At first, I thought it was just my imagination that the island we were approaching looked familiar... However, the closer we got.
Gecko Islands, the same place where Syrup Village is located.
No wonder I recognized it—this was where Usopp lived.
'How did we come so far in such a short time?' I wondered.
But, looking at the cricket on Nami's shoulder, I found my answer.
It was very likely that this little friend somehow influenced our arrival at this place.
"Nami-nee, do you know someone around here?" I asked.
She looked at me and answered, "Yes, I have a good buyer here."
It made sense.
With her stealing here and there, there's no way she didn't have contacts to sell her trinkets.
"Alright! Let's sell this ship and go home afterward!" Nami suddenly shouted, raising her fist to the sky.
'Does she not realize how embarrassing that was?'
Even though I thought that, fearing her love-filled punch... I held myself back from making any kind of comment.
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Approaching me, Nami flashed a V sign.
She managed to sell the ship for 6 million Berries.
Although it was a relatively large ship, it had several broken parts that needed repairs. Of course, I was the one to blame for that...
"Here, this is yours." She tried to hand me the bag with the largest share, her face full of pain.
"I don't need that." I declined, saying, "Just give me 100 thousand. The rest is yours."
"Are you sure?" She asked softly.
"Yes, I'm sure." I nodded.
"Look at you, so kind~!" Excited, she grabbed me in her arms, pressing my face against hers while jumping.
When she let go of me, I felt embarrassed.
I know she didn't do it on purpose, which was even more tempting... Taking a deep breath, I gave a shy smile.
However, at that moment, Nami could only think about the money—even while walking, she seemed distracted as she carried the money bags.
When we arrived at the port, a smaller sailboat was ready for us to depart.
"Aren't we going to stay even one night?" I asked.
"No, this isn't a good place to stay." Nami said that without explaining.
By the way, I hadn't thought about it before, but maybe Nami's negotiation was so good thanks to the cricket that was now sitting on top of her head.
'Thankfully, this little friend didn't think of running away.'
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8 days later...
We found ourselves in a heavy storm.
"Noah, be careful!"
At Nami's shout, I simply jumped and punched the sea monster that leapt in our direction.
"Bang!"
The sea monster's face was deformed by my punch as a hole was opened where I hit, like a wrecking ball had struck it.
"Splash!"
The sea monster fell back into the sea while I regretted not being able to take it with us. After all, our small sailboat couldn't carry something that weighed tons and didn't even have the structure to fit something so big.
On Nami's shoulder, the little cricket trembled constantly while clinging to her clothes.
"RUMBLE!"
A thunderbolt tore through the sky, casting a flash that briefly lit up the clouds above.
The turbulent waves made our small sailboat seem like it was on something even worse than a roller coaster.
To make matters worse, there were also the sea monsters, who became more agitated and attacked more frequently.
It became clear that with the minimal intelligence they had, they thought it was easier to take down boats/ships during a storm.
"You're becoming stronger and stronger!" Nami shouted amid the loud sound of the storm.
At this point, I had to agree.
With the increased assimilation of Hercules, my strength was gradually becoming monstrous.
–
–
The storm continued for a few hours, and when it finally ended, the annoying midday sun came out to show its face.
Nami sat on the wet wooden floor, gasping for air.
For her, these last hours had been grueling.
For me, it was peaceful, even though I did most of the heavy lifting.
"Hey, Nami-nee, I'm going to do something with that piece of the sea monster I cut off earlier," I said.
Looking toward the bow, she must have remembered the large piece the size of a truck tire.
"Okay, do whatever you want, just let me rest~" She waved at me, lying down on the floor.
--
--
Almost an hour later, I called Nami to eat.
It wasn't anything too fancy or glamorous—I only knew how to make the basics, after all.
It was simple sushi with a bit of rice and grilled fish.
All seasoned only with salt.
Well, couldn't expect much. I also had to make do with what I had.
"Delicious~" Nami hummed as she brought a piece of sushi to her mouth.
Well, we hadn't eaten during the entire storm, and after so much physical effort, it had gained the most powerful seasoning to make food tasty: Hunger!
I myself ate happily while grumbling about how hungry I was.
--
--
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[Hidden Mission "Survive for more than 1 month after leaving your Comfort Zone" completed! 50 GP have been credited to your account!]
════════ ××× ════════
'Has it already been a month?' I thought as I pulled the sail rope of the boat.
"We're almost there," Nami announced.
Exactly one month since we left, we were nearly back home.
By my calculations, it would still take a few more hours to get there.
While I was thinking, another notification overlapped the previous one.
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[Hidden Mission "Assimilation of the First Character" completed! 1 Gold Scroll can now be claimed!]
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'Assimilate one and get another?' I laughed at my own thoughts.
But I couldn't hold back my excitement. And how could I not be excited?
With this, I'll be able to start assimilating a new character!
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|Summoner: Noah Amano
|Race: Human
|Level: 1
|Title: ___
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Gacha: 1x [Gold Scroll]
GP: 105
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Assimilation in Progress [1/2]: [Hercules (Hercules) - ★★★★★ (15%)]
Assimilated [1/2]: [Li Shang (Mulan) - ★★★★]
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Summon [1/2]: [Cri-Kee (Mulan) - ★★★ (Loyalty: 53%)]
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Clicking on the scroll, I chose to open it right there.
The instant I chose to open it, a flash of light blinded me.
When he opened his eyes, he caught the card in mid-air.
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[Elastigirl (The Incredibles) - ★★★★☆]
Description: Elastigirl, the heroine of unmatched flexibility, combines extreme agility with elastic and versatile movements, adapting to any challenge with grace and precision.
[Assimilate] – [Summon]
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My hand trembled, almost dropping the card into the sea...
'This is really good. Really, really good!'
The versatility of Elastigirl's ability, in my opinion, surpasses Luffy's. At least, by normal standards.
Of course, I understand that over time, Luffy managed to awaken new powers and even reached a stage many thought was only a legend.
However, that didn't stop me from thinking Elastigirl's abilities are amazing.
I was tempted to assimilate right then and there.
I looked in Nami's direction and feared that my body might suddenly go all rubbery.
'I should wait until we're back.'
Not knowing how much I could assimilate and what kind of influence it would have on me, I couldn't just take the risk now.
Holding back my excitement, I put the card into my pants pocket.
--
--
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