East Blue.
This was a luxury liner carrying socialites and wealthy merchants. Right now, it was bustling with activity, a grand ball in full swing, the elite passengers mingling and drinking inside.
Amidst the crowd, a figure with striking orange hair gazed out at the sea beyond the ship's railing.
"The Alvida Pirates—they should be showing up soon, right?"
Nami stared at the ocean, still settling after a recent whirlpool, her eyes thoughtful.
She'd gotten word that the Alvida Pirates planned to attack this liner, so she had changed into a formal dress and snuck aboard earlier.
Once the Alvida Pirates appeared and started their attack, she could use the chaos as cover to steal their treasure.
She was a thief specializing in stealing from pirates.
"My beautiful lady—may I have this dance?"
A light chuckle sounded from behind her.
Nami turned at the voice to see a handsome young man smiling at her.
"Of course."
Nami smiled lightly, placing her slender hand in the young man's.
"That whirlpool earlier was quite something, wasn't it?"
Rowen led Nami onto the dance floor, smiling as he looked at the woman dancing with him—the story's original heroine.
"It was! It gave me quite a fright."
Nami replied with a smile of her own.
Rowen simply smiled back without saying more, thinking inwardly.
"Read Traits."
Instantly, a translucent screen appeared before Rowen's eyes.
————
Nami Traits: Pirate Thief (Blue), Navigation (Deep Purple), Climate Sense (Pale Gold).
Pirate Thief (Blue): A good-hearted thief specializing in stealing from malicious pirates, possessing exceptional stealth and lockpicking skills.
Navigation (Deep Purple): Exceptional navigational skills, allowing for relatively smooth sailing across the Four Blues and the first half of the Grand Line.
Climate Sense (Pale Gold): An innate, powerful talent allowing her to precisely perceive weather changes using her own body.
As expected of the Straw Hats' future navigator. Even at the very start of the story, she already has one Deep Purple and one Pale Gold Trait.
————
Rowen felt a touch of admiration.
Rowen was a transmigrator from Earth. A month ago—he had crossed over from his world into the world of One Piece.
Just as Rowen was lamenting his arrival in this world teeming with monstrously strong individuals, he awakened his unique System.
—[The Strongest Trait System.]
As the name implied, Rowen could perceive the abilities of others as distinct Traits—and more importantly, he could Plunder and Equip these Traits himself.
Traits were divided into four tiers: White, Blue, Purple, and Gold. Straightforward, almost like tiers in a gacha game back on Earth.
White and Blue Traits had no further subdivisions, feeling common—like pulling junk in a gacha.
Purple and Gold Traits, however, were divided into three sub-levels: Pale, Deep, and Apex.
Just by being a pirate-robbing thief in the East Blue—the weakest of the seas—Nami's Navigation skill was already Deep Purple, and her innate Climate Sense was Pale Gold.
Once she joined the Straw Hat crew and entered the Grand Line, both of those Traits would likely level up fast.
Yes, Traits weren't fixed; they could be upgraded.
While others had to rely on talent and effort, Rowen could plunder and upgrade them directly through his System.
Trait (Rowen): Beast Strength (Blue).
Beast Strength (Blue): The raw strength of a wild beast.
Just a single Blue Trait. Compared to Nami's impressive Trait setup, it seemed rather pathetic.
But Rowen had only been in this world for a month. Furthermore, he'd gotten this Trait through sheer luck when he first arrived—there just happened to be a dead beast nearby.
This Beast Strength (Blue) was the Trait he had plundered from that dead animal.
Don't underestimate it just because it was a Blue Trait, though. Most ordinary pirates only had a few White Traits—if any valuable Traits at all. They were no match for Rowen.
It was thanks to this Blue Trait that Rowen had managed to stay relatively safe on these pirate-infested seas. Not long ago, he had found this ship—the very one where the story begins—and boarded it.
Trait (Ship of Beginnings): The ship where the One Piece story starts.
Traits like this didn't even rank as White; they were purely descriptive.
With this Trait confirming the location, Rowen wasn't worried about being on the wrong vessel.
As for why he sought out this specific ship? To acquire more high-tier Traits, naturally.
This ship was about to be overflowing with potential treasures.
A slight smile touched Rowen's lips.
Swish! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The next moment, countless cannonballs rained down from the sea. The resulting violent explosions instantly plunged the liner into chaos.
In the distance, a pirate ship flying a heart-and-skull Jolly Roger was rapidly approaching.
"Help! Pirates!"
"Don't panic! Please, stay calm!"
<><><><><><>
The passengers' terrified screams and the captain's desperate shouts to maintain order echoed across the deck, but under the imminent threat of pirates and cannon fire, any semblance of control vanished.
"Perfect timing!"
Nami watched the ship flying Alvida's Jolly Roger draw near, a flicker of excitement in her eyes.
But very quickly, Nami realized something was off.
This young man she had just been dancing with—why wasn't he panicked in the slightest?
Instead, just like her, he was watching the approaching pirate ship, and his eyes held a distinct gleam.
No way… did I run into another thief?!
Nami immediately grew wary.
"It seems you have your own business to attend to, miss. Shall we go our separate ways then?"
Rowen released Nami's slender hand and smiled.
Then, without waiting for her reply, he turned and walked out of the ballroom.
"Doesn't seem like another thief—Strange."
Nami thought to herself, watching Rowen's retreating figure.
But it was obvious that this young man, like her, had boarded this ship with a specific purpose in mind.
However, Nami didn't have time to ponder it further; the window for action was brief and wouldn't wait.
Nami quickly ripped off her elegant dress, revealing her practical thief's attire underneath.
She carefully observed the members of the Alvida Pirates who were already starting to board the liner.
Waiting until all the pirates from the enemy ship had charged onto the deck,
Nami produced a grappling hook, and with practiced skill, swung herself across the gap towards the Alvida Pirates' now relatively empty vessel.
<><><><><><>
"Luffy's barrel—found it."
Rowen casually tossed the lifeless body of a pirate grunt aside and looked towards the interior of the captured liner.
After overwhelming the ship, the Alvida Pirates had rounded up the wealthy passengers, the captain, and the crew, placing them under guard. They then began ransacking the vessel for anything valuable.
This particular pirate grunt had the misfortune of running into Rowen.
Possessing [Beast Strength], Rowen had dealt with him easily.
—Trait (Barrel): The barrel containing Monkey D. Luffy.
A Trait indicator glowed, originating from a secluded storage room nearby. The description was simple and direct.
Rowen started walking towards that room.
<><><><><><><><>
~# Keep the chapters coming — Support with Power Stones!
~# Every 200 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter