One Piece: Infinite Treasure Chest System.

As Ben prepared to face the bandits, he noticed something was wrong. Ace and Sabo, who had been sneaking into the hideout, were now lying unconscious on the ground.

What happened? Ben rushed over to check on them. Their faces were pale, and their breathing was shallow.

Did they get poisoned? Ben's mind raced. He hadn't anticipated this turn of events.

Ben turned around to see Higuma and his bandits closing in. So this is the guy who dared to challenge an Emperor? Not bad, Ben thought, though he couldn't help but wrinkle his nose at the lingering stench of surströmming.

"Higuma, could you, uh, stand a bit farther away? You smell… awful," Ben said, trying to keep a straight face. He'd been ready to launch a surprise attack, but the smell was making it hard to focus.

"You've got some nerve! Kid, you're about to learn why they call me Higuma, the Bandit King! Men, attack!" Higuma barked, though he himself hung back. He wasn't about to fall for any tricks—Ben had stopped running for a reason.

The bandits charged at Ben, weapons in hand.

"Armament Haki!" Ben activated his Haki, coating his fists in a dark, metallic sheen. He threw his first punch in this world, aiming straight for the nearest bandit.

The bandit swung his sword at Ben's fist, confident he'd cripple the boy in one strike. But instead of a scream of pain, there was a sharp clang as the sword shattered on impact.

"Not bad. Didn't even feel a thing. Let's try this again," Ben said with a grin.

This time, he focused his Haki on his legs. With 15% proficiency, he could now cover about 15% of his body with Armament Haki. Crouching low, he kicked off the ground with explosive force.

"Boom!"

Ben shot forward like a cannonball, crashing through a wall and emerging from the rubble.

"Cough, cough… Still getting the hang of this power. But I like it!" Ben flexed his fists and shook out his legs, grinning despite the dust covering him.

The bandits stared in stunned silence. Even Higuma's eyes narrowed as he noticed the black coating on Ben's fists. Is that… Haki? he thought, recalling stories from pirates who'd returned from the Grand Line. But this kid's only fifteen or sixteen. How can he already have Haki?

"Kid, who the hell are you?" Higuma demanded, trying to mask his unease.

"I already told you—I'm Jie Lu!" Ben dashed forward, his Haki-enhanced fists knocking out three bandits in quick succession. He was starting to get the hang of his newfound strength and speed.

"Shoot him! Shoot him! I don't believe this brat can cover his whole body in Haki!" Higuma shouted, panic creeping into his voice.

The bandits pulled out their muskets and opened fire.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

"Oof, that stings a bit," Ben muttered, rubbing his stomach where a bullet had struck. Thankfully, he'd shifted his Haki to the area just in time, preventing any serious injury. I can't believe my first injury in this world almost came from these clowns.

"Thanks for the warm-up, but I've got to go. Oh, and don't bother looking for me—you won't see me again," Ben said before vanishing in a blur of speed.

The bandits stood frozen, too shocked to react. With that kind of speed and power, Ben could've easily killed them all. So why had he run?

Ben reappeared near the hollow tree where the trio had hidden their loot. He lifted his shirt to inspect the red mark on his stomach. If my Haki had been any weaker, that bullet might've gone straight through me.

Those bandits actually shot me… Wait, that phrasing sounds weird. Ugh, never mind. They're about to become sea king food anyway.

Climbing into the tree, Ben waited for Luffy to return. They should be here any minute now.

"Ben! Ace and Sabo got captured by the Bandit King!" Luffy's voice rang out, tears and snot streaming down his face as he stumbled into view.

"What? How did that happen?" Ben jumped down from the tree, his expression a mix of concern and confusion.

"We went inside, and Ace and Sabo got knocked out by some kind of poison gas. I barely made it out!" Luffy sniffled, wiping his nose on his sleeve.

Ben facepalmed. Of course! I completely forgot about the poison traps in the hideout. This was going to complicate things.

Back at the bandit hideout, Higuma and his men returned to find two unexpected guests.

"Boss, our treasure and goods are untouched, but there are two kids in the dungeon."

"Kids? What are kids doing here?" Higuma growled, already in a foul mood. The last thing he needed was more trouble.

"They look like they're from the Dadan Family," one of the bandits said.

"That old hag… Ugh, never mind. Take me to them. If they can't give me a good reason for being here, we'll kill them and dump their bodies outside Dadan's door."

The bandits led Higuma to the dungeon, where Ace and Sabo lay unconscious.

"Hey, brats! What are you doing in my territory?" Higuma crouched down, glaring at the two boys.

"Are you deaf? Our boss is talking to you!" one of the bandits shouted, kicking Ace and Sabo in the stomach.

"Ah! What did you do to Luffy?!" Ace glared at them, his voice filled with anger.

"Luffy? Who the hell is that? Answer my question—what are you doing here?" Higuma demanded, his patience wearing thin. "If you don't start talking, you're dead!"

He drew his sword, his expression darkening.

"What did you do to Luffy?!" Ace repeated, his voice trembling with rage.

Higuma's face twisted in fury. Do I look like some kind of pushover? Even a kid dares to disrespect me?

Already humiliated by Ben earlier, Higuma's temper flared even hotter. "If you won't answer, then die!" He raised his sword, ready to strike.

"Boom!"

Before Higuma could swing, he was sent flying across the room. In his place stood a masked man.

"Sorry, but you can't kill them. I'm taking them with me. Oh, and if you don't say anything, I'll just assume you're okay with it!" Ben grabbed Ace and Sabo and vanished in a blur, leaving a cracked floor behind.

Higuma, now unconscious, couldn't respond even if he wanted to.

Under the treasure tree, Ben set Ace and Sabo down.

"What were you thinking, walking into a trap like that? If I hadn't shown up, you'd both be dead," Ben scolded, though his tone was more exasperated than angry.

The trio remained silent, knowing full well that Ben had saved their lives.

"Here, take this. I managed to grab some treasure while I was there." Ben dumped a pile of gold and jewels on the ground.

The boys' eyes widened as they stared at the glittering hoard. Their guilt and fear were quickly replaced by excitement.

"Big Brother Ben, is this… for us?" Ace asked, struggling to tear his gaze away from the treasure.

"Yep," Ben said with a wave of his hand. It's not like I can convert this into exchange points anyway.

"Wow! With this, we can finally buy our own ship and set sail!" The three boys quickly gathered the treasure and hauled it back to their hideout.

"Alright, you guys head back. I've got some unfinished business," Ben said before disappearing in a flash, leaving a deep footprint in the ground.