Aboard the Radiant Eclipse, as they left Whitebeard's territory:
Achievent Points: 726,845.
Surpassing 700,000 achievent points.
"Defeating Whitebeard added over 70,000 achievent points," Kuke noted. He wasn't particularly surprised or disappointed by the increase.
From the beginning, he had estimated that the growth wouldn't exceed 100,000 points. This result was within expectations.
"Before the battle, most people already thought I could defeat Whitebeard. If I hadn't defeated him in 45 minutes or if Whitebeard hadn't admitted his loss, the achievent points would have been even less."
The gap to reaching one million achievent points was shrinking, but acquiring new points was becoming increasingly difficult. Ultimately, this was because the Sun and Moon Pirates were already too famous, and people had beco desensitized to their feats.
"If I had defeated Whitebeard right after setting out to sea, the increase could've been 200,000 or 300,000 points."
But if he had done that, subsequent victories against Kaido, Charlotte Linlin, and others would yield almost no points. The order of events mattered. In the end, the total points wouldn't differ much.
"Gaining achievent points from pirates is unlikely for now. Winning once is impactful; winning again has no benefit."
"Finding new crew mbers is also becoming difficult."
Achievent points weren't only gained by accomplishing major feats. Increasing the number of crew mbers, improving their strength, and raising their bounties could all contribute to achievent points. But this thod was no longer easy to exploit.
Kuke recalled the original series, thinking about notable female powerhouses who hadn't yet joined him.
Few. Very few.
"Sanji's sister Reiju, Perona, Bonney, Nami, Rebecca (Viola's niece), Carrot from the Mink Tribe, so of Charlotte Linlin's younger daughters, a few Navy won… Vivi?"
Kuke tallied them.
There were still a fair number, but they were scattered across the world. Many were also quite young at the mont.
"I wonder how many achievent points becoming the Pirate King would bring?" Kuke speculated. He shook his head. Likely not much. From Shakky, he had already learned that talk of him and the Sun and Moon Pirates becoming the Pirate King was a hot topic worldwide. People seed to have already accepted it as inevitable.
The idea that Kuke would achieve the Pirate King title seed certain to everyone. If he succeeded, it wouldn't cause much of a stir or shock—thus, it wouldn't yield many achievent points. This was one downside to being overly famous. Previously, his rapid rise had caused achievent points to skyrocket, but now that fa had peaked, earning more points was proving difficult.
In the eyes of others, whatever the Sun and Moon Pirates accomplished no longer felt extraordinary. Even if they imdiately claid the title of Pirate King, it would seem unremarkable. The Sun and Moon Pirates had already beco the undisputed favorites to succeed.
"The World Governnt and Navy are my best bet now," Kuke mused. Apart from them, other forces and events were unlikely to yield significant achievent points.
"Perhaps going into hiding for a few years could help. The turnover rate for lower-tier pirates in the sea is quick. A few years later, achievent points might be easier to earn again," Kuke thought, brainstorming various ways to accrue points.
Ultimately, his next course of action would involve playing a ga with the World Governnt.
"Viola, what are the World Governnt and Navy up to?" Kuke asked.
"They've been stationed in one area for several days, not returning or advancing further," Viola reported.
Kuke frowned. Why were they lingering in the initial seas of the New World?
From his perspective, the presence of the Five Elders and the entire Navy's elite forces in the New World could only an they were planning to target him. Since they hadn't appeared during his battle with Whitebeard, he assud they'd be lying in ambush, either at the site of his anticipated battle with Shanks and Mihawk or at the final island reachable by Log Pose, Lodestar Island.
Both possibilities were highly plausible. However, regardless of their chosen strategy, they should have taken action by now, rather than staying put and doing nothing.
"What are they worried about? What are they afraid of?" Kuke pondered.
It didn't seem likely they'd abandon their mission and return halfway through.
Drumming his fingers on the table, Kuke thought deeply for several minutes. The World Governnt's elite force wasn't moving, so Kuke couldn't act rashly either. Their current location was too close to Mary Geoise. At regular ship speeds, they could return in just a few days. And in a world filled with various abilities, travel could be even faster—Brûlée's Mirror-Mirror Fruit, Kuma's Paw-Paw Fruit, or Shiki's Float-Float Fruit could drastically shorten the journey. What took days for regular ships could take re hours, or even less, with such powers.
If Kuke invaded Mary Geoise, he couldn't afford for these forces to return. Their presence would make uncovering Mary Geoise's deepest secrets far more difficult.
Initially, he had hoped they would advance into the depths of the New World, far from the Red Line, where even special abilities wouldn't allow for a swift return. But now that they weren't moving, Kuke's plans couldn't proceed smoothly.
Kuke began analyzing the situation from the perspective of the Five Elders. What concerns might they have? What might they be considering?
One major question stood out: Could they annihilate the entire Sun and Moon Pirates?
Another consideration: The safety of Mary Geoise.
Yes. Kuke's thoughts beca clearer.
"They're uncertain if I'll head to the final seas to claim the Pirate King's title. They're afraid of wasting ti and resources, afraid of leaving Mary Geoise defenseless for no reason. That's why they're holding back."
Beyond this reasoning, Kuke couldn't think of any other justification for the World Governnt's inaction.
"If that's the case…" Kuke stood up.
"Prepare to set sail for Lodestar Island."
"Lodestar Island?"
In an instant, all the crew's eyes turned toward him.
"Are we heading to conquer the final route and claim the Pirate King's title?" Charlotte Linlin, who had been devouring cake, paused for once. For her, this was a matter even more important than eating.
"So, does this an I'll officially be a mber of the Pirate King's crew?" she mused. Not being the Pirate King herself, being part of the crew was the next best thing.
Gion furrowed her brows slightly. "Kuke, we're still missing two Road Poneglyphs."
Without those two, they couldn't chart the route to the final island. Achieving this by brute force was impossible, as history had repeatedly shown. It would only result in getting lost at sea.
"We just need the world to believe we're heading to beco the Pirate King."
That was the real goal.
"The World Governnt?" Shakky imdiately guessed. Her heartbeat quickened. Finally, they were about to take this step. Where Captain Rocks had failed, would her new captain, Kuke, succeed in achieving what Rocks couldn't?
"Set sail!"
The Radiant Eclipse, carrying the world's most renowned Sun and Moon Pirates, made a grand departure toward the depths of the New World.
The Radiant Eclipse's movents weren't concealed in the slightest. Being the center of the world's attention, it wasn't long before soone spotted the ship at sea or noticed it passing by islands and nations.
Before long, all eyes in the New World turned their gaze toward them.
________________________________
DONT FORGET POWER STONE
________________________________
P/S: If you are interested, you can read up 40 chapters at patreon/Emik01.
________________________________
Reviews
All reviews (0)