One piece with a system.

Exams are over, hopefully our prof wont give us 4 back to back assignments again.

---

The swordsman barely regained his footing before Reed's [Thousand-Segment Strike] forced him further back. Seeing the opportunity, Jack immediately fired a [Rice Fist], the hardened grains rocketing toward the retreating foe. 

The attack connected, causing the swordsman to stagger. But Jack wasn't done—he dashed forward, closing the distance with relentless speed, his blade ready to clash once more. 

"You're not getting a break!" Jack taunted as he swung, forcing the swordsman back into the fray.

Reed smirks, quickly summoning [Bamboo Impale] behind the swordsman to cut off his escape route. 

Jack, noticing the opening, jumps back and fires a [Rice Fist], aiming to knock the swordsman into the wall. 

Worn down from the prolonged battle, the swordsman's movements have become sluggish. Unable to react in time, he takes the full impact of the attack, sending him crashing into the bamboo wall with force. 

As he slumps against it, the raging [GrainStorm] finally begins to fade.

Seeing the storm finally fade and their battle come to an end, Reed walks over to Jack, noticing how exhausted he looks. 

Jack, catching his breath, slumps down and takes in the aftermath—bodies scattered across the deck. He briefly checks his level: (Jack) [Lv. 8 » Lv.10] (110/1200). 

Realizing that most of his experience came from the weaker enemies, he sighs, muttering, "Guess the cannon fodder was worth something after all."

Reed reaches Jack's side and asks, "Mind if I finish him off? I could use the EXP." 

Jack, still catching his breath, simply nods. 

Without hesitation, Reed unleashes a [Thousand-Segment Strike] on the unconscious swordsman. As the attack lands, he quickly checks his level: 

(Reed) [Lv. 6 » Lv. 8] (50/800) 

"Two whole levels?" he mutters in surprise.

After a few moments of rest, Jack stands up and stretches. "I'm heading back to the ship for a shower. Our clothes may fix themselves, but the smell..." he trails off with a grimace. 

Reed nods in agreement and follows him back to their ship.

.__.

On the ship, the two split off to their respective rooms to take a shower. 

—Inside the Shower—

Jack lets the warm water run over him, sighing in relief. "How does this even work?" he mutters, glancing around. "Where does this water even come from...?" 

After a brief moment of pondering, he shrugs it off. "Whatever, as long as I get a fresh shower, I won't complain."

After washing up, Jack steps onto the deck and spots Reed already making his way to the ship's helm. 

Finding a chair, Jack sits down and asks, "Do you even know where we're going?" He glances up at the sky, noticing it darkening. "It's almost nighttime." 

Reed, now at the helm, responds, "Not really, but we have the compass. Nighttime shouldn't be a problem." 

Jack nods in agreement and begins allocating his stat points.

(Jack)

[lv. 10] (110/1200)

Melee - 9

Defense - 8 » 11

Sword - 0

Gun - 0

Devil Fruit - 13 » 16

Jack moves toward the front of the ship, gazing down at the dark ocean stretching endlessly ahead. He mutters to himself, "To think I would adjust this fast." Clenching his fist, he muses, "Human adaptation at its finest." 

Shaking his head, he adds, "I was always like this," followed by a quiet sigh. "I get used to things way too fast." 

With that, Jack turns back and heads toward a chair, sitting down with the intent to rest.

Standing atop the helm, Reed quietly observes Jack, his eyes filled with understanding. He murmurs to himself, "You were always like that, thinking too much." Shaking his head slightly, he adds, "But you always bounced back, and I believe you'll do so again this time." 

With that, Reed shifts his focus back to the compass, steering the ship carefully. He keeps their pace steady, ensuring they avoid unnecessary fights while staying on course.

On the quiet night, a bright crimson ship moves smoothly through the waters, its movements precise and deliberate. Despite its striking color, it maneuvers in a way that makes it difficult for other ships to detect. 

At the helm, Reed fights off sleep, his eyelids growing heavy. Finally giving in, he shoots a bamboo stalk toward the sleeping Jack, jolting him awake. 

"You drive—sail—whatever this thing. I want to sleep," Reed grumbles, already stepping away from the wheel.

Jack, still rubbing his leg where Reed's bamboo had struck, mutters groggily, "Okay, okay… you didn't have to hit my leg…" He stands up, still half-asleep, and switches places with Reed, who is now barely keeping his eyes open. 

As he takes control of the ship, Jack gazes out at the vast, dark ocean. "What a peaceful night… I've never spent a night in the middle of the ocean before," he muses. His eyes drift toward the sky, where the moon, partially veiled by thick clouds, still manages to cast its glow upon the sea. 

"Beautiful…" he murmurs before a thought crosses his mind. "I want a moon-based fruit now." With that, he quickly checks the compass to ensure they're on the right path before opening his system, scrolling through the list in search of a moon-related fruit.

Jack scrolls through the details of the [Blue Dragon Moon Fruit], intrigued by its mythical Zoan classification. "I wonder what the transformation looks like…" he mutters, imagining a majestic dragon bathed in moonlight. 

Curious, he checks the price, only for his eye to twitch at the staggering 20 billion listed beside it. He lets out a sigh, leaning back against the ship's railing. 

"I wonder if the money we've stolen can be used for the system shop…" he ponders aloud. If they could somehow convert their looted treasure into usable funds, it would make things much easier. But for now, it remained just a thought.

Jack quickly descends from the helm, hurrying to his room to grab the money they had stolen. His heart races slightly—not from excitement, but from anticipation. 

Returning to the helm, he checks their surroundings, ensuring the ship is still on course and that nothing seems out of place. Once satisfied, he finally turns his attention to the pile of money he brought back. 

Jack hums thoughtfully for a moment before grabbing a small sum of money—just around 100 Beli. He opens his system, searching for an option to deposit the money, but after a few moments of looking, he finds nothing. Feeling a bit disappointed, he decides to try something else. 

With a shrug, he presses the money against the system screen. 

To his surprise, the money vanishes, and his balance updates. 

(Jack) [Beli: 6000 » 6100] 

A satisfied grin spreads across his face as he turns his gaze toward the pile of cash he brought with him.

Grabbing as much as he can, Jack eagerly deposits more Beli into his system. Watching the numbers climb, his eyes shine like stars. 

(Jack) [Beli: 6100 » 15231] 

Feeling the thrill of his growing wealth, he instinctively reaches for more money—only to realize he has none left. 

Silence. 

After a few seconds, he smacks his forehead, murmuring, "Why did I do that? Now I can't buy anything from this side..." He pauses, thinking for a moment, then adds, "Wait... do I even need to buy stuff from this side?"

After calming down, Jack fully focuses on steering the ship, murmuring about how lucky he was not to encounter any enemies. 

The night passes quietly. 

As Reed finally wakes up, Jack, noticing him stir, calls out, "Come and steer here!" 

Still groggy, Reed grumbles, "Yeah..." Before taking over, he briefly checks his stat screen, adjusting his stats before heading to the helm. 

(Reed)

[lv. 8] (150/550)

Melee - 5

Defense - 8 » 12

Sword - 0

Gun - 0

Devil Fruit - 8 » 10

Jack, seeing Reed take control, glances at the rising sun and whistles. 

"Daybreak."

Reed, now at the helm, switches places with Jack and asks, "Anything happen while I was asleep?" 

Jack nods and begins explaining everything that transpired after Reed dozed off. 

After listening, Reed shakes his head and sighs, "I'm not giving you any money anytime soon." 

Jack quickly retorts, "Come on! I don't even think we need to buy stuff outside the system shop!"

Reed smirks and says, "Alright, alright, just don't come running back to me when you need money." 

Jack sighs in defeat and waves him off before heading down to the deck.

After an hour or two, Reed spots an island in the distance, its shoreline marked by broken houses and signs of destruction. He calls out to Jack, "I see an island. Some houses are wrecked—it looks recent." 

Jack thinks for a moment before responding, "Let's get closer. Maybe you'll recognize it." 

Reed nods and steers the ship toward the island, but as they approach, nothing about the place feels familiar. He docks the ship a bit further from the damaged houses before calling back, "I'm going to explore." 

Jack stretches and leans against the railing. "Alright, but don't take too long. This place seems boring—let's not waste time here." 

Reed waves him off, "Got it!" before stepping onto the island, staying alert for anything unusual.

Reed walks through the town, observing the villagers working hard to rebuild their damaged homes. As he takes in the familiar sight, realization dawns on him. "This is where Luffy and Buggy fought..." he mutters to himself. 

After wandering around for a bit, he decides there's nothing more to gain from staying and heads back to the ship. Upon arrival, he finds Jack fast asleep on the deck. 

Shaking Jack awake, Reed quickly explains his theory. "I think the compass follows wherever Luffy goes in the anime." 

Jack rubs his eyes, processing the information. "So... does that mean we're always going to be behind Luffy?" 

Reed shakes his head. "Not necessarily. If we manage to get ahead of Luffy, we can stay ahead. Unlike him, we don't need to wait for a Log Pose to reset on each island." He pauses before adding, "But that only applies once we reach the Grand Line." 

Jack thinks for a moment, his expression turning thoughtful. "So, in theory... if we get far enough ahead, we could reach the place where Roger buried his treasure? Assuming Luffy makes it there in the anime."

Reed nods. "That's how I assume it works, but there's also the chance that the compass stops working if we get too far ahead of Luffy." He pauses, then adds, "Let's hope that doesn't happen." 

Jack crosses his arms, thinking. "If it really follows the anime, doesn't that mean we'll eventually have to go to Marineford?" He smirks. "I kinda want to join the war…" 

Reed stares at Jack as if he had just grown a second head. A heavy silence hangs between them before Reed finally blurts out, "You want to join the war?? WHY?" 

Jack scratches the back of his head, looking completely unfazed. "You know how I am. I want to show off. So preferably, I'd like a flashy, visually stunning fruit before the war…" 

Reed groans, dragging a hand down his face. "Why am I even traveling with you…"

End of Chapter.