"Headquarters-only Marine cigars!?"
That's right.
What lay in front of Klein was box after box of high-quality cigars.
"Klein, I'm telling you, each box of these is worth 500,000 Berries. Even if I cut you a deal and sell for 400,000, I'd still be making a profit!"
Klein rubbed his chin thoughtfully, opened one of the boxes, pulled out a cigar, and examined it. Then he held it under his nose and gave it a gentle sniff.
That unique tobacco scent—it almost brought him back to his previous life.
"Klein, this is top-shelf stuff. Wanna give it a try? If you're satisfied, I'll even throw in a few boxes for free. Consider it part of your training fee!"
There was no warning on the box like the kind Klein used to see—"Smoking is harmful to health. Do not smoke in non-smoking areas."
In the pirate world...
Lots of people smoked cigars and cigarettes. Golden Lion, Smoker, Crocodile, Sanji, Beckman, Akainu, Tashigi...
Tons of them.
And honestly, even more in the real world. Klein himself had been one of them.
"Alright, I'll give it a try. Gotta enjoy life a little!" Klein lit the cigar with a lighter. It was a bad habit he'd picked up in his previous life.
When he first arrived in this world, he'd quit for the sake of getting stronger.
But now...
The pressure of making money was killing him!
"Hoo—" Klein exhaled, eyes closed in satisfaction. "Now this is what I call a top-tier Marine cigar. Damn good."
Plus, this was the One Piece world...
No one here ever mentioned smoking being bad for your health!
"How is it? Feels good, right?"
"Hell yeah!"
After more than a decade without a puff, Klein's head felt light as air. "Alright, these'll count as your training fee."
He knew getting back into cigars was going to be expensive, but the moment they appeared in front of him, he just couldn't resist.
They were too tempting.
"I'm working this hard—don't I deserve a little luxury?" Klein consoled himself.
A little self-deception went a long way. Besides, with his current physical stats...
He could handle it!
He packed the cigars away and kept one box on him.
Naturally...
He didn't forget the all-important lighter.
What was that saying again?
Got smoke but no fire—useless...
Got fire but no smoke—still useless...
After training some cadets and sparring with Tsuru as agreed, plus giving her some pointers, Klein checked off his "work" quota for the day.
Feeling pleased, he even recruited a few more students, pocketing over 2 million Berries in the process.
"The elite class still has too few students. The regular class just learns some basic swordplay…"
"Still not enough students."
A bit troubled, he pulled out another cigar and lit up to ease the stress. "These HQ cigars really hit different."
"Worked my ass off for more than ten years, and now I've got cheat codes. Might as well enjoy life while I can."
"Genshin Impact—start!"
Finishing the cigar, he stubbed it out and jumped straight into the game world to indulge in a bit of fun.
Sure...
The game was expensive, but the power-ups were real and even transferred to reality.
Klein couldn't get enough of it.
Besides...
The Marine academy didn't exactly have many entertainment options. The game was his go-to time-killer.
In-game.
After buying the daily discount bundle, he successfully unlocked one of the Rokushiki techniques—Moonwalk (Geppo).
Moonwalk: Using explosive leg strength to step on air, creating hovering force that lets you walk through the sky like stairs!
The moment the skill was unlocked, it synced with Klein's body.
Like a lightning bolt through his brain, he was flooded with knowledge of Moonwalk—training regimens, movement principles, even muscle memory.
Klein entered full sage mode.
He silently digested all the new information.
"That legendary move where your left foot kicks your right foot mid-air... I've actually learned it now!"
In his past life, that kind of move defied logic. But in the world of One Piece, it was pretty common.
Anime was a world built on imagination anyway.
Endless possibilities.
Klein really had to hand it to Oda the mad genius. The guy's creativity was off the charts.
With Moonwalk mastered, only one Rokushiki move remained—Tempest Kick (Rankyaku).
He glanced at his inventory. He'd be able to unlock Tempest Kick soon, and other commonly seen skills too.
Stuff like Okama Kenpo, Fishman Karate, Hasshoken...
Most skills that weren't gold-card level would unlock over the next few months. And then...
He'd be in for a massive power boost!
Good days were right around the corner.
He opened the crew tab.
Last time, he'd drawn a gold-grade crew card and picked up the navigator, little Nami.
She wore a plain tank top, had a small chest, and her art style screamed early One Piece.
Klein wasn't worried at all. "No big deal. Crew members can be upgraded. Sooner or later, Nami will be stacked and sexy. Just wait—it'll be a feast for the eyes."
With three crew members unlocked, he could now start sailing.
The first chapter?
Shells Town. Boss: Axe-Hand Morgan.
Morgan
Click to enter.
Choose crew.
Auto-deploy.
Imu's Dad, Carmen, and Nami were deployed. Of course, the real powerhouse was Imu's Dad, who was already level 20.
Main carry!
The ultimate whale!
Since he was a full-pay character, Klein was ready to let this big shot carry the newbies.
They breezed through stage after stage. Most of the enemies were small fries. The stage boss was Morgan's son… Helmeppo, that chin-jutting spoiled brat.
The East Blue was full of weirdos. Big sea, shallow waters, tons of nobodies.
After defeating Axe-Hand Morgan, he cleared the first chapter and earned some EXP, gear, and materials. Carmen and Nami both leveled up a few times despite doing nothing.
His bounty hit 5 million Berries. In the East Blue, that made him a pirate of some renown.
Next chapter—
Captain "Iron Fist" Fullbody of the Marines. Same nickname as his bro Garp…
But in reality...
The guy was trash!
A disgrace to the "Iron Fist" name!
He was even weaker than Axe-Hand Morgan. The three girls from Amazon Lily wiped the floor with him.
Fullbody
Then came the next chapter—
Marine Branch Colonel Nezumi. Rat-faced and all.
Colonel Nezumi
This scumbag was in cahoots with Arlong. Total degenerate. Human garbage.
He acted as the pirates' protector while tormenting civilians.
Strength? A "battle power of 5" kind of joke.
Easily dealt with.
Stage after stage, Klein kept winning. Imu's Dad now had a bounty of 15 million Berries.
Only one more East Blue boss remained—and it was the toughest yet.
"White Hunter" Smoker, stationed at Loguetown.
Smoker
This guy had a Logia-type Devil Fruit. In a sea where no one even knows what Haki is, that made him completely unstoppable.
But...
This was a game. And if you've got a visible health bar?
Sorry, pal. Even gods can bleed!!
The result?
Naturally, he failed. With Carmen and Nami both underleveled and poorly geared, there was no way to clear Smoker's stage.
Defeated, he had to accept it.
"Flowers may bloom again, but youth never returns." In real life, if you die, you die. But in a game?
You can always try again—as long as you've got stamina.
That's the beauty of it.
"Smoker, huh… If I beat him, maybe I can unlock the Logia-type Smoke-Smoke Fruit. Just like I thought…"
"Fans are so creative—once this fruit's powers are fully developed, it'll definitely be insanely strong. I have to find a way to clear the Smoker stage early and unlock it. Then it's off to the Grand Line!"