[Skill: Ultra Instinct] //Sadly not the version from DB
[Rank: A]
[Description: The limit of human perception, granting the user an intuition that can see through illusions, detect the finest of details, and even foresee the future.]
"Ultra Instinct... It's actually that?"
Looking at the information panel before him, the joy on Kael's face suddenly froze, replaced by a complicated expression.
As someone who had watched Reborn!, he naturally knew what Ultra Instinct was capable of.
A perception that nullifies all illusions, precise control over battle details, and flashes of insight when making decisions.
Although this ability doesn't directly enhance combat power, it is undoubtedly a highly cost-effective support skill.
The only thing Kael wasn't entirely satisfied with was...
It overlaps far too much with Observation Haki!
Seeing through illusions, predicting the enemy's movements, even glimpsing the future...
All of these are functions of Observation Haki.
The fivefold jump in experience points needed from level 2 onward already showed how difficult future level-ups would be.
This meant that future skill slots would be increasingly hard to obtain.
In essence, Kael had used a precious skill slot to acquire a max-level version of Observation Haki.
At that moment, he honestly couldn't tell if he'd made a profit or a loss.
After all, he already had the training methods for Observation Haki.
Given time, and with the power of the system, even if he couldn't become as future-seeing as Katakuri, he'd still be far beyond the average person.
So drawing Ultra Instinct... really left him at a bit of a loss.
"Seriously, how can even drawing a skill make me so conflicted?"
He sighed lightly, deciding not to dwell on what had already happened.
No matter what, drawing an A-rank skill was still something worth celebrating.
Shifting his gaze—
Kael once again switched the interface to the [Dockyard] system.
He had already seen the two gacha machines in the [Gacha] menu, and the final legendary machine was still out of reach for him.
That left only the dockyard function unused.
The familiar information panel appeared in front of Kael once more.
He repeated his previous actions, pulling another sack of money from the room.
Sure enough, a "+" symbol appeared next to the experience bar of the Di Jia (Tiga) ship.
He controlled his consciousness to tap on the plus sign—and in an instant, a tenth of the money vanished from the sack at his feet.
Without pause, Kael tapped the "+" sign nine more times in a row.
In an instant—
The once-bulging sack of money at his feet turned completely flat.
Just like during the gacha pulls.
At the same time—
A mysterious glow suddenly flashed from the front of the ship, enveloping it from bow to stern before vanishing.
Strangely, Kael felt like something about the ship had changed.
But before he could take a closer look at the upgraded ship, a tender voice suddenly rang out behind him.
"Good morning, Captain."
"Wha—?! Who's there!?"
Startled by the sudden voice, Kael instinctively turned around, quickly drawing the flintlock that fired seastone bullets from his waist and retreating several steps.
But then, his expression froze.
Looking down—
He saw a small child, just over a meter tall, wearing a hood that obscured their face, staring up at him in confusion.
As if puzzled why Kael would point a gun at them.
Even though most of the child's face was hidden in shadow, Kael could strangely sense their mood and emotions.
"Hello, Captain. I'm the ship spirit of this vessel—Di Jia."
Thinking Kael had asked a question, the little Di Jia obediently answered.
"Di Jia?"
That familiar name snapped Kael back to reality, and the wariness on his face slowly faded.
He wasn't scared per se—he was just caught off guard while concentrating on an upgrade.
Anyone would be startled if someone suddenly called out behind them at a moment like that.
But now, he understood.
With the ship's upgrade, he had successfully triggered the dockyard system, bringing to life the ship spirit who had previously only served as a tutorial guide in the game.
"The ship spirit… it actually appeared!"
Kael muttered with emotion.
While watching One Piece, he could never let go of the Going Merry disappearing into the flames.
Every time he saw an emotional edit of that moment, it made him tear up.
So the appearance of a ship spirit was something he truly welcomed.
Subconsciously, his expression softened.
"Hm..."
Little Di Jia tilted his head, clearly puzzled by the sudden change in Kael's demeanor.
But Kael stepped forward and responded to Di Jia's earlier greeting.
"Hello, Di Jia. I'm Kael, the captain of this ship!"
"From now on, I'm counting on you!"
He reached out, intending to pat Di Jia's head.
But his hand passed straight through.
As expected—no physical body…
Kael wasn't surprised, but his gaze flickered for a moment.
Still, even though most of Di Jia's face remained hidden under the hood, it was clear from his posture that he was pleased to be acknowledged.
Unlike ordinary ship spirits, who were bound by restrictions, this system-generated Di Jia had no such limits.
So long as he didn't leave the ship, he could appear freely and interact with the crew.
After a round of introductions, Kael—already treating Di Jia like an old friend—curiously asked:
"Little Di Jia, do you have any special abilities as a ship spirit?"
"Like... steering the ship, for example?"
In the anime, the Going Merry's spirit could not only repair the ship but also sail it automatically.
Kael wanted to know whether this little Di Jia had the same capabilities.
After all, neither in his past life nor this one did he have any sailing experience.
If someone else could handle it, that'd be ideal!
And Di Jia's reply didn't disappoint.
He cheerfully raised a hand and jumped in place.
"I can! I can!"
"Captain Kael, I can not only control the ship's course and repair damage…"
"I can even help in battles~!"
"Battles?" Kael blinked. "How can you help me fight?"
"Um… Can I use a cannonball for a demonstration, Captain Kael?"
Like an eager child wanting to show off, little Di Jia asked excitedly.
"Of course."
Kael nodded without hesitation, watching with interest.
As soon as he agreed, Di Jia vanished from sight.
A moment later, the cabin door opened seemingly on its own.
Little Di Jia staggered in, carrying a cannonball that had come as a bonus with the ship, heading toward the side-mounted cannon.
Then, with smoother movements than Kael himself, he loaded the cannonball.
A spark appeared on the fuse.
Seconds later, a thunderous boom echoed across the ship.
The black cannonball roared across the sea, blasting up a towering column of water.
"Just like that!"
After finishing, Di Jia teleported back to Kael's side, looking up expectantly as if waiting to be praised.
Kael was left slack-jawed by the whole sequence.
He clicked his tongue, and after considering Di Jia's childlike nature, simply said:
"Amazing!"
But right after, a thought struck Kael like lightning.
His eyes lit up as he turned toward Di Jia and asked:
"You... can become physical?"
He had just seen Di Jia physically carry the cannonball.
"Uhh~"
Caught off guard, Di Jia hesitated for a moment.
Then he nodded slowly and replied:
"As long as I'm doing something specific, I can take physical form."
"But once I finish the task, I go back to how I am now."
"I see…"
"Right—Merry once repaired her own hull. Without a physical body, there's no way she could've held a hammer or nails!"
Until now, Kael had assumed ship spirits were intangible dreamlike beings.
Turns out—they can materialize.
Kael grinned, a spark of excitement in his eyes.
At the same time—
A bold, shocking idea formed in his mind. One that could astonish the entire world of One Piece.