Chapter 35: From Non-European to European
Ian knew full well why the notoriously money-grubbing Buggy had agreed so readily to hand over the cash, but he didn't mind at all.
He felt that his first experience as a bounty hunter was truly bizarre—his first bounty wasn't coming from the Marines but from a pirate!
He wondered if he should consider taking up some kidnapping jobs in the future, rubbing his chin as he pondered.
Just thinking about getting a large sum of money put Ian in a great mood. One million Berries! Choosing to set sail was definitely the right call. If he had stayed cooped up in that little village of Shimotsuki, he might never have seen so much money in his life.
With this money, he could finally do his first ten-pull. That empty card slot was unbearable for someone with obsessive tendencies, and Ian had long wanted to fill it.
Soon, the pirate grunt who had been sent to fetch the money from the ship came back panting, holding a money bag in his hand.
Buggy opened the bag and counted the money nervously, making sure it was exactly one million Berries before reluctantly handing it to Ian. "Here, now can you let him go?"
"Aha! Thanks, Boss Buggy!" Ian was so excited that he even called him "boss."
Taking the bag, Ian pulled out stacks of green bills, licked his finger, and began counting the money with a crisp slapping sound.
This gesture was so nouveau riche, so landlord-like, that the Buggy Pirates, along with Morgan behind them, all watched Ian count the money in speechless disbelief, unsure how to even comment.
Hadn't Boss Buggy already counted it once? Why did you have to do it again?
Ian didn't care. Money was something you had to count yourself to feel secure. He figured that if Nami were here, she'd totally agree with him.
After confirming the amount, Ian shoved Cabaji back toward Buggy and said, "Thanks, Boss Buggy! Pleasure doing business!"
Buggy tossed Cabaji to the rear, where a group of pirates scrambled to untie him, while Buggy cackled at Ian, "Don't thank me yet—you'll hate me soon enough! Boys, kill him!"
As expected, Buggy reneged. With a command, his pirates let out excited whoops and lunged toward Ian.
These fools had clearly forgotten the pain from earlier, completely ignoring how Ian had cut down eight or nine of them on the ship.
But Ian raised his hand and said, "Hold on!"
The sudden shout caught Buggy and his crew off guard, wondering what Ian was up to.
Then they watched as Ian solemnly stuffed the money bag deep into his pocket. "Wait, let me put the money away first!"
"…………" Buggy and the others were left speechless.
Little did they know, Ian was using this action to hide his recharge process. He couldn't just make the bag of money vanish in front of everyone, could he?
"System, I want to recharge," Ian communicated in his mind.
"Alright, recharge all one million Berries?" For some reason, Ian felt the system's voice sounded a bit higher.
"Leave two thousand Berries," Ian said. His first recharge had been for two thousand Berries, and he kept that amount now for potential expenses.
"Recharge complete! You have received 4,900 diamonds, with an additional 10% bonus, totaling 5,390 diamonds." As the system's voice rang out, Ian sensed the money bag in his pocket go empty.
Ian noticed that with the 10% bonus, recharging more at once seemed more cost-effective. Recharging one million got you an extra 500 diamonds, so recharging ten million would save up enough for another ten-pull.
But in the end, it was all just a tactic to encourage spending!
Shaking his head inwardly, Ian switched to the card draw interface and began his first ten-pull.
The moment to test his luck had come. Although the first ten-pull guaranteed a four-star orange card, the specific card he got still depended on his luck.
If he remembered correctly, the cards drawn were prioritized based on his host's basic skills, but there was a small chance of getting other types of cards. If he drew such a card without the corresponding basic skills, he'd be in trouble.
When he selected the ten-pull, ten cards quickly appeared on the interface, arranged in two rows of five, all with identical backs. Then, one by one, the cards flipped over.
"You have obtained blue equipment: Knight Sword Fragment x5!"
"You have obtained Breakthrough Stone x50!"
"You have obtained Exclusive Treasure: Zanpakuto Hyorinmaru Fragment x3!"
"You have obtained Two-Star Card Fragment: Shelley x5!"
"You have obtained Three-Star Card Fragment: Robert Garcia x3!"
"Congratulations! You have obtained Four-Star Orange Card: Hiei!"
"You have obtained Advancement Stone x20!"
"You have obtained Two-Star Card Fragment: Shelley x5!"
"You have obtained Four-Star Card Fragment: Misaka Mikoto x1!"
"You have obtained Two-Star Card Fragment: Shelley x5!"
The ten-pull flipped cards quickly. Except for the sixth card, which flashed with light when it revealed a complete card, the rest just appeared in a rush.
Ian was thrilled because he realized that the ten-pull was completely different from the free single pulls that accumulated over time. Free single pulls only gave one- or two-star card fragments, but the ten-pull could yield three-star fragments and even four-star ones! Although the numbers were small—three fragments for three-star and one for four-star—it was still a way to get rare high-level cards.
Hiei! Hiei! His first orange four-star card—he had to see what it looked like.
Ian switched to the card inventory interface and immediately saw a card marked with four stars. Its border was orange, and the character on it was a man facing away, with spiky black hair, wearing a sleeveless black shirt, one hand wrapped in bandages. As he slightly turned his head, a white headband on his forehead was visible.
[Hiei]
Card Star Rating: Four Stars
Title: Forbidden Child, Spirit World Thief
Level: 1
Strength: 40
Speed: 160
Life: 80
Nen: 120
Skills: Evil Eye Master (Fake): Passively senses enemy strength; when active, Nen value increases by 100%, while Life decreases by 10% per second.
Shadow Thief: Passive effect increases sword speed by 50% and movement speed by 50% (can be activated with Advanced Swordsmanship skill).
Evil King Flame Kill Fist: Adds flames to fists when attacking; damage varies based on Nen consumed (can be activated with Basic Nen Training skill).
Evil King Flame Kill Sword: Adds flames to sword when attacking; damage varies based on Nen consumed (can be activated with Intermediate Nen Training skill).
Ultimate: Flame Kill Black Dragon Wave: Summons a black dragon from the depths of the demon world, burning all enemies in its path; can also be absorbed by the user to temporarily boost Nen value by 300% (requires Expert Nen Training and card advancement to five-star red card).
Bonds: Obtain Shelley: Life +42%
Obtain Yusuke Urameshi: Strength +38%
Obtain Kurama: Speed +25%
Obtain Mukuro: Nen +36% (Five-star red card bond, locked)
After reading through Hiei's card, Ian felt like shouting in excitement. He finally saw how powerful a four-star orange card could be!
Not only were the base stats higher than three-star cards, but there were also more skills, including an ultimate skill! Although the ultimate skill had many requirements, Ian believed he could achieve it one day—it just needed a lot of money to cultivate.
This Hiei card was based on Ian's current swordsmanship and his Nen training skills, so drawing it wasn't surprising. Ian calculated that except for the ultimate skill, Flame Kill Black Dragon Wave, which he couldn't use yet, he could use all the other skills. It was perfect for him.
"Finally!" Ian was moved to tears. Money really was great!
Back when he was doing free single pulls, all he got were junk, making him question his luck and wonder if he had the bloodline of an African.
Now, with a rare card that suited him, Ian felt like he had left the ranks of an African chief and successfully climbed over the wall to become a European!