On the spinning disc, the pointer whirled at blinding speed.
Even with Luffy's enhanced vision, he couldn't keep up with the rotation, it was simply too fast to follow.
Fortunately, the drawing didn't last long. Soon enough, the pointer slowed… and landed on,
A blank space.
"…Huh? What's that supposed to mean, System?"
Luffy immediately shouted, his voice tinged with frustration.
He'd done plenty of draws before, but this was the first time he'd seen an "empty prize" slot. That wasn't supposed to happen.
Just as his irritation peaked, the system chimed in to calm his nerves:
[Congratulations, Host. You have obtained: "Nen Awakening."]
"Nen?"
Luffy frowned.
When he saw those characters, the first things that came to mind were typical psychic abilities, telekinesis, Mental Power needles, that sort of thing. Just like Tatsumaki from One Punch Man.
Abilities like that usually relied heavily on the user's mental strength.
But Koby's Mental Power stat, while decent, wasn't anything extraordinary.
In fact, Mental Power was the hardest of all attributes to improve. For most people, it stabilized in adulthood and rarely saw any natural increase without major trauma or miraculous encounters.
So this "Nen Awakening" didn't seem like the kind of ability that would suit Koby at all...
["Nen Awakening" has been added to your inventory. Please check your backpack.]
The system, as always, paid no mind to Luffy's doubts.
"Inventory?"
Curious, Luffy opened his backpack, something he hadn't done in ages.
It looked exactly the same as before: those rainbow-colored Devil Fruits, two Poké Balls, and a pile of life potions, all gathering dust.
Since the system inventory could only store system-generated items, Luffy rarely bothered opening it anymore.
He furrowed his brow, thought for a moment, then focused his attention on an empty slot near the bottom. Just as he expected, a new item description suddenly popped up:
[Nen Awakening]
Grants the user a perfect initiation into the Nen ability system, along with full knowledge and mastery.
(From the world of "Hunter x Hunter", Nen is the ability to control and manipulate one's life energy freely.)
"Hunter x Hunter?!"
Luffy's eyes lit up in realization.
So it wasn't just some generic mental superpower.
It was a full-fledged, structured ability system!
That changed everything. A power like Nen, once fully awakened and learned, could be adapted and fine-tuned to fit the user perfectly.
Suddenly, Luffy's doubts vanished. If anything, this could become Koby's greatest strength yet.
─────────🏴☠️────────
Later That Night – In the Mansion Courtyard
Most of the food had already been devoured, but the crew's energy was still going strong.
"Cheers!"
Zoro slammed an empty bottle onto the table and leaned back, groaning in contentment like a drunken old man.
It was his first time drinking alcohol, and he had to admit, it was way better than milk.
Nearby, Koby had completely dropped his earlier nervousness and was hanging onto every word of Brook's tales.
Not only had he stopped fearing the skeletal musician, but now he was practically glued to his side, eyes wide with curiosity.
"Really, Brook-san? Then what happened next?!"
Luffy looked around at everyone, a warm smile spreading across his face.
Maybe… this is enough.
A peaceful moment with his crew, laughter under the night sky, it felt good.
But still…
If only this were happening on Earth, Luffy thought to himself. That would be perfect.
For a fleeting moment, even Luffy felt a twinge of uncertainty about the path ahead.
Then, shaking it off, he stood and clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention.
Once the chatter died down, he turned to Koby with a grin.
"Koby, as tradition goes, every new member of the Stardust Pirates gets a special gift from me."
"And I've decided: I'm giving you yours right now."
"A… a gift?"
Koby perked up immediately. After the meal, he was much more at ease, and now looked at Luffy with wide, excited eyes.
"What kind of gift, Captain Luffy?!"
Zoro and the others exchanged knowing looks.
Only those who'd received Luffy's "gifts" before understood how valuable they really were.
"Come here," Luffy called out casually, waving a hand.
Without hesitation, Koby hopped off his seat and walked over, brimming with curiosity.
Luffy didn't explain. Instead, he reached out and gently tapped Koby's forehead with his index finger.
In his mind, he gave the command:
"System, activate Koby's exclusive item."
Sssht.
There was a faint hum, maybe a sound, maybe not.
A strange light flickered briefly from Luffy's fingertip and vanished in an instant.
Luffy pulled his hand back.
Koby stood perfectly still, eyes shut tight, his face twitching slightly with discomfort.
No one said a word.
They simply stood by in quiet anticipation, waiting for Koby to complete his awakening.
─────────🏴☠️────────
Inside Koby's Consciousness…
As Luffy's finger touched his forehead, a flood of information surged into Koby's mind like a swarm of bees.
Everything about Nen, its concepts, its mechanics, its potential for growth, was crammed into his memory all at once.
His brain throbbed with sharp pain at first, but it gradually subsided.
Then the knowledge settled.
Organized.
Sorted.
Perfectly arranged in a clear and logical order, as if someone had filed everything meticulously in advance.
The Six Nen Types: Enhancement, Emission, Transformation, Manipulation, Conjuration, and Specialization.
The Four Core Principles: Ten, Zetsu, Ren, and Hatsu.
Advanced Techniques: Shu, In, Gyo, En, Ken, Ryu, Ko…
A vast, complete power system was being mastered by Koby at an unbelievable pace.
─────────🏴☠️────────
BOOM!
From the others' perspective, a soft burst of invisible, formless energy suddenly radiated from Koby's body, enveloping him like a glowing aura.
Though faint and not yet threatening, it was clearly Nen, and it was real.
Once the transmission of knowledge was complete, Koby slowly opened his eyes, drawing back the energy into himself.
In that moment, the entire world looked different to him.
Confidence coursed through his veins.
For the first time… he felt he truly had the power to shape his own future.
─────────🏴☠️────────
Back on the outside, Luffy closed Koby's status panel with a hint of confusion.
After the awakening, Koby's Mental Power stat had increased by over 50 points, but the other stats had barely moved.
To Luffy, this felt like the least impressive exclusive item he'd ever handed out.
But something didn't sit right.
Thinking back to Zoro and the others, he knew better than to judge too early. Their real growth hadn't come from numbers, it came from what they did with the gift.
So, after a brief pause, he finally asked:
"Koby, do you… feel any special changes?"
"Yeah!" Koby's eyes sparkled with excitement.
His enthusiasm was palpable.
But while Koby reveled in his newfound strength, Luffy found himself quietly disappointed.
What neither of them realized…
Was that what Koby had just gained,
Was an entire world.
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