One Piece My strange ability

Chapter 5: Unrivaled Skills

Karen couldn't quite remember how he got back to the dormitory. All he felt was a persistent voice within him, urging him to find a secluded place, escape to a world where no one knew him, and live a peaceful life.

Forcing himself to calm his restless and embarrassed heart, he quickly opened the system interface.

432/1000!

"The Little-Known Toad"

Congratulations, Host, on achieving the goal and earning a lucky draw opportunity.

Karen chuckled. It had been a little humiliating, yes, but the results spoke for themselves. Not only had he surpassed 100 points, but he had also reached an impressive 432—and the numbers were still climbing.

However, his good mood took a hit when he saw the system's evaluation.

If I'm a little known, so be it—but why call me a toad?

Looking at his reflection, Karen protested silently. With my looks, I should at least be called a toad.

Despite his hopeless indignation, Karen's focus shifted. His gaze locked onto the lottery button with fiery determination.

As everyone knows, when it comes to a lottery, it's best to check the prize pool beforehand. That way, you can build some anticipation.

Thinking this, Karen searched the interface for a little question mark or any hint of the prize pool.

Nothing. Not a thing. Tnnd.

This system was so unreliable. No welcome gift for newbies, incredibly difficult prestige levels, and now not even transparent mission rewards.

"System? System! Show me the task rewards!"

But the system was as cold as ever, completely ignoring Karen's frantic demands.

Sigh~

With no other choice, Karen took a deep breath, steeled himself, and anxiously pressed the lottery button.

Ding~ Congratulations, Host, on receiving the reward: Unrivaled Knowledge.

"Unrivaled Knowledge?" Karen's mind raced. Is it some kind of legendary skill? The Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms? The Six Meridians Divine Sword? Or maybe the Nine Yang Divine Art?

He let his imagination run wild: using a deadly technique like "Dragon Yougui" to defeat some arrogant villain, or wielding the Tathagata Palm to crush his enemies.

Excitedly, Karen wiped the corners of his mouth and clicked to check the details of the unique skill.

---

Unrivaled Knowledge:

Effect 1: Instantly upgrades one mastered skill to its highest level (no skill selected).

Effect 2: The more confidently the move is shouted out, the stronger the effect.

---

Contrary to Karen's expectations, the so-called "unrivaled skill" wasn't any of the legendary martial arts from his previous life.

Even so, he was more than satisfied with the effects—especially the first one. A plan was already forming in his mind.

As for the second effect, it would need testing to determine how effective "shouting out moves" could actually be.

---

Marine Recruit Training School

It was lunchtime, so the campus was mostly deserted.

Weapon racks stood in neat rows across the training grounds, displaying long swords, hammers, axes, and other weapons. Nearby, human-shaped targets made of stone and wood were set up, some even moving to simulate live-action shooting practice.

Karen stood before a stone target, staring at the palm-shaped impressions he had left on it, unable to calm his excitement. The system's products were indeed top-notch, but the results still amazed him.

This was the outcome of shouting "Tathagata Divine Palm!" with full confidence. Compared to when he used the move silently, the power had increased anywhere from 100% to 500%.

It was terrifying.

Nodding in satisfaction, Karen turned his attention to the moving wooden targets nearby. A thought struck him—if unparalleled skills worked for palm strikes, could they apply to marksmanship too?

Picking up a flintlock gun from the rack, Karen felt a sense of novelty. Coming from Earth, guns were unfamiliar to him. His earlier attempts with firearms had been dismal, and his poor accuracy had crushed his spirit.

But now, he gripped the flintlock tightly, staring at the moving target with determination.

"Gun shooting skills!"

Bang!

Karen blinked in disbelief. He hurried over to inspect the target, only to find the bullet had struck the fifth wooden target to the left of his intended mark.

Touching his chin in embarrassment, he made sure no one was watching and quietly returned to the stone targets. He decided to continue experimenting with his newfound skills.

What followed was a jaw-dropping sight.

A blond recruit stood in front of a stone target, shouting names of ridiculous moves as he attacked:

"Tathagata Divine Palm!"

"Powerful Vajra Kick!"

"Stone Breaker!"

"Thunder Punch!"

Finally, the stone target shattered under Karen's onslaught.

He stood back, nodding with satisfaction, his pride swelling. A triumphant laugh escaped him.

---

"Not bad, newbie! You managed to crack a stone target within your first few days here."

Karen turned in surprise to see an officer approaching. This man had been observing him for a while.

The officer had initially dismissed Karen as a privileged rookie sent here for show. But after watching him train, he noticed something different—Karen might not have had much training, but he wasn't lazy or arrogant.

"No way," Karen replied humbly, snapping to attention and saluting. "I'm still far from where I need to be."

The officer chuckled, tapping Karen's shoulder. "You've done well. Few recruits achieve this in such a short time."

Karen's eyes widened as the officer continued, "In seven days, the selection for the Marine Elite Training Camp begins. If you make it, you'll be under the personal guidance of former Marine Admiral 'Black-armed' Zephyr. There, you'll have the chance to learn the Marine's ultimate techniques—the Six styles."

Karen could hardly contain his excitement.

"If you graduate from the Elite Training Camp," the officer added with pride, "you'll at least become an Ensign. I graduated from there myself and became a Lieutenant Commander right after."

Karen stared in awe at the officer before him—a cigar in his mouth, eyes half-closed. This man wasn't ordinary.

"You are?"

"My name is Rapanui Pasqua."