13 Chapter 13

"Initiating search for wish orders. Search completed!"

"Obtained a primary wish order"

"Order Description: The mage Kana wishes to enjoy a few drinks but finds herself short on funds."

"Order Content: Plenty of fine wine."

"Order base reward: Magic Card: Fool's Temperance, 150 trade points"

"Order remaining time: 59 minutes 59 seconds"

....

"Kana, the mage? Could it be that woman?"

Abel had a vague impression, but he wasn't certain.

However, these were not important. What mattered was that he needed to find a lot of fine wine immediately.

This order undoubtedly required effort in both 'quality' and 'quantity' to earn a positive review.

But knowing and implementing were two different things.

Because he didn't even have a hundred beli at the moment.

So his only option was to steal!

Compared to short-lived do-gooders, he'd rather be a nuisance for a thousand years!

So, he began to recall places with ample liquor.

The first thing that came to his mind was the local taverns, which could certainly meet his needs.

But the problem was, there were too many people in the taverns, making it difficult to act.

"A bit troublesome."

As Abel was pondering how to fulfill the order, sudden gunshots and explosions echoed from ahead. A crowd of panicked people started fleeing towards him.

"Pirates. There are pirates fighting!"

"Run!"

A glint appeared in Abel's eyes, "Isn't that the direction of the harbor?"

His intuition told him that something significant must have happened there.

After some hesitation, he decided to check it out.

The most successful taverns were generally located near the harbor, catering to the sailors coming and going.

Perhaps he could take advantage of the current chaos and seize an opportunity.

So, avoiding the crowd, he took a detour.

....

Half an hour ago, the Bear Pirates and the Hundred Swords Pirates suddenly attacked the smuggling ship of the Donquixote family docked at the harbor.

Many of the crew members were taken by surprise. They never expected anyone to dare attack them here. By the time they reacted, many had been killed or injured, retreating in disarray.

"Hahaha, I've always said, what Donquixote family? Just a bunch of useless people banding together, not worth a single strike!"

Miles, the Black Bear, wielding two giant hammers, cut through the crowd. No one could match him, and his laughter was particularly loud and grating.

Silver Sword Lawrence didn't believe this represented the real strength of the Donquixote family, but seeing how smoothly things were going, he couldn't dampen the spirits. He could only be silently vigilant.

After all, up to now, none of the Donquixote family's senior members had shown up. The ones being killed were just low-level minions, cannon fodder.

"These guys came specifically for us, isn't Senoir Pink back yet?"

"Signal's out. Hang in there just a bit longer. Senor will be back any moment," one of the crew members encouraged his peers.

"The audacity to assault a ship of the Donquixote Family! These scoundrels are doomed!"

"Unload all remaining weapons; let's give them a fight!"

"But some of them were... for delivery," a crew member hesitated.

In a dire situation such as this, even the thought of trading seemed ludicrous. They were confident that Senor, once informed, wouldn't hold this against them.

The Giant Bear and Hundred Swords Pirate Crews were numerous and held the upper hand initially. However, the crew of the Donquixote Family was equipped with better weaponry. Guns and cannons fired like there was no tomorrow, momentarily halting the onslaught of the enemy.

Seeing this, Black Bear Miles issued a thunderous roar, "Follow me!" Transforming into a massive black bear, he charged straight into the action, relying on his enormous size and impressive defensive capabilities. The rest of the crew, witnessing their leader's boldness, followed suit with renewed vigor.

The crew of the Donquixote Family, just beginning to regain their footing, were thrown into chaos once again due to Miles' rampage. Just when total defeat seemed imminent, a figure leapt from the ground, confronting Miles head-on.

The man was clad in a black suit and sunglasses, his slightly curled hair falling rebelliously over his right brow. A lit cigarette hung from his mouth. Despite facing the accelerating giant bear, he remained unflustered.

"It's Senor! He's back!"

"Be careful, Senor!"

Heeding the crew's cries, the man lunged forward, single-handedly halting the charge of Black Bear Miles.

"Impossible!"

"Captain Miles, even in bear form, could take down walls. How did that man stop him head-on?"

This spectacle left the members of the Bear Pirate crew in disbelief and shock. Even Miles couldn't hide his astonishment. He couldn't comprehend how this 'short' man could exhibit such incredible strength.

"Choosing to attack our family's ship while I was resting...such deplorable behavior," the man mused.

"What deplorable? You're going down!" was the irate response.

An infuriated Miles suddenly lifted his paw-like hand, intending to smash the man in front of him into pulp.

Yet 'Senor' remained unaffected, his expression cool and indifferent.

With a booming sound, Miles' hands came crashing down, causing the ground to crack like a spider's web under the immense force. However, 'Senor' was nowhere to be seen.

"Where did he go?"

"Behind you," came a voice.

Somehow, 'Senor' had moved behind Miles. He then embraced the colossal form of Miles.

A back bridge throw!

With a thunderous bang, Miles' enormous figure was lifted and slammed onto the ground. The severe impact, hitting the back of his head first, made his vision black out for a moment. His boasted defense seemed ineffective in this situation.

"Silver Blade Strike!"

At that moment, Silver Sword Lawrence couldn't hold back anymore.

He didn't want to lose Miles, an excellent meat shield, so easily. Once they decided to confront the Donquixote Family, there was no turning back.

His beautiful sword light, akin to a silver flash of lightning, accurately descended from the sky towards the enemy.

Lawrence's timing was impeccable, striking just as the enemy had finished his attack and had no place to evade.

"Got you!" he exclaimed.

Seeing his sword about to pierce through the opponent's skull, 'Senor' suddenly sank into the ground right before his eyes, vanishing without a trace.

Lawrence's sword stabbed the ground, meeting with no resistance.

"What?!"

Lawrence's expression was one of astonishment as he saw the other rise again from the ground on the other side.

"What sort of ability is this?"

Ordinarily, people wouldn't answer this question, but Senor was a man of principle, and so he straightforwardly revealed his ability.

"I am a freestyle swimmer who ate the Swim-Swim Fruit. I can freely move through the ground or walls," he explained.

The sheer confidence radiating from him was undeniable, the kind that said, 'even if you know, you still can't beat me.'

At this point, Lawrence began to regret his decision to team up with Black Bear Miles.

The Donquixote Family was truly troublesome. How could every member of their executive team be so powerful, and also possess Devil Fruit abilities?

Was it their bad luck, or was it that every member of the Donquixote Family was this strong, possessing the power to dominate the North Sea?

Lawrence refused to accept this. Today, he was determined to eliminate the opposition, regardless of the consequences he might face. He didn't believe that the Donquixote Family could do anything to him in this vast sea.

Black Bear Miles, having regained his breath, rejoined the fight with red eyes. Their crews resumed their fierce battle.

However, with the entry of Senor, the scales of victory were beginning to tilt in favor of the Donquixote Family.

....

A tavern was hit by a cannonball and erupted in flames.

Abel, hiding in the shadows, murmured a regretful remark before moving on to find another target. He quickly found a tavern that was emptied of people but structurally intact.

Without hesitation, he rushed in and started scanning the neatly arranged wine bottles on the shelves and the barrels of wine for teleportation. Within a short while, he had 'cleared' all the wine in the place.

"Would you like to confirm your order?"

Abel selected 'No'.

The wine he had gathered so far would probably be enough if he were only after the basic reward. But if he wanted a four-star or five-star rating, the quantity and quality of the wine he had gathered so far were far from enough.

"There's still time, and I might as well take a chance now. Who knows when the next opportunity will come."

So, failing to find a wine cellar, Abel immediately moved on to the next tavern. This time his luck was clearly better. The tavern was significantly larger than the last, and the amount of wine stored was incomparable.

Importantly, he found an underground wine cellar here!

The cellar was packed with various types of wine. A quick scan revealed at least hundreds of barrels.

Overjoyed, Abel immediately got to work.

He was truly grateful to the Giant Bear Pirate Crew and the Hundred Swords Pirate Crew. If it weren't for these people causing trouble for the Donquixote Family's smuggling ship and creating such a commotion, he wouldn't have this rare opportunity for a zero-cost purchase.

Having raided two taverns continuously...

Following this, Abel still wasn't satisfied and continued his search for the next target.

However, it seemed as if his luck had run dry; he visited several more locations, but either they were still occupied, or the liquor had been completely ruined. As a result, his progress came to a sudden halt.

What truly forced him to stop, though, was the mobilization of the country's army. A large number of soldiers, armed with weapons, had encircled the entire port. Those who tried to take advantage of the chaos for a zero-cost purchase or crime were either arrested or executed.

Many businesses and residents were thereby safeguarded.

Under such circumstances, Abel didn't dare to take further risks. If he were caught in the act, he couldn't explain himself.

So, he simply chose to submit his order. With such a variety of wines and a quantity reaching hundreds of barrels, he believed the review for this order would be far better than the two-star rating from before.

"Your primary request order has been completed, customer gave a four-star rating (pleasant surprise)!"

"Review: There are many kinds of wines, some of which I particularly like~ Looks like I'll enjoy a hearty drink today!"

"A four-star rating gives a 50% increase in the basic transaction point reward, remaining rewards have been automatically distributed, please check."

"Because the customer is very satisfied, you have received an additional reward - Skill: Magic Card Modification."

....

Success!

Not only did he receive a four-star rating, but he also obtained a skill book!

If it wasn't for the current circumstances, Abel would have wanted to let out a hearty laugh.

Fake golden finger: Complete the order honestly and step by step, all sorts of one-star, two-star ratings, not even getting full basic rewards.

The real golden finger: Steal, rob, cheat! Completing the order without any means, then all three-star, four-star, five-star ratings, and extra rewards until you can't handle anymore!

This time, Abel truly understood the real way to make use of the system.

Then, he couldn't wait to check the rewards he received from this order.

Firstly, the transaction points - the basic reward of 150 points plus 50% from the four-star rating totaled 225 points.

This nearly made up for all the points he'd spent before!

At this point, he had a total of 1040 transaction points, surpassing a thousand again!

After some thought, he simply bought all the remaining seven "Banana Grenades" in the system store, spending 35 transaction points.

For him at this stage, the "Banana Grenade" was quite practical. Not only did it have good destructive power, but it also had a strong element of surprise.

Stored in the system package, it could be brought out at any time for self-defense.

After all, Abel wasn't sure if the next refresh of the shop would have items better than the "Banana Grenades". Given that his current transaction points were sufficient, he simply went ahead and purchased them.

Next was the Magic Card: The Fool's Temperance.

"Magic Card: The Fool's Temperance"

A one-time consumable item.

Effect: Upon throwing, it releases a large amount of smoke. Enemies inhaling the smoke will fall asleep.

PS: Please wear a mask before using.

....

Clearly, the attack from this magic card didn't differentiate between friend or foe. If not careful, even Abel himself could fall victim.

However, he was already quite satisfied. With the element of surprise, this magic card could indeed play a significant role.

On the contrary, the description of the "Magic Card Modification" skill left him somewhat puzzled.

Skill: "Magic Card Modification" (Special)

Level:

Consumption: Mental strength, appropriately sized card.

Effect: Modifies a blank magic card.

....

That's it!

Abel was left with a bewildered expression, even somewhat dumbfounded.

Was the first skill he had painstakingly obtained a lifestyle type skill?

Like those secondary professions in games, creating medicine, crafting weapons, and then selling them to others.

What would he be then?

A card maker in the world of pirates?

Heck, even the title of the book had changed!