"Zelas, take this, Mountain Splitter!"
Alvin suddenly spun his body and leaped high into the air, channeling all his strength into a downward slash. His blade descended with overwhelming force toward Zelas.
Seeing this, Zelas immediately raised his sword to block.
Clang!
Under the impact of Alvin's full powered strike, both weapons shattered at the point of contact.
At the same time, the remaining force of the blow drove Alvin's broken blade into Zelas' shoulder. A miserable scream tore through the forest.
"Ah!"
"Bastard!"
Overcome by agony, Zelas roared like a wounded beast. With his left hand, he seized Alvin's collar and hurled him away with brutal strength.
Alvin's body slammed into a thick tree trunk like a kite with its string cut. The impact was violent. He crashed to the ground, and a mouthful of blood spilled from his lips.
He forced himself to rise.
But what he saw made his eyes widen.
Zelas was running.
Zelas was fleeing!
He had barely enjoyed two and a half years of a comfortable mayor's life.
He did not want to die here.
Seeing this, disbelief filled Alvin's eyes. His own injuries were worse than Zelas', yet Zelas had chosen to escape.
There was no time to overthink.
Suppressing the searing pain in his body, Alvin immediately pulled out his sniper rifle from the system space.
He dropped to one knee, steadied the rifle, aimed at the retreating figure, took a deep breath, and fired three consecutive shots.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
While sprinting desperately, Zelas heard the gunshots. His Observation Haki flared, allowing him to sense the trajectories of the incoming bullets. He twisted his body to evade.
But his injuries slowed him down.
He managed to avoid two bullets.
The third pierced straight through his heart.
A vivid bloom of blood erupted from his chest. Zelas staggered, his face frozen in shock and unwillingness, before collapsing into the dirt.
"Ding~"
"Bounty Points +23 million!"
"Drop: Observation Haki, Swordsmanship!"
Hearing the system notification, Alvin finally exhaled in relief. He stored the sniper rifle back into the system space and lay flat on the ground.
He did not even want to think about his wounds.
He was exhausted.
Summoning the system interface, he glanced at the updated panel. As expected, an option for Observation Haki had appeared.
Host: Garfield Alvin
Age: 15
Height: 234 cm
Physical Combat: None
Swordsmanship Proficiency (Swordsman): 40/100 (Qualitative change will occur after reaching max level)
Observation Haki Proficiency (Basic): 0/100 (Qualitative change will occur after reaching max level)
Devil Fruit: None
Physical Strength: 24 million Berries level (Points can be allocated)
Bounty Points: 24 million
System Storage: 40,000 Berries, various utensils, various clothes, blankets, quilts, one tent, one sniper rifle, one jet ski.
After resting briefly, he struggled to his feet.
There was still plenty of food stored in the system space.
It was time to allocate points.
"System, consume 4 million Bounty Points to enhance Physical Strength. Consume 10 million Bounty Points to enhance Observation Haki. Consume 10 million Bounty Points to enhance Swordsmanship," Alvin said, barely containing his excitement.
"Ding~"
"Enhancement successful!"
A warm surge spread through his body.
"Mmm…"
"This feels incredible…"
"My injuries are completely healed. Not even a scar remains. This is amazing!"
Alvin could hardly contain his joy.
When he examined the panel again, he noticed his height had increased by 2 centimeters. He now stood at 236 cm. His Physical Strength rating had risen to the 28 million Berries level.
Observation Haki Proficiency had increased from 0/100 to 10/100.
Swordsmanship Proficiency had advanced from 40/100 to 60/100.
It seemed that 1 million Bounty Points translated into 1 point of Observation Haki proficiency, while Swordsmanship gained 2 points per million.
To reach 100 in Observation Haki would require 100 million Bounty Points. That would take time.
Still, this vast sea was full of pirates with bounties on their heads.
With Observation Haki activated, Alvin felt as though his sensory perception had expanded dramatically.
He could sense subtle movements in the surrounding forest.
Grrr~
Just as he prepared to test it further, his stomach growled loudly.
As expected. After enhancing himself following an intense battle, his body had consumed enormous amounts of energy.
Now he needed to replenish it.
Alvin immediately took out all the food stored in his system space and began eating voraciously. He devoured everything in sight. Even after finishing it all, he only felt about seventy percent full.
Eating more meant his body's capacity had increased.
That was a good sign.
After finishing, his gaze shifted toward the broken single edged sword lying on the ground.
The blade had accompanied him for nearly five years.
Now it lay in two pieces.
His understanding of swordsmanship had deepened considerably through this battle. He had also figured out more about the system's mechanics.
Except for Physical Strength, other attributes only appeared on the system panel after obtaining a drop.
If he already possessed a skill, such as Swordsmanship, the system would evaluate his current proficiency and display it accordingly.
That was why his Swordsmanship had initially appeared at 40/100.
He stored the broken sword in his system space and changed into a clean set of clothes before walking toward Zelas' corpse.
After a moment of thought, he decided to bury him.
He was not certain whether the 23 million Berries could be officially claimed. Zelas was currently a mayor with a legal identity.
After finishing the burial, Alvin headed back toward the city.
On the streets of Sagamia.
In a shadowy alley.
Nico Robin had returned.
She originally believed that the most dangerous place would be the safest.
But upon arriving, she immediately sensed something was wrong.
Sagamia felt even more chaotic than before.
What had happened?
"Who is there!"
Robin turned sharply, alert like a startled rabbit. Her hands were already poised to use her Devil Fruit ability.
"It's me."
Alvin jumped down from a rooftop. Thanks to his newly acquired Observation Haki, he had sensed her presence.
"Alvin?"
"Why are you here as well?" Robin asked in surprise.
"I was about to ask you the same thing. Why did you return to Sagamia? They are searching for you everywhere," Alvin replied as he approached her.
Recognizing him, Robin finally relaxed slightly.
"It is darkest under the lamp. But I did not expect every gang in Sagamia to be mobilized. They seem even more desperate than during the day," she said helplessly.
"Well…"
"Their current anxiety might have something to do with me," Alvin admitted awkwardly.
"Related to you?" Robin looked at him with confusion.
With a closer look, she sensed something different about him. His presence felt sharper, more composed.
"Because I dealt with Zelas…"
"What!"
"You dealt with…"
"Quiet."
Before he could finish, Robin gasped in shock. Alvin quickly covered her mouth.
"Someone is coming. We need to leave," he whispered.
Robin nodded.
Her face burned slightly. It was the first time someone of the opposite sex had covered her lips like that. And Alvin had been very close when he spoke.
Alvin, however, was completely oblivious.
Once she nodded, he released his hand and immediately led her away into the night.
...
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