MTLNOVEL Chapter 9: 09
In the middle of the ocean, Jack grumbles, "This is the worst part of being in this world."
Reed, focused on sailing, glances at Jack before looking back at the ocean. "You can always take over if you want."
Jack looks at Reed and says, "Maybe... but nah."
Reed simply replies, "Mhm, then shut up."
Jack grumbles for a bit before heading to the deck, absentmindedly playing with his rice fruit.
Reed glances at him but stays focused on steering the ship properly.
A few moments later, the ship suddenly shakes, startling Reed—especially since he hadn't seen anything ahead while sailing.
A voice rings out, "Sorry! I didn't mean to do that!"
Reed turns toward the source and sees Jack sweating. "You good?" he asks.
Jack replies, "Yeah, just tired," he says between breaths. "I'm going to rest for now."
Reed nods and keeps sailing.
Spotting the ship, Reed quickly scans for a Jolly Roger, trying to determine if it's friend or foe.
At first, it looked like a dirty bedsheet, but no—it had a symbol. A lopsided skull with one oversized eye socket and a goofy, toothless grin. Behind it, instead of bones or swords, were… spoons? Stained with mud and barely holding together, it was anything but intimidating. Whoever these idiots were, they weren't striking fear into anyone.
'They look stupid' Reed thought then throwing a bamboo stalk towards the sleeping Jack saying "Wake up!"
Jack jolts awake, rubbing the spot where the bamboo stalk hit him. "What the hell, Reed?" he groans, sitting up groggily.
Reed points at the approaching ship. "Take a look at that."
Jack squints at the flag, then blinks. "Are those… spoons?" He pauses before deadpanning, "We're about to get attacked by the world's most dangerous soup eaters."
Reed chuckles. "Now these guys, I can take out without hesitation."
Jack, still yawning, looks at him in confusion. "Really? You freaked out just yesterday when you thought you killed that villager."
Reed replies somberly "I find killing an innocent human kinda...." he pauses then adds "I forgot the word"
Jack raises an eyebrow. "Unsettling?"
Reed snaps his fingers. "Yeah, that!" He then looks toward the approaching ship. "But these guys? I doubt they're innocent."
Jack nods, noticing the enemy ship preparing to fire its cannons. He turns to Reed and asks, "Can you shoot the cannonballs down?" while switching places with him at the ship's controls.
Reed nods as they switch, stepping onto the deck and gripping two bamboo stalks, ready for action.
As Jack steps onto the control tile, he immediately takes command of the cannons, firing at the enemy ship just as they launch their own counterattack.
Reed, prepared to shoot down incoming cannon fire, quickly realizes that most of the shots are missing their mark. Focusing only on the accurate ones, he intercepts them midair, causing them to explode before they can reach the ship.
Jack maneuvers the ship in a wide arc, firing the cannons with precision. The control tile proves its worth, allowing him to steer and attack simultaneously, maximizing their ship's advantage over the enemy.
Reed, noticing a guy on the enemy deck with a gun, says, "Enemy sniper? I think?"
Jack nods while continuing to circle and fire the cannons. "Glad we can keep shooting even without cannonballs."
Reed chuckles. "What can they even do?"
Jack replies, "Nothing—unless they have a Devil Fruit with long-range abilities."
Reed asks, "Should we loot their ship?" He pauses before adding, "But we'd have to board it, which isn't ideal."
Jack nods, initially uneasy about killing, but then reconsiders—after all, these people are technically criminals.
Reed says, "But if we keep avoiding this, we won't survive in this world."
Jack hesitates, thinking for a moment before sighing. "Let's go fight them."
Reed nods. "Let's go."
Jack steers the ship straight into the enemy vessel, quickly raising the sails to halt their momentum. Taking a deep breath, he leaps onto the enemy ship.
Reed, having braced for impact, exhales sharply before following right behind him.
Jack lands first on the enemy ship, immediately hearing someone shout, "Enemy pirates on board!" Without hesitation, he activates [GrainStorm].
A massive whirlwind of rice grains erupts, engulfing the ship in a fierce storm.
Reed, who had just landed, suddenly finds himself caught in the raging cyclone but quickly calms down, remembering that Jack's ability won't harm an ally.
After a few seconds, Jack, unfazed by the chaos, walks into the cabin and starts searching for gold or anything valuable.
Reed, realizing there's nothing left for him to do since the storm is shredding nearly every pirate on board, follows Jack—intentionally ignoring the blood splattering around.
---
The First Mate, Benny Smalls frantically shouts, "Captain! They're in the cabin!"
Captain "Soggy Boots" Dirk's face twists in rage. "How dare they!" he growls, cracking his knuckles. "I'm personally gonna snap their limbs in half!"
He kicks open the door to his quarters, his heavy boots thudding against the wooden floor as he storms toward the cabin, ignoring the chaos and screams echoing from outside.
---
Jack fends off the approaching pirates, keeping them at bay while Reed reinforces the door with thick bamboo stalks, ensuring no one from outside can break in easily.
The pirates struggle as Jack's [Sticky Grain Trap] locks their feet in place, making them easy targets. Reed's [Thousand-Segment Strike] pierces through their defenses, while Jack's [Rice Fist] lands solid blows, sending some of them crashing into the walls.
With their enemies disoriented and trapped, the two press on, fully fueled by the rush of battle.
Despite the unease creeping up his spine, Jack clenches his fist and launches another [Rice Fist], forcing himself to move forward. His hesitation lingers, but he knows there's no turning back now.
Reed, on the other hand, grins as he unleashes another [Thousand-Segment Strike], fully immersed in the thrill of battle. Unlike Jack, he's too caught up in the excitement to let doubt take hold.
Jack glances at Reed, who is grinning, and thinks to himself, 'He's enjoying this too much.' Shaking his head, he recasts [GrainStorm] as the previous one fades after 30 seconds.
As the [GrainStorm] rages again, the enemy pirates panic, their movements hindered by the relentless barrage of sharp grains. Jack glances at Reed, who is grinning, completely immersed in the fight.
'Maybe this world fits him more than I expected,' Jack thinks before turning his attention back to the battle.
Jack notices the grain now pelting the pirates despite being inside the cabin. 'Is it because I cast it indoors?' he wonders.
Jack is snapped out of his thoughts as Reed suddenly crashes into him, sending them both tumbling backward.
Jack groans, "Ouch," as he pushes Reed off him. He then looks up to see the man responsible for sending Reed flying.
Dirk "Soggy Boots" is a tall, lean man with sharp features and messy black hair under a tilted tricorn hat. His patched coat and damp boots give him a roguish charm, and a rusted but well-balanced cutlass hangs at his side. His lopsided grin and sharp brown eyes gleam with reckless ambition, refusing to accept he's out of his depth.
Jack raises an eyebrow. "You got sent flying by him?"
Reed quickly stands up, flustered. "I-I was just distracted!"
Dirk shouts, "You dare ignore me?" before charging at them, swinging his cutlass.
Jack and Reed quickly dodge in opposite directions. Jack fires a [Rice Fist] while Reed unleashes a [Thousand-Segment Strike].
To their surprise, Dirk evades both attacks with ease.
Dirk grins at their surprised expressions and swiftly swings his cutlass at Reed with unexpected speed.
Reed quickly uses [Bamboo Impale] to form a makeshift shield, blocking the strike, while Jack fires another [Rice Fist], his mind racing—How is he enduring the [GrainStorm]?
Jack thinks, 'Wish I could see a health bar or some way to tell if we're actually hurting him' as the [Rice Fist] he fired earlier finally lands, striking Dirk from behind.
Reed tries to back away as the [Rice Fist] lands, but he slips on a corpse battered by grain. Luckily, he scrambles to his feet just as Dirk, momentarily stunned, regains his footing.
Dirk, now furious, moves around the bamboo barrier, locking onto Reed and charging straight for him.
Jack seeing Dirk focused on Reed curses 'I need to get more stat points ASAP' as he prepares another [Rice Fist]
Reed lands a [Thousand-Segment Strike] on Dirk's shoulder, but the pirate captain pushes through, slashing Reed's hand with his cutlass.
Jack, seeing Reed get injured, panics. Without thinking, he unleashes [Rice Fist] after [Rice Fist], relentlessly pounding Dirk until the pirate finally collapses, lifeless.
Reed watches as his wound heals rapidly, the pain fading just as quickly. He then glances at Dirk's lifeless body and lets out a sigh.
Jack, taking a deep breath, suddenly feels his stomach churn. The urge to vomit hits him, but he forces himself to hold it back.
As the [GrainStorm] finally dissipates, the aftermath becomes clear—at least ten lifeless bodies lie scattered around them, blood staining the floor from the relentless storm.
After resting for a moment, Jack gets up to leave. Noticing this, Reed stands and follows, asking, "You alright now?"
Jack glances at him and says, "You looked like you were enjoying yourself."
Reed shakes his head. "Honestly, I never thought I would… but it just felt right."
Jack steps toward the door and says, "Looks like you're adjusting just fine..." He pauses before adding, "And so am I..." Then, with a sigh, he mutters, "I feel nothing... this is weird."
Stepping onto the deck, which was no better with lifeless bodies scattered around, Jack turns to Reed and says, "You search for loot—if they even have any. I'll head back first."
Reed nods in response.
Reed searches the cabin for valuables but comes up empty-handed. With a sigh, he returns to their ship, spotting Jack standing on the deck.
Reed scans the mission list and notices [Eliminate a Pirate Crew]. His eyes widen slightly before he looks back at Jack.
"So we got a mission for this, huh?" Reed mutters.
Jack nods. "Yeah… but the rewards are kinda okay."
Reed raises an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
Jack gives him a deadpan look, as if stating the obvious. "Just claim it."
Reed quickly claims the reward ignoring how Jack is looking at him
(Reed) 500 » 3500
"More money and [3 Stat point] isn't that good?" Reed glances at Jack
Jack nods "yeah"
(Jack) 6000 » 9000
Reed then checks his current stats
(Reed)
Melee - 5
Defense - 8
Sword - 0
Gun - 0
Devil Fruit - 8
Available Points : 9
"Nine?" he muttered, then quickly checked his level—[Lv. 6] (150/550). After allocating his stat points, he turned to Jack, who had just finished doing the same.
(Reed)
Melee - 5 » 9
Defense - 8 » 10
Sword - 0
Gun - 0
Devil Fruit - 8 » 11
---
(Jack)
[lv. 7 » 8] (650/800)
Melee - 9
Defense - 8
Sword - 0
Gun - 0
Devil Fruit - 13
Available Points : 6
"I need more damage..." Jack mutters
Melee - 9
Defense - 8
Sword - 0
Gun - 0
Devil Fruit - 13 » 19
---
Jack glances at Reed, who was watching him. "So, do we keep going?" he asks.
Reed nods in response and steps onto the control tile of their ship.
Jack advises, "Sink their ship first."
Reed nods and fires their cannons, sending the enemy ship to its demise.
Watching it go under, Jack then says, "Alright, let's move on."
As Reed steers the ship, following the compass, he says, "Let's go."
Jack simply nods before heading down to the deck.
Lost in thought, he wonders, 'Should I swap fruits?' But realizing they don't have a stable food supply yet, he shakes his head. 'I'll wait until we reach the next island.'
Reed chuckles, "Leveling up cleaning us up is a blessing—I don't want to be covered in blood."
Jack nods in agreement. "Yeah... Now, before we run into any more trouble, I want to ask—what do you want to do in this world?"
Reed pauses to think before responding, "I guess just enjoying life? You know how I lived before—trying to have as much fun as possible, even if it means doing something bad."
Jack sighs and replies, "That sounds exactly like you..."
Reed then asks, "What about you? What do you want to do?"
Jack pauses, thinking, 'What do I want to do?' After a moment, he answers, "Become the strongest!"
Reed smirks and replies sarcastically, "Ah yes, *The Strongest*—good luck with that!"
Jack retorts, "Hey, having a 30M bounty in the game was my only real achievement in life, so I want to do even better here!"
Reed scoffs, "If that was your greatest achievement, then your life is pretty sad."
Jack pauses for a moment before shaking his head. "Don't go there," he says firmly.
Reed nods in understanding. "Sorry."
After a brief silence, Jack finally speaks. "But yeah, I just want strength to make myself relevant in this world now."
Reed smirks. "So, you just want clout?"
Jack shrugs. "Basically, yeah."
Reed scoffs, "That's boring... When someone asks, you gotta have a tragic backstory ready."
Jack grins. "Oh, that would be perfect!"
Reed spots an island in the distance and calls out, "Island ahead!"
Jack turns to look, noticing a massive Marine base towering atop a mountain.
Recognizing it instantly from the show, Reed exclaims, "That's Shells Island!"
He then steers the ship toward the nearest dock, only to hear Jack remark, "If only you had picked a better-colored ship."
Reed quickly retorts, "Hey! I'll have you know this is the best-colored ship out there!"
End of chapter.