Koby's Traits

It truly was the adventure story of a top-tier second-generation heir. Even a buff like "Summon All Members of the Red-Haired Pirates" was written right on the panel.

Never mind whether he could beat Luffy—even if he cornered him, what if that trait activated and brought Garp, Dragon, and Shanks here at the same time? Even Whitebeard in his prime probably would not be able to handle that.

However, Rayson had his eye on someone else.

"You're one of Alvida's subordinates too, aren't you?"

Rayson looked at Koby, who was cowering in the corner and would one day be called a hero, and spoke calmly.

He studied Koby, this clown whom countless people had scorned, yet who would later be hailed as a hero.

He thought to himself.

"Read traits."

＞Koby's traits: Navigation (White), Conqueror's Haki (Unawakened) (Pale Gold), Faction Betrayal (Special), Factional Fortune (Ultimate Gold).

Even though he had expected it, Rayson still cursed inwardly.

Rare traits—another freakish set.

One special, one pale gold, and one peak-tier trait.

And that ultimate gold trait was already activated? This was treatment on par with Luffy! Was this clown the original author's biological son or something?

Normally, the threshold for a ceiling-level gold combat trait was power equivalent to an admiral's, or the potential to inevitably reach admiral level.

Of course, non-combat traits were measured differently, such as Nami's deep-purple Navigation and pale-gold Climate Sense.

That meant possessing an ultimate gold combat-potential trait was equivalent to receiving a ticket into the ranks of the strongest. At the very least, one would reach admiral level in the future.

But did Koby deserve that?

Even more absurdly, this weakling actually possessed Conqueror's Haki? The disposition of a king?

Looking at Koby's thick glasses and face full of fear, Rayson felt a wave of disgust.

He quickly read through the descriptions of the traits.

＞Navigation (White): Basic route-guidance techniques, suitable for sailing through calm seas.

＞Conqueror's Haki (Unawakened) (Pale Gold): The disposition of a king, possessed by only one person in a million! It cannot be acquired through training. At the initial stage, one can use sheer will to directly knock out those with weak minds.

＞Faction Betrayal (Special): At critical moments, the holder will betray their faction and inflict major losses upon it. (Special traits cannot be upgraded.)

＞Factional Fortune (Ultimate Gold): When an iconic powerhouse of the holder's faction falls, their fortune and legacy will transfer to the holder, greatly increasing the holder's strength. (The holder must be nearby when the target falls.)

"..."

After reading those descriptions, Rayson decided to retract his earlier question about Koby being the author's biological son.

This trash was clearly the original author's biological father!

No wonder! No wonder this unbearably cowardly brat had somehow become the so-called "new hero of the Marines" in the end.

No wonder Koby's strength had suddenly skyrocketed for no apparent reason when Garp met his end on Beehive Island.

So it was all because of this Factional Fortune trait!

This bastard had clearly drained the remnants of Garp's legacy as the "Hero of the Marines" to strengthen himself!

"Falling" here did not necessarily mean death. It more often represented the end of someone's era on the seas. As long as Koby was present when it happened, he could seize that person's fortune.

Luffy's breakthrough on Onigashima had at least come after Kaido smashed him to pieces with Thunder Bagua who knew how many times, allowing him to awaken through the Sun God Trait.

But what about Koby? With Factional Fortune, he merely had to stand nearby when a titan of his own faction fell, and he could gain a terrifying boost out of thin air.

Combined with the Faction Betrayal Trait... it was simply a perfect match.

Rayson finally understood. No wonder that clown had dared to jump out and stop Akainu during the Marineford War. No wonder Akainu, who had always been ruthless and iron-blooded, had actually patiently listened to that fool howl and cry, missing the crucial chance to pursue them.

He had clearly been affected by the trait's intelligence-reducing effect.

Faction Betrayal (Special): At critical moments, it will inflict severe losses on the holder's faction.

From the Marines' perspective, that delay had directly allowed the Red-Haired Pirates to arrive. Luffy escaped successfully, and the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates were able to retreat. How was that not a major loss?

Later, it was also because of Koby, this traitor, that the era of Monkey D. Garp, the Hero of the Marines, was brought to a complete end.

Then Koby had naturally used Factional Fortune to drain Garp's legacy and strengthen himself.

When Rayson had watched this part of the story on Earth, he had no idea how many times he had cursed the author in his heart.

But now? The stronger Koby's traits were, the happier Rayson became.

Rayson stared at Koby, a strange gleam flashing in his eyes.

"Huh? He's one of their people too?" With his mouth stuffed full of food, Luffy turned to look at Koby as he chewed.

"I... I am, but there's a reason..." Koby stammered in explanation.

"Since you're one of Alvida's subordinates, lie down."

Rayson had no interest in listening to that clown's excuses. Relying on Beast Strength, he swept out with a kick and knocked Koby unconscious on the spot.

"Rayson! He clearly wasn't planning to fight back, so why did you kick him?" Luffy swallowed his food and looked at the unconscious Koby.

"Because he betrayed his companions." Rayson looked solemn as he stared directly into Luffy's eyes.

Luffy was not the sort of idiotically kind person who helped everyone. He simply did not bully people who were defenseless.

That was probably Shanks's influence.

"Betrayed his companions?" Luffy blinked.

"That's right. He joined the Alvida Pirates, yet turned around and warned us. Abandoning your comrades like that is the most shameless act on the seas. Companions are people who can entrust their lives and deaths to one another." Rayson spoke with absolute certainty.

Whether Koby had been forced to join or not, he was, at least for now, nominally a member of the Alvida Pirates.

On the surface, he acted submissive and obedient toward Alvida. In secret, though, he was always thinking of stabbing the pirates in the back and defecting to the Marines.

Yet after joining the Marines, he would still turn traitor at crucial moments and cause his own faction catastrophic losses. He truly was a premium-grade clown.

Within the Marines, Akainu might have been hated by many because of his extreme justice, but he was no clown.

The strong could be evil, cruel, or extreme, but they could never be clowns.

Koby's existence seemed deliberately designed to disgust people.

"Oh, I get it."

After hearing Rayson's impassioned words about companions, Luffy nodded in agreement.

After all, Rayson had given him plenty of food when he had been starving.

And Rayson's definition of companions deeply resonated with Luffy.

As for Koby? Luffy had only just met him. With Rayson's interference, the two of them had not even exchanged more than a few words.

Luffy's earlier question had purely been influenced by Shanks—he did not want to bully someone defenseless.

Now that he understood why Rayson had acted, Luffy even wanted to applaud.

People who betrayed their companions had always been the ones Luffy most wanted to beat senseless.