One Piece: Starting From Picking Up Red-Haired's Arm

The breeze was gentle, and the sun was warm as the Sunset sailed smoothly along the Grand Line.

Xiano had just finished his morning training and was leaning against the ship's railing, holding a steaming cup of coffee, enjoying the rare moment of tranquility as he admired the sea view.

Someone crept up quietly, reaching out a small hand from under his armpit to snatch the coffee cup.

But as soon as her fingers touched the cup, Xiano slapped her hand without hesitation.

"Ouch, that hurts!"

"What are you doing? Even bitter coffee without sugar isn't safe from you?" Xiano said irritably. "Zeff brewed a whole pot of coffee early this morning. If you want some, go pour it yourself."

"The kitchen's too far…" Nami emerged from his embrace, looking up at him with pitiful eyes.

"You're just lazy."

Xiano was already immune to her antics and couldn't be bothered to engage.

Suddenly, he noticed that Nami was clutching a newspaper in her hand, and his brow raised slightly. "Did you run into the News Bird this early? Still no news about Crocodile?"

"I've looked through it from start to finish, and there's nothing."

Nami puffed out her cheeks, rolling the newspaper into a tube and slapping it against the railing. "It's been a whole week already! The World Economic Journal's efficiency is just terrible!"

Seriously, what is Morgans even doing?

Her brother might not be in a hurry, but she certainly was!

She wanted to see her brother's bounty skyrocket more than anyone else, shaking the entire Grand Line.

But such a big event, and not even a ripple?

"It's been a week already, huh."

Xiano took a slow sip of his black coffee, letting the bitterness spread across his tongue. "In that case, this has nothing to do with Morgans' efficiency. It's clear that someone higher up is deliberately suppressing the news."

"He's already dead. Can they really keep it under wraps?"

Nami pouted.

"For a while, yes."

Xiano pondered. "It seems like the Marine Headquarters is trying to buy some time to save face before the news inevitably breaks."

Crocodile's conspiracy hadn't been exposed, so in the eyes of the Marines, he was still a model Warlord of the Sea, one of their own.

Moreover.

This time, he had died while following the Headquarters' orders to capture Xiano. Even the most heartless company would consider it a work-related injury, so they couldn't just let his death go unnoticed.

Therefore, the Marine Headquarters' top priority right now is undoubtedly to capture Xiano as soon as possible.

Once that's done, they can announce Crocodile's death, making it somewhat justifiable and saving themselves from total embarrassment.

"Oh…"

Nami responded listlessly, not sure if she was even listening.

She slumped against the railing like a wilted piece of seaweed, her usually vibrant orange hair seeming to lose its luster.

Without a new bounty poster, life felt devoid of excitement.

The thought that no one knew about her brother defeating a Warlord of the Sea—it was just… ugh! She couldn't stand it, it was so frustrating!

"Where's your sister?" Xiano asked. "I saw her get up at 4 a.m. and head to the training room. It's breakfast time now, and she's still not out?"

"Nope," Nami said, propping her chin on her hand. "She's been training harder and harder these past few days, not resting until late at night. I guess she'll keep this up until she masters Armament Haki."

Xiano remained silent, understanding Nojiko's feelings.

She was similar to his past self—a fiercely determined person, unlike the carefree and shameless Nami. Seeing the crew members one by one mastering Haki these days, with only her still unable to break through, she simply couldn't swallow her pride.

Yes.

Now, the Falling Stars Adventure Crew, under the buff provided by the Falcon Sculpture, had basically achieved the feat of everyone mastering Haki.

Smoker was a given, as he came aboard already possessing it.

This guy was one of Zefa's proud disciples, personally trained by him. Long before graduating from the elite training camp of the Marine Headquarters, he had already mastered both types of Haki.

Among the remaining crew members, the first to master Armament Haki was Kuina.

The young Master Swordsman's talent was enviable. Just three days after leaving Twin Cape, she was already able to preliminarily use the abilities of wrapping and hardening.

Currently, she was attempting to master the advanced techniques of Haki emission and integrating it with sword energy, making quite good progress.

Next was Zeff. The old man only managed to master it after leaving Whiskey Peak.

As for Agin...

This guy's talent was truly unfathomable. As he aged, his physical abilities automatically improved like a balloon being inflated, requiring no training at all.

And Armament Haki seemed to be something he learned just because everyone around him was mastering it, as if it would be embarrassing if he didn't. So, he inexplicably learned it too.

"Call her for breakfast," Xiano sighed and instructed. "If she doesn't come out, it's fine. Just make sure to bring her three meals. Don't forget."

"Got it," Nami nodded. She was familiar with delivering meals. Back in the day, she and Nojiko had often brought food to their brother, who was training hard on the mountaintop.

As Nami disappeared from view, Xiano took a sip of coffee and opened the system panel.

It had been a month since the last market refresh, and he had originally planned to browse the market while sipping his coffee. If Nami hadn't interrupted, he would have already finished shopping by now.

—A deep blue light screen unfolded before his eyes.

The first six items didn't interest Xiano at all. He swiped past them one by one, frowning slightly with a sense of foreboding.

There were only ten items in total, and he hadn't wanted to buy more than half of them. Was he going to leave empty-handed again?

Fortunately, the moment the seventh item appeared, his frown instantly relaxed.

[High-tier Pet Egg]

[Type: Special Item]

[Price: 4000 Points]

[Description: After purchasing the pet egg, a high-tier pet cub will be randomly selected. Inferior bloodline breeds will be excluded, with a minimum rating of A-tier. Initial loyalty will depend on the cub's breed and the host's first impression.]

[Seller's Note: None, direct system sale]

...

Finally, another pet egg?

And a high-tier one at that... Xiano couldn't help but be tempted. This was a super gacha with a guaranteed minimum.

Back in Cocoyasi Village, using a regular pet egg to hatch Agin, who had an A+ bloodline, had already used up all his luck.

So, if this time it was still a regular pet egg, the chances of hatching something trashy were high, and he would have hesitated about buying it.

But with a guaranteed A-tier...

He bought it!

Xiano made the purchase directly. The price of four thousand Points was a fortune back in the day, but now it was just manageable.

He could accept a bit of loss if luck wasn't on his side, but if he could really hatch another companion and fighter no less than Agin, it would be a huge win no matter what.

Unable to contain his curiosity, he didn't even add it to the shopping cart and bought it outright.

He planned to check out the remaining items after opening the egg.

After spending four thousand Points, the high-tier pet egg arrived, and Xiano didn't hesitate to choose to open it.

[Random dice selected, please wait...]

[You have obtained a new pet: Snowball Beast]

[Hatching in progress...]

The dice disappeared, and a silver-white pet egg emerged, starting to crack from the top.

Within a few seconds.

The top of the eggshell completely shattered, and a fluffy snowball jumped out, blinking its big black eyes, curiously looking around.

"Is this it?"

Xiano stared in astonishment at the little thing in his hand.

Cute?

Of course, it was very cute, like a mochi, round and soft.

Even Agin during her Samoyed pig phase paled in comparison in terms of cuteness. If it were a girl, she would surely be inseparable from such a pet.

But where did this thing look like it had a Bloodline above A-grade, and where did it look like it was worth the fortune of four thousand Points?!

This is a scam!

As if responding to his complaint.

Soon, as the pet egg turned into a shadow and disappeared in the system panel, a new series of prompt lines appeared one after another:

[Bloodline Rating: S+]

[Initial Loyalty: 80]

[Description: A Digimon baby covered in light, white fluff, considered a type of Black Ball Beast, named Snowball Beast due to its white body. As long as the owner establishes a strong enough bond with it, it will naturally evolve into its final form due to its exceptional talent among its kind.]

[Evolution Path: Snowball Beast → Meowmon → Puppymon → Tailmon → Angewomon]

Xiano's expression froze instantly.

Wait, what beast was that?

Angewomon?!!!

"So it's you!"

Xiano immediately performed an Ostap Bender-level face change, smiling as he picked up the little Snowball Beast and gave it a big smooch:

"Hey, why didn't you say so earlier, what a cute little baby, welcome to the world!"