Chapter 232: The Godfather
[You have chosen Travel Mode 1]
[Please select three from the following ten talents as matching conditions]
[1. Faceless Void (Purple): You have a cucumber growing out of your face, but you have a certain probability of reversing time.]
[2. God's Chosen (Purple): In worlds where gods exist, you will receive the favor of the gods.]
[3. Vampire Physique (Purple): Your physical abilities far surpass those of humans; you are ageless and immortal, but will be destroyed by sunlight.]
[4. Frost Archer (Blue): Your shooting feels icy cold, but you have a natural gift for melee combat.]
[5. Masochist (Green): You have a fondness for pain, especially whips and candles.]
[6. Discontinuous Existence (Purple): A mysterious alternate personality lurks within your body.]
[7. Child of the Ocean (Purple): You belong to the sea by nature. You are especially adept at swimming, sailing, and related skills, enjoying tremendous bonuses.]
[8. Naturally Sociable (Purple): Your social skills are flawless; with charisma and outstanding looks, you can quickly become friends with anyone.]
[9. Crooked-Mouth Dragon King (Purple): Every time you smile with a crooked mouth, things get easier. Just do it, NIKE.]
[10. Prison Epiphany (Purple): After serving time in prison, your abilities will significantly improve.]
Zhou Ning: …
This set of talents was dazzling again—almost all purple, making one's head spin, and many were quite practical. Even Naturally Sociable was the top-tier purple version, not the blue-tier one he had seen twice before. At least six or seven talents were worth considering.
For example, God's Chosen, Naturally Sociable, Crooked-Mouth Dragon King—absolute peak-level social skills, able to charm even the gods. Perfect for simulations.
But Zhou Ning decided to pass on this tempting option, resisting the lure of good luck. After looking over his existing templates several times, he ultimately chose to enter the simulation as The Godfather · Zhou Ning.
[Character: The Godfather · Zhou Ning]
[Personality: Gentlemanly, steadfast, authoritative, ruthless, unpredictable.]
[Talents: Born Leader (Gold), Criminal Mastermind (Gold), Extraordinary Charm (Purple)]
[Skills: Negotiation (Expert), Basic Shooting (Advanced), Basic Combat (Advanced)]
Although this template's combat ability was average, after comparing Ordinary Office Worker and Mad Clown, Zhou Ning no longer cared much about surface-level combat power. Only ambitious templates like The Godfather or Kyōka Suigetsu could fully reap rewards from a world.
[You have chosen Option Two, entering the simulation as The Godfather · Zhou Ning.]
[Match successful. In this parallel world, you are the godfather of a prominent family in Big Apple City. You are a charismatic leader, with countless family members willing to risk their lives for you. Calm, shrewd, and strong, you earn respect by helping the weak, and with your astonishing leadership and sinister criminal mind—wielding guns, axes, and torture—you have risen to your current position. In this challenging world, what can you accomplish? Let us wait and see.]
[This map is a BONUS random map, with completely random difficulty and background.]
[Travel Coins earned in BONUS maps will be multiplied by 2. You will also receive an extra reward from this world that can be taken out, not limited to items or skills. Therefore, be sure to explore this world as much as possible.]
[Current world exploration: 0%. Upon reaching 66.7%, you will unlock permission to enter the next map.]
[When you die in this simulation, the game ends.]
[Note: Using a template allows you to freely choose the time and location of your travel.]
[Note: Template characters have strong subjective agency. The Godfather · Zhou Ning's alignment is Lawful Evil. You cannot control the character's actions in the simulation.]
[You did not choose a travel time or location.]
[Boarding time machine… 1%… 33%… 65%… 95%… Whoosh… Travel complete.]
[You have arrived on the high seas in 1730. From this moment, the wheel of history begins to turn.]
Zhou Ning: ?????
This setup felt strangely familiar… Could it be that he had traveled 100 years after he'd already conquered the One Piece world?
At last, he understood why a One Piece template had appeared earlier… The Lucky Clover had actually given him two luck points—one being the One Piece template, and the other the Child of the Ocean talent. Unfortunately, he had missed both chances.
[June 2, 1716: You are adrift on an endless ocean. With no landmarks nearby, you have no idea of the date, time, or location, nor why you suddenly came here from Big Apple City. Your only support is a piece of driftwood. You have no food or drink. Although you can swim, your skills are average, so you can only cling to the driftwood and float with the current.]
[June 3, 1716: After a day at sea, you notice that the current is flowing northward. There are amberjack and tuna in the water, so food is not an immediate concern. That afternoon, it rains. You seize the chance to collect some fresh water and food. (You have acquired the general skill: Foraging.)]
[June 4, 1716: Your luck is excellent. After only three days at sea, you encounter an armed merchant vessel, which rescues you. They speak a language you can understand—Spanish—but their verbs use more inflections than the version you know. Among them is a castaway woman dressed in Rococo-style clothing. From your historical knowledge, Rococo fashion originated in 18th-century France, meaning you are likely in the early 18th century.]
[You speak with the captain and learn that you are in the North Atlantic, near the Azores. They are merchants from Seville, transporting goods to Port Royal, Jamaica—a voyage that will take half a month.]
[With your extraordinary charm, you persuade the captain to give you a ride. In exchange, you must serve as a temporary sailor during the trip. You don't mind; everything has its price.]
[June 7, 1716: You learn that the beautiful woman's name is Jenny Poe, the captain's daughter, who is moving to Port Royal permanently. As the saying goes, love often arrives suddenly. That night, after some drinks, you two are mutually attracted and end up in bed together. (Happiness +1)]
[June 8, 1716: Through your chats with Jenny, you learn about the world's situation. It is currently the golden age of piracy. Spain still holds an advantage in the Caribbean, but Britain, France, and the Netherlands are issuing letters of marque to those willing to raid Spanish ships. As a result, piracy is rampant. On this ship, you also befriend a sailor named Joshamee Gibbs, hitting it off instantly.]
[June 17, 1716: After more than two weeks at sea, you arrive at Tortuga Port. The port was built over 60 years ago by the infamous pirate Henry Morgan. According to Joshamee Gibbs, Morgan was the pirate king of his time, operating with Britain's tacit approval. He looted over 200 Spanish ships, captured Puerto Principe in Cuba, used captured priests and nuns as human shields, and seized the heavily defended city of Porto Bello on the Isthmus of Panama—delivering a heavy blow to Spain. Eventually, for his exploits, he was knighted and used his plundered riches to build this free port, open to both official ships and pirates.]
[Hearing Henry Morgan's story, you fall silent. This world is even more chaotic than you imagined—but sometimes chaos means opportunity.]