The Marine mess hall was its usual noisy self.
Nao, Shiryu, and Rosinante got their trays and sat down in their familiar corner.
He'd tried eating with Shia a few days ago—once. The stares from the surrounding Marine girls, those envious, seething gazes that looked like they were going to swallow Shia whole... it was suffocating. Neither of them could eat in peace.
So for the sake of public safety—and to prevent half the cafeteria from dining in silent anguish—Nao had "nobly" sacrificed his private happiness and returned to sit with the masses.
"Is it just me..." Shiryu squinted at Nao's tray suspiciously, "or does your food always look better than everyone else's?"
Take the beef, for example. Shiryu had a chunk of dry rib meat. Nao? Perfectly seared tenderloin and a juicy slice of shank.
"Hmm? I think you're imagining things."
Nao sipped from his borscht with the utmost innocence—his favorite soup.
"You're probably overworked and hallucinating. Didn't you say you like your beef still mooing anyway?"
Of course, he wasn't about to admit that the chef at the line, Vidona, had a habit of playing favorites.
"I wish it were rare."
Shiryu clicked his tongue but didn't press further. "Anyway, how about a sword match this afternoon? You've been grinding solo lately—I need a decent sparring partner."
"Sure."
Nao nodded. His swordsmanship had plateaued again recently. A good session with Shiryu, like the old days, might be what he needed to break through.
"Why don't you spar with me?" Rosinante chimed in, frowning. "What, is my swordplay not up to par or something?"
...This guy still doesn't realize how tragic his sword skills are?
Nao and Shiryu exchanged glances. Both of them sighed, as if they'd come to a shared, silent conclusion.
Maybe it's time we break it to him gently—his swordsmanship is garbage.
While the three of them ate and chatted, Nao's attention drifted toward his system panel, which he'd just opened discreetly.
Last week—the one right after he purchased Limb Regeneration—the weekly shop had been trash. The only thing worth buying was a 30-day Physical Training Booster, which he'd picked up for 5,000 points just to maintain his daily buffs.
Everything else was throwaway junk, barely worth glancing at.
But today was a new week. Which meant: the shop had just refreshed at midnight.
He hadn't had time to check it last night—he'd been running stamina drills all night long—so now was his first chance to take a proper look.
[Item List – Weekly Shop Refresh]
Lying Mist (Consumable): 5,000 points
Fishing Skill Scroll (Master): 2,000 points
Boots of Lightness (Permanent): 60,000 points
Toyako (Weapon): 1,000 points
Rick's Secret Toilet (Permanent): 10,000 points
Brain Seal Technique (Skill): 30,000 points
"Hmm... not as crazy as the week with Regrowth, but..."
Nao muttered to himself, tapping through each item. "Still way better than last week's hot garbage."
Gotta stay grateful, after all.
[Lying Mist]
Type: Consumable
Description: Squeeze to release a dense cloud of "Lying Mist." For the next 3 minutes, everyone caught in the mist will only speak lies, regardless of intent.
Uses remaining: (5/5)
Note: Accidentally developed by a pure-blood wizard from "Sterling" while reverse-engineering Veritaserum.
"We saw the world wrong and said it was lying to us."
"...Bugged as hell, and I have no idea when I'll ever need this."
Nao tapped his chin. "But for 5k? Screw it. Could come in handy."
Purchase: confirmed.
[Fishing Skill Scroll (Master)]
Type: Skill
Description: Use to become a master-level angler.
Note: An ancient art passed down since the dawn of human consciousness.
"Fishermen know everything except fishing."
"...Can it hook a Sea King or not?"
Nao rolled his eyes. Personally, he had zero interest in fishing, but for just 2,000 points and a master-level scroll?
Fine. Worst case, he'll just hand it off to someone else.
Purchase: confirmed.
[Boots of Lightness]
Type: Equipment
Description: Sleek white short boots that grant +10% bonus to Agility.
Note: Only applies to player.
"Run with the wind."
"Wait—it's percentage-based?!"
Nao's eyes lit up. "So the higher my Agility gets, the better these boots scale?"
That made them growth-type gear—rare and incredibly valuable.
Expensive as hell, but absolutely worth it.
Purchase: confirmed.
[Toyako]
Type: Weapon
Description: Mass-produced wooden sword.
Note: Cheap, dull, and nearly useless. Commonly seen in late-night infomercials.
"Don't look down on wooden swords, bastard! This one was blessed by the sage of Lake Toya!"
"...1,000 points? Bro, this is straight-up robbery."
Trash-tier cosplay weapon. Hard pass.
Nao skipped it instantly. He had Yone's Dual Blades—why the hell would he downgrade?
[Rick's Secret Toilet]
Type: Permanent
Description: Grants a private, portable toilet that works in any condition—from aurora-filled skies to burning deserts. Guaranteed peace and privacy while you poop.
Note: Upon use, player wears a crown labeled "King of Shit."
"Wubalubadubdub!"
Nao: "I'm literally eating right now. Did I really have to read that?"
A broccoli floret got stuck in his throat. He pounded his chest and frowned. "See? That's what I get for even clicking on this garbage…"
Who in their right mind would spend 10,000 points on a fancy toilet?
...Wait.
Nao turned slowly toward Shiryu.
Shiryu paused mid-soup, noticing the stare. "...What?"
"Nothing."
Nao coughed into his fist and looked away. Forget it. Impel Down's future doesn't need that kind of foreshadowing right now.
[Brain Seal Technique]
Type: Skill
Effect: Passive skill. Creates an unbreakable mental barrier that grants massive resistance to mental-type attacks. At a rule-based level, renders all memory-reading techniques completely ineffective.
Requirement: Intelligence ≥ 9
"For a transmigrator, this is priceless... isn't it?"
"…Jackpot."
Nao's eyes gleamed.
A hard counter to mind-reading and memory probing? This wasn't just strong—it was essential. If some top-tier mind-user or future enemy tried to peek inside his head and saw he wasn't from this world?
Yeah. Dead flag raised.
This? This was insurance.
Purchase: confirmed.
—Shia's Secret Diary—
The third telescope got caught too.
Nao was really mad this time. He confiscated it.
I'm kinda sad.
I hate Observation Haki.