On a small wooden boat drifting across the sea, Via looked exhausted and noticeably thinner than before.
She lay on her side inside the boat, lazily holding a fishing rod over the water.
Today was already the seventh day since she had set sail.
Grrrr…
Her stomach suddenly let out a pitiful growl.
Rubbing her belly, Via let out a long sigh.
“Ahh…
I’m so hungry.
Fish, please bite already.
If you don’t start taking the bait, I’m going to starve to death.” Subconsciously, she turned her head and looked at the shriveled sack lying beside her.
Another heavy sigh escaped her lips as she rested her chin in one hand and began complaining to herself.
“I should’ve brought more food when I left.” “At this rate, forget finding the One Piece.
I’ll probably starve to death out here before I even meet another person.” As she spoke, Via glanced around at the endless sea surrounding her.
“This endless ocean…
I can’t even see a single bird—” Before she could finish speaking, her eyes suddenly caught sight of a tiny black dot on the distant horizon.
The discovery instantly energized her.
“Is that…
an island?!” “I’m saved!” Letting out an excited cry, Via immediately grabbed her oars and began rowing toward the distant shape with all her strength.
…
….
Meanwhile, aboard the Eternal Galebreaker.
Inside his cabin, Carnes sat at his desk, reviewing everything that had happened over the past few days.
After several days of testing, he had gained a fairly comprehensive understanding of the system, the ship, Demiurge, and the rest of his crew.
The first thing was the reward mechanism for recruiting Special Crew Members.
After recruiting Demiurge, Carnes had received fifty percent of Demiurge’s power, along with twenty percent of his abilities selected at random.
The abilities required no practice or adaptation.
The moment he acquired them, they became as natural as his own limbs, allowing him to use them perfectly.
For example, the magic spell Meteor Summoning that he had inherited from Demiurge.
With a single thought, Carnes could call down a meteor from the sky.
After testing it, he discovered something interesting.
The abilities didn’t consume magical energy.
Instead, they consumed his physical stamina.
The same was true for Word Spirit Magic, which he had also acquired from Demiurge.
The stronger the enemy affected by the spell, the greater the stamina consumption on his side.
The only thing that still puzzled Carnes was the Influence Value displayed on his status panel.
[Host]: Carnes [Influence Value]: 135 …
[Prize Pool Access >>] He remembered clearly that his Influence Value had originally been only 100.
That had been the starting value granted by the system.
Even after recruiting crew members, the number hadn’t changed.
Yet a few days ago, when he checked the system panel, he suddenly discovered that the value had increased.
And it had happened silently, without any notification whatsoever.
At first, he suspected the increase was caused by the birth of the Ship Spirit.
That led him to a theory.
Perhaps the growth of his crew members increased his Influence Value.
However, after several days of testing with the ordinary crew members, he discovered that wasn’t the case.
“If the system won’t even tell me what actions increase Influence Value, then finding all the ways to raise it is going to be difficult.” Carnes muttered quietly.
Just as his words fell, a knock sounded from outside the cabin door.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
Carnes turned toward the closed door.
“Come in.” Click.
The wooden door opened, and a young crewman stepped inside.
“Captain, we’ve spotted a small boat off the starboard side.
There’s a person aboard it, and they appear to be heading straight toward us.” The report caught Carnes slightly off guard.
If they were sailing in one of the Four Seas, he wouldn’t have found it strange at all.
But this wasn’t one of the Four Seas.
This was the Grand Line.
Even the first half, known as Paradise, was still the Grand Line.
Whether it was the weather or the dangers lurking within it, neither could be compared to the Four Seas.
Anyone willing to sail alone in a tiny boat here must possess at least some confidence in their own abilities.
With that thought in mind, Carnes slowly rose from his seat.
“Take me there.” …
Meanwhile…
As Via desperately rowed her boat forward, the mysterious “island” grew closer and closer.
And as the distance shortened, she finally realized something.
What she had seen wasn’t an island at all.
The good news?
It was a large ship.
A ship definitely stocked with food and water.
The bad news?
It was a pirate ship.
And there were a lot of people aboard.
Staring at the magnificent silver-white vessel before her, complete with a gigantic crowned skull sculpture at its bow, Via felt panic flood her entire body.
Cold sweat poured down her face like raindrops.
“I…
I’m done for…” “I was so hungry that I started seeing things…” CREATORS’ THOUGHTS AniForge_058 Enjoying the story?
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