[Orochimaru: Heh. Road-kun, sometimes knowing too much just invites trouble.]
[Haibara Ai: Tsk tsk. That's what you get for talking too much.]
[WantToClingToLuoFeng'sThigh: Ah… uh…]
Somewhere in the Swallowed Star world, a certain someone was trembling in fear. It seemed he'd accidentally exposed a bit too much of Orochimaru's background.
Sure, Orochimaru couldn't exactly cross worlds to hunt him down—but offending a heavyweight like that for no good reason was still nerve-wracking.
Orochimaru wasn't some muscle-brained brute who only solved problems with violence. If that snake ever decided to give him a little push at the wrong moment, it'd be painfully unfair…
[Borsalino: Let's go with the little guy's recommendations then. @Orochimaru Road-kun didn't mean any harm. Hmm… how about I throw in one extra Devil Fruit and we call it even?]
To Borsalino, one more Devil Fruit—or one less—made no real difference.
Not to mention, as a Marine Admiral, he had the authority to requisition items from the Headquarters' stockpile.
And even if that failed, the New World was crawling with pirate crews. Pick a few, kick in their doors, and there'd almost certainly be Devil Fruits among the spoils.
He might as well consider it a reward for Road-kun's diligence—eliminate a potential future problem for him, and at the same time earn a bit of goodwill and reputation in the chat group.
[Orochimaru: Heh. Then I'll accept your generosity. I'll prepare the goods as soon as possible.]
[WantToClingToLuoFeng'sThigh: Thank you, Admiral Kizaru~]
[Borsalino: No problem. You helped quite a bit yourself.]
[Kobayashi: Borsalino-san really is a good person!]
[Zhang Sanfeng: A truly virtuous deed.]
[WantToClingToLuoFeng'sThigh: Long time no see, Master Zhang! That palm technique you taught me last time was incredibly useful!]
[Kobayashi: Eh? You actually learned it? I've been practicing for ages and still feel like I'm terrible at it…]
[WantToClingToLuoFeng'sThigh: Uh… maybe because Master Zhang and I are both sort of wuxia-type? At least for now. Kobayashi, you should probably learn magic instead—you're that genius who just needs two hundred years of study to surpass Thor!]
[Kobayashi: Two hundred years is way too much! And you're always going on about dragon maids—who are you trying to fool? What kind of dragon turns into a maid?! If dragon maids really exist, let one burn my awful boss's hair off first!]
[Haibara Ai: Another night of overtime, Kobayashi?]
[Kobayashi: Yeah… third night in a row. I'm exhausted…]
[Orochimaru: @Borsalino The techniques you requested have already been transcribed.]
[Borsalino: Oh? That was fast. I haven't secured the Devil Fruits yet, so I can only send you the tissue samples for now.]
[Orochimaru: That's fine. Let's trade first. You can give me the Devil Fruits once you have them.]
Before long, the system prompt echoed in Borsalino's mind.
[Ding! Orochimaru has initiated a trade with @Borsalino. Accept?]
[Accept / Reject]
Borsalino chose Accept.
A virtual trading interface appeared before his eyes, thoughtfully listing the items Orochimaru had placed on offer.
[Edo Tensei (Impure World Reincarnation)]
[Eight Gates Technique]
[Flying Thunder God Technique]
[Multiple Shadow Clone Technique]
[Water Release Secret Scroll]
…
Orochimaru's sincerity was unmistakable.
Not only had he put all the trade items up in advance, he'd even included a bonus guide on chakra extraction.
Of course, in a sense, this was a classic case of empty-handed profiteering. Everything Orochimaru offered was knowledge he already possessed. Copying it for Borsalino cost him nothing.
"Hmm… now how did this work again…"
Borsalino took out the test tube containing DIO's tissue sample and tried placing it onto the virtual platform.
[DIO Brando – Tissue Sample]
As expected, the corresponding label immediately appeared.
If either party attempted any fraud, the system would detect it instantly.
Since all terms had already been agreed upon, the trade was completed without delay.
The moment the test tube vanished, a mountain of scrolls appeared before Borsalino's eyes.
Staring at the pile, he scratched his head.
When was the last time he'd seriously studied anything?
Next time he traded, he really should prioritize techniques that were easier to pick up. Learning all this would be a massive hassle.
[Orochimaru: The goods are received. A pleasure doing business.]
[Borsalino: Likewise. Once I get the Devil Fruits, I'll send them over immediately. Do you prefer Paramecia or Zoan? Logia isn't impossible either—but that might take a while.]
Given Orochimaru's sincerity, Borsalino felt a bit bad being stingy.
But to his surprise, Orochimaru didn't seem particularly interested in Logia fruits.
[Orochimaru: Paramecia will do. If there's a Mythical Zoan, I'll take that.]
Before witnessing the true might of Logia abilities firsthand, Orochimaru still favored Paramecia fruits.
From his perspective, Logia's signature elemental intangibility wasn't even as practical as the Hōzuki Clan's Hydrification Technique—at least that didn't have a fatal weakness to water.
[Borsalino: No problem. …@WantToClingToLuoFeng'sThigh Road-kun, are you interested in Orochimaru's ninjutsu or secret techniques? Want me to copy a set for you?]
Once something was in his hands, it was his. As for whether Orochimaru would be unhappy—Borsalino couldn't care less.
[WantToClingToLuoFeng'sThigh: Uh… I'll pass. Thanks for the offer, Admiral, but a talentless weakling like me can't afford that kind of distraction.]
[Haibara Ai: Heh. At least you're self-aware.]
[Kobayashi: Is it just me, or does Haibara-san seem particularly hostile toward Road-kun…]
[WantToClingToLuoFeng'sThigh: She's still mad because I exposed her pretending to be younger when she first joined the group.]
[Haibara Ai: Don't flatter yourself, you HENTAI who spies on other people's lives!]
[WantToClingToLuoFeng'sThigh: Scheming, sharp-tongued woman!]
…
While quietly watching the chaos unfold in the chat, Borsalino casually opened one of the scrolls Orochimaru had sent and began following the instructions to extract chakra.
The first thing to confirm was whether chakra could even be refined in the One Piece world. If not, all these ninjutsu and forbidden techniques would be nothing more than fancy wastepaper.
Chakra, at its core, was the fusion of mental energy and physical energy.
For ordinary people, learning chakra refinement from scratch was no easy task.
But for someone like Borsalino—who had mastered Life Return—this was trivial. If his hair were long enough, he could probably play the piano with it. Controlling physical energy was child's play.
"…This feels strange."
Borsalino frowned slightly.
As he followed the method to guide his mental energy, he realized something unexpected—
The nature of mental energy felt remarkably similar to Observation Haki.
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