"I know!" Rune extended his right hand to block Rocks' sword. The terrifying impact of the blade made his body sink.
"But when I'm old and I look back on this moment, Roger!
At the prime age of thirty-six, the glorious moment of facing the Rocks Pirates alone will provide so many more memories!"
"Nothing more than a fantasy before you're burnt to ash and carbonized, Rune!" Rocks grinned upon hearing his words.
"Don't forget that the last time you used this form, you couldn't do a thing to me, and you collapsed from severe exhaustion yourself!"
Scorching Fists and sword techniques like warhammer cannons collided fiercely; the shockwaves from every punch dealt significant damage to the Rocks Pirates' ship.
Rune smiled back at Rocks upon hearing this.
"That's hard to say. I've activated it at full status now. Gibeck, do you know what that means?
My body adapts and evolves again and again. Every time I use this move, it only lasts longer, Gibeck."
Perhaps there was a limit to this adaptation and evolution. Rune could clearly feel that as his strength grew over the years, the increments in power became smaller and smaller.
Perhaps that was what everyone called the ceiling or limit of one's strength.
Every time he used the "Body Limit Release" technique, Rune would gradually adapt and evolve until the day he fully mastered it.
Hearing Rune's words, Rocks felt a sense of unease.
Rune, with "Blood Release" activated and his current level of Haki, could completely rival his own sword Haki. Moreover, the opponent was a natural-born physical monster comparable to Linlin.
"It means you can use this move longer than last time, right?" Rocks' tone remained contemptuous. The opponent was clever; he knew they were fighting on the sea.
Unlike on land where one could go all out, once a ship was sunk at sea, the battle was practically decided.
Thus, he knew Rune's purpose in going all out was to end the fight quickly.
"Correct! Gibeck!!!"
...After the battle in the Walwick sea, the Roger Pirates were hunted by the Rocks Pirates for an entire year.
They were scattered and reunited, setting out once more on their adventure toward the Final Island.
Life-and-death struggles and long, burning battles were the marks of Rune's youth.
And such marks were soon etched onto his body, impossible to erase.
One year later—
To eliminate Rocks, the World Government held their triennial killing game in God Valley of the West Blue.
Near the coast of Mercury Island, the oro jackson slowly sailed away from the shore.
"Something's not right. The end of the Grand Line shouldn't be this island recorded on the map. I have a feeling there's another island that's never been discovered, hidden by the Government."
Roger, wearing his Captain's coat and straw hat, stood at the stern of the oro jackson, watching Mercury Island recede into the distance as he spoke.
"The content on those grey stone cubes we encountered before is completely different from what's on this island."
"Indeed, the end of the world couldn't be this boring!" Rayleigh stood beside Roger, affirming his words.
At the stern, Rune leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, looking at the two with his head lowered.
It would be over a decade before Roger reached Raftel. He didn't plan to say much, nor did he intend to change anything.
The name of the island, Raftel, was only given when Roger named it himself.
At the moment, no one knew where that island was.
"What do you think, Rune?" Roger turned back, looking at Rune, who now had several more scars on his body, seeking his opinion.
On the left side of Rune's neck, a scar resembling a spiderweb was clearly visible—a mark left by the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
On the right side of his neck, near the jawline, there was a scar that looked like it had been pierced by a sword blade.
These were the only scars that remained on his body after decades; the injuries were so severe they couldn't heal themselves, leaving behind traces of scabbing.
"Who knows? If the end of the world were such a boring island, why would the Government intentionally bury things?" Rune said to the two, his eyes closed and his heart unruffled.
"For instance, why do they forbid scholars from exploring history?"
Exploration, adventure—he wasn't interested in any of it.
Throughout his journey, all his interests were built on his friendship with Roger.
He was thirty-seven this year, soon to be thirty-eight, and had already entered middle age.
As he grew older, even the greatest treasure was far less important than their friendship.
This friendship was limited to a few figures in the Roger Pirates.
Roger, Rayleigh, Jabba, and Marcus counted too. Everyone else was viewed by Rune as subordinates, whom he integrated with only to manage them and for Roger's dream.
"Did you hear that, Rayleigh? What Rune is thinking about is exactly what I've been questioning and speculating on." Roger looked at Rune and laughed.
"The Government is intentionally hiding history, which only proves that this world is hiding secrets!"
"You two grew up together, so it's normal for you to be on the same wavelength, right?"
Rayleigh didn't find it strange at all; after all, Rune was always able to clearly express the key points of a situation.
"Remember that red stone Neptune showed us when we went to Fish-Man Island?" Roger glanced at the two seriously.
"At the time, Luowengu said he could analyze some of the content on the grey stones but couldn't understand the red one at all. So, I think the secret must be hidden on that red stone!"
Luoguwen, a scholar of the Roger Pirates, a man treated like a ship's pet; he had no combat power but was extremely knowledgeable.
Even he didn't recognize the script on the Poneglyph stones.
"So you mean...?"
"All the secrets are on that red stone! As long as the script on the stone is deciphered, we'll surely discover the secrets of this world!"
Rune kept smiling from the side. "Let's head back. Exploring secrets takes time, doesn't it?"
Seeing that Rune wasn't saying much, Roger shouted at him in annoyance:
"Why have you become so cold lately, Rune! Don't you want to know the secrets of the world!"
"I haven't!" Rune immediately retorted, his temper rising. "Haven't I already told you the key point!"
Rayleigh stepped in to stop them. "Stop arguing! It's time to head back."
Once the two started arguing for no reason, even Rayleigh found it hard to stop them. They quickly began swinging their fists at each other, trading blows at the stern until they had both been beaten into pulp.
Several days after heading back, the oro jackson arrived at the coast of Elbaf. They gathered for a meal at a giant tavern called "Ida."
"Rocks was just here last month. Why are you guys here again!"
The voice of the King of Elbaf, Harald, came from inside the Ida Tavern.
"Harald, we've just come back from the Final Island. Let us rest our feet here!"
Outside the Ida Tavern, Prince Loki peeked in with half his head, watching the little people dining at the table inside.
Even though his eyes were covered with bandages, he could still see what was happening inside.
"What are you looking at?" Haldin also peeked out, following Loki's gaze.
He found Loki's gaze fixed on Rune, who was sitting in front of their father, pouring wine into his mouth from a massive cup.
"It's none of your business." Loki didn't want to deal with Haldin; he was just thinking about the man Rocks had told him about when he visited Elbaf.
Sensing the peeking gazes, Rune, his mouth stuffed with roasted meat, turned to look at Loki and Haldin outside the door.
They were two incredibly massive royal princes of the Giant Race.
Rune's face lit up with a joyful smile, and he waved at them in a very friendly manner.
Seeing Rune discover them and take the initiative to greet them, Loki shyly pulled his head back and leaned against the wall outside the tavern.
"A man who can rival Father..." Loki said slowly, recalling what Rocks had told him.
Inside the tavern, Harald also noticed his two sons peeking from outside, and his gaze shifted to Rune.
"By the way, Rune, is your body doing okay?"
"What do you mean? Are you hoping I'm not okay?!"
"No, I mean that clash you had with the Rocks Pirates in the New World a year ago, those two new scars on your body..."
Hearing Harald's words, Rune swallowed the meat in his hand and reached out to touch the scar on his neck. "You mean this?"
Seeing Rune point to that scar, Harald narrowed his eyes and inspected it seriously.
"Hahaha!" Rune laughed suddenly. "Just a fatal wound, I was almost killed by him!"
Seeing Rune looking so smug about the scar, Roger punched him in the face and cursed, "I told you not to be so stubborn, you bastard!"
The punch came from Roger's concern. Rune didn't strike back; instead, he stared at Harald and began gesturing. "From right here, he almost sliced half my head off. That bastard! Next time we meet, I'm definitely going to kill him!"
He was very fortunate that his constitution and vitality were so resilient.
If not for the third level of his self-healing ability, he probably would have died.
Harald's expression was grave as he gazed at the scar. "Are you from a special race, Rune? No one knows anything about your background or origins. The Government and the Marines have been investigating your past for years but have come up empty-handed."
"With a terrifying constitution like yours and without having eaten any Devil Fruit, this is the only thing I can think of."
A special race? Rune looked up and started thinking. He had been alone when he arrived in this world; as for any special race, he had no idea.
"I think... I should be like Linlin, born with a monster-like constitution." Rune responded after a moment of thought.
"Innate?" Harald speculated thoughtfully. "Hmm... that is indeed very rare."
"This wine has a kick! I want a refill! Ida!" Rune quickly tossed the matter aside and looked at Harald's wife cheerfully.
Ida was a female giant with freckles on her face. Though not exceptionally beautiful, her virtue and kindness made her very likable.
"Getting drunk isn't very good, Little Overlord." Ida smiled gently as she refilled Rune's cup.
Overlord was Rune's public title in this world, a name even more feared than "Scorching Fists."
It came from the fact that he often named his techniques after "Overlord," which led the Marines to give him this nickname.