Chapter 79 The Player's Universal Pointer (4K Camp...)
As the new day began, Violet woke up early from her sleep.
After taking a sip of hot asparagus soup to replenish the hunger she had lost overnight, Vera finally had time to sort out and study the mission rewards she had received yesterday.
[Golden Ship Skin]
[Description: A gleaming golden ship, the perfect choice for flaunting wealth and power. Only high-ranking pirates with sufficient strength can use this dazzling vessel. PS: Please note, this is just a skin; dismantling the golden ship will yield some scrap ropes and wood, not gold ingots.]
[Universal Pointer (One-Time Use)]
[Description: New maps, treasures, or formidable adversaries—the universal pointer will always point to what you desire most.]
[Shadow Manipulator]
[Description: Step into madness, hear the screams—congratulations, you've taken another step closer to darkness! This device, composed of screaming living wood and magically powerful amethysts, will amplify your magical power.]
[Crafting Materials: Living Wood*3, Amethyst*1, Nightmare Fuel*7]
[Golden Eye]
[Description: A golden eye inlaid with diamonds; even carrying it in a backpack gives the feeling of being constantly watched.]
[Super Telescope]
[Description: A pair of binoculars entirely in gold, with no lenses at the tail, replaced instead by a beautiful eye-shaped ornament... Wait, wasn't it just pointing at me? Provides twice the field of view of a normal binocular after use.]
[Crafting Materials: 1 Ordinary Telescope, 1 Golden Eye, 1 Gold Nugget]
[Radiant Skin]
[Description: A beautiful, shimmering, and expensive sheet-like substance with a skin-like texture.]
[Double-layered golden umbrella]
[Description: This double-layered umbrella offers superior rain and sun protection and can be worn directly on your head, freeing your hands. It also boasts strong lightning protection, shielding you from lightning strikes and electrical leaks.]
[Crafting Materials: Radiant Skin*2, Umbrella*1, Straw Hat*1]
[Gold-plated food preservation backpack]
[Description: A beautiful, golden backpack that combines practicality and aesthetics. It emits a continuous cooling effect, much like a refrigerator, making it an ideal tool for keeping food fresh and lowering the temperature of heating stones during the dry season.]
[Crafting Materials: Radiant Skin x2, Kelp x5, Vines x2]
After the rainy season comes a three-month dry season, with temperatures on land and sea reaching 50°C. The extreme heat can cause dangerous spontaneous combustion and fatal heatstroke, making walking outdoors at midday virtually impossible.
Even in the cooler mornings and evenings, you should still take precautions if you don't have good sun protection and cooling equipment to avoid overheating and continuous blood loss.
In addition, the dry season causes most plants to wither. Grass, branches, bamboo and other plants will dry up and stop growing rapidly in the first half month of the dry season. Only some drought-resistant crops in the fields can continue to grow, and the need for watering will be more frequent.
However, during the dry season, the island's area will increase by 20% due to the receding sea level, which can be used as a temporary expansion area for planting. The sea will be calmer, making navigation safer.
"Don't worry, we've been monitoring the thermometer you left behind."
Ginny looked at the mini Den Den Mushi in her palm, which had the same black hair and black eyes as Wil: "The rainfall has indeed decreased a lot recently, and the seabed has been exposed. Kuma is drying fish on those reefs."
"The seeds are all ready. After the last batch of crops is harvested, we will plant drought-resistant seeds such as corn, tomatoes, and peppers, as instructed by you, Island Master."
"The snowball launchers for firefighting are already on, and we've also prepared plenty of water balloons at the base. We'll act immediately if there are any signs of spontaneous combustion." Ginny looked at Lucci and Kaku, who were huffing and puffing as they dug in the dirt with golden shovels not far away.
During the sweltering dry season, even the most aloof World Government agents have to take off their suits and shirts and put on straw hats to avoid fainting from the heat while working.
Isn't this much more pleasing to the eye than its initial gloomy appearance?
"Phew—that's great." Kaku wiped the sweat from his brow. "Now the pond is much bigger. Once we dig a canal to the base, we won't have to carry those water jugs back and forth to irrigate the fields anymore."
Although each watering can be filled with water and can be used to water a hundred times, given how dry the weather is at the beginning of the dry season, one or two watering cans will not be enough to support such a large farm once the dry season officially begins.
“It’s amazing.” Thinking of those farms and the fast-growing, enormous crops on them, Kaku exclaimed, “Such a small farm can feed all of us and still have so much left over to do business.”
Lucci: "Foolish. If we flood the market with these seeds and crops, it could easily create chaos in a small agricultural country."
In Lucci's view, the island owner named Vera was completely wasting resources. If he had such magical seeds and crops in his hands, he could easily stir up chaos and war in a country.
Is the deadliest thing on this vast ocean the blade of pirates? No, it's the famine caused by storms, tsunamis, droughts, and other factors.
A tiny seed can have the power to influence the fate of a nation.
Lucky has an innate, inflated ambition, a desire to break free from the rules, and a yearning to be superior to others. The government's CP department is the stage he carefully selected to realize his ambition.
Backed by the Celestial Dragons, descendants of gods and creators of the world, Lucci can maximize his talents and abilities, using loyalty and ruthlessness to exchange for a ticket to that shadow world, and ultimately leverage all its power for his own use.
If, if he could get the news about this island and its owner out... Thinking of this, the muscles in Lucci's arms trembled with excitement.
The world government will definitely be interested in Violet.
The ability to store items, create things out of thin air, accelerate crop growth, cure diseases... it's incredible, and terrifying, that all these abilities are concentrated in a teenage girl.
What was Violet's initial bounty again? Oh right, seventy million Berries. That number was set after he agreed to it.
Considering that Violet's bounty stemmed from her attacking government officials and her rather arrogant call to the Navy to have them witness CP9 members being dragged into the darkness by "Ghost Hand" as a provocation, her bounty was exceptionally increased, only 9,000 Berries less than that of the Devil's Child!
But now, Lucci is certain that once the World Government learns of Violet's abilities, they will see her as an even more detestable thorn in their side than the orphan of Ohara.
Violet's abilities appear chaotic at first glance, but careful observation reveals that they all ultimately point to a clear and definite goal—the ability to create the world.
Of course, of course, Violet's abilities are still very weak, but it is precisely because of these weak abilities that she has not yet fully developed that she has been able to create the prosperity she has today, little by little, on such a desolate and remote island.
Lucci had no doubt that even if Violet were thrown into a desolate wasteland with no people, no basic technology, and no buildings, she could survive on her own and develop the place quite well.
Isn't that terrifying? Just thinking about it sent chills down Lu Qi's spine.
The Celestial Dragons claim to be descendants of the Creator, yet this immense power and vibrant vitality, which should belong to the Creator, are found in a "wild child" who doesn't even have a surname or family.
In Violet, Lucci saw a possibility, a possibility that could shake the perception that the world had been regarded as an ironclad rule.
The World Government will not allow Violet, who possesses such abilities, to roam freely outside; they will certainly use every means to seize Violet's abilities for themselves.
The power to create should rightfully belong to the Creator.
"Lucci, Lucci?"
Kaku waved his hand in front of Lucci's face: "Are you alright? Why did you suddenly stop moving... Wait, are you suffering from heatstroke?"
"Heatstroke, heatstroke? Where is someone suffering from heatstroke? The island lord said that heatstroke is very dangerous during the dry season, doctor, doctor!" Chopper rushed over in a panic upon hearing the voice, looked around, and suddenly realized that Law and Violet were not on the island.
Chopper covered his face with his hooves: "Ah! Oh no, there's no doctor on the island!"
The bear, carrying a basket of fish to dry on the rocks, said, "Chopper, you seem to be the only doctor on the island."
Chopper adjusted his askew hat, pointing at himself in shock: "Doctor?! Me, me?"
"No, I've only been learning from Luo for a few days."
Ginny encouraged her, "It's okay, it's better than those of us who haven't studied it at all. Besides, medical skills can only be improved through practice."
Chopper, who was still completely unaware of the ways of the human world, was stunned: "Is that how it is?"
Bonney seemed to understand, stopping her chewing on the gem amulet on her chest and waving at Chopper with a "hey hey hey" sound.
Everyone's encouragement boosted Chopper's confidence. Heatstroke, heatstroke... Hmm, if it were Law or the island lord at this time, what medicine would they prescribe?
Chopper: "Got it!"
"Slurp—" Kaku licked the watermelon popsicle in his hand. "So delicious."
Although it's just a regular sliced watermelon with a layer of ice on the outside, the fruits grown in R'lyeh are quite sweet, and they taste delicious with such a simple treatment.
"Chopper, what a miracle doctor!" Kaku exclaimed, then looked at Lucci, who was holding a watermelon popsicle but hadn't touched it, and asked in confusion, "Aren't you going to eat it, Lucci?"
This is such a delicious and refreshing treat. If Lu Qi doesn't like it, we can give it to him. He can eat two in one go. Otherwise, it would be such a waste if it melts.
Lucci sneered and looked at Kaku: "You're having a good time here, aren't you?"
"You don't actually think you're one of them, do you? Don't forget who you are."
The busy but comfortable, dreamlike life was shattered by Lucci's words. Kaku tightened his grip on the watermelon popsicle, like a drowning person grasping at the last straw, desperately swimming towards the life he longed for.
But it was too late; he had already drowned.
Being an assassin is a profession you can't switch to.
After confirming that Kaku wasn't so foolish as to be bought off by such a small favor and betray his past, Lucci sneered and threw the watermelon popsicle in his hand into the sea.
Lucci: "Do you remember what they said? In a while, the Whitebeard Pirates will come and take away the vegetables from the island."
Kaku suppressed the bitter ache in his heart, recalling what Ginny and the others had said: "It seems the person who came was just an ordinary crew member?"
"A coward who has the strength but no ambition to become a squad leader."
Violet shared the good news with them on the same day she secured the bodyguard with the best value for money, so the guy named Teach was no secret to them.
Isn't this a godsend breakthrough?
Lucci: "Let's find a way, at least one of us can get off this island with that Teach."
It would be more advantageous for these intelligence agents to be with an empty-headed warrior than with Ginny in R'lyeh.
——
"So the island lord ultimately chose to make the golden food storage backpack?" Sabo walked around Vil, marveling at the dazzling golden backpack on her back. "So cool."
“Right, right?” Violet raised an eyebrow smugly. “Super cool!”
"If I make a parasol, it can only be used by me. As for the backpack, it has six compartments. I can put ice in two compartments and rotate the remaining compartments to put heat stones. That should be enough for us to survive in the summer."
Like a refrigerator, the heat stones placed in the gold-plated food storage backpack can also be cooled down to 0°C, and can continuously absorb heat when placed in a pocket.
Luo: "Where to next?"
“I don’t know.” Violet shook her head and took the [Omnipotent Pointer] out of her backpack. “Let me see.”
"Where is what I crave and need most right now?"
[You have used the universal pointer]
[Pointer has been positioned on the map: Alabasta]
——
"Look, it's a cactus!"
Walking on the endless pale yellow sand dunes, even a touch of green is enough to bring joy.
Violet and her companions wore straw hats, carried floral umbrellas, and always had a warm stone with a temperature below 10℃ in their pockets to keep cool.
Excited, Violet ran toward the giant cactus that stood out in the desert and carefully picked a fiery red flower from it.
[You have obtained 1 cactus flower]
Cactus flowers can be used to make floral shirts. Like food, floral shirts will slowly rot. In the hot and dry season, a floral shirt can last for about 10 days.
When the ambient temperature is higher than the body temperature, the character's temperature will rise slowly. Straw hats, floral umbrellas, and floral shirts can effectively slow down the rate of this temperature rise.
"Vell!"
Sabo, standing behind him, cupped his hand to his mouth and called out in a megaphone shape, "Watch the temperature of the heat stone!"
Violet quickly took out the warm stone, which had turned a bright light yellow from its original bluish-green color and was covered with a layer of frost.
She put the cactus flower in her pocket, ran quickly towards Luo and the others, opened the golden preservation backpack, and a blast of cold air hit her.
The three of them skillfully took out the heat stones, which had cooled to 0°C, from the gold preservation backpack and exchanged them with the ones in their own pockets.
Violet took out the universal pointer and looked at the red arrow that was steadily pointing forward.
Sabo pulled out a pre-prepared Alabasta travel map: "If you keep going forward, you'll reach Arubana, the capital of Alabasta."
Violet took off her straw hat and used it as a fan to cool herself, but even the wind was scorching hot in the desert.
"Our hunger level has dropped a lot. We need to find a suitable place to rest quickly."
As a town in the desert, Arubana sits on a round rock that rises above the surrounding desert. The buildings are mostly in light colors such as white or blue, with thick walls and small windows.
Walking down the street, you see men and women everywhere wearing light and breathable gauze clothes. They have probably adapted to the Alabasta climate and are just walking on the street, letting the sun shine on their wheat-colored skin.
The group of people, dressed as outsiders, attracted their curious but harmless glances, but no one bothered them.
As a well-known tourist destination, it didn't take much effort for Violet and her companions to find a high-end hotel that catered to tourists.
The wealthy Violet slapped three gold coins she had earned from Mr. Edward onto the table.
"I need three rooms connected together."
"OK."
The boss, with beautiful purple hair, dressed in traditional Alabasta attire, and possessing a stunning figure, handed three wooden plaques tied with red ropes to Violet and her companions.
The wooden plaque is carved with a simple yet agile and powerful eagle.
The owner smiled and introduced, "This is our Alabasta's guardian deity... What would you like to eat tonight, gentlemen? Would you like some Alabasta specialties?"
Violet nodded and took out another gold coin. Although the food provided by these NPCs was too low in terms of three-dimensional attributes for Violet, she always tried it with the hope that she might unlock new menus after finishing the food.
Alabasta cuisine is predominantly sweet and sour, with a high proportion of meat and a relatively low proportion of vegetables. It is complemented by local spices with distinctive flavors, creating a unique and charming culinary style.
With a chilled fresh drink, Violet and the others stayed in their room to escape the sweltering summer heat when a figure walked into the hotel.
The newcomer had slicked-back hair and wore a long shirt and trousers that made one wonder if he had lost his heat receptors. He also wore a black trench coat, with sharp, golden hooks that peeked out from under the coat as he walked.
He had a horizontal scar across his nose and an unlit cigar in his mouth. Despite having just come from the extremely hot outdoors and wearing layers of heavy clothing, he was clean and dry, without a trace of sweat.
The boss naturally recognized the man, who was somewhat well-known in Alabasta: "Mr. Crocodile."
Crocodile nodded: "Yes."
Crocodile is a pirate, and a powerful pirate recognized by the World Government, holding the title of one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
When he first led his fleet to Alabasta, he caused quite a stir and panic, even alarming King Cobra in the royal palace.
It's unclear what King Cobra and Mr. Crocodile discussed at the time, but Crocodile eventually stayed in Alabasta and founded an organization called Baroque Works.
However, Crocodile and his Baroque Works did not engage in the kind of looting and plundering that pirates were expected to do. On the contrary, Baroque Works was very enthusiastic in helping everyone in need. Crocodile even helped them drive away pirates that approached Alabasta and kill dangerous beasts in the desert on several occasions.
The boss recently heard that many people privately call Crocodile "the hero of Alabasta," and many children dream of becoming a powerful and dazzling adult like him in the future.
Compared to the businesslike smile he gave when greeting Violet, the boss's smile was noticeably more friendly and sincere when he saw Crocodile.
Boss: "You're finally back."
Crocodile recently led the Baroque Works crew out to sea, supposedly after receiving intelligence that a group of people were plotting against Alabasta and planning to rob them under cover of night and run away.
What a foolish idea! The boss laughed at the unknown pirate crew in his heart. They had completely chosen the wrong opponent. Alabasta was a place where the Seven Warlords of the Sea were stationed!
"Everything went smoothly, I guess." Although it was a question, the tone was one of certainty. The boss was one of the people who had the privilege of witnessing Crocodile in action and didn't think that a few small-time pirates could give Crocodile a headache.
Upon hearing his boss's words, Crocodile clenched his teeth uncontrollably.
This time, Baroque Works mobilized its entire force to confirm a piece of news—that Whitebeard had returned to his prime due to a Devil Fruit user.
The news is true.
Whitebeard and his Whitebeard Pirates made no attempt to hide it; during this period, the Whitebeard Pirates almost daily dominated the front page headlines of the World Economic News newspaper.
Today the Whitebeard Pirates attacked Whole Cake Island's territory, tomorrow the Whitebeard Pirates will fight Kaido again, and the day after tomorrow the Whitebeard Pirates will clash with the Marines...
In short, the Whitebeard Pirates' territory expanded by a considerable margin.
Unlike the Whitebeard Pirates' high-profile style, there was no news whatsoever about the Devil Fruit user who restored Whitebeard to his prime.
Crocodile raised his hand and touched the cold iron hook on his left hand—a consequence of a humiliating defeat.
Douglas □□, a former crew member of the Pirate King Roger, once fought against Crocodile. The two fought to a draw, which greatly increased Crocodile's fame, and he was invited by the World Government to become a member of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
With his confidence soaring, Crocodile did something that every pirate heading to the New World longed to do.
Challenge the Emperor of the Sea.
His left hand was thus severed, and he vowed revenge.
Therefore, after learning that there were clues about Hades, the legendary ancient weapon capable of destroying an entire island, in Alabasta, he came here, using a false hero persona to package himself, while secretly plotting greater ambitions.
But now, Crocodile's plan to seize Alabasta has only just begun when he learns of Whitebeard's return to his prime.
No, even Whitebeard is no match for Hades. He still has a chance for revenge.
It seems the plan needs to be accelerated. The drought in Alabasta has worsened recently, and the dancing powder he secretly purchased can finally come in handy.
Crocodile: "Thanks to everyone, everything's going smoothly. Get me a room..."
Crocodile noticed the four gleaming gold coins on his boss's desk.
The shopkeeper chuckled, picked up a coin, and held it up to the sky: "I never imagined there would still be people trading with gold coins these days."
This is a rather old-fashioned and aristocratic practice. These gold coins may still have a market among pirates on the Grand Line because of their high price and ease of trading, but here, they are only used by nobles to show off their status.
However, just like those who were deceived by Violet's obedient first impression, the boss also regarded Violet as a descendant of a noble who was traveling alone, rather than a pirate.
But Crocodile immediately recognized it as a gold coin design that was quite popular among pirates.
However, he didn't think much of it. As long as one survives in this world, it's inevitable to deal with pirates. Even unarmed children in Alabasta have the courage to board pirate ships that just want to dock there to replenish supplies and repair their ships to do some small business or listen to their boastful stories.
Crocodile took the wooden plaque from the shopkeeper and headed upstairs to the second floor, where there were more expensive, higher-class rooms. Crocodile was naturally not going to settle for less.
He lit the cigar he was holding in his mouth, and just then, a snowball appeared out of thin air in front of him through the wall and slammed straight down on his face!
Snap—
As the snowflakes dispersed, the cigar in his mouth went out, becoming soggy and limp.
"Ah!" The wooden door a few steps away opened, and a head popped out. Upon seeing Crocodile with his disheveled hair and wet neckerchief, the head cried out, "Did I hit you?"
During the dry season, spontaneous combustion will randomly occur around the player. The first thing Violet does after entering the room is to build a snowball launcher that can extinguish fires.
But she didn't expect the snowball launcher to detect people outside the room, and the wall happened to puncture at that moment, causing the snowball to hit Crocodile squarely on the head.
Feeling extremely embarrassed, Vera looked at the other person guiltily: "Are you alright?"
Crocodile raised his hand expressionlessly and used his Sand-Sand Fruit ability to absorb the melted snow water from his face.
He is now a hero in Alabasta, a cunning crocodile with a cold exterior but a warm heart.
Crocodile: "I'm fine. Just be careful next time."
"I haven't seen you before. Are you a tourist visiting Alabasta?" Crocodile asked patiently. "Have a good time."
As he spoke, he walked past Violet toward his room. Violet watched his retreating figure and scratched her head in confusion.
That guy is incredibly heat-resistant.
No one took the little incident to heart. Violet decided to spend the hottest and most unbearable afternoon sleeping, and explore the map again at dusk and evening.
Buzz~ Buzz~
Vera rolled over groggily: "Um... just five more minutes..."
Suddenly, something cold and icy touched Wil's neck, and Wil was immediately awakened from her sleep. When she opened her eyes, she saw the expressionless face of the little ghost Olbia.
Olbia raised her hand and tapped the spot on Vil's waist, then disappeared.
Something is vibrating around my waist.
Vera looked through her pockets in confusion and discovered that the culprit behind the vibration was a one-time use [Universal Pointer] that was always on.
The universal hands vibrated wildly, and the arrows on them spun rapidly on the dial, leaving afterimages.
Violet: ?
Clang—
A crack appeared on the dial, and at the same time, fine dust began to fall from Violet's head.
Varied……
Vera looked up in confusion, and then felt the bed beneath her—no, the entire building—shaking violently!
Violet's vision blurred, and the next second she appeared out of thin air on the street outside the room, followed by Luo and Sabo.
Bang, bang...
A series of loud noises echoed, as if some enormous creature was crashing against the soil underground.
The owner and Crocodile followed closely behind as they emerged from the hotel, and people who had sensed the strange noises and vibrations came out of their homes and onto the streets.
[You've encountered a new event!!!]
The "Angry Desert Lion" event has begun. Enjoy the game!
Violet noticed the pebbles bouncing rapidly on the ground, like hidden footprints leading towards the inn's entrance.
Violet rushed forward, grabbed one of the bosses in each hand and Crocodile in the other, and ran off.
Crocodile, who is using the Sand-Sand Fruit to find out exactly what happened: ?
Crocodile, feeling his expensive leather shoes dragging on the sand, lowered his eyes, his expression grim: "Kid, put me down right now."
Bang! Bang!
A loud bang accompanied by dust and smoke. Crocodile, who was being held, didn't care about anything else and waved his hand to control the sand and gravel falling from the air, even in this awkward position.
Several circular, deep craters appeared on the street, and the buildings above them completely collapsed into ruins. The crowd on the street screamed in terror at the sight.
Crocodile's expression was grim; he hadn't sensed any living beings from underground.
Vera exclaimed in surprise: "This is the Lion of the Desert?"
Crocodile's gaze returned to Violet: "Kid, you know about this?"
He then looked coldly at the waist that Vera was holding: "And, can you put me down now?"
-----------------------
Author's Note: The summer boss of the Giant Kingdom has arrived! [Standing-eared rabbit head]
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