A Charm stat of 12 was already enough to passively win the hearts of practically every girl in the Elite Training Camp.
And now that it was 13... just how terrifying would the effect be?
"…?"
Nao subconsciously glanced down at the girl curled in his arms.
Shia, half-asleep, seemed to sense his gaze and let out a sleepy smile. She snuggled closer to him, her expression sweet and soft—so adorable it made him want to reach out and poke her cheek.
…Well, she didn't look much different than before.
Nao couldn't see any noticeable change, but then again, Shia's affection for him was already maxed out. Whether his Charm went up or not probably made zero difference to her—so she wasn't exactly a reliable data point.
He'd have to wait until tomorrow to see how the rest of the girls in camp reacted.
Turning his gaze away, he opened his inventory.
Among all the rewards from this week's side quest, what pleased him the most… was that 80% discount coupon.
With that in hand, the long-awaited "Limb Regeneration" skill—normally priced at a staggering 360,000 points—was finally within reach.
At 80% off, the cost dropped to 72,000 points. Still expensive, yes, but absolutely worth it. He'd just saved nearly 290,000 points.
A win this big? The system was probably crying on the bus home.
The coupon only lasted 15 days, and there was no telling whether next week's shop refresh would include another skill this compatible. So without hesitation, Nao opened the shop menu and purchased Limb Regeneration.
[You have spent 72,000 points. Acquired: "Limb Regeneration (Passive Skill)" x1]
[Current Balance: 155,900 points]
A faint blue glow shimmered across the inventory menu. As usual, system-purchased skills were automatically consumed upon acquisition.
A new entry had appeared in Nao's skill list: Limb Regeneration.
Since Shia was still snuggled up next to him, he didn't plan on testing it out just yet. This kind of monstrous ability was way too unsettling to reveal casually.
—What was he going to do, ask her to grab a cleaver and help "test" whether his limbs would grow back as long as she avoided the neck?
Yeah… no thanks.
"Still got plenty of points left. Might as well spend some. Let's put some into stats."
Nao brought up his character panel and started to consider his options.
Charm now cost 100,000 points per upgrade.
Stamina was at 50,000 per level.
Way too expensive for now.
Strength and Agility were still 20,000 each. But he figured with how much he was training, he'd probably naturally raise one of those within the week. No need to waste points there.
After thinking it over, his gaze landed on one stat he'd never touched before—Intelligence.
The base cost for Intelligence was already 20,000 per point, which is why he'd always hesitated. But now that he had some room to breathe, it wasn't a bad idea to start investing in it.
He remembered a skill scroll from the first week—Phantom Step—had required an Intelligence stat of 11. Future shop rotations would almost definitely include similar requirements.
Wouldn't want to miss out just because he didn't prep in advance.
With a mental command, he tapped the [+] beside Intelligence.
A flash of blue light. His Intelligence ticked up from 8 → 9.
The next level's cost? Just like Charm —it jumped straight to 100,000. Insane.
Nao closed his eyes and tried to feel the difference.
He didn't notice any immediate IQ boost, but the mental fatigue that had been dogging him for the past few days did ease up. His brain felt clearer, sharper.
His senses also felt heightened. His awareness of his surroundings, his ability to process details, his clarity of thought—all had improved.
"This'll definitely help when it comes to Observation Haki. Even in swordsmanship training, meditation, and conceptual understanding, I should feel the benefits."
"And if I ever run into mind-control powers—like the Love-Love Fruit or Ghost-Ghost Fruit—this should give me better resistance."
No wonder it was so expensive.
Still, he was satisfied. Too bad further upgrades were now locked behind a massive point wall. That could wait for another day.
The moon hung high overhead, cool and quiet.
Nao closed the stat screen and looked down at the girl sleeping against him. He gently brushed the strands of hair away from her face and tucked them behind her ear.
Shia was clearly cherishing this first night together. She was so sleepy her eyelids barely stayed open, yet she still refused to leave the training field—choosing instead to curl up quietly in his arms.
At some point, her slender hand had grabbed the edge of his shirt, clutching it tightly—like she was afraid he might slip away the moment she drifted into dreams.
Nao didn't have the heart to push her off. He decided to let her rest like this for a little longer. Once she was fully asleep, he'd slip away to test the new skill.
It wasn't the most comfortable position—his legs were falling asleep—but hey.
He was Nao, lord of stamina. This kind of pain? He could handle it.
"…Hm?"
After quietly watching her for a while, his gaze drifted downward—from her pale neck to the curve of her chest—when something odd caught his eye.
Her clothes.
They'd changed back to her regular Marine recruit uniform.
Earlier, she'd been wearing Rear Admiral Gion's signature pink justice coat. But now, she was back in the white uniform of the Elite Camp recruits.
He hadn't noticed it until now.
He frowned.
Wasn't it canon that the Clone-Clone Fruit—the same one Bon Clay had used—only allowed him to copy people's bodies, not their clothes? And he had to physically touch someone's face to transform?
Shia… had she even had the chance to touch Gion's face?
His curiosity was piqued.
After mulling it over for a bit, he couldn't resist asking: "Shia, hey. You awake?"
"…Mmm…" The blue-haired girl stirred, wrapping her arms around him and letting out a sleepy murmur. "I'm here… what's up?"
"You're a Mimic-type Devil Fruit user, right?"
He gently pinched her cheek as he asked. The girl blinked, then tilted her head, clearly confused.
"Touching someone's face? That's not necessary," she said, voice soft and matter-of-fact. "As long as I memorize their appearance and practice in front of a mirror, I can imitate them."
As for the clothing...
Shia looked down at her white uniform and added with a blink, "At first, I couldn't change my clothes either. But after a lot of training, I eventually figured it out."
…So it was a matter of talent?
Maybe her fruit's development path had diverged from Bon Clay's. Nao remembered the earlier detail he'd noticed—how Shia's disguise had failed to replicate a specific beauty mark on Gion's neck.
So maybe both had strengths and weaknesses.
Shia's powers gave her greater flexibility—she didn't need to touch the target and could even change clothing. Bon Clay, on the other hand, achieved perfect 1:1 accuracy—even fooling the original.
"Impressive."
Shia noticed the admiration in Nao's eyes and gave a shy smile, biting her lip.
"If you want, I can transform into Rear Admiral Gion whenever we're alone," she offered, sweet as ever.
Nao paused.
Wait. That's… kinda spicy?
No! Bad thoughts!
He smacked his forehead and pinched her nose with mock annoyance. "Don't bother. You're you, Gion is Gion. I like her, yeah—but I like you too. Just be yourself."
"…But I feel like you like Rear Admiral Gion a little more…"
She mumbled into his chest, tracing gentle circles on his shirt with a fingertip. "But if you think it's weird, I can also turn into whoever else you like…"
What?
Nao blinked in confusion. And then…
He felt it.
Shia's form in his arms shifted.
He looked down—and his jaw almost hit the floor.
There in his lap wasn't Shia anymore. It was someone who didn't belong in this world at all.
A shrine maiden in pure white. Straight black hair tied with a ribbon. Black eyes like still water. A face serene and elegant, untouched by time.
"Ki… Kikyo?!"
Nao gawked, dumbfounded. His brain had officially short-circuited.