C4 First Eat My Punch!

After his shower, Rodney felt a wave of relaxation wash over him. His long, black hair hung heavily, dripping with water, as he held a dark red orb the size of a lychee in his hand—the Permanent Chakra Fruit.

It bore a striking resemblance to the Chakra secret medicine produced by the Otsutsuki Clan. Essentially, it was quite similar.

Without chewing, he popped it into his mouth and swallowed. He had tasted it once before, and it was far from delightful. Still, it was a notch above the Devil Fruit. Eating the Chakra Fruit was akin to consuming canned fish, whereas the Devil Fruit, he'd heard, was comparable to the taste of excrement.

Eighth's secret recipe... *cough cough*.

The Chakra Fruit dissolved instantly upon touching his tongue, replenishing the Chakra he had depleted in battle and boosting his body's Chakra levels.

If his Chakra was previously at 0.5 of a Kakashi, it had now risen to 0.8 of a Kakashi.

As is commonly known, Kakashi is the unit of measurement for Chakra.

Chakra is the physical and spiritual energy found in every cell of the body, released through hand seals to perform Ninjutsu. Rodney felt incredibly powerful.

Of course, this was merely an illusion; the sea was teeming with individuals far stronger than him.

He needed to play it smart and survive.

The one thing that irked him was Kuro's faked death. Even if Rodney brought him to the navy, he couldn't claim the bounty since Kuro's wanted poster had been retracted. Officially, he was dead. Bringing him in would only lead the navy to suspect Rodney of bounty fraud.

Upon accessing the Merchant Shop, Rodney saw he had amassed 510 Mission Points. At last, he could redeem the item he'd long coveted.

"Forbidden Arts: Stacking Explosive Talisman! Mission Points required: 500."

The Stacking Explosive Talisman, a masterpiece of the Forbidden Arts developed by the Second Generation Naruto, was an A-class Limitless Explosive Ninjutsu. With just one talisman, one could summon billions more through the Spirit Connecting Technique, triggering a chain of explosions. A single talisman could ensnare an enemy with no means of escape.

The only catch was having a sufficient supply of Explosive Talismans.

This is precisely why the A-class Forbidden Arts were so affordable.

It's a real money pit!

Yet, its potency is still impressive. With a sufficient supply of Explosive Talismans, one could achieve endless bombardment.

It was initially designed to complement the Edo Tensei ninjutsu, but I can use a Water Clone instead. Just one talisman attached to an enemy is enough to carry out the explosive assault.

Given the physical resilience of the people in this world, a substantial number of Explosive Talismans would likely be necessary. Moreover, if I were to venture into the New World, where everyone exudes dominance, the usefulness of this Forbidden Arts might not be as significant.

At least in the East Sea and the first half of the Great Voyage, it's considered a miraculous technique.

Upon exchanging for the Stacking Explosive Talisman, the usage method and the corresponding Spirit Connecting Technique instantly came to mind. Developed by the Second Generation Naruto, this ninjutsu is designed for efficiency and speed, requiring just a hand gesture and the appropriate Chakra to activate, with minimal Chakra consumption.

However, summoning each Explosive Talisman consumes Chakra, making it a technique of sustained expenditure.

It's not just Chakra that's being drained; it's also draining my wallet!

While dining on the island, I learned that the Keya family's butler, Chakrabar, had been abducted by pirates. The restaurant owner lamented the kind-hearted man's tragic fate. In the realm of acting, Kuro could win an Oscar, but alas, there's always someone better—

And that's Black Beard!

"Next, I'll exchange for Yin Healing and Annihilation. Let's see... Sss." The cost of Yin Healing and Annihilation is a whopping 5,000 Mission Points, befitting an A-class Forbidden Arts and not even in the same league as the Stacking Explosive Talisman.

It's prohibitively expensive!

I'll deal with it later.

With no mission at hand, Rodney decided to leave the island. Rob's village was too small, with a slow pace of life. A larger city like Rogue Town would be a more suitable place to unwind.

The small boat departed from Rob's village, rowing through the waves to open sea. Direction unknown, but I could simply drift with the ocean currents.

Rodney's backpack was well-stocked with food. He had soldier grain pills, costing a thousand Belles each. Consuming one could provide him with the basic energy needed for an entire day.

For a touch of luxury, he could indulge in a bowl of ramen for two thousand Belles. It would only satisfy his hunger and accelerate his Chakra recovery, but the flavor was quite pleasing.

Water was not a concern for him either. Thanks to his water attribute Chakra, he could generate fresh water to replenish what his body used up. The only downside was that the system indicated the water produced by Chakra couldn't impose the sea's curse on Devil Fruit Ability Users.

Since it was created from energy, being able to hydrate himself was already quite beneficial.

Moreover, if he employed Water Escape, the seawater mixed with Chakra would lessen the suppression on Devil Fruit Ability Users, thereby weakening the sea's curse.

The seawater, which normally sapped the strength of Fruit Ability Users, would now only leave them weakened. With some luck, they might lose their abilities, but they would retain their physical strength.

Undoubtedly, Water Escape had been diminished.

He had planned to confront a Fruit Ability User head-on with a Water Rushing Wave, but the system had effectively doused that idea.

The small boat bobbed on the ocean's surface, the sun umbrella erected and sunglasses donned to shield against the harsh sun and prevent dehydration.

After drifting for some time, a colossal creature burst forth from the ocean depths, breaching the surface.

Emerging was a Sea King Species, over twenty meters in length, sporting a rhinoceros head and a body clad in blue scales—a true leviathan of the deep.

"Roar!"

The Sea King Species bellowed at Rodney, proclaiming its might.

"Why are you roaring so loudly?" Rodney removed his sunglasses, stepped off the small boat, and charged across the water's surface toward the Sea King Species.

"Ah?"

It had never encountered a human capable of running on water. To the creature, Rodney seemed nothing more than a tasty morsel. It opened its massive jaws and lunged at him.

Shadow Dancer Ye!

With a powerful kick to the chin of the Sea King Species, it was sent tumbling backward, stirring up waves as it fell, while the kicker bobbed in the sea with the rolling waves.

Not good, I've met my match today!

The Sea King Species possessed a certain level of intelligence, quick to act in a tight spot.

Unfortunately for it, it had encountered Rodney, and escape was no longer an option.

"Hehe, here comes my free labor."

Soon after, the rhino Sea King Species, sporting a large red bump on its head, had its horn bound with steel wire, the other end attached to the bow of Rodney's boat.

The boat's speed surged as it became Rodney's makeshift towing device.

The Sea King Species was incredibly swift in the water, and those in the East Sea were particularly susceptible to being pushed around. It was a mystery how Red Hair had ever lost an arm to one.

Skimming the sea's surface, the Sea King Species knew better than to try dragging him underwater again, having learned its lesson from a sound thrashing. It was now tasked with taking him to the nearest island.

Curse you, despicable human. Once I grow stronger, I will devour you!

Biting back pain and tears, it pressed on, its speed granting Rodney a roller-coaster-like thrill. He soared into the air and then plummeted back down, over and over again!

"Damn it, slow down!"

The object thrown by the bully behind him struck his head, causing a twinge of pain.

Wuwuwu!

This was the bullying of the Sea King Species!

After decelerating, a ship quickly came into view, but the Sea King Species paid it no mind and charged ahead.

Rodney, having already disciplined the Sea King Species, lay back without a care, savoring life.

Boom!

Sprays of water erupted nearby.

Boom!

Another burst of water!

A small black dot grew larger in his vision—it was a cannonball!

Rodney: "..."

"Damn it!" The cannonball whizzed by, ripping through the hull of the trailing ship.

Seawater gushed in.

Rodney: "..."

Without hesitation, he leaped from the boat and made his way atop the Sea King Species's head.

Before him loomed a warship.

Rodney remained silent...

He stood with his foot on the head of a Sea King Species. "You bastard, what have you done?"

The Sea King Species let out a few whimpers. It hadn't done anything wrong; it was merely moving in that direction.

Rodney noticed an old man on the ship's rail, draped in a cloak symbolizing justice, with a robust build. The man was hurling a cannonball their way.

The cannonball, propelled by the strength of the man's arm, hurtled through the air with the velocity of one fired from a cannon's muzzle.

And it was heading straight for Rodney.

How had he come across this elder?

He was mistaken for a Pirate. Dodging the incoming cannonball, Rodney then saw a barrage of them flying towards him.

"Fire Escape: Phoenix Immortal Fire Technique!" Small fireballs shot out, colliding with the cannonballs and setting off explosions.

Seizing the moment, Rodney sprinted across the water's surface and leaped onto the warship.

"Hold your fire, I'm not a Pirate!"

"Ha! Take this punch from me first, lad!"

Bang!

Rodney was down and couldn't get up!