqueror's Haki was a must-have for the strong.
And it was the ultimate flex tool.
One glare could wipe out entire mobs. With a level like Red-Haired Shanks' Haki, even Vice-Admirals would crumble. Admirals would raise their hands in surrender.
Absolutely badass!
Hesitating for even a second would be a sin against Conqueror's Haki.
This top-up…
Was absurdly worth it. The best bang-for-your-Beli deal in any bundle.
Total steal!
Massive value!
"Charge it!!"
[Top-up Successful!]
[Current balance: 1,244,348 Beli]
[Obtained Conqueror's Haki. Current Level: LV.1. Effects: +5% permanent attack damage, +5% training EXP gain, +5% stamina cap!]
"So worth it!"
At the same time, a mysterious, indescribable energy surged into Klein's body—mind included.
The exhaustion, the drowsiness—all significantly faded.
At that moment—
Klein suddenly knew: he now possessed the King's Potential. Only one in a million had such aptitude.
In the anime…
Within the Marines, only two people were known to possess Conqueror's Haki—Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Vice Admiral Garp.
Which meant...
Was he now the third Marine with Conqueror's Haki??
"So what if I'm not talented—I've got the system. I am the 'Marine Genius'!" Klein could barely contain his smug delight.
He felt like he'd just dropped into a shared bath with Robin and Nami—heart bubbling with bliss.
"So damn good—!"
"If I can get Conqueror's Haki, this game must offer more powers too. And since it auto-grinds while I sleep, I can totally slack off in training..."
Klein began to dream big. "I might actually be able to cultivate my strength both in reality and in-game. With that combo, I'll surpass Garp and Sengoku easily!"
That thought alone made the corners of his mouth lift. "They'll find out soon enough what a real genius looks like."
"First, level up in the game... then make my grand entrance. Garp and Sengoku will be totally blindsided."
He knew those two had been competing fiercely in training. No one else among the recruits came close.
And neither of them cared about anyone else.
Not even Zephyr—who at 14 was still four or five years younger than them—could close the gap.
Back in the game—
The 600 Beli first-top-up screen was replaced with a new offer: 30,000 Beli.
[Essential for Progression! High chance to obtain Legendary Equipment!!]
[First Top-Up of 30,000 Beli Grants: 1 Supreme Blade Chest]
[Supreme Blade Chest: Open to receive one random Supreme-grade sword.]
Klein checked the list of potential rewards—everything from Skillful Grade Blades to the Twelve Supreme Blades was on the table.
Purple = Skillful Grade
Gold = Great Grade
Red = Supreme Grade
In the chest's icon preview…
Twelve Supreme Blades: Shodai Kitetsu, Yoru, Ame no Murakumo, Ace, Fireline Gambler...
Twenty-One Great Grade Blades: Wado Ichimonji, Nidai Kitetsu, Shusui, Ame-no-Habakiri, Enma, Kogarashi, Sakura Ten...
Fifty Skillful Grade Blades: Sandai Kitetsu, Yubashiri, Hana-shū, Shigure...
"This bundle's a steal!"
"Can't clear stages without gear. If I can land a Supreme Blade, jackpot. Even a Skillful one's still a win—would help with clearing for sure."
Miss this bundle, and it's gone.
Right now, his in-game character didn't even have a single piece of gear. Like the old saying goes: 'To do a good job, one must first sharpen their tools!'
Clearing stages gave rewards too. Good gear meant half the effort, twice the results—especially for leveling and upgrading equipment.
Klein immediately chose to top up.
[Top-up Successful!]
[Current balance: 1,214,348 Beli]
The Supreme Blade Chest appeared directly in his inventory.