The aftereffects of Haki training were brutal.
Kyle felt like every bone in his body had been taken apart by Roger and Rayleigh, then glued back together with cheap paste—one wrong move and he'd shatter again.
So when their beat-up little ship finally reached a deserted, bird-forsaken island, Kyle practically crawled onto the beach, face down, one arm stretched forward.
Leader… don't stop…
"Kuahahaha! Adventure! Adventure!"
The moment Roger's feet touched solid ground, he went berserk with excitement. With a wild laugh, he bolted straight into the dense jungle like a rabid dog chasing fun, vanishing in seconds.
"Why does that feel… extremely Roger?" Kyle muttered.
"He sensed something interesting," Rayleigh said calmly as he hopped down beside Kyle.
"Yeah, he always 'senses' something right before blowing it up," Kyle groaned.
The two of them followed more slowly, until—
BOOOOM!
The island shook.
A thunderous explosion roared from deep within the jungle, sending flocks of birds screaming into the sky. Smoke and broken trees shot upward.
Kyle and Rayleigh looked at each other.
"…I knew it," Kyle sighed.
They sprinted toward the epicenter.
Deep in the jungle
The forest had been turned into a battlefield.
Trees lay shattered. Craters scarred the ground. Smoke still drifted through the air.
At the center, two men were clashing like raging storms.
"Kuahahaha! You're good—really good!"
Roger, sword in hand, was laughing wildly as he exchanged blows with a tall, broad-shouldered man wielding two massive axes.
Sparks flew every time blade and axe collided, shockwaves ripping through the earth.
Kyle's eyes widened.
Twin axes. Tall frame. Sunglasses. That ferocious aura—
Scopper Gaban.
Future legend. Roger's "copper." The third pillar of the Pirate King's crew.
Before Kyle could even breathe—
Roger's presence changed.
Black-red lightning crackled around his blade.
Conqueror's Haki… coating.
Gaban roared and charged.
"Divine Departure."
One slash.
That was all.
The Haki-coated strike smashed through Gaban's axes and blasted him straight through the jungle like a cannonball, knocking him unconscious.
Kyle swallowed hard.
That… is King-tier power.
Minutes later, Gaban was awake.
Roger crouched in front of him, smiling brightly.
"I'm Gol D. Roger. Want to sail with us?"
Gaban stared… then laughed.
"Sounds fun."
Just like that.
Kyle watched in disbelief.
"…So that's how you recruit legends now?"
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