Chapter 31: The Battle Is Over! Three New Entries!

Chapter 31: Battle Concluded! Three New Traits!

The pirates, who had been aggressive and imposing just a second ago, dove straight into the sea, leaving nothing behind but a swirl of turbulent waves. This sudden turn of events caught everyone on the Marine battleship off guard.

"What's going on? How are the pirates able to dive into the ocean?"
"Could it be that this group has mastered coating technology similar to that of the Sabaody Archipelago?"
"Impossible! Only the Yarukiman Mangroves can provide the bubble coating necessary for deep-sea travel, and we are nowhere near the Sabaody Archipelago!"
"And what on earth was that strange, stone-like fluid that emerged at the end? Was that some kind of Devil Fruit ability?"

The elite Marines on the deck broke into a frantic discussion. Even Zephyr, hovering in the sky, couldn't help but narrow his eyes.

"I see." Zephyr looked toward Doflamingo and pierced through the truth. "Using a Devil Fruit ability to allow a wooden sailing ship floating on the sea to sink beneath the surface, avoiding further pursuit by Marine warships... is this the 'escape route' you planned for them in advance?"

"I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about!" Doflamingo tilted his head with a defiant, arrogant smirk. "I have absolutely nothing to do with those low-level pirates down there!"

"You naturally evil Celestial Dragon brat!" Zephyr spat, deciding to ignore this troublesome hot potato for now, and descended directly toward the ship below. "Don't you dare let me catch you in the act!"

Defiant, cold-blooded, ruthless in pursuit of his goals, combined with that masterful Haki... Recalling the brief interaction with Doflamingo, a thought crossed Zephyr's mind. A brilliant new talent was emerging in the Grand Line! And that was even setting aside his status as a World Noble!

The experienced Zephyr reached a judgment immediately: 'An absolute priority for surveillance! I must find a battle-hardened veteran to keep an eye on him!'

'The String-String Fruit... hmm...'
'Tsuru?'

Doflamingo had no idea what a terrifying natural enemy he had just invited upon himself with today's actions! Vice Admiral Tsuru, who possessed the Wash-Wash Fruit and the power to cleanse the malice from people's hearts. She would certainly provide "Doffy" with a massive surprise!

...

The sudden naval boarding battle ended in an unexpected fashion. Having endured the pirates' mad assault, the baptism of gunfire, and especially that final, overwhelming barrage of thorn-iron rain, the Marine battleship was left in shambles.

"What a pity, to let those damned pirates get away!" Cui Ze regretfully lowered his "human shield" from above his head.

"Vergo, you must feel very regretful as well, right?"

Since joining the Marines and becoming an undercover agent, Vergo had never felt as miserable and frustrated as he did today. What was most annoying was that Vergo had to agree with Cui Ze's assessment. After all, he had to maintain his persona as a righteous Marine.

Vergo straightened his body on the deck and said vaguely, "Yes, pirates... they are the worst."

"By the way, your Iron Body training is still lacking," Cui Ze said, plucking a thorn-iron ball embedded in Vergo's face and tossing it aside. "At the very least, your skin hasn't been tempered thoroughly enough."

It's hard! It's hard! My fist is hardening! Vergo clenched his fists tight. The young master's plan was completely twisted! Lao G was heavily wounded, fell into the sea, and his fate was unknown! Even he himself had nearly been disfigured by Diamante's thorn-iron ball. Whose fault was all of this?

Cui Ze seemed completely oblivious, enthusiastically draping an arm around Vergo's shoulder. "My good comrade, look at this skirmish today. I killed a large number of pirates, and you gained plenty of practice for your Iron Body..." Cui Ze smiled. "We both got what we wanted; this is a total win-win!"

*The hell you call this a win-win? This is you winning twice!* Vergo felt his stoic face struggling to maintain its composure.

Cui Ze patted Vergo's shoulder a few more times. "Good comrade, we must strengthen our cooperation in the future! One of us is the spear, the other is the shield; we’re the perfect partner combination!"

Vergo tried his absolute best to force a chilling, stiff smile at Cui Ze. "Next time, for sure!"

...

The injured Marines were sent to the infirmary, the pirates who hadn't died were thrown into the brig, and the deckhands were left to clean and repair the ship. Once everything settled down, Cui Ze returned to his room and summoned the light screen. This "pirate attack" was treated by the screen as an "experience," and the "summary of the experience" could be used to "condense traits."

As expected, information flowed across the screen like water.

【In the heat of battle, your marksmanship was flawless, nearly landing a headshot every time. You have obtained the D-rank informational trait: 【Sniper】】
【D-rank Trait: Sniper】
【Trait Effects: 1. Your influence increases; you receive a +1 D-rank bonus to Command and Agility stats. 2. Your eyesight is enhanced; within a fifty-meter radius, you can perceive the frequency and amplitude of an ant's antennae movement.】
【Trait Evaluation: I bet there are no bullets in your gun.】

【In the heat of battle, through sneak attacks, you eliminated several pirates. You have obtained the E-rank ability trait: 【Cheap Shot】】
【E-rank Trait: Cheap Shot】
【Trait Effects: 1. You receive a +1 E-rank bonus to Agility. 2. If you find an opportunity where the target cannot defend well, you can aim for vital areas to deal extra damage.】
【Trait Evaluation: Can you really call a sniper's shot a sneak attack?】

【With unimaginable speed and precision, you sniped a large number of pirates. You have obtained the D-rank informational trait: 【Killing Machine】】
【Trait Effects: 1. Your influence and intimidation increase; you receive a +1 D-rank bonus to Command. 2. Machine-like killing, tireless; you receive a +1 D-rank bonus to Durability and Strength.】
【Trait Evaluation: Love, Death, and Robots.】

"A single boarding battle, and I got three new traits!"
"Two D-rank informational traits, and one E-rank ability trait!"
Cui Ze's eyes lit up. "The 【Sniper】 trait! Stat boosts, plus the enhancement of static vision! Combined with the effect of 【Sharp Hearing】, my sensory capabilities within fifty meters make me a human radar!"

"The 【Cheap Shot】 trait... this E-rank trait's only noteworthy effect is the Agility boost. For me now, E-rank and below traits are almost useless, unless they are like 【Breath of the Beast】, which can be continuously trained and improved."

"The 【Killing Machine】 trait, a powerful trait that boosts stats across the board, and it's a D-rank trait! Extremely strong!"

Cui Ze pulled up his stat list. His three main combat stats—Strength, Durability, and Agility—had all broken through to D-rank. At the same time, Cui Ze's comprehensive evaluation had risen to "D+". This signified that Cui Ze's strength had reached a true D-rank; he was no longer the fake D-rank who had been propped up by his C+ Command stat!

"Murder and arson bring golden belts! That saying is absolutely true in this pirate skirmish!"

Beyond the three new traits gained from summarizing his experience, Cui Ze had also harvested other valuable resources. The nearly 40 F-rank baits provided by the pirate grunts were negligible, but the key was that there was also a Victory Bait from Lao G! A D-rank bait!

Deep within the heart of the veteran fisherman, Little Ze, a devilish temptation whispered:
"Shall we go fishing?"