"God, there are too many eyes here. Better to speak inside Ryugu Palace." King Neptune did not trust those pirates. After a moment's thought, he made the suggestion.
"Fine." Remembering that Gion still had not come out, Rakuya felt a twinge of concern and turned back toward Fish-Man Island. The islanders stood rooted in place, faces tight with fear.
"What is it?" Rakuya frowned and called down to them.
"God… this is Fish-Man Island. Are you sure those pirates won't run wild here? What if they hurt us?"
"Right, God. Before you came, they were monsters. Nothing but thugs."
"God, I am scared."
Women, children, elders, the weak. Every face was knotted with worry.
It was not their fault. The brutal pirates had left wounds that ran deep. Crawling out of the chaos, cruelty, and slave-like humiliation would take time.
"Do not be afraid. I am here. No one will touch a hair on your heads. If anyone harms you, I will bury them with you." Rakuya's reply was solemn and edged with command, as solid as an oath.
Just a sentence, yet it landed on every heart like a thousand catties of weight.
A god does not deceive them. A god does not harm them.
A god is the one who saved them. So they chose to trust without condition.
Seeing a measure of their fear unknot, Rakuya relaxed.
From here on, pirates and islanders would have to learn to live side by side. If it went well, the old shadows would fade.
"Let's go." With that settled, Rakuya followed Neptune into the palace. In the great hall he sat, eyes full of expectation.
"God, did you truly destroy the World Government?" Neptune blurted, shocked.
It was the question gnawing at him, the most crucial thing of all.
"Do I have any reason to lie to you?" Rakuya lifted his eyelids, voice mild.
Catching the faint edge in Rakuya's tone, Neptune hurried to bow his head. "N-no."
"Good. Where is the Sunlight Tree sap?"
Since Neptune would learn soon enough, Rakuya had no interest in explaining further. Once those ships began traveling the new route to Fish-Man Island, the news would spread with them. When the king read it in the paper with his own eyes, his doubts would die on their own.
It was only a matter of time.
Silence settled over the hall. Then more than a hundred soldiers came straining in, each cradling a wooden cask.
There were over a hundred casks in all.
Rakuya's eyes practically shone. The last batch of Sunlight Tree sap he absorbed had yielded a full 13,000 points.
On the Mary Geoise raid he had burned 2,000 points to hide his presence. Entering Fish-Man Island, he had spent another 1,000 to veil his face so no one would connect Flowing Cloud with Rakuya. He had then opened two ten-thousand-meter shafts linking the surface and the island, spent 1,500 points to recoat three hundred ships, and bought barriers at ten points per hundred meters, which came to 1,000 points per ten thousand meters. Two shafts meant 2,000 points more. He had also purchased two gravitic actuators for 1,000 and ten collars for 100 to chain the Celestial Dragons.
Add it up and the past few days had been a points bonfire.
He glanced at his panel. Balance: 5,400.
It felt like knives in his heart.
Damn it, what a money pit.
He would have to be stingier or he would drain every last drop of sap on hand.
"Beep. Mysterious energy detected. Collect now?"
The system chimed right on cue.
Rakuya already knew the dance. "Collect."
"Beep. First cask collected. Points gained: 100."
"Beep. Second cask collected. Points gained: 93."
"Beep, beep… cask one hundred and three…"
"Collection complete."
"Total gained: 10,000 points."
The numbers on the panel jumped from 5,400 to 15,400.
Two thirds more in an instant.
If he were careful with his spending, he would break twenty thousand soon.
"Damn it, such waste," Rakuya muttered, wanting to slap himself.
These were points. These were flesh and blood. Damn it.
"Ding. A non-elemental skill is eligible to be maxed. Upgrade now?"
Of course. With enough points, the system started nudging.
"What is it? Give me a hint." Rakuya did not bother with pleasantries.
"Ding. Summoning is eligible to be maxed. Proceed?"
"Summoning? What is that supposed to mean?"
"Once Summoning is maxed, the host may summon characters or beasts from any anime worlds you know to serve you."
"Is that so?" Rakuya's gaze turned thoughtful.
"Then can I summon strong people from the One Piece world into the One Piece world?"
He asked mostly in fun.
Imagine two Whitebeards squaring off.
One says, "If I throw a punch, you might die."
The other answers, "If I throw a punch, you might die."
Two invincibles, same power, going head to head. Now that would be a show.
"Apologies. Characters and beasts from the One Piece world are currently unsupported. The host may summon from other worlds."
"Other worlds?"
Rakuya considered. "Can I summon people or beasts from the Naruto world?"
"Yes."
"Fairy Tail?"
"Yes."
"One Punch Man?"
"Yes, yes, yes."
"Perfect."
Rakuya grinned. A maxed Summoning skill was broken beyond belief. Call in little brothers at will and steamroll this world.
Whitebeard, Roger, the Five Elders. Not worth mentioning.
"Upgrade."
He did not hesitate. One broad wave of his hand.
"Ding. Upgrading."
"Ding. Upgrade complete. Summoning maxed. You may summon any powerhouses or beasts from worlds other than One Piece."
"Perfect." Rakuya was delighted. This system was ridiculously generous.
"Redeem Uchiha Madara."
He went straight for it. Summon Madara and crush everything.
"Apologies. Insufficient points. Summon unavailable for now."
"What?"
His face went dark. For a second he felt scammed.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Don't forget to add this story to your Library, drop a review, and leave a Power Stone if you enjoyed it!
"Want to stay ahead of the game? Advanced chapters are up on my Patron. If you're enjoying the ride, swing by and check them out."
[email protected]/_theon
Change @ to "a"