Transmigrating into One Piece: The Peerless King

"Hehe... Okay!"

Luffy chuckled as he looked at the stern expression on the Navy Lieutenant Commander's face.

After saying that, Luffy stuck out his tongue, turned around, and laughed loudly at Zhao Hai and Zoro, saying, "Zoro, Hai, since the Marines here don't seem to welcome us very much, let's leave quickly! Hahaha..."

……

In the town center, in the only restaurant that was still open.

Because of Colonel Monca's cruel exploitation in the past, the town's economy is no longer what it used to be and has been in a slump. As a result, business in the town is becoming increasingly difficult, and most shops have closed down.

Now only this one hotel remains, struggling to survive, and it is on the verge of collapse.

But now that they hear that the brutal naval commander Colonel Monca has been defeated, the town is finally going to return to its former peace, and the townspeople are very happy.

So the restaurant owner, who is also the mother of the little girl Zhao Hai saved, invited Luffy and Zhao Hai, the young heroes who defeated the villain Colonel Morgan, to come and be their guests.

There weren't many customers in the restaurant right now, except for Zhao Hai, Zoro, Luffy, and others sitting around a table.

I'm so hungry!

"Why isn't it ready yet? I want to eat meat...meat..."

Luffy, slumped listlessly on the table, tapped the porcelain bowl beside him with his fork, and kept urging the pretty proprietress to hurry up.

"Yes!"

"Let's hurry up, I haven't had a proper meal in a while. If all else fails, we can at least get out some fine wine to satisfy our cravings!"

Zoro, standing to the side, kept urging them on.

For the past two weeks, Zoro had been tied to the execution rack by that guy Helmeppo, so he hadn't eaten anything. The mouthwatering aroma coming from the kitchen was unbearable, so he decided to try some fine wine first.

"No! It's not wine! It's meat!"

"It's wine!"

"It's meat!"

"It's wine!"

"..."

Zhao Hai was speechless as he watched Zoro and Luffy, those two clowns, arguing so fiercely over a 'fight over food and drink' that they were clearly starving and could barely stand.

So he had no choice but to quietly leave this "battlefield" to avoid being innocently caught in the crossfire. He sat in a corner, slowly sipping his coarse tea and watching the "battle" unfold from afar.

"Big brother Luffy, please stop arguing, my mom will be done soon."

The little girl who was rescued by Zhao Hai watched Luffy and Zoro arguing, and the argument seemed to be escalating. She couldn't help but feel anxious.

Turning to Zoro, she handed him a bottle of sake and said loudly, "And Zoro, stop making a fuss, here's the sake you wanted!"

"Ah... why does Zoro have sake, but I don't have meat?"

Luffy, who had calmed down, suddenly started arguing with Zoro when Zoro got to drink.

"I have some, tsk tsk...it's delicious!"

Zoro, looking determined to infuriate Luffy, took a big gulp of sake and deliberately made a loud "tsk tsk" sound.

"What an interesting group of people! It's so easy to get along with people who aren't scheming or backstabbing! Hehe..."

Watching Zoro and Luffy's heartwarming argument from afar, Zhao Hai's lips unconsciously curled up slightly.

"Ding! Congratulations, host, for completing the main quest—Joining the Straw Hat Pirates! You have now unlocked level 20 unlimited upgrades. Please check your account immediately!"

Just as Zhao Hai was enjoying this rare warm atmosphere, the voice of the system Xiao Jin suddenly rang in his mind.

"Xiao Jin, you usually get notifications very quickly, right? Why is it taking so long this time?"

Although Zhao Hai was pleasantly surprised to hear the system notification that the task was completed, he still couldn't help but ask the question that had been bothering him.

Zhao Hai remembered that more than two hours had passed since he agreed to let Luffy join his pirate crew until he heard the notification sound.

You heard that right!

It wasn't two seconds!

Not two minutes!

It took a full two hours!

The mighty King System was experiencing a delay, and a delay of more than two hours at that. How could Zhao Hai feel at ease?

Does the King of Glory system, like the electronic products I used before, have a lifespan? Does it require warranty and maintenance?

At this moment, Zhao Hai's heart was not at peace; it could even be described as turbulent.

He fears.

He was afraid that one day, the King System would suddenly break down and the system Xiao Jin would disappear.

Without the system, that awesome cheat ability, how could he possibly thrive and stand out in the action-packed world of One Piece?

"Please put away your ignorant worries, host. Nothing can be created out of nothing. Even if you have activated the hot-blooded gene, it will only allow you to continuously stimulate the potential in your body during battle, but it will never be able to level up infinitely and quickly like you have this system."

"That's why the system needs a period of time to complete the upgrade process within your body all at once, after which there will be no more delays."

Seeing that Zhao Hai still looked confused, System Xiao Jin patiently explained, "To put it simply in your Earthly terms, this means that this system has raised the power of your entire body to a level that you can hardly imagine."

"However, due to the limitations of many built-in programs in the system, you need to continuously complete the tasks issued by this system and then continuously fight to level up and advance, eventually growing into a truly unparalleled war god."

"So all you need to know is that this system is one of the most magnificent existences in the entire universe. Even if this world is destroyed, this system will not have any problems!"

"What……"

"The power within my body has been raised to an unimaginable level by you, but... the system has added some limitations."

Zhao Hai was deeply shocked by the system Xiao Jin's words. He struggled to express his understanding, word by word, and waited for the system Xiao Jin's reply.

Zhao Hai originally thought that the King System was gradually increasing his power step by step.

Unexpectedly, things went backwards. First, they elevated themselves to an absolute level, and then imposed restrictions on them, gradually honing their skills to unlock those restrictions.

"That's right!"

Please add this to your favorites.

Chapter Fifteen: Zhao Hai, Heartlessly Ignored

Without the slightest hesitation, System Xiao Jin answered, and before Zhao Hai could catch his breath and ask further questions, it added with great interest, "So..."

"If you complete certain hidden tasks specially arranged by this system, you may even have the privilege of temporarily unlocking part of your power up to level 20."

"This is practically like giving you a hidden trump card to save your life!"

"Hehe... Good luck, my dear host!"

"what?"

"Unlock a portion of the power that raises the level cap to 20!"

"If I also rely on the Seven Transformations of Heaven and the defensive techniques of the Four Symbols Immortal Body, wouldn't I be able to challenge opponents of higher levels?"

Before one wave had completely subsided, another devastating blow violently assaulted Zhao Hai's fragile mind, causing his entire body to tremble in shock.

Zhao Hai almost lost his composure and nearly fainted from shock.

"Hai, what's wrong? Did you suffer any hidden injuries during the battle just now?"

Zoro and Luffy, who were still arguing, suddenly saw Zhao Hai trembling alone in a corner and immediately stopped fighting, staring at Zhao Hai with worried expressions.

Zhao Hai was still reeling from the shock brought to him by the system Xiao Jin when he suddenly felt like someone was watching him. He turned around and saw Luffy and Zoro with worried expressions on their faces.

"Cough cough cough..."

After a while, Zhao Hai finally realized what was happening. He coughed deliberately to ease the tension and said with a smile, "Hehe... I'm fine. I just caught a slight cold, but I'm all better now."

"My little heroes, I've kept you waiting, the food is ready!"

"Hahaha... I'm starving! Now I can finally eat meat!"

"Mmm... I'll eat, I want more..."

When Luffy saw the landlady bring out the delicious food, and saw that there was his favorite meat on the plate, his worries immediately disappeared.

He grinned and gnawed at pieces of meat, swallowing them as if his stomach were a bottomless pit that could hold all the delicious food.

"There's no fun in having wine but no meat, but now that everyone's finally here, hahaha..."

"Tsk tsk... Fine wine in hand, delicious food before me, what a joy in life! What a delight in life!"

When Zoro saw the delicious food being served, he instantly forgot all about Zhao Hai, his savior. He happily tore off a chicken leg and took a big gulp of wine.

As the alcohol entered, his Adam's apple made a "glug... glug..." sound, which sounded unusually loud and "ear-piercing" to Zhao Hai.

"Hey, hey, hey... what's going on here?"

"Weren't you all so concerned about me just now? Why is it that all you care about is the meat and wine on the table?"

"Am I, who is both his savior and the great man who will help him become the Pirate King, really less than the mundane things like chicken, pork, and dogs on the dinner table?"

"Since this is the outcome, I accept it. But what about that 'affectionate gaze' you two were giving each other just now, which was so easily misunderstood?"

"Damn it! What a waste of all that emotion I just poured out!"

Zhao Hai was initially touched by Luffy and Zoro's concern and greetings.

But the moment these two foodies saw the delicious food, they completely forgot about his "sickness" and leisurely began their culinary adventure. Zhao Hai felt as if a million curses were stampeding over his head.

Oh……

No, it was your mom who ran past, and with lightning speed effects.

"Hey……"

Then, Zhao Hai couldn't help but whisper a reminder to Luffy and Zoro.

Can……

What I got in return was...

"Tsk tsk... Not bad, delicious!"

"Mmm, delicious, delicious, this is good, I want this one too."