Chapter 9
The next day, a major incident shook the entire Kingdom of Rommel.
Ridel—the descendant of a grand duke—had been found dead in his own home, his corpse in a horrifying, shriveled state.
Panic swept through the kingdom's nobility.
Every noble feared they might be next.
In response, the entire aristocratic class banded together and pressured the Rommel King, demanding he hunt down the killer and execute them publicly to defend noble dignity.
Vilin only learned of the uproar while eating breakfast with Annie that morning.
He scratched the back of his head awkwardly, a sheepish grin on his face.
In the manor courtyard,
"Annie, go play."
"But stay inside the grounds—no going out. Things are a bit unstable outside lately."
Vilin reminded her gently.
"I know, I know! Go do your thing."
"I'll just stay in the garden and won't go anywhere."
Seeing Vilin about to lecture her more, Annie stuck out her tongue and scampered off toward the garden.
Once she was happily swinging,
Vilin began his daily training.
Through experimentation,
he had discovered something thrilling: he could use absorbed life energy to temper and strengthen every single cell in his body.
The drawback was massive consumption— he could only sustain the process for about one hour per day.
Afterward, he'd fall into a state of extreme weakness.
Despite the limitations, Vilin was ecstatic.
This method meant he could continuously create powerhouses.
Looks like it's time to start the family-building plan ahead of schedule.
First target: Portgas D. Rouge.
After just one hour of cellular tempering,
Vilin felt limp and powerless all over.
The lack of strength made him uneasy.
After a short rest,
he headed to the kitchen to recover.
The Sea King-class meat he'd bought at the port market cost 1,000 Berries per pound.
Even for him, it hurt the wallet.
He needed at least twenty pounds a day just to replenish his energy.
In the kitchen,
Vilin cleaned the meat and set it on the grill.
Soon, rich, savory aromas filled the entire house.
The smell made his throat bob involuntarily.
Truly precious ingredients need only the simplest preparation.
"Mmm~ Smells amazing!"
"Brother, you're eating alone again! Hmph, I'm ignoring you!"
Just as Vilin was about to take a bite,
Annie toddled in on her short legs, drawn by the scent.
Seeing her pouty, tsundere expression,
Vilin burst into laughter.
"Hahaha!"
He sliced the perfectly grilled steak in half and handed one portion to her.
Annie kept up her act for a moment,
but the moment the golden, fragrant meat appeared before her,
she surrendered to temptation.
The tender, juicy Sea King meat entered her small mouth.
"Mmm~ So delicious!"
Her big eyes narrowed happily.
Vilin dug in too.
One bite, and he was instantly conquered by the flavor.
As the meat settled in his stomach,
he clearly felt a surge of rich energy rapidly restoring his depleted strength.
When Annie could only finish half,
Vilin happily polished off the rest.
Training time flew by.
In the blink of an eye, three months passed.
After three months of relentless tempering,
Vilin's body had transformed dramatically.
Sharp, defined muscles stood out under his skin, radiating raw power.
He estimated his current physical strength had reached low-tier genius level in the One Piece world.
With just his body alone, he was confident he could take on a hundred ordinary men.
He was no longer the weakling from before.
With Observation Haki and the Mori Mori no Mi, Vilin believed he could already match a Navy Headquarters Captain in combat.
That day,
after preparing breakfast for Annie,
Vilin headed to Yor's Tavern.
Today he wanted to test his recent progress against real pirates.
He wove through crowded streets
until the familiar sign came into view.
Morning at Yor's Tavern was quiet.
Drunkards lay sprawled across the floor, snoring loudly.
Vilin ignored them and walked straight to the bar,
where Yor was polishing glasses.
"Yo, Vilin, my man!"
"Back to support your big brother's business?"
Yor had noticed him the moment he entered.
He greeted him curiously.
"Yeah, I've got something to ask."
"I need information on pirates."
Yor raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued.
"Intelligence doesn't come cheap."
"Name your price."
Vilin sat on a stool and leaned forward.
"Depends on what you want to know."
Yor continued wiping a glass slowly.
"First, give me everything you have on pirates operating around Rommel Kingdom."
"One million Berries."
"Done."
Seeing Vilin agree without hesitation,
Yor pulled a thick folder from a drawer—complete with bounty posters.
Vilin skimmed the documents.
Satisfied, he counted out one million Berries and slid them across the counter.
"Pleasure doing business. I'll be going."
With that, Vilin turned and left without looking back.
Yor watched his departing figure, eyes thoughtful.
Vilin opened the first page of the intelligence packet.
One-Eyed Pirates
A crew that had long plagued the waters near Rommel Kingdom, destroying dozens of villages large and small.
Captain: One-Eyed Rack – Bounty 10,000,000 Berries – Extremely Dangerous, Dead or Alive.
Officer: One-Armed Sato – Bounty 5,000,000 Berries – Extremely Dangerous, Dead or Alive.
Officer: Barbarian Dada – Bounty 8,000,000 Berries – Extremely Dangerous, Dead or Alive.
"Heh… perfect."
Looking at the three bounty posters,
Vilin flashed what he thought was a gentle smile
before vanishing into the crowd.
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