Mad Spending

Driven by an intense sense of crisis, Rayne immediately immersed all his focus into the [Exchange Shop].

Looking at his massive [Crime Index: 458,210], his eyes burned with fervor.

His goal was crystal clear—make up for his weaknesses!

Rayne first opened the most crucial category: [Haki].

[Haki · Peak Observation Haki → ??? Observation Haki]: (Locked)

[Haki · Basic Armament Haki → Intermediate Armament Haki]: (Locked)

[Unlock condition: The host must first awaken or master Basic Armament Haki independently.]

Rayne looked at the list and nodded in understanding.

"So the level above Peak is still displayed as [???]..." Looking at the Observation Haki section, he pondered, Could it be that my [Physique] must also reach [Peak] before the path ahead can be unlocked?

"In other words, both my Observation Haki and Armament Haki can't be upgraded with points for now."

Since Haki could not be improved at the moment, he turned his attention back to the [Skills] category, which could currently provide the greatest boost to his combat power.

His [Physique Realm] was [Advanced]. According to the rule that "skill levels cannot exceed the Physique Realm by more than one level," he could now raise any skill to [Top-tier] at most!

Rayne immediately began this one-man arms race!

"System!"

"[Skill · Intermediate Swordsmanship → Advanced Swordsmanship → Top-tier Swordsmanship], exchange!" Cost: 110,000 Sin Points.

"[Skill · Intermediate Shooting → Advanced Shooting → Top-tier Shooting], exchange!" Cost: 110,000 Sin Points.

"[Skill · Intermediate Stealth → Advanced Stealth], exchange!" Cost: 10,000 Sin Points.

"[Skill · Intermediate Combat Techniques → Advanced Combat Techniques], exchange!" Cost: 10,000 Sin Points.

"[Skill · Intermediate Cooking → Advanced Cooking], exchange!" Cost: 5,000 Sin Points.

"[Skill · Intermediate Navigation → Advanced Navigation], exchange!" Cost: 5,000 Sin Points.

As the commands rang out one after another, Rayne watched his four hundred thousand-plus Sin Points rapidly drain away, finally stopping at [Balance: 208,210].

Two hundred and fifty thousand points had been spent in barely a dozen seconds.

Rayne did not feel even the slightest pang of regret. All he felt was blazing excitement!

The next instant, an enormous torrent of information surged wildly into Rayne's mind like a collapsing mountain and raging sea!

Countless details about swordsmanship's force generation, shooting calculations, stealth breathing, grappling joint locks... everything appeared before him as clearly as his most deeply ingrained memories.

Rayne came to a realization: this knowledge now completely belonged to him.

He felt that if he spent one or two weeks familiarizing himself with and adapting to it, he could thoroughly transform all this massive theory into genuine strength!

As Rayne absorbed the enormous flow of information in his mind, he continued to think calmly.

"Gol D. Roger, the man who stood at the pinnacle of the seas—his ratings in every category were only [Peak]."

"Now that my Swordsmanship and Shooting have both reached [Top-tier], combined with an [Advanced] Physique Realm and [Peak] Observation Haki... I finally have the beginnings of the strength needed to protect myself on these seas."

With his strength improved, his equipment naturally had to keep up.

He set his sights on the armory within [Regular Goods].

"System, spend 20,000 points to customize a [Skillful Grade Blade]. Requirements: a tough blade, forward-weighted balance, suitable for rapid slashes."

[Customization successful!]

Rayne felt his palm sink as a black katana appeared out of thin air in his hand!

The sheath was wrapped in the hide of some unknown deep-sea fish, radiating a cold, eerie gleam. The handle was bound with dark green hemp cord, offering an excellent grip.

He slowly drew the blade from its sheath.

Bzzzz—!

A faint sword hum echoed through the air.

The blade was thin and narrow, radiating a chilling coldness that made one's heart tremble.

Its balance was perfectly distributed toward the front of the blade, as though it had been born for swift thrusts and ultimate slashes.

"Spend another 20,000 points to customize a [Fine Firearm]. Requirements: long range and high penetration. Some stability can be sacrificed."

[Customization successful!]

Immediately afterward, a jet-black semi-automatic pistol appeared out of thin air in his other hand.

The gun's lines were sleek and simple, without any unnecessary decoration. Everything about it had been designed for practicality.

Its cold metallic texture, heavy weight, and barrel that was longer and thicker than an ordinary pistol's all displayed its exceptional performance.

Rayne casually weighed it in his hand and immediately sensed its perfect balance.

This gun had undoubtedly been tailor-made for accurate long-range strikes and deadly one-shot penetration!

Rayne looked at the two new pieces of equipment made specifically for him and was quite satisfied. However, unlike other swordsmen or gunmen, he did not immediately begin excitedly thinking of imposing names for them.

In the shop's list, above [Skillful Grade Blade], there were even stronger [Great Grade Blade] weapons and the legendary [Supreme Grade Blade].

These two pieces of equipment were sufficient for now, but on the future seas, where powerful figures emerged one after another, they would sooner or later be rendered obsolete.

"They're only transitional beginner equipment. There's no need to get too attached."

Rayne thought calmly to himself.

"When I manage to get a Supreme Grade Blade or a Legendary Firearm someday, then I can think about naming them."

After finishing all that, Rayne glanced at his remaining 168,210 Sin Points.

His gaze calmly shifted to another tab in the shop—[Dimensional Curiosities].

"There are still a few days until the monthly refresh. That item should still be there."

He silently calculated for a moment, then entered the tab with a thought.

Sure enough, at the center of the golden display stand was the antique ring he had taken a liking to earlier but had never been able to afford.

[Monthly Curio: Storage Ring]

Description: Contains an independent space of five cubic meters. Items can be stored and retrieved through thought. Time inside the space flows at nearly zero speed, allowing perfect preservation. Living creatures cannot be stored.

Price: 100,000 Sin Points

Having coveted it for so long, Rayne did not hesitate in the slightest and directly spent one hundred thousand points.

[Exchange successful]

As the system prompt sounded, an entirely black, utterly unremarkable-looking ring appeared out of thin air in Rayne's palm.

Rayne put it on his index finger. It fit perfectly.

With a thought from him—

The customized sword and gun he had just exchanged from the system vanished from the air in an instant.

"Convenient..."

Rayne sighed from the bottom of his heart. The ring's value far exceeded those one hundred thousand points.

Rayne looked at his final remaining [Sin Points: 68,210] and let out a long breath.

The fortune of more than four hundred thousand points he had inherited from Roger had been squandered down to mere scraps in such a short time.

Yet Rayne did not feel the slightest regret. Instead, he felt an unprecedented sense of security.

Only after finishing everything did Rayne prepare to leave the system in satisfaction.

But at that moment, his thoughts inadvertently brushed across an icon emitting a faint golden glow.

[Last Wish List]

Rayne's movements abruptly froze.

"Damn, I almost forgot!" Rayne's heart skipped a beat. It's been who knows how many days already... Don't tell me it's expired?!

Filled with extreme unease, he directed his thoughts toward that icon.

The light screen unfolded. Beneath Roger's profile, the words [Last Wish List] were still clearly marked with three words: (Pending Activation).

Rayne let out a long breath.

"Thank goodness... it's still there."

In that case...

"Then let me see, Gol D. Roger... what exactly was the final wish left in this world by you, the One Piece who ushered in an era."

He made up his mind.

"System, activate [Last Wish List]!"

[Warning: Once a Legendary (LR) last wish is activated, it cannot be canceled. Please confirm.]

"Cannot be canceled..."

Other Last Wish Lists that he had permanently shelved, too lazy even to look at, flashed through his mind.

[Ak's Last Wish: Find and kill the tavern owner who betrayed him.]

["Blood Shark" Flores's Last Wish: Plant a huge bomb at the Loguetown Marine branch and make the entire branch accompany me in death.]

Most pirates' last wishes were trash missions filled with vengeance and the desire for destruction.

Fortunately, he could simply leave them there if he did not want to do them. Thus far, aside from Buck's request, Rayne had not touched a single one.

But Roger's mission was explicitly marked as non-cancelable.

Rayne's gaze returned to Roger's golden last wish.

"But he's Gol D. Roger, after all."

He thought to himself, With that man's bold personality, his last wish shouldn't be something so pathetic, right?

His curiosity about the last wish and his desire for another "super gift pack" overcame his caution toward the unknown risk.

"Let's gamble!"

Rayne gritted his teeth and made his decision.

"Confirm!"

As Rayne confirmed with his thoughts, the line of text finally bloomed with dazzling light before his eyes.

[Gol D. Roger's Last Wish: Bloodline]

Description: "I ushered in the Great Pirate Era and gave countless people dreams of pursuing freedom, but because of that, my only bloodline may never receive true freedom for his entire life. If possible, I hope he will not be bound by my name, that he may live freely and choose his own life."

Mission objective: In the future, find Gol D. Roger's only bloodline. When he faces an "inevitable death beyond his ability to choose," protect him once, allowing him the right to choose his own life.

Rayne stared at this last wish, completely stunned as he sat on the bed.

Images of the towering flames from the war at Marineford flashed through his mind. He saw the figure whose chest had been pierced by magma, and he heard Fleet Admiral Sengoku's declaration that had resounded across the world.

"The only bloodline..."

"An inevitable death beyond his ability to choose..."

Rayne's expression became incomparably complicated.

"Does this mean I have to do exactly as the last wish demands?" Rayne muttered in a low voice, his brows tightly furrowed. "The goal is to save One Piece's only bloodline... If the Marines found out, wouldn't they just brand me a traitor and haul me off?"

However, his hesitation lasted less than ten seconds.

Rayne's gaze became calm again, and a self-mocking sneer curled across his lips.

"What am I hesitating for?"

"The war at Marineford? That's more than twenty years away." He shifted into a more comfortable position and lazily leaned against the pillow.

A trace of ambition, one he had not even noticed himself, flashed through his eyes.

"Twenty years from now, how strong will I be? Hell, maybe even the Empty Throne beneath Imu's ass will be mine to sit on. By then, protecting one person will be nothing more than a word from me."

He shook his head, throwing those overly distant and somewhat arrogant thoughts out of his mind.

"Why think so much?"

"Anyway, that's something to worry about in the future. For now, I'll enjoy the present."

He closed the [Last Wish List] interface and temporarily sealed that heavy burden away in the deepest part of the system.