On the coast of Cocoyasi Village, the Black Pearl floated peacefully. Its size was nothing impressive, but the villagers knew that this caravel possessed firepower comparable to that of a warship.
On the deck, Allen sat in front of a mountain of gold and money. This was everything he had obtained after the recent events.
A total of 173 million berries:
– 51 million from Nezumi.
– 72 million from Arlong.
– 50 million from Nami.
Nami had managed to gather ninety million, of which she left forty million to Cocoyasi Village to help them rebuild and improve their lives.
At first, Allen didn't want to accept Nami's money. Even though he had no issue taking money from others, he wouldn't do that to his companions. However, Nami convinced him with a simple phrase.
– "This isn't a gift, it's an investment. The stronger you become, the safer I'll be, and we'll be able to rob even bigger ships~" –
With those words, he couldn't refuse. Now the question was: how would he use that money?!
[Are you done admiring the money? We should hurry...]
Allen gritted his teeth. It was an enormous amount of money, a true fortune. However, it would soon disappear. It was necessary, especially now that he had gotten himself into trouble with the Marines.
"I know, but..."
[Do it before your Nami changes her mind.]
Even though Nami had handed over the money to Allen, knowing it would soon disappear, she preferred to lock herself in the cabin rather than watch her fortune turn into nothing.
"..." Allen closed his eyes and imagined a future where he could obtain far more money than this, and that helped strengthen his resolve.
At that moment, a door opened behind him.
Kaya stepped out of the cabin and walked toward him. Her eyes shone with kindness, and a smile appeared on her face.
"Hehe, don't worry, we'll be able to get more later. Right now there are more important things, aren't there, Captain?~"
Unlike Nami, Kaya wasn't so attached to money, so spending it for everyone's sake didn't bother her at all.
"I can't refuse when you look at me like that." Allen gave in and stood up.
"..." Kaya smiled upon hearing his words.
"That's right, I need to become stronger. Holding onto all this money while risking our lovely Kaya getting hurt would be foolish!"
Kaya blushed when she heard that, but she was happy nonetheless, so much so that she began playing with her fingers while lowering her head shyly.
The Chest appeared on deck before growing to the size of a large trunk.
"Alright, let's do this." Allen got to work and began stuffing all the money, gold, jewels, and valuables into the chest.
Bill after bill, coin after coin, jewel after jewel. It was both magical and devastating to watch all that wealth vanish into the chest as though it were a bottomless black hole.
At the same time, the parchment displayed the progress, and after ten minutes, it finally ended.
[Would you like me to convert everything into copper coins? If you want silver or gold later, you can fuse them.]
"How convenient... alright, go ahead." Allen shrugged with a depressed expression. He had gone from rich to poor in a second.
Available for conversion:
– Copper Coins: 173
– Silver Coins: 0
– Gold Coins: 0
Seeing the balance, Allen became curious. Right now, he could convert those coins into seventeen silver ones. It sounded ridiculous, considering that with a single silver coin, he had obtained the basic attack of the Gura Gura no Mi, which made it clear how incredible the things in the silver-tier lottery must be. And even more so for a gold coin—what kind of Skills could he obtain?
[Don't rush!]
Lenalee, sensing Allen's curiosity and knowing how impulsive he could be, stopped him from doing something foolish.
[Remember that Skills are tied to your level. Even if you somehow obtained a gold-tier Skill, not only would a level 19 body be unable to use it, but you could even die!]
'I know, I'm not stupid,' Allen snorted. He was just curious.
Allen thought for a moment before deciding. He opened his eyes and looked at Kaya seriously.
"Kaya, give me your hand."
"Huh?!" Kaya jumped in surprise before turning completely red. "I'm happy, but it's too soon. We still haven't clarified our relationship, and I need to tell Merry first so I can ask for his blessing..."
Realizing the misunderstanding, Allen coughed.
"I just wanted to level you up, not... You know."
Kaya froze and wished she could bury her head in a hole from embarrassment.
Meanwhile, Nami, who had been watching through a crack in the cabin door, came out and interrupted the situation.
"This is ridiculous, let me do it first."
Nami walked over and stood between Kaya and Allen before offering her hand to him while staring at him like a girlfriend who had caught her boyfriend flirting with another girl.
"Problem?" Nami raised an eyebrow.
"No, none at all." Allen chuckled.
When he took Nami's hand, she trembled slightly and looked away while her heart beat a little faster. She had acted out of impulse and jealousy, but deep down she also felt embarrassed by the situation, which was strange because the first time hadn't been like this.
Lenalee, tired of all the sweetness in the air, used two copper coins. One vanished, while the other transformed into energy that flowed from Allen's body into Nami's.
As is already known, since Nami didn't have a connection to the chest, the entire process depended on Allen. However, this time Allen managed it better, so the fatigue wasn't as severe for either of them.
As they say, practice makes perfect.
"Nngh..." Nami let out a soft moan that caught Allen by surprise, though he didn't lose focus.
He guided the energy evenly through every part of Nami's body, witnessing how she absorbed it.
"Ah~" Nami let out another moan.
"Hey, I'm carrying out a very delicate procedure here, don't do that," Allen complained. He was a healthy and innocent young man, so was this girl trying to tempt him?!
Nami bit her thumb while trying to hold herself together. "S-sorry... it doesn't hurt like the first time anymore... but it feels really warm... and... pleasant... ah~"
Steam practically began rising from Kaya's head. Nami's words sounded intentionally suggestive.
Allen, meanwhile, felt miserable. This girl had no consideration for him, the one who actually had to concentrate on all this.
Almost ten minutes passed.
When the process ended, Nami was sweating, her face red as she breathed lightly. Anyone unaware of the circumstances would think she had been given some kind of aphrodisiac.
Allen let go of Nami's hand and stepped back. This time he wasn't as exhausted as the first time, though he was still tired.
"Nami, how do you feel?" Allen asked while noticing how Nami's blouse had become slightly transparent from sweat. Still, he didn't look away. It was the bare minimum compensation she could offer after everything she had put him through.
"I..." Nami took a deep breath before responding, but then she looked at her hands in surprise. "I feel stronger..."
Nami was now level 2. Maybe she didn't have super strength yet, but she could carry heavy sacks with ease. Her speed and flexibility had also improved, as had her senses. Every level enhanced a person's body little by little.
"This is incredible!" Overjoyed, Nami ran over and hugged Allen.
Allen remained silent while Nami's warmth and softness pressed against his chest, along with the sweet feminine scent enhanced by everything that had just happened.
'Damn it, I'm a man too!'
Allen got fed up with Nami and decided to teach her a lesson, so he spanked the girl for having no consideration for a healthy and innocent young man like him.
"Ah!~"
Nami cried out in a very suggestive way while instinctively clinging to Allen.
Which only made Allen regret it because the effect was even worse.
Nami was about to complain, but then she felt something hard poking against her stomach. The moment she looked down, she yelped and ran away.
As for Allen, he was defeated. He had lost the dignity of an absolute being, so he dropped to his knees, drained of color.
Kaya approached him and hugged him while comforting him.
"You did well..." Kaya said with a smile that, in Allen's eyes, made her look like a saint or an angel.
"Thank you."
Allen was moved. Bringing Kaya along had been the best decision he had made. This girl truly seemed to be his pillar of emotional stability.
[Hahaha! I can't anymore! I've been holding back, but this is way too funny!]
'Shut up, don't ruin the moment!'
[Don't say that. Besides, don't forget your beloved and sweet Kaya still has to level up.]
'Huh?'
Allen froze. Did that mean he would have to watch Kaya react the same way as Nami and somehow hold himself back?
Wouldn't that be disrespectful? No, it was for her own good, so she could protect herself in the future.
'But that would be torture!'
Could Allen simply give in to temptation and unleash his instincts with Kaya?! NO! That would lower him to the level of a beast!
[Well, there's always the option of not doing it.]
Lenalee was thoroughly enjoying the situation.
'Damn it! I'm not a coward!'
Strengthening his resolve, Allen picked Kaya up in his arms and carried her toward his cabin.
"Kya! Allen-san?!" Kaya blushed intensely, but she knew that, just like Nami, she also had to become stronger. So she rested her head against Allen and held onto his shirt, leaving everything to him.
Allen opened the cabin door and carried Kaya to the bed. Even though it felt like he was making things harder on himself, he didn't want to do this on the deck where someone from Cocoyasi Village might see her.
He gently placed the embarrassed Kaya on the bed. The girl covered her face while peeking through her fingers.
'Come on, don't make this harder!'
Allen bit his tongue. He was only going to raise her level, so why did it feel like something else entirely?
"Allen-san, what should I do?" Kaya asked in a tiny voice, knowing she couldn't leave everything to Allen.
"Just give me your hand, try not to make too much... noise... and I'll handle the rest."
The cute blonde nodded obediently with a smile. "I trust you..."
– 10,000 damage.
Allen received a critical hit.
'This is going to be harder than I thought.'
Of course, if he still had all his memories, something like this would be nothing. After all, Allen had survived countless battles against beauties ranging from aliens to goddesses. But the current Allen lacked that kind of fortitude. He was at the same level as the Allen who faced MJ on his first night.
[Pff, do your best~]
"..."
Allen ignored Lenalee, who was only mocking him, and calmed himself down. He took Kaya's soft, delicate hand, and the girl intertwined their fingers, which was completely unnecessary, but Allen decided to endure it.
"Be gentle..." Kaya said shyly.
– 100,000 damage.
Allen felt as though he had been punched in the stomach. What kind of torture was this? Was he seriously supposed to go through this every single time he leveled up the girls while somehow staying composed?
[Well, it could be worse...]
'How?!'
[Imagine if there were men in your crew.]
The light vanished from Allen's eyes. Just imagining this situation with a man made him secretly decide that men were banned from his direct crew.
On the bright side, that disturbing image helped him regain his composure.
"Alright, let's do it," Allen said confidently.
Two copper coins transformed into a stream of energy that flowed through his body, and instead of absorbing it himself, he sent it into Kaya's body through their connection.
"Nngh~"
Kaya let out a soft moan, but then remembered she shouldn't distract Allen, so she covered her mouth and endured it.
"Hm...."
Kaya looked at Allen with teary eyes while her delicate body trembled from the sensation.
Allen turned pale. What the hell?! There wasn't a single unpleasant image in existence capable of distracting him from this cute girl trembling in front of him.
And the worst part was that nothing lewd was even happening. He was simply leveling up Kaya while they held hands.
....
After it was over, Allen escaped from the cabin, leaving Kaya asleep. Her body was covered in sweat, and she gave off a sweet scent that filled the room.
He threw himself onto the deck while trying to clear his mind of the suggestive expressions and sounds Kaya and Nami had made while leveling up.
It took him ten minutes to calm down before he finally stood up.
"It was a tough battle, but I overcame it like a champion, just as expected of me," Allen declared arrogantly.
Now that he had calmed down and both girls had increased their strength, it was his turn. The detail was that he needed to level up first.
"Lenalee, do you have any suggestions?"
[Your level is the priority. No, your level should always be your priority.]
"That's true... but it's expensive."
Every tenth level so far seemed to require a silver coin. Currently, at level 19, Allen had invested 28 million, which translated into strength equivalent to a pirate with a 28 million berry bounty.
(A/N: Sorry, earlier I said it was 29 million, but I made a mistake without noticing.)
Right now, Allen once again needed a silver coin to reach level twenty.
"That's true, but first I'm curious about how much I can handle with my current strength. Raise Hiken to level 2."
[Sigh Fine... done.]
"...?" Allen didn't feel any changes, unlike the flow of energy he felt when leveling up, so he checked the parchment to confirm it.
Skill: Hiken (Fire Fist)
Origin: Mera Mera no Mi
Type: Logia
Level: 2
With this new change, Allen stepped toward the railing and looked out at the sea. He clenched his fist, and it burst into flames.
"Hiken!"
A flame with a diameter of one meter shot forward. Allen was surprised. On one hand, he felt part of his stamina being drained, but beyond that, it was the power itself. It wasn't as simple as doubling the strength of Fire Fist—it was at least five times stronger.
"This is..."
[I told you. Skills are cheap to level up and easy to use, but in exchange, they're dangerous, because you don't understand their limits or cost until you actually use them.]
Allen remained silent. Before, his Fire Fist had been like the basic fireball of a beginner mage in an RPG, but now it possessed the power of a flamethrower.
"Lenalee, raise it to level 3..."
[You... don't blame me.]
Once again, Allen felt no change in his body. Even so, from the moment he obtained Skills, he instinctively understood how to use them.
Allen prepared himself. He stepped one foot back while clenching his fist and building momentum.
"Hi– what?"
Allen's fist turned into fire, this time with far greater intensity.
"This is bad!"
Allen realized he was losing control of the Skill because he had let his guard down, so he stopped hesitating and punched the air.
An explosion of flames blasted forward, powerful enough to burn an entire small ship if one had been in front of him.
However, Allen didn't even have time to be impressed. He felt as though his life force was being ripped away, and he collapsed to his knees with a pale face.
[That's why I warned you!]
"This is ridiculous... every level in a Skill is a potential increase..." Allen gritted his teeth while sweating. "Raise my level to 29."
Lenalee said nothing and did it. Allen felt an enormous amount of energy surge through his body. His stamina and vitality recovered and increased tremendously.
Allen stood up and wiped the sweat from his face.
[Seriously, stop being reckless. It would be incredibly pathetic if you died while increasing your strength instead of in battle against a monster.]
"Sorry, but I've always been a hands-on learner. If I don't experience things myself, sometimes I just don't understand them."
Lenalee fell silent, remembering that Allen had done the same thing against Arlong. It was a very strange way of "learning."
"What happened?!" Nami came running out of her room after hearing the sound of the flames.
"Allen-san?!" Kaya also rushed out in a panic. Apparently, the noise had been enough to wake her up.
"Don't worry, I'm just leveling my abilities," Allen said with a laugh. Fortunately, they hadn't come out earlier and seen him collapsed on the ground, or they would've scolded him as Lenalee did.
Kaya placed a hand on her chest and sighed in relief. "Thank goodness it's nothing more serious..."
Nami sighed. "Just don't destroy the ship, Captain."
"Don't underestimate me. I love my Black Pearl," he chuckled. "Well then, it's time. Lenalee, take me to level 59."
The girls held their breath. If the cost followed the same pattern of one level per million and ten million every ten levels, then level fifty would place Allen at the level of a pirate worth 104 million.
[Finally, you say something sensible... alright.]
Out of nowhere, a powerful gust of air erupted from Allen's body, pushing the girls back and nearly knocking them over. However, since they were stronger now, they managed to remain standing.
Both girls gasped.
It had only lasted an instant, but something about Allen had changed. They felt it, and not only that—they saw it with their own eyes.
Allen had previously been somewhat skinny due to poor nutrition, but now he had become stronger and more defined, like a martial artist. Not only that, he had grown around five centimeters taller.
"..." Allen was stunned. In an instant, 76 million had vanished, yet he didn't regret it at all.
This time it wasn't just a sensation. Allen truly felt an enormous amount of strength in his body. It was more than he could have imagined, and with this strength came a realization.
"If I remember correctly, the Pirate King Gol D. Roger had a bounty of five billion... I see." Allen looked at the sky. "And something tells me Roger wasn't even close to being the strongest man in the world..."
Allen didn't remember the story of One Piece. He knew nothing about Rocks D. Xebec, Imu, Joy Boy, and others. Besides, in the future there would be people who surpassed the strength of the old era, meaning that even strength worth five billion wouldn't be enough.
This world was filled with monsters.
Allen turned to Nami and Kaya with a serious expression. "Girls, I'm sorry. I was reckless when I challenged the Marines."
Allen understood now.
It was far too early to even think about the Empty Throne. Far too early to speak about becoming King of the World.
His previous strength, and even his current one at one hundred million, was so insignificant that he would die before reaching the second half of the Grand Line. Worse still, his recklessness would put both girls in danger.
Allen had never had people he wanted to protect before, but he was sure he wouldn't be able to bear it if something happened to Kaya or Nami.
"I promise I'll become stronger," Allen declared firmly.
Nami and Kaya blushed and didn't even know what to say, because if Allen had been handsome before, right now he was dangerous to a girl's heart. Of course, they didn't know that Allen was actually closer to his original version, though he still lacked a bit more muscle and height.
Allen laughed. "What? Did you fall in love with me or something? Don't worry, it's normal. Sometimes even I get jealous of myself."
Nami grabbed Allen by the neck and shook him. "Seriously, can't you keep your mouth shut for one moment?! You ruined it!"
"Calm down, Nami. I understand that you love me, but you can love me without being violent!"
"Shut up! Who would ever fall for a guy like you?!"
Kaya sighed in relief and smiled.
Even after becoming stronger, Allen was still the same. Though Nami didn't realize that if Allen became more serious and mature, the number of rivals around him would increase exponentially, so it was better for him to remain an eccentric guy.
....
Without Allen realizing it, the world had been shaken by two events.
On one hand, his name began spreading after his bold declaration and actions. No one knew why, but someone had even leaked news of his actions and words to the press, which quickly took action.
On the other hand, Monkey D. Luffy and his crew encountered Dracule Mihawk, the world's strongest swordsman, and Roronoa Zoro nearly died fighting him.
Soon, the next world newspaper would contain shocking headlines.
– A bounty-less rookie destroys two Marine bases and their captains, while openly telling the Marines and the World Government to go to hell.
– The same albino rookie defeats Arlong in the Conomi Islands.
– The world's strongest swordsman arrives in the East Blue and causes destruction.
– A rookie wearing a straw hat defeats the King of the East Blue at the famous Baratie.
– It is revealed that the famous strategist Kuro of a Thousand Plans was alive and was defeated.
– Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp arrives in the East Blue for unknown reasons.
– Corruption scandal: two Marine captains accused of tyranny and corruption, one of them conspiring with pirates!
The world was shaken because the weakest and calmest sea had suddenly become turbulent, and at the center of it all were two rookie pirates who seemed to be rising at the speed of light.
====
A/N: It's a good thing Allen didn't recruit Zoro—otherwise, things would have gotten really awkward 🍷🗿
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