Seeing Luffy and Garp chatting happily, Ikki was left speechless.
He was still waiting—waiting for the system's light curtain to appear.
Now that Luffy had decided he wanted to beco the Marine King, why shouldn't Ikki receive a platinum-level system for himself? But even after waiting for a long ti—and after Garp went so far as to prepare a new ship for Luffy—the system's light curtain still refused to show itself.
At that mont, Garp approached Ikki from behind and said, "From now on, Luffy is your responsibility, Deputy of the Marine King, Ikki!"
With that, Garp handed Ikki a letter of appointnt stamped with the seal of Marine Headquarters and a dog-headed Den Den Mushi.
Ikki examined the so-called "private Marine appointnt letter" and imdiately felt uneasy.
This "official" docunt was entirely handwritten. Fortunately, it bore the Marine Headquarters' seal, so it was probably legitimate. As for the Den Den Mushi, it was a single-line communicator that connected directly to Garp.
...
And just like that, Ikki sohow beca Luffy's first crew mber—as a private Marine Admiral.
As for who this so-called private Marine Fleet Admiral was? Naturally, it was Luffy, since he considered himself the captain.
As soon as Ikki stepped onto Luffy's new ship, the system's long-awaited light curtain finally reappeared.
[Ding! You have successfully joined the Straw Hat Pirates and moderately altered the course of the world's plot. Would you like to activate the system? Activating will unlock a gold-level system.]
Ikki stared at the words "You have successfully joined the Straw Hat Pirates" and felt utterly dumbfounded. His gaze shifted to Luffy in disbelief.
"I... I actually got played by this guy, Luffy?"
...
Back aboard the dog-headed warship, Garp chuckled heartily.
"Vice Admiral Garp, surely you can see it! Luffy's just ssing with you."
Garp's laughter bood. "Of course, I can see it! But isn't it interesting? This is the first ti I've seen Luffy put in so much effort!"
He had noticed that Luffy was lying. Just monts ago, as Luffy spoke to him, the corners of his mouth had twitched outward—a clear sign of a guilty conscience.
Still, through this exchange, Garp had realized sothing important: Luffy was truly determined to beco a pirate.
There was nothing more he could do except let the boy nad Ikki try to talk so sense into him at sea.
...
Onboard the ship.
Luffy was cheerfully eating food he'd taken from his grandfather's warship. Between bites, he glanced at Ikki, who was lost in thought. "Oi, Ikki! Aren't you gonna eat?"
Ikki, still staring at the glowing system panel in front of him, replied without looking back, "Eat it yourself. I don't have an appetite."
His lack of appetite stemd from the overwhelming situation. In the end, he had no choice but to accept the system.
He muttered to himself, reasoning, 'Without this system, I'll be in trouble. I am already here on Luffy's ship, and the kind of hardships we'll face next... Without a system, I'd never survive.'
After all, he didn't have the absurdly resilient physiques of people native to the world of One Piece.
Take Usopp, for example—his skull could be shattered, and he'd still bounce back with just so bandages and sheer willpower.
Ikki had initially hoped the gold-level system would be powerful enough to compensate, but when he saw its na, he imdiately felt a sense of foreboding.
[Ding! Congratulations on activating the most powerful Marine system.]
[By engaging in activities aligned with justice—such as capturing pirates, rescuing civilians, and changing the world for the better as a Marine—you will earn points. Points can be exchanged for unlimited draws from the lottery system. The lottery pool is divided into Bronze, Silver, and Gold tiers.]
[Ding! The system is now active. You have been granted three random lottery opportunities.]
...
After reading the introduction of his system, Ikki was completely stunned.
He had failed to persuade Luffy to join the Marines, and now he was aboard his ship. Worse yet, the system he had received was a Marine system, which required him to act like a Marine to gain rewards.
Was this so kind of joke?
His hand absentmindedly brushed against his trouser pocket, where the appointnt letter from Garp rested. Pulling it out, Ikki examined it again. The letter bore the Marine Headquarters seal, officially appointing both him and Luffy as private Marines.
Luffy was nad Private Marine Fleet Admiral, while Ikki was assigned as his deputy—Private Marine Admiral Ikki.
Staring at the letter, Ikki suddenly had an idea.
If this system recognizes his role as a private Marine, then maybe he can make it work. Even though Garp had essentially made this title up on the spot, it was still technically a Marine rank.
As for Marine missions and objectives? Most of what Luffy did during his adventures seed to align with Marine ideals anyway. Defeating the Arlong Pirates, taking down the Krieg Pirates, saving Alabasta, helping Sky Island... weren't these all things that a righteous Marine should do?
Thinking it over, Ikki realized the only major exception was their antics on Enies Lobby, which were a direct affront to the World Governnt. But everything else? He could justify those as Marine-worthy accomplishnts.
With a new sense of resolve, Ikki decided to stay aboard and see if his private Marine status would be enough for the system to function. If it didn't recognize his status, he'd leave and join the legitimate Marines instead.
This is the world of One Piece—I can't just be so nobody.
...
Having made up his mind, Ikki turned his attention to the three draws granted by the system. A roulette wheel materialized before him, visible only to him.
Closing his eyes, Ikki clasped his hands together and began praying fervently to every deity he could think of. 'Please, let get sothing good!'
After a mont, he opened his eyes and gave the wheel its first spin. It spun rapidly, the colors blurring together as Ikki whispered under his breath, "Stop... stop..."
The wheel slowed, finally landing on a section. Just as he leaned in to see what he'd won, the wheel began spinning again.
"Oh, so we're doing all three spins in one go..."
He spun the wheel two more tis, and when it finally stopped, the system announced his rewards:
[You have obtained: Sky Dragon-Slaying Magic Crystal (Gold-tier). Upon use, grants the user Sky Dragon-Slaying Magic. (Note: Adapted to fit the systems of the One Piece world.)]
[You have obtained: TX Penguin's Cabin (Silver-tier). Upon use, grants the user a cozy cabin of their own. (Note: For additional upgrades and comforts, please recharge with Berries.)]
[You have obtained: Endless Candy Box (Silver-tier). Upon use, provides a candy box that produces a candy, each with a unique special effect with a duration of 15 minutes. (Note: You must consu the current candy before receiving another, or wait for a 3-hour cooldown.)]
Ikki blinked at his rewards. "Two silvers and one gold? That's... pretty lucky!"
His gaze lingered on the Sky Dragon-Slaying Magic Crystal. This was the jackpot. Using the crystal wouldn't just grant him the magic, but it would also significantly boost his physical abilities—exactly what he needed in a world filled with monstrously strong individuals.
---------------
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