At this moment, Luo Lan had no idea what was happening over at Marine Headquarters.
Right now, he was staring blankly at the system notification in front of him.
> [Building Trait: Energy Grade +2]
Although processing the treasure worth over two billion into pure Berries was going to take time—just transporting the goods out would take days, let alone fencing them on the black market—the final batch had finally been converted and delivered.
Not much, just a little over twenty million Berry.
Still, even twenty million was enough to do something.
For example…
Back when he was still a D-rank Builder, there were many D-rank buildings with free traits he had drawn poorly. He didn't have enough points to reroll them at the time.
But now, with over 2,000 points in hand, wasn't it time to fix that regret?
Drawing a trait for a D-rank building only cost 100 points per attempt. Dirt cheap.
The first building Luo Lan set his sights on was the Mess Hall.
Result of the first draw: "Satiety +50%"
Pass. What was he, someone who couldn't even afford to feed his men?
Second draw: "Flavor +30%"
Again, pass.
Third draw…
Bad luck followed. Even after ten-plus attempts, none of the traits really stood out to him.
Until…
The fifteenth draw.
> [Building Trait: Energy Grade +2]
Energy grade?
Luo Lan blinked, puzzled. It wasn't a percentage boost like usual.
"Grade +2?"
What was that even supposed to mean?
This was the first time he'd seen such a trait, and he wasn't quite sure how to interpret it.
Immediately, he pulled up the detailed description.
Moments later, his face lit up in excitement.
This trait… was absolutely busted.
Turns out, "energy" here referred to the energy content within food ingredients.
Think about it. Give someone a slab of pork and a same-sized cut of Sea King meat.
Could those possibly contain the same level of energy?
Of course not. Not even close.
In the world of One Piece, the stronger the creature, the more energy its body contains.
Food made from high-energy ingredients not only filled the belly but also enhanced the body.
With this trait, even common meat could offer energy levels close to that of a Sea King's meat.
And if they actually cooked Sea King meat?
Luo Lan didn't even dare to imagine.
"System, I'll take this one. Imprint it now!"
> [Ding! Imprinting complete.]
> [Current trait for Marine Mess Hall: Ingredient Energy Grade +2]
Perfect.
Luo Lan nodded in satisfaction and moved on to other buildings.
About five minutes later, he'd spent the remaining 800 points, successfully imprinting traits onto two more D-rank buildings:
Marine Barracks: Sleep Quality +80%
Marine Infirmary: Recovery Speed +70%
Both were solid traits.
Especially the Infirmary one. That 70% boost might literally save lives in critical moments.
With everything done, Luo Lan closed the system interface and reached for the Den Den Mushi on his desk.
Brrr brrr brrr...
"This is Hina."
"Sister Hina, it's me—Luo Lan!"
"So late… what's up?"
Hina sounded groggy, probably just woken up.
"I wanted to ask—when's your warship returning to HQ?"
"Why should it return?"
"Huh? Didn't HQ approve your reassignment? Doesn't that mean your warship and crew need to head back?"
"Why would they? Fleet Admiral didn't issue any such order."
Everyone aboard her ship had served with her for years. As long as there was no formal command, there was no way she'd send them back voluntarily.
Luo Lan didn't care much about the people, per se. What he really cared about was…
"In that case, sister Hina—can you have your men dismantle the seastone plating from the bottom of your ship tomorrow?"
"…We can, but what do you need it for?"
Though he didn't explain why, she could guess easily enough—Luo Lan probably wanted to forge something and didn't have seastone on hand.
But then he added:
"Sister Hina, once it's removed, let's go fishing in the Calm Belt."
"…Fishing?"
Hina blinked, stunned. "You're seriously this bored—wait, hold on, what exactly are you trying to catch there?"
The pieces clicked.
He wanted the seastone removed.
Then he wanted to sail into the Calm Belt.
It didn't take a genius to figure it out.
"You're not seriously thinking of hunting a Sea King…?"
"That's exactly what I'm thinking. Preferably one over 300 meters long."
"My branch's ship's too old, it'd fall apart the moment we leave port. Your ship's the only one tough enough for this."
To be fair, the base was just three nautical miles from the New World.
Even the slowest sailship could reach it within half an hour.
If luck was on their side, they could catch their target and return within a few hours without wasting too much time.
As for why he wanted to hunt a Sea King?
Wasn't it obvious?
With a new busted trait in the mess hall, how could he not test it out?
"…Fine. I'll have them sail the ship over tomorrow morning. Also, can you find quarters for my crew? Living on the ship long-term isn't ideal."
"No problem! But it'll take a few days—right now, both the marine and worker dorms are full, so we'll need to construct a new one."
Luo Lan had no reason to refuse.
These were seasoned marines who'd followed Hima through years of battles on the seas. Having them here was a win.
And as for HQ wanting them back later?
Too late.
You didn't want them back now, so you're not getting them ever.
Same with Hima. Think HQ could just order her back in a year?
Ha. Try taking someone from under his nose after a year.
That said, as Luo Lan had just mentioned, both dorm buildings at the 157th Branch were full.
Until a new one was built…
They'd have to continue living aboard the ship.
---
The next day.
Luo Lan, Ian, and Hina boarded her medium-class warship.
Sails raised, they set off—straight into the Calm Belt.
The seastone plating beneath the ship had already been removed.
In other words…
They were the bait.
Fishing for Sea Kings.
"Captain Hina, we've entered the Calm Belt!"
"All hands, on alert! Prepare for Sea King engagement!"
"Yes, Captain!"
It was Hina's ship and her crew, so Luo Lan left all command duties to her.
He just stood there, eyes glued to the sea.
Waiting…
For a Sea King to appear.
---
A/N: Currently at Chapter 150 on Ko-Fi
https:// ko-fi.com/sami27