"Saving Ace. Well, that's an objective of the Whitebeard Pirates."
Marco stared at the mission text, frowning slightly.
"Do I only need to get Ace off the execution platform?"
Curiosity prompted him to reach out and tap the floating mission panel. His fingertip passed through the translucent surface yet still activated the command. The interface shifted instantly.
"Save Ace Mission: Rescue Fire Fist Ace from Marineford and ensure his safe return to the New World. Mission Reward: 10,000 attribute points. Mission Failure: No penalty."
Marco's brows lifted.
"Ten thousand attribute points. That's a massive reward."
He glanced at his own attribute panel. His Recovery ability was monstrous, yet the rest of his stats were far from impressive. Even his Strength barely reached 3,500, a number that would be nothing in a war of this scale.
In the original story, Ace had indeed been rescued, but tragedy struck because Ace chose to turn back, leading to his death at the hands of Kizaru's colleague, Admiral Akainu.
Just then, the mission panel flickered again. The screen shifted, revealing another list.
"To save Fire Fist Ace, violence is unavoidable. Mercy alone cannot change the outcome."
Below it, a series of kill rewards appeared:
Kill a Marine Soldier: 1 attribute point
Kill a Marine Corporal: 2 attribute points
Kill a Marine Sergeant: 3 attribute points
Kill a Marine Staff Sergeant: 4 attribute points
Kill a Marine Second Lieutenant: 5 attribute points
Kill a Marine First Lieutenant: 7 attribute points
Kill a Marine Captain: 9 attribute points
Kill a Marine Major: 12 attribute points
Kill a Marine Lieutenant Colonel: 15 attribute points
Kill a Marine Colonel: 18 attribute points
Kill a Marine Brigadier General: 25 attribute points
Kill a Marine Rear Admiral: 35 attribute points
Kill a Marine Vice Admiral: 100 attribute points
Kill an Admiral: 10,000 attribute points
Kill the Fleet Admiral: 20,000 attribute points
Marco stared at the list, speechless.
"Why does this feel like grinding monsters for experience in a game…"
Still, the system's mechanics made it clear how he could grow stronger during and after the Marineford War.
"Oh yeah. System, do you have some kind of New Player Gift Pack?"
A soft chime rang out.
"Yes. Do you wish to open the New Player Gift Pack now?"
A golden icon appeared in front of him with a single word written on it: "Open."
Marco tapped the icon.
"Opening New Player Gift Pack. Reward: Conqueror's Haki, Entry Level. Reward: 1,000 attribute points."
Marco blinked.
"That's it? Seriously?"
It wasn't impressive, but obtaining Conqueror's Haki, even at entry level, was still something only a chosen few could achieve. He accepted the reward with a sigh.
"System, I want to allocate points."
The panel shifted again, revealing two tabs: Basic Attributes and Special Attributes. Six basic attributes appeared first: Strength, Speed, Defense, Recovery, Stamina, and Spirit.
Marco scrolled to the Special Attributes tab, curiosity rising.
The list displayed:
Devil Fruit Upgrade:
Mythical Zoan Phoenix Form (Unawakened) to Phoenix Form (Awakened)
Haki Upgrade:
Conqueror's Haki (Entry Level) to Conqueror's Haki (Elementary)
Armament Haki (Advanced) to Armament Haki (Top Level)
Observation Haki (Advanced) to Observation Haki (Top Level)
Body Techniques:
Rokushiki: Soru (Learn)
Rokushiki: Tekkai, Iron Body (Learn)
Moonwalk (Learn)
Rokushiki: Rankyaku, Tempest Kick (Learn)
Finger Pistol (Learn)
Kami-e (Learn)
Marco raised an eyebrow.
"I can even learn the Marines' Rokushiki? Useful early on, but not so much in the late stage of the Grand Line."
Still, he clicked Soru out of curiosity. A prompt appeared:
Soru costs 10 attribute points to learn. Confirm? Yes or No.
Marco tapped No and moved on to Conqueror's Haki.
Conqueror's Haki (Elementary) costs 100 attribute points to upgrade.
He scratched his head.
"Elementary Conqueror's Haki won't help in Marineford. Not worth it right now."
He checked Armament Haki next.
Armament Haki (Top Level) costs 10,000 attribute points to upgrade.
Marco stared at the number.
"Ten thousand? I can't afford that at all."
Observation Haki required the same amount. His Devil Fruit awakening cost even more at 15,000.
No matter where he looked, everything required points he simply didn't have.
"That leaves the basic stats."
He returned to the main attribute page.
The interface reminded him of a tablet from his past life, making him mutter,
"This really feels like a modern touchscreen."
His Strength was the lowest among his stats. Recovery, as expected of a Phoenix, was absurdly high. It probably even surpassed Kaido's Regeneration. But Strength, Speed, and the rest were nowhere near that level.
He sighed.
"Fine. Rokushiki may be basic later on, but having movement and mobility techniques could help when fighting Blackbeard in the future."
Marco quickly spent 60 points to learn all six Rokushiki techniques at an entry level.
After that, he placed all remaining points into Strength. The display shifted again.
Strength: 4440
Speed: 4400
Defense: 8500
Recovery: 45000
Stamina: 8000
Spirit: 4600
He exhaled slowly. His overall evaluation still remained at Yonko Commander level. Learning Rokushiki and adding almost a thousand points to Strength had not been enough to bump him up.
Marco leaned back and rubbed his forehead, unable to hide his disappointment.
"Still the same rating. Guess I'll have to earn the rest during the war."
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