Chapter 35: The Pay-to-Win Summoner System**

Back in the tavern, the pirates had all cleared out, leaving Kiba and Ryūna alone. Even Black Cat’s subordinates didn’t dare to come near, showing just how much of an impact the Shikigami had made on everyone.

“This might be a bit tricky,” Kiba said, crossing his legs, clearly intending to push her a little. “With your power and a pirate with a bounty of several million on your side, taking down a couple of warships should be a piece of cake.”

The implication was clear: if this lineup couldn’t handle the situation, the enemy must be terrifyingly strong. He was willing to help, but for the right price.

Ryūna caught on to what he was hinting at and decided not to hide anything further. “The target used to be a member of the royal family. Many years ago, their country was annexed by the Gemar Kingdom, and the royal member had to flee to the East Blue with their followers.”

Hearing this, Kiba’s eyes flickered slightly, but he didn’t interrupt her.

“They built a castle, which is more like a military fortress. Even with my Shikigami, there’s no way I could break in.”

If a pirate crew couldn’t handle it, then it was time to find a suitable ally. The Black Cat Pirates, who had just lost their captain, were perfect. With their strongest fighter gone, there was no worry about them turning on her; the two sides would be evenly matched, making for a true partnership.

Once they broke into the fortress and split the treasure 60/40, both pirate crews could rapidly expand their forces.

“Why 60/40?” Kiba tried to negotiate a bit.

Before he could finish his sentence, Kiba received a mission share from Ryūna.

*[Task No. 14005: “Treasure of the Kingdom” has been shared. Do you accept?]*

“Consider that extra 10% as part of the mission reward,” she said.

Getting a side mission for free, Kiba had no reason to argue. A 60/40 split was a fair arrangement.

*[Side Mission: Treasure of the Kingdom.]*

*[Mission Brief: You’ve discovered a lost castle, which likely contains an incredible treasure.]*

*[Mission Requirement: Defeat the royal guards and claim the treasure.]*

*[Hint: It’s best to bring a vehicle with enough space for transport.]*

After finalizing the cooperation, Kiba prepared to inform his captain. No one would refuse such a lucrative deal. If they had received the news earlier, perhaps Captain Kuro wouldn’t have faked his death and retired.

Of course, Kiba wouldn’t bring Kuro back just yet. It wasn’t the right time; at the very least, the former captain wasn’t ready for a decisive battle with the Pirate Admiral. Only when Kiba found the right strength and showed the cautious Kuro a glimmer of hope for victory, would it be time for their true revenge.

Now, going after the treasure in the castle was all about preparing to recruit more forces. Let’s not forget that the Pirate Admiral had a massive army of 5,000 men under his command. With their current manpower, they wouldn’t even be a snack for him.

On the way, Kiba, always eager to learn, began questioning Ryūna about the details of summoning Shikigami.

Perhaps considering their upcoming cooperation, Ryūna indulged her temporary teammate’s curiosity.

“If you haven’t completed the Fate Mission, the time a Shikigami can remain summoned is very limited.”

Hmm, his Giants also had a time limit for summoning, which was surprisingly similar.

“In addition to ability restrictions, summoning a Shikigami also deducts a certain amount of Story Points.”

Seeing the surprise on his face, Ryūna smiled and explained, “Opening a channel between two worlds is an additional cost for the Reincarnation Space, so it’s only natural to charge extra.”

“You’re quite philosophical about it,” Kiba sighed.

He had been thinking that after this profitable venture, he could return to the Space and purchase a summoning skill for fun. But learning that cross-world summoning costs money made his Giants seem like a much better deal.

“That’s why you need to complete the Shikigami’s Fate Mission. Once they become a follower, everything changes.” Ryūna seemed to be reflecting as well.

Since they’d come this far in the conversation, Kiba naturally wanted to know the benefits of completing the Fate Mission.

“First, completing the Fate Mission enhances your Shikigami’s abilities in a specific direction.”

Not bad, that alone was worth the effort.

“Second, followers gain a Space-certified identity, making them almost like Reincarnators themselves. They can accept missions, earn rewards, and even use Attribute Points to boost their abilities.”

“That powerful?!” Kiba was really tempted now, but another question quickly arose. “Isn’t that just like a normal Reincarnator? Why do you say ‘almost’?”

“Because followers have no freedom. They can only ever follow you.”

That does limit things a lot, but the thought of followers also being able to earn mission rewards made Kiba feel that not nurturing a few would be a real waste.

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*"There's one more thing you need to know: If a character from the storyline becomes your follower, they will possess the unique trait of being the only one in the Space. This means that no other version of them will appear in future story worlds."*

In other words, if Kiba managed to recruit Nami, the Straw Hat Pirates would lose their navigator forever.

That should be correct, but the timeline would likely try to repair the storyline, possibly by bringing in another suitable navigator.

As Kiba glanced at the severely injured Paul ahead of him, he quietly pondered the mechanics of triggering a Fate Mission. *"Fate, simply put, is the mission a storyline character is destined to fulfill."*

For main characters, it’s usually about saving the world, but for certain powerful supporting characters, they might be worth considering.

For example, the Vinsmoke family—if he helped them regain dominance over the North Blue, that might complete the current family head's Fate Mission.

Another example could be helping Shinobu Kocho defeat Doma, the Upper Moon Two. That might complete her Fate Mission as well.

As for how to trigger it, he speculated that the key factor was definitely the favorability between the two parties.

Paul became devoted to him because of a cursed sword; his favorability was easy to raise, but for those well-known characters, it would be much more challenging.

There’s a lot of depth to quickly increasing favorability.

*"By the way, besides the Onmyoji world, where else is it easy to acquire summoned creatures?"*

Under the calm gaze of the woman, Kiba blushed. He realized he was asking too many questions.

But he couldn’t help it—he was a complete newbie with no opportunity to ask others for advice. He finally met someone knowledgeable; how could he let her go easily?

Ryūna’s gaze slowly changed, as if she’d thought of something, but she still answered his question enthusiastically.

*"Onmyoji, Pokémon, Digimon, and Yu-Gi-Oh! are the most popular storyline worlds among summoners right now."*

The Onmyoji world has a rich selection of Shikigami.

In the Pokémon world, the number of Pokémon is countless.

The Digimon world is similarly overwhelming with its many Digimon.

And in the Yu-Gi-Oh! world, there are countless monster cards.

Thinking about all those powerful summoned creatures, Kiba wished he could visit those worlds right away.

*"Oh, by the way, there’s another world where it’s easy to gain followers."*

That would be the Fate/stay night storyline world, revolving around the battles of the Holy Grail War. Masters can summon Heroic Spirits to fight for them.

If he completed a Heroic Spirit’s Fate Mission, would that mean he could possibly recruit the King of Knights?

Kiba forcefully slapped his cheeks, snapping himself out of his daydream. It was too early to think about such things; once he actually entered that world, he’d naturally figure out what to do.

Soon, he returned to the Black Cat and found Captain Jango to discuss the attack on the castle.

*"Pirate Alliance?"* Jango hesitated for a moment but then decisively agreed.

They were going to plunder anyway, so why miss out on such a good target?

Of course, it would be even better if they could take all the treasure.

Seeing the greed in Jango's eyes, Kiba quickly snuffed out that thought with one sentence: *"After the mission, I'll find a way to merge Alvida's pirate crew with ours."*

If he could pull that off, they would be like one big family, and Jango naturally wouldn't have any more sinister ideas.

*"Hahaha, you’re sharp—taking both the money and the people!"*

Kiba smiled slightly, not bothering to explain further. How could outsiders understand his true intentions?

If the Alvida Pirates didn’t join the Black Cat Pirates, they’d always be minor players.

Only by uniting could they defeat the Pirate Admiral and become a dominant force in the East Blue.

After sending out the signal of a successful alliance, the Alvida Pirates slowly came into view.

This was a major deal involving 700 million Berries, and both sides were eager, so the captains’ meeting didn’t take long.

Time was of the essence, and the two pirate crews immediately set sail for the neighboring island.

On the deck of the Black Cat, Ryūna curiously studied the black cat figurehead.

*"Once this is over, I want your pirate crew to join ours."* Kiba dropped a bombshell.

Ryūna turned calmly and asked in a cold voice, *"Give me a reason."*

*"You help me convince Alvida, and I’ll give you a hidden mission."*

To defeat the ruler of the East Blue, their current manpower was nowhere near enough. The best solution was to absorb the Alvida Pirates.

If they could join forces and even have Alvida help her complete a side mission, Ryūna would definitely be confident in convincing her captain.

As for the reason for merging the pirate crews, the goal of ruling the East Blue was enough. Besides, if Ryūna didn’t join the Black Cat Pirates, she might not be able to participate in future hidden missions.

Based on what he knew, defeating the Krieg Pirates would definitely trigger a hidden mission, and if Ryūna was eligible to accept it, then Kiba wouldn’t have gone back on his word.

As for everything else, it had nothing to do with her. Once she joined the Black Cat Pirates, she’d be his subordinate, and wasn’t it natural to help the first mate with a few personal matters?

*(End of Chapter)*

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