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Chapter 21: Cadres Depart! The Inevitable Split of the Rocks Pirates
The next day.
The cadres led their ships and divisions away from the area one after another.
Though Lotte's current status was comparable to a cadre, he still had no personal division due to his recent arrival—so naturally, he departed with Whitebeard.
While the pirate crew wasn't far from Fish-Man Island,
The journey would still take several days.
Lotte planned to use this time to solidify his current skills, while also pushing the Flying Slash Swordsmanship he learned from Golden Lion to the proficient level.
Several days later.
Early one morning, Lotte quietly arrived at the deserted deck.
Two convenient wooden swords shaped from Hashirama Cells suddenly appeared in his hands and began swinging.
The golden flying slash that Golden Lion had once demonstrated
Seemed to reappear before Lotte in this moment.
At the same time.
On the panel in Lotte's mind,
Lines of text gradually became clear, then quickly faded.
[You focused on practicing Flying Slash Swordsmanship, recalling the many insights Golden Lion Shiki shared. Flying Slash Swordsmanship beginner proficiency increased by 1%...] [Ding! Current Flying Slash Swordsmanship beginner proficiency has reached 100%!] [Due to sufficient training, Hashirama Cells mastery increased by 1%.]
Lotte let out a long breath and stopped swinging.
Seeing the perfect beginner proficiency for Flying Slash Swordsmanship, a slight smile curled on his lips.
Lotte now had full confidence.
With just one more real battle, his swordsmanship would undergo a complete transformation.
Though Flying Slash was now just one step from advancing, until the sword was stained with blood, he could not yet be considered a true swordsman.
Swordsmanship was a killing art.
That was something that could never be faked.
Clap clap clap!
Just as Lotte was deep in thought, applause suddenly sounded nearby.
He turned his head and saw Whitebeard Edward walking over, clapping.
"Gurararara!"
"You really did master that old lion's prized swordsmanship—and this progress speed is simply unbelievable!"
"Now I understand why that old lion is so fixated on you."
Whitebeard said with a smile.
He carried sake at his waist, a trace of astonishment in his eyes.
If he hadn't seen wrong earlier,
What Lotte had performed was undoubtedly Golden Lion Shiki's Flying Slash Swordsmanship.
As someone who had sparred with Shiki many times,
Whitebeard was very familiar with this technique.
It might look easy for Lotte to master, but Whitebeard knew full well how difficult it was.
According to what Shiki had bragged about before,
Even he had taken three months to get the basics down properly.
That speed was already monstrous compared to ordinary people!
Yet compared to Lotte's displayed progress just now,
It was nothing more than child's play!
Hearing Whitebeard Edward's praise, Lotte simply waved his hand with a smile.
"It's just progressing a bit faster, that's all. If I want to surpass Golden Lion Shiki in swordsmanship, it'll probably still take several years."
Though his progress was incredibly fast,
Compared to the future great swordsman Golden Lion Shiki in swordsmanship,
The gap was still on completely different levels.
Even the current Golden Lion Shiki, not yet fully matured, was already the number one swordsman on Rocks' ship!
Even Whitebeard was slightly inferior in pure swordsmanship.
Moreover, Lotte had never treated swordsmanship as his main focus.
What he valued most was the Wood Release granted by Hashirama Cells. As long as he could raise Hashirama Cells mastery to 100%,
He would fear no Marine Admiral!
Whitebeard Edward was momentarily speechless.
Surpassing that old lion's swordsmanship in just a few years? That was peak Versailles!
He helplessly took the sake gourd from his waist.
After opening it, he poured two cups.
As the fragrant aroma of sake filled the air, Whitebeard handed one to Lotte.
"You really don't hold back at all."
"Speaking of which, Lotte—what do you think? Can our captain really achieve his goal?"
Whitebeard said somewhat wistfully.
After spending this time on the Rocks Pirates' ship,
He had originally thought he could find the "family" he wanted here,
But the end result had been quite disappointing.
Lotte reached out, took the sake cup, and looked up at Whitebeard.
"Newgate, haven't you already known the answer to this question deep down for a while?"
"You've been here much longer than I have."
Lotte said calmly.
Whitebeard fell silent for a moment.
After a brief pause, he sighed deeply.
The kid was right.
He had been here far longer than Lotte, so he understood the situation here even better.
"If Captain Rocks wants to achieve his goal, it would require every cadre on the ship to unite wholeheartedly—only then might there be a slim chance."
"But that's simply impossible..."
As the words fell,
Lotte narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Newgate, you're a smart man. It's better to prepare early."
"If the Rocks Pirates disband one day,"
"The era that follows will very likely be one of complete chaos."
He spoke concisely.
Right now, friction was constant among both cadres and members of the Rocks Pirates.
Most of the cadres' ambitions were already impossible to hide—even someone like Golden Lion Shiki was already gathering funds to form his own crew later.
If not for Rocks suppressing everything with absolute strength,
The Rocks Pirates would have already fractured long ago!
Even so,
Even without the earth-shaking God Valley battle that would shock the world in the future,
The pirate crew's collapse was only a matter of time.
Thinking of this, Lotte clenched his fist tightly.
Less than two years remained.
That world-shaking, terrifying battle would soon begin.
Lotte resolved to make himself a true top-tier figure on these seas during the God Valley battle!
At that moment,
Whitebeard's hearty voice rang out again.
"Gurararara! Drink, drink! Let's not think about these troublesome things!"
"This is sake I specially prepared—even that old lion hasn't had a chance to taste it!"
"Today, we drink until we drop!"
Whitebeard slung an arm around Lotte's shoulders again, laughing heartily as if he had completely set aside the earlier conversation.
Lotte also smiled and raised his cup, clinking it against Whitebeard's.
Clink!
The crisp sound of the toast rang out.
Friendship between men was often this simple.
The ship continued advancing toward Fish-Man Island.
In the distance,
A Marine surveillance ship quietly watched the scene.
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