“So… should I go pick fights every day? Or find a place to seclude myself and practice imagination?” Ruun stroked his chin, his gaze unfocused.
The next second, his entire body slumped, collapsing onto the tatami mat like a salted fish.
“Are you kidding me! I’d be exhausted!” he grumbled internally.
“In my last life, just to make a living, I was constantly competing! I finally transmigrated, even with a cheat, and now I still have to actively compete? Then what was the point of transmigrating?”
As for the other power system in the Pirate world—the Three Types of Haki?
Ruun hadn't even considered cultivating it.
Although Kaido had said in the original work, “Only Haki can transcend all,”
But thinking about it carefully, its actual performance wasn’t all that impressive.
Observation Haki? Isn’t that just a watered-down version of spiritual sense, common in cultivation novels? And it often works inconsistently when the plot requires it, failing at crucial moments.
Armament Haki? Its main function is to hit Logia users, with some attack and defense bonuses.
Sounds good, but yesterday, didn't Who's-Who and the others also use Armament Haki? What was the result?
They were knocked down by his Gravity Wave, which didn't use Haki, and still vomited blood.
Haoshoku? This one is even more significant.
It sounds grand, only awakened by the qualifications of a king, but in reality, it's just an intimidating aura that clears out cannon fodder in an area.
In other supernatural worlds, isn't it basic for strong individuals to have an inherent aura?
But in Pirate King, you have to cultivate it separately, and the threshold is extremely high.
“Haki? Not even a dog would practice it! With that effort, I might as well think about how to make gravity do some fancy tricks,” he concluded.
Three days later.
Ruun had completely figured out the “job” content of an All-Star—basically nothing!
The imagined daily grind? Non-existent.
The imagined strategizing? Thinking too much.
Even the imagined lording over others felt a bit… boring, due to him staying cooped up in his luxurious mansion.
“Seriously, so my title of Lunar Calamity is just a name to hang, with a top-tier salary and the right to live in a luxurious villa?”
Ruun lay sprawled on his back under the veranda of the courtyard, rolling his eyes at the excessively clear sky of Wano Country.
It made sense.
In Wano Country, Orochi nominally governs, and the Beasts Pirates are more like an occupying supreme emperor and the strongest enforcer group.
Routine patrols, guard duty, collecting protection money (crossed out) maintaining order—these trivial matters are handled by the lower-ranking Gifters and Shinuchi.
As for The Three Disasters and him, the newly appointed Lunar Calamity?
They are the stabilizing forces, a strategic deterrent. Unless it’s a major event like Whitebeard attacking, Kaido wouldn't bother them.
“So… am I living the life of a retired old cadre ahead of schedule?” Ruun scratched his head.
“No, no, if I lie around any longer, my bones will really rust! I need to find some fun.”
He decisively refused the maid's dressing service, quickly putting on his clothes himself.
After thinking for a moment, he decided to visit the Flower Capital.
Unfamiliar with the place, he casually picked a maid who seemed relatively clever to be his guide.
Passing through the connecting passage between Onigashima and the Wano Country mainland, the moment he stepped into the Flower Capital, Ruun’s eyes lit up.
Along the bustling streets, shops lined both sides, adorned with various signboards and lanterns.
Well-dressed pedestrians moved through them, and in the distance, he could vaguely see geishas, clattering on high wooden clogs, performing in specific areas with elegant postures.
The air was filled with the aroma of roasted dango, pancakes, and sake, mixed with the scent of wood and flowers.
“Hmph! This is what you call life!” Ruun looked around excitedly.
He unceremoniously bought a large handful of tricolored dango, eating them as he walked, the sweet and soft texture making him narrow his eyes.
He also found the Japanese-style architecture fascinating, stopping occasionally to point at a flying eaves or an intricate carving and ask the maid a question or two.
The maid answered respectfully, her eyes showing surprise that the All-Star-sama was interested in such ordinary things.
As Ruun was enjoying his stroll, a commotion and cries for help came from the street corner ahead, disrupting the harmonious atmosphere.
Several of Orochi's subordinates were surrounding a trembling small vendor.
The leader kicked over the goods on the stall, cursing, his spittle almost spraying onto the vendor's face.
The vendor knelt on the ground, forehead pressed to the dirt, pleading bitterly.
Passersby quickly moved away, lowering their heads and quickening their pace, angry but daring not to speak.
Ruun’s good mood was instantly dampened, and his brow furrowed: “Tsk, what a bunch of spoilsports. My good mood for shopping is ruined by you.”
His gaze casually swept over the arrogant ruffians, and his thoughts stirred slightly.
The Orochi subordinates, who were just showing off, simultaneously clutched their chests and collapsed to the ground, blood overflowing from their mouths and noses. They didn't even have time to let out a scream before they were completely still.
The kneeling vendor and a few passersby who hadn't run far enough were stunned into silence, as if struck by a paralysis spell.
Ruun, as if nothing had happened, withdrew his gaze and shrugged at the maid beside him, who was also visibly shaken, his tone as light as if he had just swatted a few flies:
“What a bunch of bothersome fellows. Let’s go, let’s go. There seems to be a shop ahead that smells quite good.”
The maid looked at the corpses on the ground, then at Ruun’s calm face, her awe instantly reaching its peak. She quickly bowed and replied, “Yes… yes, sir.”
She carefully followed behind Ruun, even her breathing becoming lighter.
Following the scent, Ruun entered a rather elegant-looking high-end teahouse.
Kaido’s activity fund was quite generous, so he unhesitatingly ordered several exquisitely crafted wagashi and matcha desserts, and also ordered a portion for the still-shaken maid.
Sitting by the window, sipping the slightly bitter yet sweet matcha, and biting into the sweet but not cloying red bean paste dessert, Ruun’s gaze drifted to the bustling yet somewhat oppressive streetscape of the Flower Capital outside the window.
‘Wano Country…’ He chewed thoughtfully, silently calculating in his mind.
‘In the original work, to elevate the Kozuki family, this place was given a forced intelligence-reducing halo. People close to Kozuki seemed to have their intelligence sucked away by a black hole, making the entire country seem particularly stubborn. However, that blame must be placed on the old scoundrel Oda; the characters themselves weren’t necessarily that stupid.’
He took a sip of tea, his eyes becoming more serious.
‘Now, I’m on the Beasts Pirates’ ship. To avoid being killed by that damned plot in the future, I need to get some insurance in advance…’
‘How about… trying to convince Kaido’s foolish daughter, Yamato, to come to her senses? Make her stop obsessing over being Kozuki Oden and honestly return to be the young master of Onigashima? Then, instigate Kaido to accelerate his New Onigashima project?’
He thought this approach was feasible.
‘The key point is to make Yamato understand that being a Shogun isn't cosplay; she needs to do real work. As long as she can make the lives of the people of Wano Country a little more decent after she takes power, even a tiny bit better than those struggling countries outside, with people fed, clothed, and having some hope, who would care if their Shogun is a Kozuki or a Kaido? Wouldn't the foundation of this plot kill be shaken?’
‘Even if the plan fails, or the plot god insists on forcing it…’
A sly smile curved Ruun’s lips as he picked up a rabbit-shaped dessert.
‘Then I have plenty of retreats. I can fly! And it’s the kind that can traverse the cosmos in the flesh! If I’m really pushed, I’ll learn from Eneru and just run away to the moon! Can the big hand of plot kill reach the moon?’
Thinking of this, he was in a good mood. He stuffed the remaining dessert into his mouth, saying indistinctly to the maid, “Mmm… this is good, another serving!”