....
Click! Click! Click!
On the endless sea, taking photos and practicing hand seals had become Lucas's favorite pastime. At this moment, he was either snapping pictures or refining his seal techniques.
After continuous practice, he had mastered the speed of forming seals and could now complete them in an instant.
"It's a shame there's no signal out here. Otherwise, I could've killed time on my phone."
His phone, useless for anything but pictures, had become little more than a glorified camera.
Sailing was tedious.
After taking a few more shots, Lucas sat cross-legged on the deck. Usopp was still lost in his fantasy, playing out his imaginary captain's adventures. Zoro was fast asleep, Nami was studying the navigational charts, and Luffy…
"Wait, what's Luffy doing?"
Lucas leaned over the railing to see Luffy hunched over a piece of paper, tongue poking out in concentration as he scribbled.
"Luffy… is that our pirate flag?" Lucas asked.
Luffy turned with his signature grin, proudly holding up his drawing. "It's done! Check it out—this is gonna be our Jolly Roger!"
Hearing his announcement, Zoro and the others gathered around. Lucas nearly laughed at the sight of Luffy's creation.
'Classic Luffy. This abstract masterpiece is something else.'
Zoro squinted. "Luffy, pirate flags are supposed to be terrifying. This looks like a skull drawn by a five-year-old."
Nami sighed. "To him, this probably is scary."
Lucas smirked and nudged Usopp. "Why don't you give it a shot?"
Everyone turned to Usopp, who immediately puffed out his chest. "Hahaha! So you've finally noticed! I'm a master artist, undefeated for fifty years!"
Luffy's eyes sparkled. "FIFTY YEARS?! That's amazing!"
Lucas coughed into his fist. "So you're, what, a grandpa now?"
Nami tapped her chin. "How many grandkids do you have, old man?"
Zoro rolled his eyes and shoved the paper into Usopp's hands. "Just draw the damn flag."
"Tch. Prepare to be awed!"
Usopp's skill was undeniable. Where Luffy's attempt resembled a toddler's doodle, Usopp's strokes were confident, precise.
Minutes later, he slammed the pen down.
"BEHOLD! The future terror of the seas!"
Luffy frowned. "That's just your face."
The others shook their heads in disappointment. Deflated, Usopp hunched over and started again.
"Fine, fine! The real masterpiece is coming!"
Fifteen minutes later, the Straw Hat Pirates' flag was finalized, a skull wearing a straw hat.
Everyone approved, especially Luffy.
"Usopp, you're the best! I love it!" Luffy beamed.
Usopp grinned. "Hahaha! Told you I was a master artist!"
Luffy pointed at the sail. "Now paint it everywhere!"
They all looked up at the mast.
Nods of agreement followed. Lucas pulled out his camera, capturing the historic moment—the birth of their Jolly Roger.
[Ding! Emotional response detected. +6 Mood Points.]
Exhausted but satisfied, the crew admired their handiwork. For the first time, they had a flag to call their own.
Lucas glanced at Nami. Her expression was still uneasy.
"She's still not all in."
He knew she wasn't fully committed to the crew yet. But the Arlong Pirates in her village were formidable. If he didn't grow stronger soon, he'd be more of a liability than an asset.
Right now, Lucas wasn't even sure he could reliably beat Usopp in a fight.
First, people in this world had absurdly durable bodies. Usopp had survived falls that would've killed anyone else.
Second, Usopp had actual combat experience. Lucas? None. He was starting from zero.
"I need to get stronger. Fast."
[Ding! Host's emotional fluctuation detected. Mood value +1.]
Opening his system interface, Lucas saw his mood value had reached 20,000—and it was still climbing.
But upgrading a card to Level 3 required 500 EXP, meaning he needed a lot more mood value.
His eyes drifted to the inventory.
"System, what can I do with these two green cards?"
His first draw had given him two green cards—useless compared to his sole character card.
[Host may convert cards into EXP.]
"Figured. Convert both and dump the EXP into the Orochimaru card."
[Ding! Operation successful.]
[Orochimaru character card gains +2 EXP.]
[Current EXP: 2/500.]
"Two green cards for 2 EXP? What a scam."
Still, green cards were low-tier. Two points made sense.
'I really want to do a ten-pull...' Lucas eyed the gacha rewards longingly.
But without a pity system, ten singles were no better than ten separate pulls.
For now, he'd focus on Orochimaru's card. Once he could reliably protect himself, he'd branch out.
Even if he pulled a gold card now, he couldn't afford to upgrade it.
"Nami, are we going the right way? The weather up ahead looks bad." Luffy squinted at the dark clouds looming in the distance.
Nami checked her map. "We are. That's the legendary island—home to a massive treasure."
"Massive treasure?!" Luffy's eyes lit up.
Nami's voice turned grave. "But it's also dangerous. Most pirates flee before finding anything."
"They say those who trespass… face God's judgment."
"G-God's judgment?!" Usopp paled, staring at the island.
Meanwhile, Luffy and Zoro only grew more excited.
Nami shot Lucas a puzzled look.
'Why's he so calm? Was my warning not scary enough?'
Usopp was terrified. Had Lucas swapped personalities?
In truth, Lucas knew too much. The island wasn't actually dangerous.
"Let's go!"
Snapping one last photo, Lucas helped Zoro and Luffy steer the ship toward the island.
'That guy in the box… should be interesting.'
.....