On the vast, blue ocean, the Killion warship, with its sails billowing, was drifting aimlessly with the waves.
On the spacious deck, a large group of shirtless Marine soldiers were enduring the pain of electro-therapy for body tempering, sweating profusely as they performed simple weighted squats.
Each man held a several-hundred-pound gold lump above his head, straining until their muscles twitched and cramped.
The deck beneath them was already wet with sweat.
Rorschach sat cross-legged in the center of the ship's dragon head, a brilliant deep blue light emanating from within him, permeating every part of his body.
He was attempting to train his Armament Haki to penetrate his bones.
This was the training method for 'Black Arm' and 'Iron Fist' taught to him by Garp and Zephyr.
It involved treating the bones of the body like Supreme Grade swords, nourishing them daily and yearly with Armament Haki until they reached the level of black blades.
It must be said, this training method was incredibly difficult.
Rorschach had only just begun to grasp it.
This was due to his exceptionally strong physique, far surpassing ordinary people.
The black Heavenly Dragon Halberd lay beside him, also covered in deep blue Haki.
It wasn't just Rorschach's body and the Heavenly Dragon Halberd.
Overwhelmingly thick Armament Haki surged from within him, spreading out to completely envelop the Killion's entire hundred-meter hull.
The ship was dyed in an ethereal deep blue.
This wasn't because Rorschach actually wanted to forge the Killion into a 'black ship.'
That difficulty was too high.
He hadn't even trained his own bones or the Heavenly Dragon Halberd to black blade level yet.
He certainly didn't have the leisure to concern himself with such a large ship.
Rorschach was expending his Armament Haki to the fullest, training his Haki by wrapping the entire Killion.
He was attempting to raise his deep blue Haki to an advanced level.
He sat calmly on the dragon head, cultivating.
He didn't realize, however, that his method of cultivation had completely numbed everyone else on the ship, except for himself.
"Are you even human, kid? I really want to cut you open and see if there's some non-human monster hiding under that skin."
Law, who was training intensely, said this.
"I'm just an ordinary Marine Rear Admiral, what are you talking about?"
Rorschach's answer was still as irritating as ever.
Enel, wearing a Private First Class uniform, stood not far away, holding a mop, his face expressionless as he watched Rorschach.
His feeling was correct.
It was the deep blue power covering the entire ship beneath his feet that effectively suppressed his lightning ability.
And it was precisely because Rorschach infused his lightning with this power that he could shatter Enel's lightning and harm his main body.
To defeat this detestable Blue Sea man, he had to master this power.
Thinking this, Enel released faint, imperceptible electric arcs that covered the entire deck of the Killion, closely watching Law, Rorschach, and the numerous Marine soldiers who were training.
Enel originally possessed extraordinary talent.
He had long ago developed his Rumble-Rumble Fruit ability to ultra-high voltage current intensity.
He had also developed incredibly powerful techniques like "El Thor - Judgment of God," "Raigo," and "Raijin."
His Observation Haki was so strong that it could even rival Rorschach's current level.
This powerful Observation Haki and his inherent talent endowed Enel with strong learning abilities.
Just by observing the training of everyone on the Killion, Enel understood the basic techniques of electro-tempering and began to silently temper his own body using his lightning power.
Above Rorschach's head, a cloud mass, sometimes expanding, sometimes contracting, sometimes turning white, sometimes turning dark, moved along with the Killion, always remaining directly above Rorschach.
That was Hibari practicing her newly acquired Cloud-Cloud Fruit ability.
Rorschach was very satisfied with the diligent training atmosphere on the Killion.
Even when they weren't encountering pirates, they couldn't afford to be too relaxed or lazy.
More sweat in peacetime meant less blood in wartime.
Today marked one week since Rorschach and his crew had descended from Skypiea.
After returning from Skypiea, they had stayed for two days at Vice Admiral Gummy Bear's G2 base.
After resupplying there and leaving over ten tons of gold for G2, they departed.
It took them four days to sail out of the Chaos Zone and officially enter the area of Paradise with the most concentrated nations.
And the Alabasta Kingdom was the most populous and largest country among these clustered nations.
It boasted a long coastline and an offshore island chain.
It was said that on one of its smaller islands, there was a small Marine Headquarters branch base called the Marine Branch of Sandy Island.
Hibari mentioned that the current branch commander stationed on Sandy Island was Lieutenant Commander Tina.
Suddenly, Rorschach, who was in the midst of his training, retracted the Armament Haki that covered the entire ship. He rose from the Killion's dragon head and looked towards the distant sea horizon.
It looked empty.
However, with Rorschach's now vastly expanded Observation Haki, he had already detected a small island over twenty miles away.
But because it was too distant, he couldn't 'see' the specific situation on the island.
He only sensed the presence of many fierce beasts.
"Hibari, check our logbook, what island is that ahead?"
"Oh, okay."
Hibari, who was familiarizing herself with her abilities, heard Rorschach's voice and quickly contracted the cloud layer that had expanded to over a hundred meters in diameter, transforming back into her human form. She lightly flew into the crow's nest at the top of the mast and picked up the logbook inside, glancing at it.
Then, she leaned halfway out of the crow's nest, looking at Rorschach.
"Brother Rorschach, the island ahead is Little Garden."
"Little Garden?" Rorschach's eyebrows raised.
Wasn't that where the two Giant Warrior Pirates captains, Red Ogre Dorry and Blue Ogre Brogy, had dueled for a hundred years?
He wondered if Oimo and Kashi had ever visited Little Garden to see their captains.
"Since we're here, let's go take a look. We haven't even seen a single pirate's ghost for days; it's so boring."
Rorschach stretched, then waved his hand. A howling gale immediately swept across the sea, propelling the Killion's sails, causing it to accelerate.
The pirates in the Chaos Zone had been largely annihilated by G2's sweeping operation.
As a result, Rorschach hadn't encountered a single pirate for days.
Since leaving Spring Queen Town, he still had 4 billion Berries left for his graduation assessment mission, and there had been no progress, giving Rorschach a severe headache.
Theoretically, there should be quite a few pirates in Paradise.
But unfortunately, Paradise was too vast. Just wandering around blindly, the chances of encountering pirates at sea were too small.
Perhaps, he could only speed up the collection of bounty money for his assessment by visiting the essential islands along Paradise's seven routes.
Little Garden: A Clash of Giants and a Hidden Plot
On Little Garden Island.
As the small, dense volcanoes on the island erupted with fiery magma, two burly giants laughed heartily, brandishing their rusty greatswords and battle axes, making the ground rumble as they charged furiously towards each other.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Five to six-meter long colossal weapons clashed and struck, producing deafening metallic bangs, scaring the island's giant creatures away from the two combatants as if fleeing for their lives.
In the dense forest not far away, several stealthy figures quietly peered through the gaps in the leaves, observing the great battle outside.
"Mr. 3, the BOSS has issued a regrouping order. Let's quickly return to Alabasta. If we're any later, the BOSS might get angry. The Utopia Operation has already begun."
A small girl with a paintbrush and palette in her hand, standing next to a bespectacled man whose hair was curled into the number '3,' suddenly spoke.
The sudden voice near his ear startled Mr. 3 Galdino, who was intently watching the two giants fight, almost making him shriek.
He shuddered and turned his head, putting a finger to his lips.
"Shh, shh! Keep your voice down, Goldenweek! Don't just blurt things out; you'll easily scare people."
Galdino patted his rapidly beating chest, took a few breaths, and then looked back at the two combatants, who were already panting and seemed about to stop fighting.
"Of course I know the BOSS is rushing us. Who would have thought that our Baroque Works' President would be the esteemed Shichibukai? But look, our plan to capture giants has been going on for over a year! Should we just abandon it halfway? I'm not willing to! I want to make one last push before leaving Little Garden and implement my latest plan. You'll see, Ms. Goldenweek, I'm going to bring these two big guys I've captured back to Baroque Works Headquarters and show that dead okama Bon Kurei who's the most capable person in the organization."
With that, Galdino waved to a few subordinates standing nearby, signaling them to bring the barrels beside them.
Then, a fake smile appeared on his face as he walked out of the dense forest, making no attempt to conceal his presence. He leisurely approached the two giants, who were panting heavily, had already put down their weapons, and were sitting on the ground resting.
Seeing the few people walking out of the forest and attempting to approach, Dorry and Brogy exchanged glances, both seeing confusion in the other's eyes.
The burly and stout Brogy frowned, his right hand resting on his colossal battle-axe. His rough voice boomed, "Stop! Who are you?!"
Hearing Brogy's thunderous voice, Galdino, with a smile on his face, involuntarily swallowed. His expression was a bit unnatural, but he forced an even brighter smile.
"Greetings, esteemed giants. I am Galdino, a human adventurer passing through. Our adventure ship was originally besieged by the fierce beasts on this island, but the loud sounds from your battle scared those beasts away. So, I specifically brought some fine wine to express our gratitude to you both."
"Human adventurer?" Dorry was startled, then realized with a somewhat naive understanding, "There are indeed many animals on this island that are fierce beasts to you frail humans. However, our duel was not intended to drive away those beasts, so you don't need to credit us for your rescue."
"Fine wine?"
Upon hearing the words "fine wine," Brogy's thick Adam's apple bobbed up and down. He licked his dry lips, staring intently with his bell-like eyes at the wine barrels carried by the few people behind Galdino.
Noticing Brogy's gaze, Galdino's lips curled slightly. He walked to a wine barrel and directly opened its lid.
"Yes, this fine wine is an essential drink we purchased and stored on our ship during our adventure. Gentlemen, to thank you for saving our lives, please accept this small token of our appreciation."
Five one-meter-high wine barrels were placed in front of Dorry and Brogy.
Their lids were all open.
On this volcanic island with extremely high air temperature, the opened wine barrels immediately released a strong aroma of alcohol.
Dorry and Brogy, who hadn't drunk wine in countless years, instantly had their eyes turn green.
They exchanged glances, then simultaneously reached out and grabbed the wine barrels on the ground.
"Hahahaha, Brother Galdino's generosity is hard to refuse. If that's the case, we brothers accept this gift of gratitude."
"Fine wine, I haven't had any in almost a hundred years, have I? Hahaha, it's a shame there's so little wine, otherwise, I'd really want to drink my fill in one go."
Brogy grabbed a half-human-sized wine barrel, and in his hand, it looked like a tiny wine glass.
Dorry did the same, picking up a barrel of wine and bringing it to his mouth, about to tilt his head back and pour it in.
Seeing the two pick up the wine barrels, Galdino's face was already showing uncontainable glee.
Inside these wines, he had hidden powerful explosives.
If an ordinary person were to drink this wine, they would definitely discover the hidden mechanism at the bottom of the barrel.
But Dorry and Brogy had just finished fighting and were already thirsty and exhausted.
Coupled with being giants, these wine barrels, which were massive to humans, were mere small wine cups to them.
So it would be difficult to notice the trick inside the wine barrels.
Just as the two were about to tilt their heads back and drink the wine containing the explosives,
At that moment, a bright flash of lightning streaked from the distant sky. With a crackle, it struck the wine barrels held by Dorry and Brogy.
With two thunderous bangs, the wine barrels in their hands shattered, splashing wine all over the two giants' faces.
Their large hands, which had gripped the barrels, also bled from the explosion.
Dorry and Brogy grunted, both glaring with bloodshot eyes at the bewildered Galdino.
"Human! Why did this wine explode? What did you do?"
"I... I didn't do anything! This... this... maybe the wine, it's a bit expired." Galdino's face began to panic, and his feet slowly started to retreat backward.
The lightning strike was too fast; someone of his strength couldn't detect it at all.
"Expired? You lie!" Dorry roared, rising and picking up his greatsword from the ground.
"How dare you use such a despicable trick to attack an Elbaf warrior, human! You've angered me, Brogy!"
Brogy also grabbed his battle-axe and slammed it onto the remaining three wine barrels.
Instantly, the explosives hidden within the wine detonated with a boom, sending Galdino's few subordinates flying.
"So there were bombs hidden in the wine! A despicable, low-class trick! Die!"
The enraged Dorry and Brogy, almost simultaneously, swung their colossal weapons, one from the left and one from the right, unleashing a powerful and terrifying impact towards Mr. 3, who had turned and fled.
"Elbaf Combined Technique! Hakoku!"
"Waaah! Mercy!"
Feeling the shockwave of destruction behind him, Mr. 3's face changed dramatically, and his eyes revealed horror.
The next instant, a tidal wave-like impact blasted a massive gully, four to five hundred meters long and twenty to thirty meters wide, in the ground in front of the two giants.
And Mr. 3's body, directly hit by the violent impact capable of destroying a town, was obliterated, leaving no trace.
Just then, a large shadow fell from the sky, and a massive warship with wide-spread wings glided over Little Garden, swiftly flying into the distance.
Dorry and Brogy looked up, thoughtfully watching the rapidly disappearing flying ship.
"Was that the Killion warship that Oimo and Kashi mentioned?"
"It should be; that unique design is very rare, unmistakable." Brogy nodded.
"Then, the electric current we felt the moment we were about to drink the wine must have also come from the owner of that ship, Rear Admiral Rorschach, who can control lightning." Dorry grinned, "Rorschach, an interesting Marine. We haven't even officially met, yet we already owe him a favor."
"Indeed. If we had drunk that wine, we would have suffered internal injuries now. They didn't stop; it seems they have something urgent to attend to. Hahahaha, interesting. Well, if there's an opportunity, we should invite him to Elbaf as a guest, as a token of our gratitude for his kindness and for looking after Oimo and Kashi."
Brogy hoisted his colossal battle-axe onto his shoulder and looked at Dorry.
Dorry also looked back.
The two exchanged glances, both laughing heartily.
"It's been almost a hundred years. It's time to go home to the village!"
Rorschach's Determination: Heading to Alabasta
In the air, the Wind Dials embedded in the ship's bottom and stern were fully propelled. Simultaneously, Rorschach, in his Azure Kirin form, fully controlled the fierce winds, making the Killion's speed continuously increase as it swiftly flew towards the Alabasta Kingdom, as indicated by Hibari.
Plans often go awry.
Originally, Rorschach intended to go to Little Garden to establish a relationship with Dorry and Brogy, hoping to forge closer ties with Elbaf in the future, to facilitate Marine recruitment from that village.
However, he suddenly received an emergency distress signal from Tina, prompting him to immediately unleash his full power, propelling the Killion into the sky, and rushing towards Alabasta.
At the Killion's bow, Enel looked up at the eight-meter-tall, dragon-like, azure demonic god Rorschach, feeling as if a colossal stone was weighing on his heart, a suffocating inability to breathe.
This man before him was far stronger than he had imagined.
At this moment, a suppressed, chilling killing intent, like a fierce storm from the far north, roared and surged across the vast Killion.
Rorschach opened his icy eyes, looking at the rapidly approaching desert kingdom.
"Crocodile, very well. You'd better pray Lieutenant Commander Tina is alright. Otherwise, you might not live to see Monkey D. Luffy arrive three years from now."
(End of Chapter)
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