The list of options fully unfolded.
A line of explanatory text appeared at the bottom of the light screen:
[Note: Items obtained by the host through choices can coexist with items already present in reality without causing annihilation.]
Lin Nuo stared at those words for several seconds.
They would not cause annihilation...
That meant if he chose the Pluton Blueprints and they encountered the blueprints held by Iceburg or Tom in the real world...
Then both sets of blueprints could exist at the same time without disappearing.
That explanation was very important.
And... there was one thing about it that pleased him.
A smile curled across Lin Nuo's lips. The system actually gives me hints and explanations now. Before, it just spoke in riddles.
Good. Keep it up!
He refocused on the list of options.
In fact, as the list loaded, he had been rapidly thinking things over, and he had already crossed off many options.
Weapons and equipment like the Seven-Star Sword and Germa Technology meant little to him.
He did not specialize in swordsmanship. If he truly wanted a good blade in the future, he could just go "borrow" one from Wano Country. That place had plenty of famous swords.
As for technological blueprints, he did not need them for now either.
Once he sailed to Future Island, if he could establish a partnership with Vegapunk and fully support that genius scientist in advancing the tech tree, the results would certainly be far better than a single blueprint.
What Vegapunk lacked was not ideas, but resources and an unrestricted research environment.
As for things like the Adam Tree Seedling, Eve Tree Seed, and Island Turtle Egg...
Lin Nuo stared at those options, his brow furrowing.
They were good things—absolutely strategic-grade assets.
Adam wood was material for building the finest warships. Eve wood was said to possess even more mysterious effects, and an Island Turtle was itself a mobile military base and a nation.
But—
"By the time those things grow up..."
"Won't I have died of old age already?!"
"System," Lin Nuo asked tentatively.
"For things like saplings, seeds, or Island Turtle Eggs, is there any way to speed up their growth?"
"Like special fertilizer, time acceleration, or something?"
The system wearing Hancock's appearance silently looked at him.
[Unknown.]
Lin Nuo: "..."
He laughed in irritation, but there was nothing he could do except give up on them for now.
Then Lin Nuo's gaze slowly shifted to one option on the list:
[Memory Seahorse · Living Specimen]
He remembered this thing—a magical creature from an anime-original arc.
It looked like a seahorse, but it could silently approach people while they slept, devour their memories, and grow stronger through the power of those memories.
More importantly, it shared a similar trait with Moria's Shadow-Shadow Fruit: whatever it swallowed could be "spat" back out.
Moria could cut away other people's shadows, and he could return those shadows as well.
The Memory Seahorse worked the same way. It could devour memories, and it could release them too.
The system's note had made it very clear: [Can store and transplant memories.]
"If it could only store them, that would not be especially remarkable. But transplanting..."
"That effect was already powerful enough to rival Pudding's Memo-Memo Fruit, wasn't it?"
What made Pudding terrifying was that she could directly read, erase, and replace other people's memories.
If this seahorse could completely extract A's memories, then fully inject them into B's mind...
Wouldn't it be able to change Luffy's dream into, "I want to become the King of the Marines"?
"System." His voice turned serious. "Does using this Memory Seahorse come with any cost? Or side effects?"
"For example, would the recipient suffer a mental breakdown after having memories transplanted? Or could the transplant fail?"
[Unknown.]
Lin Nuo: "..."
He rubbed his throbbing temples.
Fine. You win.
I choose it.
"I choose [Memory Seahorse · Living Specimen]," Lin Nuo said, enunciating every word.
Making that choice had not been easy.
The Pluton Blueprints, Poneglyphs, the Adam Tree... every one of them was tempting.
But what Lin Nuo needed more was a tool that could solve complicated problems and create the possibility of miracles.
Choosing it was no different from gaining a Memo-Memo Fruit ability out of thin air.
And it might be even more flexible than Pudding's ability. After all, it was a living creature that could be raised and commanded.
As for the Pluton Blueprints and Poneglyphs...
He could just retrieve them later from ancient ruins and Water 7.
[Choice confirmed.]
The system's notification sounded.
The massive light screen began to contract before finally fading away.
Only the system with Hancock's appearance remained before him.
Lin Nuo looked at the system.
"Just wait. One day, I'll fill this entire progress bar."
"And every time, I'll get here faster than before."
The system did not respond.
It mechanically added:
[After returning to reality, please promptly collect and activate the basic function unlock gift package.]
Lin Nuo froze. "Huh? What gift package? What functions?"
That familiar sensation washed over him.
The pure white space began to twist and spin.
Again?!
I haven't even finished asking my questions yet—!!!
"Stop—!"
Light swallowed everything.
The moment he opened his eyes.
The familiar sky greeted him, along with the sound of waves splashing against wooden stakes.
Strange. Why does my body feel lighter...
Crap!!!
Lin Nuo sprang up from the ground.
Oh no, oh no! Did I suddenly pass out and fall from the sky? I can take a fall, but Kuma and the others...
His heart clenched as he hurriedly looked around.
Then he froze.
Kuma, Ginny, and Ivankov were all standing safely not far away.
But their expressions were extremely grave.
The three of them stood in a semicircle, their gazes fixed on the center of the clearing.
There floated a gigantic bear paw, red around the edges and transparent in the middle.
At that moment, the red Pain Bubble radiated an aura that made their hearts tremble.
"This is..." Ivankov's voice shook.
"All the damage Lin Nuo has suffered... since the day he was born?"
Kuma stood directly before the sphere and silently nodded.
He took a step forward and reached out, intending to touch the sphere.
"Kuma!" Ginny grabbed his arm, her little face deathly pale. "Y-you're really going to do this?"
"If you share this damage, will Brother Lin Nuo definitely wake up?"
Kuma lowered his head to look at her.
"Mm."
"Then I want to share it too!"
"No. Let me do it." Kuma patted the back of Ginny's hand.
"You're all already exhausted."
He turned around and faced the red bear paw again.
"I think..."
"My parents gave me such a strong body so that I could step forward whenever the people I cherish were in danger."
He raised his right hand.
"And now is when I am needed most."
Just as he finished speaking.
A hand gently landed on his shoulder, pulling Kuma half a step back.
Then a figure swept past him and brushed a hand forward.
The enormous Pain Bubble vanished without a sound, as though erased by a rubber eraser.
Kuma froze.
Ginny and Ivankov's tearful cries caught in their throats.
All three turned their heads at once.
Under the sun, Lin Nuo stood behind them, watching them.
"I made you worry."
"Sorry."
Before you continue