Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece. So I guess you could say I'm the proud owner of None Piece.
PLAYER ONE PIECE
Chapter 2 - The Learning Curve
Kohza sighed as the third option came into focus for him. "They mean to steer us. Where and why? I don't know. Honestly, we're just guessing off of suspect intelligence right now. Erik, find out what his job was and find out if he sabotaged anything. Okame… oh god… take a head count. Figure out who's not here that should be. Specifically the folks that came with us up to the the last forward camp."
"Yes sir!" The pair chorused and took off.
-=oOo=-
The mid-morning sun beat down on the cluster of tents and ruins. The oasis, once a small community, was now overrun with Alabasta revolutionaries. Rather than be put out, however, the residents were welcoming, praying for their success against a king that had grown tyrannical and gluttonous. Nanohana water sellers busily filled the ceramic jars in their wagons with a hand pump and pretended not to see anything around them. It said a lot about how far the king's reputation had fallen that the rebel's headquarters had yet to be revealed.
Kohza marched between the tents trying to come to terms with what he'd learned. How do you lead when the ground before you is shrouded by a sandstorm. Erik didn't report any sabotage that he could find. Maybe they caught him before he could do anything, maybe that wasn't his intent at all. No more of "his" people were missing, but they could just be laying low. No one but those he trusted with his life knew how he'd picked out Mr. Love. All the more reason to figure out what his new powers really are.
Today, his quest for answers led directly to the medical tent and he burst through the tent flaps. "Kebi!"
A head wrapped in a familiar red bandana popped his head up from between two empty cots. "Yeah?"
"You mentioned something about 'leveling up' last time we spoke? That would make my new ability more powerful, right?"
"That's right! … probably." Kebi planted a hand on a cot to lever himself to a standing position. Kohza decided not to ask what he'd been doing down there. "So, if you're really like a video game character, then it seems like we should take advantage of that."
Kohza was really regretting deciding that video games were a waste of time when he was a teenager. "How do we do that?"
"Well, it depends on what kind of game it is. The one thing they have in common is that you need to acquire 'experience' or 'xp'. Usually through fighting monsters or-"
"Quests?"
"... yeah, quests would work. Or sometimes straight-up training. Did something happen?"
"I got a quest alert when I noticed that guy yesterday. It said something about investigating a suspicious person. When Okame got that guy to break, it changed to say I was supposed to investigate this 'Baroque Works'."
"Oh, a quest chain! That probably means this is important! Well, I mean, outside of the video game thing, of course it is, but there was no guarantee that your new power would put importance in the same things. So that's good news!"
"Right… good news. Not that it sounds like a bad thing… but how is it good news?"
Kebi walked quickly over to his field desk and pulled out a bundle of paper and a pen. "Because now we know one of the ways that you can get stronger. We'll have to keep our eyes peeled for more quests. Usually there's some signifier. Glowing aura, question marks, exclamation marks. Things that look odd, but usually not dangerous." He bent over the papers to start writing something while Kohza thought back trying to remember if he'd seen anything like that.
Suddenly, Kebi lit up with a silver glow like a Christmas tree, "Gah!" Kohza jumped back in surprise. On second glance, the light appeared as if it was coming from behind him.
"Did something happen?"
"Yeah. You started glowing silver."
"Excellent! The experiment was successful. I just created a quest for you." He handed the paper to Kohza.
[Quest Alert]
Title: Supplying the Revolution
Description: The infirmary is short of supplies. Return with additional supplies as provided on "Kebi's Shopping List".
Reward: 50xp for each item, Special Reward for returning with all items.
[Accept] or [Reject]?
"It's asking me if I want to [Accept] your quest."
"Excellent. Go ahead. What else does it say?"
Kebi couldn't help but be excited, but Kohza was only just starting to come to grips with how fortunate he was to have a guide to work through this. "I'm supposed to return with the supplies on the list you gave me. 50xp per item, and a special reward for find all of them."
"Fascinating! I wonder what the special reward is supposed to be."
Kohza stared back blankly. "It's a reward for your quest. Wouldn't you be the one who gives it to me?"
"Not necessarily. Maybe I'll think of something before then, but it might not be a physical reward. We'll have to wait and see. Anyway, I had another experiment I wanted to try this morning."
"Not too long, right? I've still got a lot of work to do today." He absently pressed the [Accept] button and the quest window disappeared.
"If it works how I hope, it should take seconds." With that, Kebi picked up a book sitting on the desk and handed it to the commander.
[You've acquired a skillbook - Emergency Field Surgery]
Title: Emergency Field Surgery
Description: A medical reference book for performing surgery in less than optimal conditions.
Requirements: Medicine (lvl 30)
[Skill Created: Medicine]
[Previously acquired experience applied]
Warning: Medicine (lvl 4) too low. You do not meet the requirements for this skillbook. [OK]?
"It says my medicine skill is too low to use this skillbook." Kohza flipped through a couple pages to skim the contents. "I think I have to agree there. I can do some basic first aid, but I'll leave this stuff to you."
"Actually, I'm having trouble with that book as well. I'd only been working with my dad in the clinic a couple years before this mess started. Just wish I had a numerical system to see how far away I was." Shaking his head, Kebi continued, "Anyway, the important thing is that your powers recognized that as a skillbook. That means we need to find books whose requirements you DO meet. Do you mind if I ask Okame to look into that?"
"Go ahead. Though, I have doubts whether I'll have time to read any of them. We've been kinda busy, after all."
Kebi only smiled in return. "Well, your doubts would be washed away if the experiment had worked, but trust me, that shouldn't be an issue. Anyway, that's all I have right now, but let me know if you do any sparring today. I'd like to be there in case your powers respond."
"Will do." Kohza swept the tent flap aside and blinked into the bright sun.
-=Later That Day=-
Sweat poured down his brow as he swung the long wooden practice blade against Farafra's shield. The other man's massive frame push back behind the shield, sending the blade swinging back around. Kohza turned his body, using the momentum to swing all the way around to the other side in a crushing blow, stopped cold again by the thick banded wood.
The big man grunted as he pushed the wooden blade back, casting an unhappy glance at Kebi.
"What?" Kohza glanced between the two. No one quite had the mental connection with the seeming brute that Kebi did. Farafra could put a lot of nuance into a simple gesture, but the doctor always had a good sense for what the bigger man meant.
Kebi cleared his throat and sat forward on the crate he'd selected for his seat. "I think he's annoyed at how slow you're swinging. Why do you use such a long and ungainly weapon?"
Kohza grunted as he rotated the sword above his head and brought it crashing down into the sand where his friend had been standing. Farafra tried to stomp on the blade, but Kohza took a step back and had the tip back in the air between them.
"You want to see something faster?" Kohza remembered back to his childhood. Back when he led the Suna Suna Clan. Children fighting against bandits. He'd begged Chaka, one of the head royal guards of Alabasta, to train him how to use a sword and the man had done it. That seemed so long ago. It wasn't long after that, that Kohza returned to Yuba to help his father.
It took a moment to dredge up the proper form, and the length of his blade made it a little clumsy, but he slowly slid his left foot forward, toes aimed ahead. He held the blade firmly upright, tipped forward. In his head, he started counting beats while he watched his opponent. Step. His foot glided across the firm sand and dirt of the encampment. Step. Farafra didn't respond except to hold his large shield at the ready and spread his feet a bit wider. Step...
Step step! In the next heartbeat, Kohza closed the remaining distance, lifting the blade on the first step and bringing it smashing down on the second. The blade careened off the edge of the shield, but the impact jarred Farafra's arm badly and he wasn't able to bring it back up again in time to block the following light jab that hit him square in the chest.
[Skill Created - Sword Style: Shinkage-ryu]
[Previously acquired experience applied]
Skill: Shinkage-ryu, an ancient single sword fighting style designed to allow to user to engage with multiple opponents simultaneously.
Level: 13 (37% to next lvl)
Active Effects: -25% skill level from Wooden Greatsword
-75% damage from Wooden Greatsword
+9.75% DEX
+19.5% armor penetration
+9.75% parry chance
Kohza stared at the window. He was never going to get used to this.
Kebi ran up beside him. "Did something happen?"
"What? How'd you know?" The doctor stared at the commander until Kohza realized he'd stopped in the middle of a spar with everyone staring at him. "... Right. Yeah, a skill just got created, but it's one I already knew. Chaka taught me some Shinkage-ryu when I was a kid, so it boosted me up to level seven right away."
"What's this about level seven?" Okame stalked up to the group after shooing away the rest of the gawkers.
"Video game stuff." Kebi waved his hand in the air as if to suggest it wasn't important.
"You mean devil fruit stuff. Any interesting developments?"
Kohza sighed. "Not really. We're still figuring stuff out, but so far I nothing impressive."
"Any idea on how to get to the impressive stuff? Cause I've seen Crocodile fight, in person, and his devil fruit stuff is pretty awesome. Scary awesome."
Kohza immediately passed the question off to Kebi.
"Uh, well, we're still figuring that out. I think finding out more about this Baroque Works would be a start. Maybe take on one of the smaller bananawani or some kung-fu dugong."
Okame grumbled in response. "Let me know when you get to amazing. I'm on pins and needles." She waved behind her as she walked back to her tent.
As Kohza turned back to the static, unclosed window, Kebi whipped out his pen and paper. "So can you write down everything from the skill window here? It'll help me figure out what's going on." He urged the papers into Kohza's free hand.
Groaning good-naturedly, Kohza copied everything down.
"Wait, a skill level debuff for using that weapon?"
"A what now?"
Kebi blinked. "... right. Okay, tell you what… I'll talk to Okame. We'll get this figured out."
-=oOo=-
Erik shifted uncomfortably under his turban. He liked his top hat, but Kohza insisted that they not wear identifying clothing while walking around Nanohana proper. The city itself was beautiful. Vendors eager to sell their wares and consumers reluctant to be swindled, but still looking everything over like moths over an open flame.
There was a rumor that a shipment of Dance Powder was coming in today, and he and the other rebels spread out through the crowd were tasked with stopping it. Destroying it if necessary. They just had to keep eyes out for something… suspicious…
A line of people covered in a beige tarp walked down the street next to a man in a suit and a deer, or elk, or something. Wearing a pretty snazzy top hat. Erik's jaw sagged as he watched the procession turn and head down an alleyway. His curiosity was definitely piqued, but there's no way smugglers would use such a disguise and he couldn't let himself be distracted.
He stared at the troupe until they turned another corner and disappeared. He considered once more to follow them, see what they were up to, when one of his people waved at him from further down the market. Excellent! Looks like there was a sighting. With a last wistful glance after the strange group he walked away from the alley entrance.
-=oOo=-
Okame waltzed up to the map table with a smug grin carrying a gunny sack which she promptly dumped onto whatever it was Kohza and Kebi were working on. Kebi gave her an odd look, to which she winked back and pulled a longer wrapped package from behind her back to set on the table a bit more carefully. "See what happens when you turn things over to me? It gets done, that's what."
"Thanks, Okame. What would we do without you?" Kohza deadpanned.
"Keep that up and you might find out." Okame sassed in return.
Kebi simply rolled his eyes. "So you got what we talked about?"
Okame picked up the long package and handed it to Kohza. "If this won't work, you'll have to have Farafra make something custom, but it fit everything you asked for."
"I asked for something?"
Kebi coughed. "You said that your sword skill was being hurt by using a greatsword. I remember Chaka's old nodachi, so I asked for something like that, but… you know. Chaka's a big guy. Something better suited to your... stature."
Kohza eyed his friend for a moment as he unwrapped the bundle. The cloth dropped to the ground as he held up a long sword in a burgundy wooden sheath. Unsheathing the blade, he held the slightly-curved, single-edged blade out at arm's length. From pommel to tip, the blade was long enough to reach from his toes to his armpit. Heavier than it looked, but he was used to swinging something that moved things when it hit.
[Quest Alert]
Title: Carrying on the Tradition
Description: Master the combat style of your first teacher.
Reward: 3000xp, Special Reward
[Accept] or [Reject]?
That Kohza had just then been thinking about Chaka's decision to teach him didn't seem like a coincidence. Creating his own quests sounded like a good idea. Simpler at least. He tapped the [Accept] button and returned the longsabre to its sheath.
"And that's not all..." Okame grabbed the gunny sack by the bottom hem and emptied the contacts all over the table top. "I'm still not sure why you needed these though. Do we really have time to learn this stuff?"
Kebi's eyes lit up at the apparent treasure, and he quickly started picking up the books and skimming the spines. "We'll learn that soon. Oh, this one should be handy!" He quickly sorted the pile into two stacks. "Kohza, go ahead and try these ones first."
Having a suspicion of what his friend meant, he picked up the top book on the smaller stack.
[You've acquired a skillbook - The Art of Seamanship, Volume VI]
Title: The Art of Seamanship, Volume VI
Description: A basic manual of seamanship provided to Marine recruits during basic training.
Requirements: Level 3, INT 15
Would you like to learn this skill? [Yes] or [No]
Tapping on the [Yes] button caused the book in his hands to glow gold for a moment, catching everyone's attention, before the glow receded, leaving nothing in his hands.
[Skill Created - Seamanship]
[Skillbook increased Seamanship skill]
Skill: Seamanship, the ability to manage the daily operations of a vessel at sea.
Level: 2 (0% to next lvl)
Active Effects: +4% location determination
+4% direction determination
"... what?" Count on Okame to break the ice. "... the hell?" The others in the room looked equally at a loss.
Kebi coughed into his hand. "Ah, right, well I suppose we should have expected something like that. Kohza, which book was that?"
"Seamanship." He shook his head as if that might make some sense of what had happened. "This is amazing! I've never actually helmed a boat, much less a ship, but I suddenly understand all kinds of things about how it's done. Using a weighted line to make sure I don't bottom out, tacking into the wind. I still don't think I could impress a seasoned Marine, but I swear I didn't know anything about that stuff before."
Farafra picked up the next book on the stack and turned it over in his hand curiously.
Okame spoke slow enough that it was clear she was choosing her words. "And the glowy thing… that was the power, right?"
Kebi nodded excitedly. "We tried it earlier, but his current level didn't allow him to learn it. I asked Okame to get her hands on all of the introductory manuals and basic textbooks she could. Which reminds me, how the hell did you get a Marine handbook?"
Back in her element, Okame's smug smile returned. "That's not all the Marine gear you can get on the black market. Marines are getting into hock in Rainbase all the time. Selling every possession they own, or were issued, just to keep the casino from telling their superiors about their debts. Let me know if you want anything else, cause I swear it's a goldmine."
Kohza took the next book on the stack.
[You've acquired a skillbook - Rifle Marksmanship for Dummies]
Title: Rifle Marksmanship for Dummies
Description: A basic manual of rifle markmanship provided to Marine recruits during basic training.
Requirements: Level 2, DEX 12
Would you like to learn this skill? [Yes] or [No]
Tapping [Yes] again, Kohza was far more prepared for the flash of light that seemed to destroy the book in his hand.
[Skill Created - Marksmanship: Firearms]
[Previously acquired experience applied]
[Skillbook increased Marksmanship - Firearms skill]
Skill: Marksmanship - Firearms, the ability to aim and operate small-bore barreled projectile weapons.
Level: 18 (42% to next lvl)
Active Effects: +18% accuracy with firearms
The flood of information was almost euphoric. It was different from learning how to sail a ship, because he'd never done it before. He was a decent shot with a rifle already, but it was mostly self-taught. Now he was suddenly aware of methods for checking the wind, understood the benefits of firing after the exhale. It didn't seem that his powers differentiated between levels from practice or reading, but he could certainly appreciate the benefits of both right now.
"Alright, now we're getting into awesome. Not crushing groups of people with sand, but still, it has potential. What happens if he tries to read one of these other books?" Okame picked up the top book on the discard pile. The spine read: The Complete Kama Sutra… She quickly pocketed the handbook with a slight blush while Kebi continued sorting.
"Some of these are definitely too advanced. Others, irrelevant at the moment. Until we know whether or not there are some limits on how many of these he can absorb, we have to focus on what's useful now. We'll probably have some more rejects in the stack, but we won't know till we check." Kebi gestured for Kohza to continue.
Smiling like a kid in a candy store, Kohza reached for the next book.
"Kohza!"
Erik burst through the command tent flaps, his turban hanging in loose strips around his shoulders. "Kohza! Something's happening in Nanohana!"
"What? Pirates? Crocodile usually takes care of them." Kohza helped the man over to a folding chair.
"Big fight. Between Marines and a bunch of pirates. One of the pirates is Fire Fist Ace!"
"Whitebeard's 2nd Division Commander? What's he doing in this end of the Grand Line?" Okame rubbed Erik's back while he regained his breath.
"Don't know. I left when Fire Fist turned into a big ball of fire and started fighting the Marine captain, who seemed to turn into some kind of smoke thing. Crazy stuff."
Kohza put a hand on Erik's shoulder. "If you're not too tired, can you lead me to where you saw them last?"
Taking a couple steadying breaths, Erik nodded in response. "Yeah, that shouldn't be a problem. I'll need a fresh horse, though."
"Farafra, grab a couple more people and join us by the horses." Kohza grabbed the longsabre and swung the sheath's strap over his shoulder before pushing the tent flap back out into the blistering sun.
-=oOo=-
The crowds of people in the city introduced a new distraction for Kohza. Every person he could see had the name bar he'd only just gotten used to in the camp. Now the text was so crowded, he couldn't make any of it out until he got close. While he saw a lot of Nanohana Resident, there were just as many with other titles. The levels were almost universally low, aside from a few mercenaries watching over market stalls, but even then the levels were lower than his own.
That is until they turned a corner and nearly walking into a grumbling Marine Captain and his troops.
[Marine: Captain]
Smoker, LV35
Erik and Kohza quickly made way for the annoyed Marines. Behind them, Farafra and Gasim did likewise, but Natto wasn't so quick. He hit the dirt road hard in a cloud of dust as the Captain walked on. A woman in a floral shirt under a purple jacket slipped in beside him and hauled the rebel to his feet with a muttered apology.
[Marine: Master Chief Petty Officer]
Tashigi, LV17
Damn. Higher level and she looked younger than him, and that sword on her hip was pretty impressive. Not just a cute face then.
[Skill created - Observation]
Skill: Observation, the ability to learn about a target by studying them.
Level: 1 (10% to next lvl)
Active Effects: +20% weakness analysis from INT
He tried to clear the window with a nonchalant wave of his arm, but the gesture seemed to catch Tashigi's peripheral vision and she turned toward him.
[Marine: Master Chief Petty Officer]
Tashigi, LV17
A dedicated Marine working under Captain Smoker.
Well, that was simultaneously not helpful, but very interesting. He'd have to let Kebi know about that new wrinkle, but in the mean time Kohza kept his head down after she turned away, just in case he could be recognized.
And like that, the Marine contingent were past them, hurrying to follow their captain. For a moment, Kohza considered having someone follow the Marines, but if they caught their tail, they might start getting more involved. Thus far, Crocodile's efforts to keep Alabasta free of pirates was also keeping the streets free of Marine activity. They mostly docked purely to resupply, but no one came to a desert country for shore leave. Especially one in the middle of a drought. The rebels, as a rule, kept their activity out of site of the Marines. If they did finally get involved, it didn't take a politician to figure out which side they would support. But might they already be involved? The thought was chilling.
Kohza gestured to the thinner of the two men Farafra had brought from the camp. "Gasim, follow them, but stay out of sight. We'll debrief tonight at Katorea."
Gasim nodded, though you could hardly tell with his face was shrouded in a deep hood, and melted into crowd in the direction the Marines had stalked off in. Waving Erik to lead on, the remaining rebels pushed their way through the crowd.
As the buildings gave way, the sound of salt water rushed up to meet them as it ran up and down the beach. So much water, but not a drop to drink. Just thinking about it had Kohza reflexively reach for his canteen.
"What's that?" Natto leaned over the railing of the terrace overlooking the shore and pointed at a cluster of shapes out on the water.
"That's a lot of ships. They looks like warships, too." Erik passed his binoculars to Kohza.
It looked like five frigates trying to run down a sloop. The realization struck him a moment later that those were terms he didn't know yesterday. It was hard to make out at this distance, but the five ships all had similar pictures on their sails. A skull with purple wings. A few had writing on them as well, but picking out the letters was… wait… starts with a 'B'.
God damnit. "Baroque Works. The five big ships. How can we have not heard about these people? They put their damn name on their sails!" Kohza couldn't help but feel like an idiot. Granted, his people were civilians before the war started, but this was pathetic.
Before he could chastise himself further, a massive fireball ripped through the five ships. A few split in half, debris flying through the air. Hundreds of men floundered in the sea as the lone sloop passed between the burning wreckage.
"Holy shit…" Yeah, the sentiment was shared.
"That must have been Fire Fist Ace. Does that mean he's working against Baroque Works?"
Kohza shook his head. "He's a pirate, even if he is, it doesn't mean he's on our side. We still don't know what they're trying to do here."
"As long as he's not pointed at us… how do you stop something like that?" Natto was understandably unnerved.
"Crocodile will stop him." Erik noted. There was something to that. Crocodile was a Shichibukai, after all. "Do you think your devil fruit powers will ever get that powerful?"
Kohza shuddered. He honestly couldn't imagine wielding that kind of power. When the king was finally stopped from stealing all the rain, he wanted to go back to Yuba and help his dad rebuild the oasis there. Blowing up ships full of people so casually... well, he probably wouldn't have to deal with it, after all, "Fire trumps video games."
Erik nodded in response as they all continued to stare at the wreckage with the rest of them.
-=Back at the Camp in Katorea=-
"I think it's an answer that we'll need sooner rather than later, Kohza." Erik had been insistent since they left the Nanohana outskirts. "Your new power is the ace up our sleeve. If you haven't forgotten, Chaka and Pell are still guarding the King. We need to know how it can be used as a weapon."
"I'll talk to Kebi. Maybe there's something we haven't thought of, but the way he describes it, video games always start off weak."
"So you need time. But is it months? Years? I'm not trying to put this all on you, but the people don't have that long. Erumalu is a wasteland. Yuba is well on its way to the same. Everyone that can has been migrating to Nanohana. Water sellers have started shipping in water from other countries! How long can we afford to do that?" The energy drained out of Erik's frame as despair set in. "Just… try. You know all this too. We have to do something soon. We need to be ready."
Kohza nodded before breaking away from the group to head to the command tent.
Pushing aside the flaps, he took a moment to bask in the shade. The air was as hot as ever, even under cover, but shade could make even a day like this bearable. The tent was unoccupied, but the stacks of books from earlier lay there. Was this how he was going to get more powerful? He knew more, that was for sure, but you didn't blow up frigates with knowledge. Then again, maybe there was something in there about explosives.
The top book on the approved stack was thicker than the others. Kohza picked it up and held it at arm's length. Nothing happened. He turned the book to read the title along the spine.
A Treatise on Devil Fruits and their Origins
… Okay, so not a skillbook. This was… very important. He was briefly torn between the stack of instant gratification and the tome of vital knowledge in his hand. He glanced at the walls to gage the sun's position. Well above the horizon. Good. Time enough for both.
Carefully setting aside the treatise, he picked up the next one from the stack.
[You've acquired a skillbook - The Dynamancer's Cookbook]
Title: The Dynamancer's Cookbook
Description: A fundamental guide to the making and use of explosive materials.
Requirements: Level 8, INT 18, WIS 18
Would you like to learn this skill? [Yes] or [No]
That's what he was talking about. The gleam was back in his eyes as he tapped the [Yes] button.
-=oOo=-
Gasim ducked around a corner in order to turn his cloak inside-out to reveal the second color scheme on the other side. It wouldn't do to have the Marines notice him before he'd picked up anything useful for the commander. The Captain and Master Chief Petty Officer were inside the port control building, but fortunately a small group of Marines were talking plenty loud enough to be heard from his chosen spot on the opposite site of a stack of water barrels.
"... so why do you think the Captain is chasing the Straw Hats so hard? Weren't we supposed to man the Loguetown depot for another few months? And here we are, out on the Grandline with the crazies."
"The Captain is dedicated, unlike some others I could mention."
"There's dedicated and then there's obsessed. C'mon, Chief Tashigi must have mentioned something."
There was a rustle of movement, but nothing that identified who was doing what. The remainder continued in a quieter voice, but Gasim had heard enough to pick out the voices from the background noises.
"The Straw Hat's captain. Luffy. I heard he's important for some reason. Not just because he's a pirate making waves. He's important for some other reason. As to that, I don't know. But, I think it has something to do with King Cobra."
"What? I thought Alabasta was just another stop on the Grandline."
"I thought so too, but apparently Captain Smoker saw Princess Vivi traveling with them. Said they didn't even kidnap her."
Gasim froze. He'd never met the girl himself, but the captain and a few of his folks were tight with her. Did she hire them to help? And who would they… Damnit, he wasn't listening anymore. He strained to hear anything else, but apparently they switched to talking about a storm they'd weathered on the way here. Deciding not to push the limits, he slipped away from the Marines and headed out of town.
Commander Kohza was going to want to hear this.
-=oOo=-
-=Character Stats=-
Name: Kohza Jakkaru
Titles: [The Gamer], Leader of the Alabasta Revolution, Leader of the Suna Suna Clan
Level: 14 (87% to next lvl)
STR: 20
VIT: 23
DEX: 21
INT: 18
WIS: 18
LUK: 10
Points: 0
Money: 280 Beli
Skills:
Medicine (lvl 4)
Sword Style: Shinkage-ryu (lvl 13)
Seamanship (lvl 2)
Marksmanship: Firearms (lvl 18)
Observation (lvl 1)
Explosives (lvl 2)
Carpentry (lvl 2)
Sleight of Hand (lvl 2)
Unarmed Combat (lvl 11)
Negotiation (lvl 12)
Cooking (lvl 8)
Quest Journal:
Unraveling the Conspiracy, Part 2
Supplying the Revolution
Carrying on the Tradition
-=Author's Notes=-
I have a plot arc for the story, but I'm moving slow right now because I'm trying to work out the mechanics of a few last elements. Specifically, loot and perks. I'm tempted to leave battle loot out, because it introduces some major distractions, but quest loot will definitely stay. I just have to figure out what that will look like.
Perks, on the other hand, I'm excited to introduce. This is the part where Kohza's power becomes more than just a power-up mechanism. I'm leaning towards a Fallout style, rather than a Trait and Flaw system for simplicity. Besides, most of the time "Lecherous" or "Perverted" ends up being one of the flaws, and if I do any fanservice like that, I'll probably bite the bullet and make Kohza spend points to get it.
You'll notice that my skills are fairly broad. I'm not going to make a new skill for each attack, but special attacks may require being above certain skill thresholds to use. That being said, I'd like to hear it anyone has ideas for other skills that would make sense to include. And while you're at it, if you have any clever perks you think you be fun, I'd love to hear that as well.
Thanks for reading.