Half a month flew by in the blink of an eye. After completing Hell Training (Part 1), the system resumed issuing daily missions. With more free time on his hands, Rono became well-acquainted with the other people on the ship. Seeing this endlessly energetic brat around, everyone's faces carried a bit more cheer.
It's worth mentioning that Hell Training (Part 1) took Rono eight days to complete. On the fifth day, a thunderstorm hit in the evening. Because he had to focus on survival, he fell behind on his training. By midnight, he still hadn't finished about a dozen reps.
Then came the lightning strike.
Rono suddenly froze in place—then began convulsing like someone having a seizure. His eyes turned white, his fiery red hair stood on end, and his entire body trembled violently. His skin turned red, cracked, then blackened—finally peeling off in visible layers. With the help of his self-healing factor, his body repeatedly cracked open and regenerated. A burnt, protein-like stench filled the air. Rono wanted to scream to distract himself from the pain, but under the effects of the lightning, he couldn't even move a finger—let alone open his mouth. He could only twitch uncontrollably. Who knows how long passed before darkness overtook him, and he collapsed to the ground...
---
Some time later...
Rono slowly opened his eyes and sat up with a serious look on his face.
"System, I'm a little dizzy. Can I skip training today?"
> Ding! Friendly reminder: It's 5:00 AM.
Please complete your training promptly. There are rewards for completing tasks!
"Damn... maybe I went too far. This kid's mental strength is still way too low, LOL... better take it easy next time," the system muttered to itself.
"I've caught an incurable illness. I need a day to recover. Ahhh!" Rono exclaimed, flopping back down onto the floor, raising a puff of black ash—the "skin" he had shed the previous day.
> "......"
"Huh. Looks like he can take it. No need to hold back next time," the system thought quietly.
"Huh? Why is it so chilly?" Rono finally looked down at his body—he was stark naked! "Sh*t!" he shouted, immediately leaping to his feet and quietly sneaking back to his room. After changing into fresh clothes and cleaning up the training room, he noticed the system didn't say anything, so he could only start a new round of training…
---
Back to the present.
After finishing his day's training, Rono excitedly grabbed his fishing rod and started fishing at sea. Time ticked by, and soon it was afternoon. He yawned and glanced at the still-empty fish bucket. Clicking his tongue, he muttered, "The fish in this sea are really smart… Not catching a single one is totally forgivable… Yep, definitely not my skill problem."
"Guess I'll pack up!" he said, humming a random, made-up tune. He took off his bamboo hat and gathered his gear, preparing to head to the storage room. Just then—
> "Pirate ship approaching! Captain!"
the lookout yelled from the watchtower.
The clatter of rushed footsteps echoed as the sailors quickly assembled, gripping cutlasses and flintlock pistols in preparation for battle. Merchant ships are typically loaded with cargo to maximize profit—outrunning a nimble pirate ship was out of the question. So the only option left was to fight.
> BOOM!
A cannonball slammed into the mainmast. Then came a volley of chain shots. Pirates, daggers clenched between their teeth and grins on their faces, began climbing aboard.
> "Fire!"
Captain Akshia drew his saber and gave the command.
After one volley, nearly a third of the pirates were shot and fell into the sea. The remaining pirates, not waiting for the sailors to reload, leapt onto the deck. One pirate slashed a sailor to the ground. The crew dropped their pistols and engaged in brutal hand-to-hand combat.
Captain Akshia, with his formidable strength, was the first to take down a pirate. The deck echoed with shouts and screams as blood and flesh flew.
> "AHHH!"
A flash of a blade swept across—several sailors were cut clean in half, their torsos still wailing in agony on the deck. A burly pirate wearing a headscarf, wielding a long katana (or "sword," in this world), casually flicked blood off his blade.
This was clearly the one who struck just now.
> "Captain!!"
the pirates shouted excitedly, their morale surging as they pushed the sailors back.
> "HRAAAH!"
Captain Akshia cleaved another pirate in half, then charged straight at the pirate captain. The pirate captain licked his lips and clashed swords with him—
---
Meanwhile... what was our protagonist doing?
From the pirate ship's deck, a red-haired figure (not that Red-Haired) peeked up, flipped onto the cargo ship, and ran straight for the captain's quarters—the most luxurious room, obviously.
At the door, Rono tugged on the handle.
Locked?
He took a step back, ready to kick it down—when a long blade suddenly pierced straight through his back.
Rono froze.
Like a rusty robot, he slowly lowered his head to see the bloodless blade poking through his abdomen. Tilting his head to the side, his fingers curled into a fist—his claws suddenly extended like those of a wild feline and stabbed backward.
> Squelch!
Rono felt himself hit something wet and slippery.
> "Now we're even~," he muttered.
Without pause, he yanked his claw back. The attacker—Extra A—collapsed to the ground, clutching his wound with wide, disbelieving eyes. His lips trembled:
> "D-D-Devil Fruit power...!"
And then, he died.
Rono touched his now fully-healed abdomen.
> "Tsk, another ruined outfit."
Ignoring the corpse, he kicked open the captain's cabin door. After rummaging through every drawer, cabinet, and wall (leaving deep claw marks on everything, just in case there were hidden doors), he finally found a metal box inside the captain's pillow.
> "Heh, hiding it this carefully, and I still found it. If it weren't for my vast experie—cough, I mean, my cautious instincts..."
He extended his claws and carefully sliced open the back of the box. Just as he suspected—two green-tipped miniature arrows lay quietly at the top. If he had forced it open from the front, he'd probably be dead already.
He casually tossed the arrows aside and started inspecting the loot.
> "⊙0⊙! Whoa! Look at the size of this gem! Gotta be worth a fortune!"
"Tsk tsk, this dagger… the handle's made of gold!"
"Yo! A Devil Fruit?! HAHAHA! I hit the jackpot this time!"
> "Kid. Put the loot down, and I might let you die in one piece."
Rono turned to see the pirate captain, face covered in blood and breathing heavily, aiming a silver handgun right at his head.
> "Bleh!"
Rono made a goofy face—and without hesitation, took a big bite of the Devil Fruit.
> "Ugh, tastes like sh*t!"
Still had time to complain.
> Bang! Bang! Bang!
The furious pirate captain emptied his entire clip into Rono. Seeing the bullet holes all over his body, the captain spat angrily.
> "Damn it! Stealing from me—what the hell! That fruit alone's worth hundreds of millions!"
"First I run into some tough bastard during a robbery, now this crap! What a day…"
He turned to shout for help, planning to toss Rono overboard—
Then he realized something...