Chapter 139: The Contribution Board and the New Residence

“What’s that?”

“That’s amazing!”

They’d just come around the side of the building, so they missed seeing the central screen at first.

When they finally reached the center, a massive transparent screen came into view, endlessly scrolling with information.

This giant screen was one of Vegapunk’s inventions—its only job was to display information for everyone to see.

Even if it wasn’t cutting-edge tech, it made it easy for everyone to check how to earn contribution points.

Screens like this were scattered all over Cake Island. This one was just bigger than the rest.

“Find a Logia-type and earn 100,000 points.”

“Find a Mythical Zoan and earn 100,000 points.”

“…”

“Train a newcomer in the Five Elements Fist—100 points per session.”

When he spotted this task, Borsalino stopped in his tracks.

“Ah, so that’s how it is.”

It dawned on Borsalino why Gan Fall always seemed excited to train them.

Turns out you get 100 points every time you run a training session. Gan Fall must have scored thousands by now after all those sessions on the way here.

Did that mean they should get a share too?

Borsalino tilted his head, sizing up Gan Fall.

Gan Fall could feel their stares burning into his back and scratched his head awkwardly.

He coughed into his fist. “Ahem…”

“Of course I haven’t been hiding points or anything.”

Still looking a bit guilty, Gan Fall turned away, avoiding their eyes.

He knew better than anyone just how talented these kids were. He didn’t want to draw their attention any more than necessary.

Especially with Borsalino in front and Issho and Sakazuki behind—their talent was downright scary.

In just a few days, they’d already mastered the Five Elements Fist.

If he was training them for longer than fifteen days, another two weeks might be enough for the three of them to take him down together.

No wonder Lord Karl was so invested—these kids were little monsters.

“Besides, isn’t it normal for me to earn points when I train you? None of you can teach yet.”

Gan Fall seemed to regain his confidence as he spoke.

He might have cut a few corners, but he’d taught them everything he was supposed to.

Nobody could pick holes in his approach, at least not for this.

“Tch!”

“Hmph!”

“I didn’t think you were that kind of person.”

Borsalino wasn’t someone to let things go. He was already plotting a little payback against Gan Fall.

Gan Fall shivered suddenly, as if some terrible fate was closing in on him.

He looked to Perospero for help.

“By the way, what’s your name?”

“Can we keep moving?”

Perospero didn’t have time for their banter. He’d only stopped so they could get a general idea of how to earn points from the rankings.

He nodded and led the way.

Gan Fall wasted no time following, practically fleeing.

He could feel the group’s gazes getting more and more unfriendly. He wasn’t sticking around to see what happened next.

Borsalino and the rest exchanged looks, eyes darting around as they clearly plotted mischief.

They passed through building after building until at last, they arrived at their destination.

“This courtyard is yours from now on.”

“Each of you can pick a room.”

“If you need anything, just ask the housekeeper.”

“This is our housekeeper, Ahu.”

Standing at the entrance to the courtyard, Perospero introduced the tiger shark fishman.

From here on, Ahu would be in charge of managing the courtyard and looking after them.

“Greetings, everyone. My name is Ahu.”

Ahu kept his voice low and respectful. After all, he was just the housekeeper here.

And Karl himself had emphasized this group specifically.

Who knew—these kids could become truly important one day. He’d be crazy to offend them.

“Ahu will explain everything else from here.”

Perospero nodded to the group, then headed back the way they’d come.

Ahu led them into the residence, starting a tour of the layout.

The building resembled a large siheyuan—a traditional compound—each side had two stories with the main sections at the far end and on either side.

Each wing could easily fit twenty people.

It would be their home for the foreseeable future.

“So, what’s the story with that contribution board?”

Gan Fall hadn’t seen the leaderboard before, but he had to admit it caught his curiosity.

He wanted to pick up tasks from the board and maybe exchange points for a higher-level martial art.

Everyone’s eyes turned to Ahu, waiting for his answer.

“Here’s how it works.”

“That board is something Lord Vegapunk came up with after some recent research.”

“He started out working on a television set—this popped out along the way by accident.”

Ahu paused and took them to the courtyard’s pavilion.

Once they’d all sat down, he stood to explain the story behind the leaderboard.

Originally, the board just served to gather experiment materials for Vegapunk and handle some basic tasks.

But one day Big Mom spotted it.

Next thing you knew, she had them posting jobs for every kind of Devil Fruit, famous sword—even rumors of treasure.

And so, over time, it evolved into what you see now.

“How do we take on a task?”

Gan Fall was most interested in how to accept a task. How the screen worked didn’t matter as much.

His real concern was what he could actually do with it.

“If you see a task you want, head to Kirin Hall—the huge plaza in the center.”

“Once inside, submit your chosen task to the record keeper. Then you’re responsible for tracking down the item.”

“Of course, you could just go out and look for something on the list without registering, but if the task gets canceled before you bring it back, you won’t get any reward.”

Ahu shrugged—apparently some people had tried that approach before.

“Got it.”

“Alright, I’m heading out for a bit.”

Before Borsalino or anyone else could react, Gan Fall had already raced out of the residence, eager to tackle a new task.

After all, he’d traded points for the Eight Extremities Fist, but now he wanted the Golden Light Spell.

But the points required were on a whole different level—100,000 for the Golden Light Spell.

That was as much as finding a Logia-type Devil Fruit.

“What should our plan be?”

Sakazuki wasn’t focused on earning points right now. Their strength wasn’t yet enough to venture out wherever they pleased.

For now, he was more concerned about what they were supposed to do—and what they were allowed to do—on the island.

“You’re sharp.”

Ahu hadn’t expected one of the kids to hit on the real question so directly.

He was genuinely impressed.

“Once you’ve picked your rooms, you can decide your daily routine however you like.”

“Training happens from 2 to 5 every afternoon in the training grounds, but the rest of your time is yours.”

“As long as you don’t leave Cake Island, you can go wherever you wish.”

With their talents, daily training was enough. Letting them manage the rest themselves reduced the risk of stunting their growth.

After all, in the original story, Borsalino, Issho and Sakazuki all grew up to be formidable admirals.

Ahu wasn’t about to hold them back and mess with their future potential.