After coming up with a plan to kill two birds with one stone, Zixu felt much better. How could immortal techniques be so inconvenient? He had chosen to cultivate immortality through technology, after all.
"My biggest weakness right now is my swordsmanship. But that's not a problem. Let's see if I have better luck this time…"
Zixu still remembered the system mentioning that he could use reward points to summon mirror images of characters from the Pirate World to train him. The stronger the character's teaching ability, the longer they would remain.
If he was lucky enough to summon the best teacher in the Pirate World, Kaido, he would be set for life. Study? Who the hell needed that? His evaluation was simple—Kaido's kanabo (iron club) was better than any lesson.
If luck was on his side, he could get Katakuri or Hyogoro. Those two could be considered actual teachers.
As for Rayleigh? Sorry, but he was too inefficient.
Fake teachers would go on about "laying a solid foundation," "experiencing it firsthand," and "understanding the basics before learning Haki." No theory, no structured practice—it made no difference whether you had a master or not. In two years, all you'd get was entry-level Haki that anyone in the New World could do.
A real teacher? They'd have you predicting the future in three hours, mastering Ryuo (Flowing Haki) in a day, unlocking advanced Busoshoku (Armament Haki) with one strike, Haoshoku (Conqueror's Haki) in another, and awakening the Sun God form in just one hit.
A special teacher? Now, that was on another level.
"But this summoning doesn't specify point requirements. It just says the result is based on how many points I use. What if I use only one point?"
Zixu thought about it. If he could summon anything capable of teaching him for just one point, it would be a huge profit. Then again… with such odds, he'd be better off hoping his clone could gamble for money instead.
"Let's test it out. It's only one point anyway." He decided to give it a shot.
[Host, are you sure you want to summon with the lowest number of points? The summoned mirror image may appear in a way that is beyond the host's comprehension or ability to learn. Please consider carefully.]
"…So, if my points are too low, I might end up summoning a Sea King? And he'll teach me Water Splash or Water Spray?"
[That is possible.]
"Then just tell me directly—how many points do I need to summon something normal?" Zixu rolled his eyes. The system clearly didn't want him taking advantage of loopholes.
[100 points.]
"Fine, fine, I'll listen to you. Give me a 100-point summon first, and let's see what kind of monster pops out."
[Random selection completed.]
A man materialized before Zixu, his body formed of dark blue particles of light. He had messy hair, a diagonal cross-shaped scar above his right eye, and a few tufts of mustache on his chin. With an arrogant expression, he drew a scimitar wrapped in a gauntlet and scanned his surroundings warily.
"…This guy…" Zixu squinted, struggling to recognize him. He looked like some small-time thug.
"Hmph! Are you scared, kid? Remember, I'm the legendary Bandit King, Higuma!" The man cackled, shaking his sword like a drunken tramp.
"Higuma? The Bandit King? Oh…" Zixu finally recalled. No wonder he didn't recognize the name—this fool had appeared way too early in the story.
This idiot was the same guy who smashed a bottle of wine over Red-Haired Shanks' head and claimed, "I've killed 56 people like you before." With just a smoke bomb, he had kidnapped the future Sun God right in front of the Red-Hair Pirates. That record alone could make him a God of War.
There was even a joke about him—Who's the craziest guy in East Blue? It's me, Bandit King Higuma. I drink with the Four Emperors and step on the future Pirate King. If it weren't for the Sea King, the One Piece story would've ended in four episodes.
But… the system determined a summon's duration based on their teaching ability. That meant the Bandit King's lifespan here was…
Higuma seemed aware of this. Since he had been summoned to teach, the system had at least some professional ethics—it wouldn't take points for nothing. Higuma responded instantly.
"Listen, kid! Act tough!"
And with that—Pah!—the famous Bandit King dissolved into particles and vanished. From beginning to end, he had acted like he was the boss of everything.
"…What the hell was that?" Zixu waved his hand, as if trying to dispel the bad luck. "Alright, let's try a 200-point summon."
Once again, blue particles of light flashed. But this time, the figure that emerged was taller than Higu.a, and the aura he gave off suggested he might actually be worth something.
The man was dressed as a clown. A white skull was painted on his forehead, blue scratches slanted across his eyes, and a bright red nose sat on his face. He wore a red-and-white long-sleeved shirt, a purple scarf, and blue pants. His long blue hair draped over his hat.
It was Buggy.
"Hehehe, where am I? Where's my treasure? Kid, you didn't steal it, did you?" Buggy sneered, licking the edge of a throwing knife.
Zixu didn't even hesitate. He pulled out two ominous-looking objects from his storage space and hurled them at Buggy before tossing away the kunai he had used to pick them up.
Buggy, still licking his knife, was caught off guard as two all-too-familiar objects smacked him in the face.
"This… this sour, refreshing, familiar smell…" Buggy collapsed like he'd been struck by lightning. He recognized them—these were the socks he had lost a long time ago.
[Training session interrupted due to unknown circumstances. Some reward points have been refunded.]
With two failed attempts, Zixu now understood—this whole thing was purely luck-based. But the more points he spent, the better his chances.
"The system did say it adjusted functions based on my personality to improve my luck in the lottery. Yeah, right… Lying bastard." Cursing, Zixu tossed in 1,000 points.
This time, the light changed. Instead of blue, dark purple particles shimmered in the air.
"There's hope!" Zixu held his breath. This might actually be a jackpot.
The particles condensed into a man wearing a kimono, with the kanji for "dragon" written on both arms. Traditional wooden geta (clogs) covered his feet, and a heavy black katana was strapped diagonally across his waist.
The blade had a reverse T-shaped edge, its steel black and purple, with a red serrated pattern. Just its presence exuded an aura of absolute sharpness.
"Am I… lost?" the swordsman asked calmly.
Zixu recognized him immediately. This time, he had truly struck gold. While the man wasn't on the level of Kaido or Katakuri as a teacher, he was leagues better than the previous two jokes.
This was the legendary swordsman, Shimotsuki Ryuma, wielder of the black blade Shusui (Autumn Water).
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