Suddenly, white clouds floated across the sky, blocking the scorching sun.
Predatory seabirds and gulls soared through the deep blue sky, emitting crisp tweets. Some of them dived into the sea like sharp arrows, while others landed on the mast deck, resting briefly before taking flight again.
"This is the boat I bought secretly. We can rest for a while," Luwell sighed in relief as she opened the hatch.
"Where's the Marine?" Leno asked.
"Don't worry, there's an auction tonight, so it's impossible for the Marines to conduct a thorough search."
Leno raised an eyebrow. "Why?" Kuina inquired.
"The island's fashion committee, dominated by DOSKOIPANDA, is the true owner of Glass Ball Island. The Marines wouldn't dare offend them," Luwell explained.
Glass Ball Island is the fashion capital. At the monthly auction, big names gather. A Marine-led search would not only displease the guests but could also ruin the auction, leading to a bad reputation.
Leno said, "Does the Marine need their military expenses covered?"
"That's about right!" Luwell replied. "Marine provides protection, the shops on the island contribute taxes, and there's some underground income involved."
Inside the cabin, which was arranged like a residence with a living room, kitchen, washroom, and an inner room, there were two rows of books on a bookshelf facing the sofa, most of them about animals and plants by the author G Rogge.
Leno was slightly surprised but didn't ask much. He sat down on the sofa with Kuina.
"How do you feel?" Leno asked, noticing that her face was still flushed.
Kuina took a deep breath, reminiscing about the thrill and excitement of the battle. "It's completely different from training. Even when I'm sparring with Zoro, it doesn't feel the same."
Leno nodded, understanding her sentiment. His first kill was in a bandit group, and the memory of the blood rush was still vivid.
The mentality between training and real combat is worlds apart. In training, you don't fear for your life, but in battle, you always have to be cautious.
Leno believed that after this journey, Kuina's swordsmanship would improve. She was already on the verge of becoming a swordsman.
"This is tea from the land of West Blue flowers!" Luwell served three cups of tea, placing them on the table.
Leno reminded her, "Don't forget, you owe us 20 million Belly."
Luwell's smile froze. This damn man, only thinking about money? Didn't he notice her beauty?
With a hint of anger, Luwell replied, "Understood, I'll get it!" and turned to enter the house.
Leno exchanged a glance with Kuina, who, with tacit understanding, followed Luwell.
"What? Don't trust me?" Luwell questioned.
Leno picked up his teacup and responded flatly, "Should I?"
A woman like Luwell, who roamed the streets, had long been hardened by life. Her words were a mix of truth and lies, and anyone who fully believed her would be a fool.
Luwell gritted her teeth, wishing she could devour Leno, but said helplessly, "I only have 13 million left."
She really had intended to escape earlier.
Leno ignored her pitiful expression, took a sip of tea, and said, "You still owe seven million."
Luwell clenched her fists in anger, her chest heaving with frustration. Taking a deep breath, she resigned herself to her fate, realizing she couldn't win this battle, and resentfully went to get the money.
Leno leaned back against the sofa and checked the system prompts.
[Ding! You defeated your opponent and scanned for talents: Spider Web Perception (B-level), Spider's Voice (B-level), Gambling (C-level), Poison Immunity (D-level)]
"Four talents?" Leno was surprised. Ruen's fighting power didn't match his talent! It seemed his understanding of his own talent was quite superficial.
[Please host choose one of the four talents!]
"Choose one of four?" Leno frowned, contemplating his choice.
[Spider Web Perception]? Leno thought of Ruen's ability to evade the rocket launcher's bombing, initially mistaking it for Observation Haki. However, it turned out to be the effect of the spider web perception. But without a spider web, would the perception still work?
The talent of [Spider's Voice] intrigued Leno. Ruen hadn't displayed it, but the name suggested it might be related to communication with spiders. Should he take a gamble?
Leno's current talents were already quite impressive, giving him ample room for growth. He could afford to take a chance on a B-level talent. The C and D-level talents weren't even considered.
[Ding! Congratulations to Host for copying Ruen's talent, Spider's Voice!]
[Talent introduction: Small life has wisdom; you will be able to listen to the voice of the spider race and communicate with it.]
Upon reading the talent introduction, Leno was pleased. "Listening to the voice of spiders? This is somewhat similar to the ability to hear the voice of all things! The difference is that [Spider's Voice] only applies to spiders."
[Ding! It is detected that the Host has similar talents: Observation Haki and Spider's Voice. Would you like to fuse and improve them?]
"Oh?" Leno pondered. The two talents did indeed share similarities in their spiritual-level perception abilities.
At present, Leno's Observation Haki was at B-level, which meant that fusing it with another B-level talent could potentially elevate it to A-level. The difference between talent levels lay in their upper limits; the higher the level, the greater the potential for growth.
Leno's first fusion talent, [Lord of Gluttony], was a testament to this. By combining four talents into one, each talent's potential was significantly enhanced, which was a key factor in Leno's rapid strength gain. [Lord of Gluttony] had given him a stronger body, fearless courage, and a more attractive appearance.
However, this didn't mean that the talent would instantly improve after fusion. It involved a gradual process of development and exploration, much like the way a Devil Fruit user needs to develop their powers to unlock their full potential.
"Fusion!" Leno commanded as a mysterious light appeared on the system panel, forming a vortex that engulfed the two talents.
In an instant...
[Ding! Fusion successful. Congratulations to Host for obtaining the talent: Observation Haki (Level A)!]
[Talent introduction: The potential of the heart can sharpen one's five senses. It allows you to listen to the sound of insects, detect the breath and emotional changes of surrounding creatures, and use it to predict and avoid danger.]
As expected, the talent had evolved, and Leno was delighted.
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