Ten years had passed, and the system finally reappeared, revealing Kaito Sakamoto's third ability: "Luck Shift."
Each day, Kaito would gain a bit of good luck, and it was permanent, with his luck reaching a maximum of 100 points, just like anyone who had a full luck meter. These 100 points could turn his misfortune into good fortune, and his good luck would continuously multiply.
But if the system was to be believed...
"Then why am I still so unlucky? Three voyages, three accidents? Is this what you call good luck?"
"100 days of full luck? It's been ten years, not 100 days!"
"How do you explain this?"
Kaito voiced his soul-shattering questions. If the luck was truly stacking up, then why hadn't he felt any luck at all since setting sail?
...
Meanwhile, on the other side with Luffy and his crew...
"I am the leader of the greatest pirate crew in this village—Usopp!!"
"Everyone calls me Captain Usopp!!"
Usopp, with a stiff expression, faced Luffy, Zoro, and Nami, using his signature skill: "Nonsense."
"I advise you to give up on this village."
"My subordinates, all 80 million of them, will not stand idly by."
Usopp struck a heroic pose, hands on his hips, looking like he believed every word.
"You're bluffing!" Nami immediately called him out.
80 million? Can this village even hold 80 million people?
"Ah, busted!!"
As soon as his lie was exposed, Usopp panicked.
Nami sweatdropped in disbelief, "You're admitting it now, huh?"
"Ah! I won't hide it anymore!!"
"You're so clever, woman."
Usopp scrambled to save face. Though, there was another possibility—maybe Nami was clever, or maybe Usopp was just too...
"Hahaha, you're really something," Luffy said, laughing at Usopp's flustered state. Once he knew Kaito was safe, Luffy returned to his usual carefree, cheerful self.
...
Swish~ (sound effect for a scene transition)
In the village's small restaurant...
"What!? You're looking for a crewmate!?"
Usopp, finally understanding Luffy's intentions, realized he'd misjudged them. They weren't here to rob the village after all. Luffy's words had a double meaning: they were searching for a crewmate—one, Kaito, and two, perhaps a new one.
"So, you guys are looking for a crewmate and a ship?"
"And there's another crewmate who got washed ashore here?"
"I haven't heard anything about that."
"But I do know there's a big ship over there."
Usopp raised a finger, excited to share.
"There's a huge mansion in this village."
"And the owner of the mansion is a poor girl..."
...
"Is something on your mind, miss?"
Now still disguised as a sheep, Kro looked respectfully at Kaya.
"I... I want to meet Usopp."
Kaya hesitated for a moment before answering without hiding anything.
"Miss, if I may be so bold..."
Since he started with "if I may be so bold," it was clear what was coming next.
"I know what you're going to say, Kroharter. No need to continue."
"And how's the girl that Melly rescued from the beach?"
Ah, Kaito was mistaken for a girl again.
Kaya glanced up at Kaito, who was still unconscious. Mistakes were understandable; Kro had seen Kaito, and at this critical moment, he couldn't afford any surprises. But when he saw Kaito was just a "pretty boy" and still unconscious, he didn't worry too much.
But then, this "pretty boy" ended up ruining his plans.
"I've had a doctor look at him."
"There's nothing serious. He just fainted. He'll be fine once he wakes up."
Kro replied, still respectful.
"Good..."
...
Back to Luffy and his crew...
The restaurant was now empty, save for Luffy, Zoro, and Nami. Usopp was nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, his three loyal "crew members"—the three kids—rushed into the restaurant to "rescue" their Captain Usopp.
"Hey! Captain Usopp's gone?"
"He's eating?"
"Did you guys... eat Captain Usopp?"
The three kids immediately looked terrified.
Zoro, grinning mischievously, responded, "Yeah, we ate him!"
"Ah!!!"
The kids jumped, eyes fixed on Nami.
"What are you looking at me for?"
The kids jumped again, shouting, "Grandmother wolf!!!"
...
"Is it time?"
Once they settled down, Nami explained that Usopp had said something before leaving.
"Oh, Captain must have meant it was time to find the mansion boy."
From the kids' explanation, it turned out that Usopp had gone to chat with Kaya. Though every word Usopp said was a lie, Kaya had found some comfort in his words.
"Speaking of the mansion, this morning I saw Uncle Sheep rescuing a sister from the beach."
One of the kids, named Onion, suddenly brought up a topic unrelated to their earlier conversation.
But this was important.
"What!"
"You mean the sheep saved a sister at the beach?"
"That must be Kaito!"
"Hahaha! That settles it! Let's go to the mansion to find Kaito and the big ship!"
Now that they knew where Kaito was, and it was conveniently the place where they could borrow a ship, Luffy made the decision: they would head to the mansion.
Meanwhile, Kaito's system kept him waiting for three seconds, slowly revealing the reason...