Seeing Kya take a Den Den Mushi from her coat, intending to seek Vice Admiral Tsuru's opinion, Rosinante panicked.
He grabbed Kya's hand and said urgently, "Contact headquarters. I'll ask Admiral Sengoku to issue the order. Then you'll agree, right?"
"Even if Admiral Sengoku gives the order, I still need to ask Vice Admiral Tsuru before making arrangements."
Your superior's superior was still not your superior. Kya was following procedure, and no one could fault her for it.
"Saving people comes first!" Van made a snap decision. "You stay behind. We'll go to Swallow Island ourselves!"
No, this wasn't what we agreed on!
Rosinante looked at Van, completely dumbfounded.
But Kya refused to bend the rules, and he had no better option. He could only go along with it and nod. "That works too. You go first. I'll come pick you up later."
"And this gentleman is?" Kya frowned.
"Arrange a boat for them immediately, and prepare some food and medicine!" Rosinante's expression was exceptionally stern. "You don't need to ask Vice Admiral Tsuru about something this minor, do you?"
Noticing the displeasure in his tone, Kya hesitated briefly before finally relenting.
"That won't be necessary! The warship has a speedboat for handling emergencies. I'll have someone take them to Swallow Island right away."
"You can stay here without worry and let the doctor treat your wounds. Otherwise, if something goes wrong, I won't be able to explain it to Vice Admiral Tsuru."
Having someone accompany them would be inconvenient, but being able to leave was already a blessing. They could not push their luck any further.
Van and Rosinante exchanged a glance and nodded in agreement.
Before long, the speedboat and supplies were ready. A burly female lieutenant junior grade was assigned to pilot it.
"Vroom..."
The engine roared as the speedboat cut across the sea, racing toward Swallow Island.
Although the Marines were still pursuing the Donquixote Family, as far as Van was concerned, this matter had already been settled.
After simply tending to Baby-5's wounds and his own, the system's voice sounded in his mind once more.
[Ding! The Op-Op Fruit transaction event has ended. The system is beginning to analyze the impact caused by the host...] [Donquixote Rosinante (Kind): Rose from the brink of death and created a miracle. Rating: S] [Trafalgar Law (Terminal Illness): Missed his opportunity, life hanging by a thread. Rating: A-] [Vergo (Dark Sin): Identity exposed, future ruined. Rating: B-] [Overall event rating: A. Determining rewards...]
The specific people corresponding to the Fate Anchors were no surprise to Van, but Law's evaluation came as a huge shock.
If making things worse also counted as a major change, then there would be plenty of room to maneuver in the future.
His expression turned strange as he wondered whether he should kill one or two original characters anchored by fate in a future event to verify his suspicion.
At that moment, the system spoke again.
[Congratulations, host, for receiving the event rating reward: 2600 points] [Congratulations, host, for receiving the special ability: Silence (permanent ability; can block sound and presence; cannot be improved through independent training; recommended to integrate it into the Operation Room as a foundational ability)] [Congratulations, host, for receiving 2200 points] [Congratulations, host, for receiving the Six Powers Experience Book: Single-use item; upon first use, directly grants mastery of the Six Powers (Soru, Tekkai, Kami-e, Geppo, Rankyaku, Shigan); requires physique to reach C-rank; can be improved through independent training; Experience Books can be used repeatedly for rapid improvement] [The host has obtained points. The system shop has been unlocked. Please explore the specifics yourself.]
"These rewards seem to have been replicated from the target characters... If there isn't anything good, does it compensate with points instead?"
"If rewards are distributed according to this standard, then when I encounter Devil Fruit users anchored by fate in the future, I'll need to put more effort into farming high ratings..."
Neither the points nor the Six Powers Experience Book were beyond Van's expectations. They were hardly pleasant surprises.
What truly stunned him was the special ability, "Silence," which had clearly originated from the Paramecia Calm-Calm Fruit yet could be integrated into the Operation Room.
In the original story, Law had developed a similar technique with the Op-Op Fruit, but that was after his ability awakened. The difficulty was self-evident.
Obtaining the "Silence" ability ahead of time was equivalent to eating a downgraded version of the Calm-Calm Fruit, indirectly saving him development time.
Though it could not increase his combat power, being able to block Observation Haki alone was enough to satisfy him.
Besides, this was only the Calm-Calm Fruit's foundational ability. If he encountered other Devil Fruit users in future events and earned high ratings, he would most likely gain other special abilities as well.
"It's too early to think about that. Let's see what surprises the shop has first."
Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Van opened the system shop, preparing to spend some points.
After checking, he found that the shop contained only Lucky Bags of three different tiers, costing 100, 1000, and 10000 points respectively, from lowest to highest.
He currently had a total of 4800 points, so he bought ten Basic Lucky Bags without hesitation, intending to test the waters first.
[Congratulations, host, for receiving a Basic Physique Experience Book (single-use item; effect equivalent to the host training physique for one month; can be used repeatedly)] [Congratulations, host, for receiving an Auxiliary Ability Experience Book (single-use item; effect equivalent to the host studying an auxiliary ability for one month; can designate auxiliary abilities such as medicine, navigation, or science; can be used repeatedly)] [Congratulations, host, for receiving a Combat Technique Experience Book (single-use item; effect equivalent to the host sparring with a master for one month; can be used repeatedly)] ...
After the ten-draw, the system inventory contained three Basic Physique Experience Books, five Auxiliary Ability Experience Books, and two Combat Technique Experience Books.
Everything was useful, but none of it was the best choice for Van.
The physique and combat technique Experience Books were one thing; at least they could improve his overall strength and were reflected on the status panel. But the Auxiliary Ability Experience Books...
Their effects were not obvious, yet their drop rate was high. They were truly unfriendly to someone like him, who urgently needed to increase his strength.
"Forget it. It's still better than getting nothing. Let's try the Intermediate Lucky Bags."
After adjusting his mindset, Van spent another 3000 points to buy three Intermediate Lucky Bags.
[Congratulations, host, for receiving an Intermediate Physique Experience Book (single-use item; effect equivalent to the host training physique for one year; can be used repeatedly)] [Congratulations, host, for receiving an Observation Haki Experience Book (single-use item; effect equivalent to the host training Observation Haki for one year; upon first use, directly awakens it; can be used repeatedly)] [Congratulations, host, for receiving an Armament Haki Experience Book (single-use item; effect equivalent to the host training Armament Haki for one year; upon first use, directly awakens it; requires physique to reach B-rank; can be used repeatedly)]
"Nice! These are the proper rewards and proper drop rates!"
Van decisively stopped there, planning to first make full use of what he had gained and continue drawing Intermediate Lucky Bags once he had enough points later.
Advanced Lucky Bags were simply too expensive. Their contents might be more valuable, but he could not afford to draw them anytime soon.
As for the Basic Lucky Bags, they felt like a scam. He would draw them as little as possible in the future.
Fate Weaver System Host: Van Age: 20 Height: 1.90 meters Passive Ability: Fate's Unpredictability Active Ability: Fate Weaving Physique: C- Haki: Observation Haki C- Devil Fruit: Paramecia Op-Op Fruit C (Silence ability integrated) Combat Techniques: C (Six Powers) Special Ability: Silence Overall Strength: B- Item Inventory: Armament Haki Experience Book Points: 800 ...
After using all the usable items, including using every Auxiliary Ability Experience Book to improve his medical skills, the system panel looked entirely different, and Van's strength had risen by a great deal.
Unfortunately, the trouble he had stirred up was far too great. For now, he could not openly challenge his enemies and could only continue developing quietly.
Before you continue