Kaya's Late-Night Visit!

"Awesome! Just what you'd expect from a brilliant strategist with both brains and courage!" Usopp looked at Rayson with utter admiration~

Just like when they had first met, Rayson had seen through his bluff at a glance~

Overwhelmingly powerful, admirable in character, and equally outstanding in strategy...

Rayson was simply the ideal pirate role model in Usopp's heart!

"Alright! Let's go find that guy and beat him up!" Luffy rolled up his sleeves and made to charge outside~

"You don't even know what he looks like, do you?" Zoro grabbed Luffy by the back of his collar and yanked him back~

"Ah! I forgot about that!" Luffy cried out and clutched his head~

"Leave finding Jango to me. You guys stay at the manor and discuss the ship's design with Merry~" Rayson rose to his feet and instructed them~

Jango... a wanted criminal with a bounty of nine million Beli who possessed the secret art of Hypnosis. Perhaps plundering him could yield some rather useful products~

"Please rest assured, Mr. Rayson! I will do everything in my power to build all of you a fine sailing ship!" Merry, who had silently stood solemnly at the side, made his promise with a grave expression~

Merry was the young lady's trusted confidant, as well as a figure who served as both elder and close friend~

Rayson and the others had defeated Kuro and saved his young lady's life. Merry was filled with genuine gratitude for their kindness~

Naturally, he would pour all his heart and effort into crafting an impeccable warship for this group of saviors~

In truth, he had begun conceiving and designing the Going Merry twenty-two years ago, and its main framework was now largely complete~

However, certain details still needed minor adjustments based on Rayson and the others' specific preferences~

"Then I'll look forward to it~" Rayson replied with a gentle smile~

Accompanied by Zoro and Usopp, Rayson quickly tracked down the suspiciously acting Jango in Syrup Village~

Before the formidable Rayson, Jango was as weak as a chick awaiting slaughter, utterly incapable of resisting~

Using the information pried from Jango, they followed the trail to the Black Cat Pirates' hideout and wiped out the entire band of thieves~

The Black Cat Pirates' remaining lackeys were nothing more than a rabble. Many of them did not even possess white traits~

Even Sam and Buchi, the so-called Cat Brothers, possessed only blue traits at most and were of no use whatsoever to Rayson~

However, Jango provided Rayson with a light-purple combat trait~

＞Hypnosis (light purple): Can hypnotize others, stimulating their physical potential and greatly increasing their strength~ Drawback: Loss of reason~

After converting this trait, Rayson obtained three light-purple strength-type upgrade materials~

Clearly, traits that directly enhanced combat power were likewise classified by the system as strength-type traits~

Rayson was fairly satisfied~ After all, even a mosquito was still meat. It never hurt to stockpile more~

He immediately used the three light-purple upgrade materials to further strengthen his Transcendent Physique (deep purple)~

Little by little, Transcendent Physique took another small step toward advancing to ultimate purple~

After using the three light-purple materials, Rayson once again felt a faint hunger in his stomach~

However, since the increase had only come from light-purple materials, the hunger remained manageable, and there was no need for him to eat immediately~

Afterward, Rayson had Zoro and Usopp tightly bind the pirates lying helplessly on the ground and escort them back to Syrup Village, leaving the villagers to decide their fate~

This village was not particularly wealthy. If the villagers sent these pirates in to claim the reward, the bounty money would surely improve their quality of life considerably~

That was also why Rayson had specifically brought Zoro and Usopp along to clean up the battlefield. The thankless work of escorting prisoners was naturally best left to those two~

And Rayson's motive for doing this?

＞Usopp felt boundless gratitude and admiration for what you had done~ Bond deepened, trait equipment progress increased~

At this point, Rayson had begun synchronously equipping Usopp's "Courage Anthem (special)" trait~

At first, he had worried that equipping this trait might also cause him to inherit Usopp's timid, trouble-fearing nature. If that were the case, this deal would be far too unprofitable~

However, the system's feedback in his mind dispelled his concerns~ Usopp's cowardice and negativity stemmed purely from his personal character. Synchronously equipping this trait would not transfer any negative personality flaws~

Now, Rayson could equip it without worry~

The "Courage Anthem (special)" trait might prove unexpectedly effective in certain crucial situations~

As for Usopp's "Slingshot Sniping (light purple)" and "Inventor (light purple)," they held little value for Rayson, so he did not choose to equip them~

After handling all this tedious cleanup, Rayson ate another hearty meal under the astonished gazes of Zoro, the others, and even Luffy, fully replenishing his depleted stamina~

With the young lady's careful arrangements, Rayson and his group each chose a guest room and decided to rest for the night at the manor villa~

The Going Merry still required its final adjustments and a few minor modifications~

Meanwhile, Usopp returned to his little house to pack his belongings and make his final preparations to set sail with Rayson and the others~

Late at night, inside Rayson's guest room~

With every breath~

After taking a hot bath and thoroughly relaxing, Rayson leaned against the headboard and casually pushed the window open a crack~

He calmed his mind and felt the salty, damp sea breeze drifting in through the window. He circulated "Child of the Sea (ultimate gold)," continuously digesting the accumulated breadth of heart and spirit, steadily tempering his Conqueror's Haki through it~

Although the "Child of the Sea" trait allowed Rayson to feel incomparably at ease while sailing, lying on a soft bed and enjoying the sea breeze was naturally an even greater pleasure~

Coupled with the fact that his Conqueror's Haki was still growing automatically without end, a smile could not help appearing on Rayson's face~

Knock, knock, knock~

Just then, an exceptionally soft knocking came from the door~

"Hmm?" Rayson opened his eyes. Who would be knocking at this hour?

Though puzzled, he still got out of bed and walked toward the door~

Click!

Rayson pulled open the door and froze slightly at the sight of the figure standing outside~

"Young lady?"

Rayson looked at the blonde girl, then caught sight of the food cart behind her. He immediately understood, and a hint of helplessness appeared on his face~

"Mr. Rayson, you can just call me by my name~" Upon seeing Rayson, the blonde girl's pretty face flushed faintly, and she gave a light cough~

She had been frail since birth. Blown by the cool wind pouring in through the half-open wooden window, she could not quite endure it and began coughing softly~