Ghost Tribe Slave
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That's right. It's a member of the Ghost Tribe from the legendary Night Parade of One Hundred Demons.
(A/N: Called yokai from Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan - Demon Capital Anime.)
[Ghost Tribe Slave!]
[Strength: Decent.]
[Potential: Not outstanding.]
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However, what Joey valued most was the Ghost Tribe's unique ability to grow stronger as they fought, coupled with their immense physical strength.
By extracting the pure soul of a Ghost Tribe member, Joey could use it to help create more siblings.
Soon enough, Joey initiated contact with the seller.
Charlotte Clan Leader: "I'd like to purchase one Ghost Tribe slave."
Ghost Tribe Leader: "I accept item trades."
Charlotte Clan Leader: "I'll trade a Paramecia Devil Fruit. If you're a transmigrator, you should know what that is—or you can just check the system."
Ghost Tribe Leader: "Let me inspect the goods."
Charlotte Clan Leader: "Sure."
Joey casually tossed nine Devil Fruits into the transaction.
After all, they were just low-tier Devil Fruits.
Except for the Lick-Lick Fruit, the other nine weren't valuable or particularly noteworthy. Joey had no interest in them at all.
The Paramecia Lick-Lick Fruit stood out, in Joey's opinion, as a rather fascinating one with potential.
Devil Fruits were crucial resources Joey hoarded carefully. Based on system scans, Devil Fruits contained fragments of universal laws. With upgrades from the system, these fragments could even become complete laws.
Though the specifics were unclear, Joey had a hunch that these "laws" might be tied to power levels beyond the Crystal tier.
Ghost Tribe Leader: "Four Devil Fruits. In exchange, I'll provide a slave with excellent Potential—Bronze Level 5—and include a copy of Body Refinement Technique."
Joey murmured, "Body Refinement Technique?"
Looking over the details, Joey quickly understood.
This cultivation manual allowed practitioners to enhance their physical strength, blood vitality, muscles, and even internal organs. Though it only reached Silver Level 9, it was a remarkably well-rounded method for total body enhancement.
Charlotte Clan Leader: "Deal."
Ghost Tribe Leader: "Transaction complete!"
With a flash of light, four Devil Fruits vanished, replaced by a bound and unconscious Ghost Tribe slave and a scroll containing the manual.
After signing a master-slave contract, Joey evaluated the slave's potential. "Bronze Level 5. That's comparable to an average Rear Admiral. Given the Ghost Tribe's unique characteristics, they could push their power to Bronze Level 6 during battle, rivaling elite Rear Admirals. Acceptable."
The slave was nothing more than cannon fodder to Joey. What he truly valued was the pure soul he could extract to help create new family members.
With that sorted, Joey shifted his attention to the Body Refinement Technique.
[Ding! Family leader has discovered a cultivation manual. Would you like to begin practicing it?]
"Huh?" Joey was surprised. "The system allows automatic cultivation of manuals?"
[Correct. All family members will gain access to the manual and will cultivate it passively, depending on available time and resources.]
"This… this is like auto-farming in a game!" Joey smirked at the thought.
Without hesitation, he ordered, "Begin cultivation immediately!"
[Ding! Family cultivation manual Body Refinement Technique activated.]
In an instant, Joey felt his body undergo subtle yet noticeable improvements. The enhancement wasn't dramatic yet, but the foundation was solid.
[System Notification: Congratulations! The family cultivation system has been unlocked. Reward: 100 Achievement Points.]
[Achievement Points: 200]
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With 200 Achievement Points now, Joey decided not to spend them just yet. These points were universal currency, useful for enhancing resources, cultivation manuals, or almost anything else.
Though the precise method of earning Achievement Points remained a mystery, Joey suspected that even if others figured it out, they wouldn't reveal it. After all, when the world's dimensional travel unlocked in a century, allies and enemies would be hard to distinguish.
Opening the family cultivation menu, Joey reviewed the progress:
[Manual: Body Refinement Technique
Current Level: 1
Family Members Training: All ...]
Joey nodded in satisfaction. "Even the first level brings noticeable improvement. When fully mastered, the Body Refinement Technique could let someone at Silver Level 9 challenge a Gold Level 1 opponent."
Such growth was immensely promising. High-quality techniques and valuable resources like Devil Fruits were strategic assets capable of elevating the family's power.
"Not bad! This trade was highly worthwhile."
Joey carried the Ghost Tribe slave back to the castle, pleased with the results.
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Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, a year and a half passed.
By the year 1472 of the Sea Circle Calendar, Joey was now two years old. However, his physical growth made him look like a five- or six-year-old doll-like child. Naturally, his Silver-tier physique accelerated his development.
In this time, Big Mom—Linlin—had advanced her strength to Silver Level 2, firmly establishing herself as Admiral-tier. Joey himself had also reached Silver Level 2, with the Body Refinement Technique now cultivated to its second level.
His physical strength had grown astonishingly, outpacing expectations.
"Joey!"
"Mommy's precious Joey!"
Before Joey could react, Linlin swept him up in a bone-crushing hug. After two years of absence, she had finally returned, brimming with joy.
"Mom! You've been gone for two years. What were you even doing?" Joey asked, his tone exasperated as he rolled his eyes.
Linlin chuckled sheepishly. "Mommy joined the Rocks Pirates! I figured I'd tag along and learn a few things. Rocks D. Xebec is really strong, you know!"
"Fair enough," Joey sighed. Though his mother might seem airheaded, she was far from foolish. Her naive, open personality had shifted somewhat under Joey's guidance, making her more calculated and perceptive.
"Oh, by the way!" Linlin beamed. "Joey, I gave you a baby brother! His name's Perospero!"
Carrying Joey over to a maid holding a baby, Linlin proudly introduced the newborn. Quiet and well-behaved, the infant curiously stared at Joey.
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.
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