One Piece: Download Nami's Talent At The Start Chapter 1 To 30 (Patreon)

1. Fishing boy!

Near the waters of Cocoyasi.

The sun hung high.

The water sparkled.

A solitary boat drifted on the vast sea.

"Something is wrong! The wind direction is wrong, it's going to rain, Brother Amon!"

At the bow of the boat, Nami shielded her eyes with her hand, gazing into the distant sky as she sensed the change in weather.

"It clearly looks like a clear day, yet it's going to rain again?"

Beside her, Nojiko looked up at the sky in disappointment.

With it raining, they wouldn't be able to fish on the open sea with their small boat.

"Almost there!!!"

Amon exerted strength in both arms, forcefully jerking the fishing rod upward.

A golden giant fish, over two meters from head to tail, was yanked out of the water and heavily slammed onto the deck, twitching feebly, its two long golden whiskers hanging limply on either side of its head.

"Oh! Golden Dragon-Whiskered Fish!!"

The slightly older blue-haired girl cried out in surprise, her eyes shining as she picked up the paddle and struck the fish's head heavily, knocking it out to prevent the catch from escaping back into the sea.

Although Cocoyasi bordered the sea and had abundant fishery resources, most fish species couldn't fetch a high price.

But a fish like the Golden Dragon-Whiskered Fish was an especially rare species with firm flesh and a delicious taste.

She remembered last time, even one in town that was less than 1 meter sold for an astronomical price of 5,000 Berries.

"We're getting rich, we're getting rich!!" Nami, who had just picked up the oar, couldn't help cheering: "However, the rain is coming, the Amon, set sail!!!"

"Leave it to me."

Amon smiled and took the oar, glancing sideways at the sky out of the corner of his eye.

In just this short amount of time, the sky had already grown dark.

East Blue always had this ghost of a weather; how rotten must the weather on the Grand Line be?

Fortunately, Nami's talent was truly top-tier.

Amon thought no more, pressing his hands down, driving the oars hard into the sea surface, and swinging them forcefully backward.

The boat instantly shot out like an arrow released from a bowstring.

A moment later, the familiar Orange Grove on the coast came into view.

The boat docked.

After Nami and Nojiko piled the catch onto the handcart on the shore, they turned and sat on the deck.

Amon set off, pushing the cart forward.

Even with hundreds of catties of fish and his two younger sisters, the youth's breathing remained steady and he moved as if flying.

Entering the Orange Grove, Amon saw the familiar house where he had lived for several years.

Wisps of Cooking smoke were drifting from the top of the kitchen into the atmosphere.

Moving down along the flue, one could see a slender figure busy inside.

Accompanying it was a comforting fragrance.

"Bellmère is making orange jam!"

"And the smell of beef and duck breast."

Nami and Nojiko had already smelled this morning's breakfast and said in unison:

"It's duck breast with orange sauce and beef stew."

They were all Bellmère's specialty dishes.

"Then you girls should eat more." Amon put down the cart and took off the harness from his neck.

With winter approaching, the morning temperature was very low, so the catch wouldn't have any problems for a while.

Let's eat first.

"Bang!"

The door bounced back and forth under the joint push of Nami and Nojiko.

"Bellmère, we're back!!"

Nami and Nojiko stood side by side, hands on their hips, declaring proudly.

Facing the warm air inside the house, Amon squeezed past the two of them, lazily flopping onto the bamboo mat in front of the fireplace, and while enjoying the roast of the flames, he looked toward the kitchen with gloating amusement.

The next instant.

"Nami, Nojiko!!! This is a new door that was just replaced not long ago!!!"

The young woman wearing an apron looked angrily at Nami and Nojiko, holding a spatula: "Didn't you say you were going to help Amon? How do you still have this kind of energy? Don't tell me you sat on the cart again and made Amon push you back?"

"Ah this..." Nami and Nojiko exchanged glances, both feeling a sense of foreboding.

It's over, we've been found out.

The two of them looked at Amon for help.

"Hehe~" Amon stopped smiling and chimed in: "Don't blame them, Bellmère. Without their help, I couldn't have caught so many fish, and I might have ended up soaked to the bone."

"It was precisely because they used so much strength while catching fish that I pushed them back. Just now, they were also too excited and wanted to share the good news with you."

Nami and Nojiko instantly gained confidence, puffing out their chests and declaring proudly: "That's right, that's right! Today we caught a 2-meter-long Golden Dragon-Whiskered Fish!"

"Ha! You two! Taking credit for your older brother's achievements again."

Bellmère laughed out of anger.

A fish's strength in the water is multiplied.

A 2-meter Dragon-Whiskered Fish—with the stature of those two little beans, let alone catching it, they would have been dragged into the sea in an instant.

She raised her fist and rubbed it over the tops of their heads, though she didn't have the heart to hit them hard, only using her knuckles to mess up their hair: "No more of this next time. Amon works very hard every day too."

Oh yeah! Nami and Nojiko secretly gave Amon a thumbs up and excitedly rushed toward the dining table.

Amon stealthily returned a thumbs-up.

"Ha, I guessed it right, duck breast with orange sauce and beef stew."

"And fried eggs, wow oh, it's runny!"

"You two guys, are you eating by yourselves without waiting for Amon?"

"I was just helping my older brother taste if it's delicious."

"That's right, that's right."

"Are you guys questioning old lady's Cooking?! Ah!!"

"..."

Listening to the noisy sounds from the kitchen, Amon unconsciously smiled.

Transforming into a fisherman for the past two years, wasn't this precisely what he wanted?

Remembering the memory of when the orange business wasn't doing well, Bellmère only cooked food for them while she ate oranges to fill her stomach, claiming it was for skin care, a trace of gloom flashed across Amon's eyes.

This kind of thing must never happen again in this lifetime!

At this moment, a set of clean clothes was handed before his eyes.

"Thank you for your hard work, Amon, take a bath and come out to eat."

Amon raised his eyes, meeting Bellmère's gentle face, and his heart warmed.

Being able to live another life and have this kind of family is truly great.

In his previous life, starting out as an orphan, he dreamed of this kind of family care.

After working hard for more than ten years, he finally lost to those damn string-skewer apartments.

Before he could even start a family, he died of leukemia.

In this life, the start was pretty good, but later he suffered from pirates destroying his family, drifted on the vast sea, and only after being picked up from the seaside by Bellmère did he finally have a home.

"What's wrong? Do you need my help?" Bellmère showed a teasing smile.

Ever since this child became more and more sensible.

While feeling heartache, it also made her lack some sense of accomplishment as a mother.

"Uh, no need! Thank you."

Amon's expression was awkward.

When he was a toddler with hazy memories and was picked up and washed by Bellmère, that was one thing.

All of his memories had now recovered.

With an adult's mind, having his adoptive mother, who was in the prime of her youth, give him a bath...

This was just too awkward.

His actual age was about the same as hers.

"Why are you being so polite with me? I should be the one thanking you, Amon." Bellmère patted Amon's shoulder, feigning distress.

"Not only did you take on all the dirty and tiring work of the Orange Grove, but you also went out to sea to fish and improve our lives, making me, a mother, look so useless!"

"I wonder what kind of people your parents were. Clearly you're still a little fellow, yet your height is about to catch up to mine, and your strength is exaggeratedly huge. Could you have some special bloodline? As soon as you reach a certain age, you start super-growth."

As she spoke, Bellmère compared their heights.

Her height was close to 1.9 meters, and she was wearing high heels; even so, she could only maintain a tiny height advantage.

"How could that be? I am a native-born person of East Blue."

The corners of Amon's mouth twitched. While denying it, he walked toward the bathroom.

Bloodline?

And suddenly awakening—do you take me for Luffy or the Deserting King?

He was reincarnated into this world and remembered it clearly.

His parents in this life were ordinary merchants in East Blue who were intercepted and killed by pirates.

There was nothing special about them. Before dying, they put him in a wine barrel and threw him into the vast sea to escape for his life.

If Bellmère hadn't rescued and salvaged him in time, he probably wouldn't have waited for his memories to awaken before getting a GG.

However, it was normal for Bellmère to have such doubts.

Because his physical strength was indeed somewhat extraordinary within the village of Cocoyasi and the range of the Conomi Islands.

At only fourteen years old, his strength already surpassed the entire archipelago.

During the New Year, in the strongman competition held by the Conomi Islands, he left the runner-up behind by a 300kg gap, boldly winning first place and taking away the prize money of 10,000 Berries.

An ordinary background, an ordinary family, with no Devil Fruit blessing or famous teacher guidance.

For Amon to reach where he was today, it was naturally inseparable from the Golden Finger mandatory for traversers.

"System!"

Chapter 2 System Panel, Shichibukai Takes Office

"System!"

Amon bathed while calling out in his heart.

A flush of red bloomed in the air, and a System light visible only to Amon emerged before his eyes.

This was the golden finger he awakened three years ago when his memories cleared up.

【Name】: Amon

【Age】: 14

【Height】: 185cm

【Traits】: 【Robust Physique】 (White), 【Emotional Armament】 (Gold)

【Skills】: Sea Fishing and Harvesting (Proficient), Shooting (Proficient), Cooking (Proficient), Planting (Proficient), Combat (Proficient), Kendo (Novice), Navigation (Novice).

【Robust Physique: A powerful body achieved by Marine Abu through exercise, with strength far exceeding ordinary people.】

【Emotional Armament: When you have no fear towards the attacker and your willpower is firm, even if the enemy is a Logia ability user, you can still hit them! However, once you harbor fear, this ability will fail.】

【Download Speed: 100Kb/S (+)】

【Source Energy: 99.9】

The panel functions were very simple, capable of downloading other people's talent traits and skills by consuming Source Energy.

The person being downloaded would not suffer any effects, nor would they notice anything.

The only drawback was that it required physical contact with the target.

Amon's reliance for suppressing the Conomi Islands was the white trait 【Robust Physique】.

【Robust Physique】 was copied from Abu, the former colonel of the Marine 16th Branch, when Bellmère's comrade came to visit her two years ago, costing 20M of data traffic.

After loading, it directly gave Amon's physique a major advancement, so much so that Bellmère mistook him for the descendant of some powerful expert.

As for the gold trait 【Emotional Armament】, it was obtained from Nami, costing a full 100M of data traffic.

But after experiencing it, Amon could only say it was truly worth it, well spent.

As long as he was not afraid of the enemy, he could cheat with this trait and deliver attacks supplemented with Armament Haki.

Amon also understood why Nami could injure Luffy; Oda really wasn't lying in Volume 43 of SBS, this truly was the Fist of Love just like Garp's.

Merely two traits gave Amon changes comparable to a complete rebirth.

Amon didn't even dare to imagine after gathering Kaido's 【Indestructible Diamond Body】, BIG MOM's 【Steel Balloon】, and Loki's Ancient Giant strength onto himself.

Who else in this world could take a punch from him.

However, all of this was inseparable from Source Energy.

Through Amon's research.

Source Energy came from outsiders' prestige towards him.

The day he harvested the most was when he originally acquired the name of the Strongman of the Conomi Islands.

According to the magnitude of prestige, it would automatically accumulate every day, and the amount was not fixed.

One could only say it truly was the pirate world.

Human cognition and desires could form Devil Fruits, Haki...

And now it was even used as energy by the System panel.

"Brother, are you not done yet?"

Nami's urging voice came from outside the door.

"Done!" Amon interrupted his thoughts.

Kitchen.

Under the warm light, the abundant variety of dishes appeared exceptionally tempting.

Nami and Nojiko held a knife and fork in one hand and chopsticks in the other, drooling.

"I'm digging in."

As the words fell, the food on the table disappeared at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The stewed, tender potatoes and beef were instantly reduced to half a basin; except for the belly soft meat intentionally left behind, the head and tail of the steamed grouper along with the bones had already disappeared into Amon's mouth.

Staple foods like orange sauce were even squeezed flat and swallowed in two bites.

With a more powerful physique, Amon also possessed an equally powerful appetite.

Even if Nojiko and Nami tried their absolute best, they still couldn't defeat it.

"Almost there, I can download it tomorrow."

Amon finished eating first, patted Nami's head, and gazed intently into the void.

Lines of System characters emerged.

【Target】: Nami

【Traits】: 【Emotional Armament】 (Gold), 【Weather Perception】 (Gold), 【Nimble Hands and Feet】 (Blue)

【Skills】: Harvesting...

【Emotional Armament】 (Gold) Status: Downloaded.

【Weather Perception】 (Gold); Size: 100M; Status: Downloadable.

With a thought from Amon, the specific details of the trait unfolded.

【Weather Perception】 (Gold): Can use the body (skin, hair, intuition) to pre-judge weather changes such as storms and cyclones.

"Today, I should be able to download another gold talent..."

Amon calculated in his heart, unable to help feeling a little excited.

Amon's Navigation scores were not very ideal.

Without this Weather Perception, he wouldn't dare to go out to sea.

Not everyone was Luffy, who could survive even by hiding in a barrel.

"By the way, Amon, here is today's newspaper."

Seeing Amon finish eating, Bellmère thoughtfully handed over the latest newspaper delivered by the News Coo.

She knew Amon didn't have many hobbies and had always paid close attention only to the news.

Even though the price had risen to 50 Berries a copy, she would still buy one every day.

"Thank you."

Amon took it, unfolded it, and his pupils shrank on the spot, focusing on the enlarged and bolded headline.

【Captain of the Sun Pirates, Knight of the Sea Jinbe, Takes Office as One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea!!】

Below was a photograph.

The blue fatty was draped in a patterned yukata, stepping on geta, looking calmly ahead.

Marines also appeared in the surroundings; although they were at odds in appearance, it symbolized the achievement of cooperation between pirates and Marines.

Veins bulged unconsciously on Amon's hands.

"What's wrong, Amon?" Bellmère noticed Amon's abnormality.

"Nothing."

Amon suppressed the strangeness in his heart, confirmed there was no other information, glanced at the reappearing sun outside the window, and stood up to leave.

"The sun is out, I'm going to work out for a while. Nami, Nojiko, I'll leave the fish to you two."

"Leave it to us, we definitely won't mess it up," the two who were still eating said vaguely.

"?"

Bellmère gazed at Amon's back, falling into deep thought.

Having gotten along with Amon for so long, she knew this child's personality too well.

He chose to shoulder everything on himself.

Did pirates becoming the power of the World Government touch upon the psychological shadow in his heart?

But what could such a great pirate have to do with the East Blue?

Besides, the jurisdiction of the Marine 16th Branch where she formerly served was the Conomi Islands.

Even if pirates really invaded Cocoyasi Village, could the Marines of the Marine 16th Branch just stand by and watch?

"Sigh~"

Bellmère sighed.

It seemed the psychological shadow left by pirates on this child was quite heavy.

"Bellmère, aren't you hungry?"

"You two guys, leave some for me!!!"

Behind the Orange Grove.

"Bang bang bang bang!"

Amon punched the uneven reefs one punch after another, like a violent storm, sinking three inches into the rock.

The pressure in Amon's heart piled up like a mountain, making his punch speed faster and faster, until they embedded into it.

If he remembered correctly, Jinbe's condition for becoming a Shichibukai was demanding the Marines to release Arlong.

And Arlong would part ways with Jinbe due to ideological differences.

He would lead a group of Fishmen who agreed with the concept of Fishman supremacy to find weak places and practice his concept of Fishman supremacy.

Nami was already 9 years old now.

According to the original timeline.

At most next year, when Nami turned 10, Arlong would arrive in the East Blue with a crowd of underlings, carrying out high-pressure rule over the Comino Islands and more than twenty villages, collecting 100,000 Berries protection fee from adults and 50,000 Berries from children.

On that very day, Bellmère was shot dead in order to protect Nami and the other.

The time left for him was only one year—no, Nami's birthday was in July, it was less than a year!

"Boom!!!"

"Crack crack crack!"

Undergoing continuous blows, the reef several meters high finally couldn't bear it and completely broke and collapsed.

"Weak, too weak!!"

Amon's expression was ferocious, extremely unsatisfied with his own strength.

Now having truly come to this world, Amon could appreciate Arlong's terror even more.

Without using the 【Emotional Armament】 talent, it took him several punches to punch through a reef, which didn't even match the performance of a Black Cat Pirates mook who, after being hypnotized, shattered a seaside cliff with a single punch.

And what about Arlong?

He could effortlessly overturn and pull up a house along with its foundation, and flattening a small town was like child's play.

He could crush incoming cannonballs with his teeth.

He possessed a physique that could pierce through multi-story buildings without a scratch.

Moreover, Arlong, having just arrived in the East Blue, was a man-eating shark who had fought bloody battles in the Grand Line.

Not a salted fish shark who had been lying flat in the East Blue for eight years.

Combat power in this world was highly bound to morale and willpower.

Arlong right now was definitely even more terrifying than the Arlong at the start of the plot!

3. Copy Talents, Prepare to Set Sail

"After copying Nami's other talent, I must set sail immediately."

Amon calculated in his mind.

Cocoyasi Village, and even the entire Comino Archipelago, looking across the entire East Blue, were simply too small.

Wanting to become stronger was inseparable from more entries, and he couldn't just stay here and lay low until the end of time.

As early as when he awakened the system, Amon had already planned to set sail and find fat sheep to fleece entries from.

Coincidentally, there were an unusually large number of such fat sheep in the East Blue.

Destined Luffy.

Future Revolutionary Army Chief of Staff.

Fist-Blocking Ace.

Deserting King Koby.

Three-Sword Style Zoro.

Human-Shaped Devil Fruit Sanji.

...

Each and every one of them was still in their youth.

Except for Deserting King Koby, the lineage-modified little prince would take a little time to track down.

The others all had clear locations.

Goa Kingdom's Foosha Village, Shimotsuki Village.

They were truly the ultimate choices for fleecing entries.

Even if these people's entries required a massive amount of traffic and might not all be copied immediately,

settling for making the acquaintance of Vice Admiral Garp was also a clear path.

In front of Garp, a loser like Arlong who fled the Grand Line wasn't even worth a stray dog by the roadside.

At this moment, a mechanical prompt sounded.

【Ding, widespread fame, Source Energy +1.1】

"I didn't expect it to add so much the first time, I thought I'd have to linger for a few more days. The Golden Dragon-Whiskered Fish still has quite a market."

Amon's spirits lifted, and his tense mindset relaxed slightly.

A two-meter-long Golden Dragon-Whiskered Fish was already this exhilarating.

When he assumes the role of Admiral in the future, he will surely make the people of the world cheer.

By then, maybe he'll get a golden talent every single day.

With System, he will surely ascend to the pinnacle of the world!

Returning home.

Bellmère had already gone to the Orange Grove to busy herself.

Nami and Nojiko had not returned yet.

Amon first took out a stack of nautical charts from under his pillow.

Even though he was accumulating Source Energy and hadn't set sail before,

Amon hadn't done nothing either.

Although the nautical chart for Shimotsuki Village hadn't been collected yet, the route to Goa Kingdom had already been figured out.

Luffy, the Fist-Blocking Ace, and Sabo, the future Revolutionary Army Chief of Staff who escaped from the hands of the Gorosei and Imu with his own strength.

He was determined to fleece the talents of these three people!

Putting the nautical charts close to his body, Amon took out pen and paper to write a farewell letter.

He didn't plan to let Nami and Nojiko know his decision.

Otherwise, he was afraid he would soften his heart because of the two of them being reluctant to let him go.

A moment later.

"Click~"

The room door was pushed open, and Bellmère, finished with her chores, appeared holding a basket of oranges: "Amon, when did you get back? What do you want to eat for lunch?"

"Let's wait until Nami and the others return to discuss it, anything is fine with me." Amon stopped his movements.

"What are you writing?" Bellmère put down the basket, noticed the situation on the table, and her heart tightened.

Amon didn't hide it and answered honestly: "Bellmère, I plan to make a trip to Goa Kingdom to study under the renowned Marine hero, Vice Admiral Garp."

As a Marine hero, and with the habit of returning to the East Blue every year to see his grandson, Garp's fame was not small in the East Blue.

Using Garp as an excuse was far more reliable than saying he was going to look for a few kids.

"Choosing a good teacher is right, but Vice Admiral Garp might not necessarily be in Goa Kingdom. As a Headquarters Vice Admiral, most of his time is spent on standby at Marineford. Furthermore, even if Vice Admiral Garp is in Goa Kingdom, he might not necessarily take you as a disciple. If you want to be a Marine, you can first join the Marine 16th Branch, enter Marineford step by step, and eventually enter the Elite Training Camp to receive guidance from Admiral 【Black Arm】 Zephyr."

Bellmère persuaded.

Compared to Admiral Zephyr's impartial guidance,

she remembered that only one person in Marineford had been taken as a disciple by Vice Admiral Garp.

That was the monster about to be promoted to Admiral, Vice Admiral Kuzan with the code name 【Aokiji】.

It was said that he could freeze an entire ocean relying on his Devil Fruit ability.

Even though her adopted son was born extraordinary, he was still too far away from those monsters of Marineford.

Far from reaching the level where Vice Admiral Garp would take a fancy to him.

Becoming a disciple of Admiral Zephyr was still more reliable.

"I know, but I want to try. If it doesn't work out, I'll just come back."

Amon chuckled.

Even if he were to become a pirate, he would never join the Marine 16th Branch and be a subordinate to scumbags like Nezumi.

Otherwise, I'm afraid in less than three days, he would murder his superior.

Bellmère sighed and stopped advising: "Alright, it's a deal then. Come back if it doesn't work out."

At this time.

The door that had just been closed not long ago was pushed open once again.

"Bellmère, Brother Amon, we're back! Guess how much money we made today!"

Nami walked in front excitedly.

Behind her, Nojiko was forcibly dragging a man wearing a brown police uniform with a pinwheel on his head.

Genzo hunched his back, the pinwheel on his head spinning in circles: "Sorry for the intrusion."

"No intrusion at all. Thanks to you, Mr. Genzo, for accompanying Nami and the others to sell fish every time. Please sit." Amon handed over a chair.

"Hahahaha~ You child, there's no need to be so polite." Genzo smiled and sat down.

"You guys chat first, I'm going to make dinner." Bellmère went into the kitchen with a straight face.

Genzo was puzzled: "Bellmère, she..."

"It's fine, Mr. Genzo. It has nothing to do with you, it's because I made her angry,"

Amon replied, pulling Nami, who was showing off the Berries nearby, into his arms, and a thought flickered in his mind.

"System, download Weather Perception for me."

【Downloading, please maintain physical contact.】

At the current download rate, the connection needs to be maintained for more than fifteen minutes.

Amon changed the subject: "Nami, how much money did you sell today?"

Nami didn't notice a thing, turned around in Amon's arms, and raised a big smile: "Guess!"

Amon cooperatively gave a number: "35,000 Berries?"

"Wrong!"

Nami held up one hand high, making a three-finger gesture: "50,000 Berries! Old Tom in the town even wanted to buy the previous one-meter-long Golden Dragon-Whiskered Fish for 20,000 Berries. That one was only 20kg and sold for 5,000 Berries. But ours is two meters long and weighs 200kg! In the end, through my bargaining, he spent 50,000 Berries to buy it away."

Amon smiled and nodded.

It has to be said that Nami was born with a bit of trading talent.

"This is the money from the purchase." Nojiko took out a stack of Berries stained with a fishy smell and bloodstains.

Bellmère flashed over instantly and pocketed them: "I'll keep them safe."

"Hmph, keeping them safe again, and you still won't buy me clothes."

Nami muttered unhappily.

Even with Amon around, Bellmère still maintained a frugal attitude toward life, and Nami still wore the hand-me-down clothes changed out by Nojiko.

But instantly, Nami cleared up from cloudy to sunny: "Amon, if you catch a Golden Dragon-Whiskered Fish this big every day, we'll get super rich in no time!!!"

Nojiko crossed her arms, watching Nami still lingering in Amon's arms, stepped forward to pull her away: "Stop dreaming, being able to catch one in a year is already considered lucky."

"Nyenyenye, mind your own business."

"Nami, you guy!!"

"You both quiet down. Right now you are subjects ruled by King Amon, get out there and clear the orchard!"

Amon spread his big hands, suppressed both of them one in each hand, pressed their heads down as they walked towards the orchard, and at the same time said: "Mr. Genzo, please help Bellmère make dinner."

"Alright, alright, alright!" Genzo, who originally felt out of place, instantly perked up.

But just as he got up from the sofa, Bellmère's rigid voice came from the kitchen: "Clumsy guy, I don't need it at all!"

Genzo sat back down instantly like a frost-bitten eggplant.

Out of the corner of her eye, Bellmère caught this scene and couldn't help curling her lips.

Spineless!

4. Loading Weather Perception, Officially Setting Sail

Evening.

"Amon, Nojiko, Nami, Bellmère, I'm leaving." Genzo stood at the doorway and waved.

"Goodbye, Genzo-san."

"Goodbye…"

Watching Genzo walk away, Bellmère immediately assigned tasks: "Nami, Nojiko, you two go wash the dishes! And mop the floor. I want the house to be spotless later. Amon, you're in charge of supervising."

"Guaranteed to complete the mission."

Amon smiled and nodded, while a System prompt came in.

【Talent Weather Perception, download complete. Do you want to load it?】

"Load."

Amon confirmed in his heart.

"Hum!"

A strange warm current flowed from the center of his brow through his entire body.

Amon instantly felt that his body was different; the intangible wind had a direction in his eyes, the moisture in the air seemed clearly visible, and even the changes in the clouds in powerplant or distant sky could be seen through at a glance.

"The rain is going to stop."

As his voice fell, the continuous overcast rain that had been falling all day gradually stopped bit by bit.

"A golden talent truly lives up to its reputation."

A smile curved up the corner of Amon's mouth.

With this talent, even if my Navigation is poor, I will still have a certain ability to protect myself on the great sea.

"System, show my current status!"

【Name: Amon】

【Age: 14】

【Height: 185cm】

【Entries: Robust Physique (Green), Emotional Armament (Gold), Weather Perception (Gold)】

【Skills: Sea Fishing (Proficient), Shooting (Proficient), Cooking (Proficient), Planting (Proficient), Combat (Proficient), Kendo (Novice), Navigation (Novice).】

【Download Speed: 100Kb/S (+)】

【Source Energy: 1】

"With my talents fully prepared, it's time to set sail."

Amon gazed into the distant sea level.

Early the next morning, before dawn.

The port beneath the Orange Grove.

A small flat boat was docked at the shore.

"This box contains dried oranges, these are fresh oranges, and these are meat and vegetables. Eat the fresh ones first, then the dried ones. Remember to eat oranges while you're at sea, and take good care of yourself."

"When you encounter a pirate crew, don't think about trying to act tough. You are not a Marine, and upholding justice is not something you should be doing right now. No matter what, surviving first is the most important thing… You must remember that Nami and the others are still waiting for you at home."

"Also, I sewed money into every single pair of underwear…"

Bellmère put box after box of supplies into the cabin, naggingly giving instructions.

Amon smiled and nodded, his heart warm.

"Also, take good care of this for me and absolutely do not lose it."

Bellmère strode forward and shoved something into Amon's hand.

Amon looked down and saw that it was unexpectedly a Den Den Mushi, and couldn't help being stunned: "This thing isn't cheap, right?"

Even back when Luffy went to sea.

A Den Den Mushi wasn't something you could see everywhere.

Let alone now, when it wasn't an era of inflation.

"Mind your own business. How old are you? You must take this with you. Remember to call me back whenever there's a signal, otherwise how can Nami and the others rest easy?" Bellmère threatened fiercely, though her heart was bleeding inside.

A tiny Den Den Mushi cost 100,000 Berries.

That was half of her current savings!

Her dream of becoming a millionaire was shattered once again.

"What does this have to do with age? With my strength, as long as I don't run into a major pirate, and major pirates wouldn't be interested in a fisherman like me anyway, I don't need to worry about safety issues." Amon pushed the Den Den Mushi back.

Nami's future attitude toward money, besides the psychological shadow created by Arlong, also stemmed from Bellmère's personal and verbal teachings.

He knew very well how much Bellmère heartache over money.

"Stop nagging, take it with you."

"Amon, just take it." Genzo on the side couldn't help laughing and chimed in: "Otherwise Bellmère probably won't be able to sleep. If you want to make a call, call me. As long as it's not in some special sea area, it can generally get through."

"That's right, that's right, otherwise if we wait a little longer and Nami and Nojiko wake up, things will be troublesome."

"My, by then you won't be able to leave, Amon."

"…"

The villagers around also persuaded him.

In order to copy entries, Amon had contacted every single person in the village through ways of helping, so Amon's reputation and popularity in the village were quite good.

At this moment, a large crowd of people came to the port to see him off.

"Alright, remember to help me say goodbye to Nami and Nojiko. I'll be back soon!"

Seeing that he couldn't refuse, Amon had no choice but to put away the Den Den Mushi, put it into his arms, and hoist the sails to set sail.

"Amon, wish you all the best!"

"You must become a Marine who upholds justice!"

"Wish you success…"

Seeing this, the other villagers on the shore also sent friendly blessings.

"Thank you everyone! Go back!!"

Amon waved goodbye.

Gazing at Amon's figure, Bellmère saw him off along the coastline, finally stopping at the edge of the Orange Grove. She couldn't help feeling a sourness in her nose and slightly turned her head.

Genzo spoke at an inappropriate time: "Bellmère, you couldn't be…"

"Shut up!!"

Bellmère flew into a rage and slapped Genzo across the face.

Not only did it knock Genzo's head to one side, but the windmill on top of his head also spun and fell down the cliff.

"No, my newly made windmill…"

Genzo hurriedly jumped into the sea, splashing up a huge amount of water.

Before he could fish out his windmill, Bellmère's nervous voice came from above: "Genzo, get away quickly!!"

"We're done for, is that a shark!"

"This dorsal fin exceeds one meter, its size must be at least five meters or more."

The people on the shore who hadn't dispersed yet also became nervous.

Seeing not far behind Genzo, a dorsal fin exceeding one meter in width pierced the sea surface and was approaching at high speed.

Just looking at the size of the dorsal fin, one knew that there was a big guy underneath.

Genzo's scalp went numb as he swam desperately toward the shore.

The next instant, a ferocious giant mouth rushed out of the sea—unexpectedly a creature resembling a sea snake, with a body size exceeding ten meters!

"A small Sea King? How unlucky, how unlucky."

Glancing at this out of the corner of his eye, Genzo complained bitterly.

Small Sea Kings, such creatures, can be considered hooligans of the sea with an extremely wide hunting range.

Presumably this thing was just resting under this cliff and ended up being woken up by him.

"Roar!!!"

"Bang!"

A gunshot rang out, and blood bloomed on the fish head!

It was Bellmère who fired.

However, this puny flintlock pistol that could only kill humans merely stopped the sea snake Sea King's movements for an instant, but then it became completely furious. With a roar, its body of over ten meters leaped out of the sea and lunged toward Genzo.

"You son of a bitch, go die for me!!!"

From the moment Bellmère cried out, Amon had turned his bow around and hurried back with all his might.

At this very moment, he finally arrived.

Amon leaped up from the deck, raised his long saber high, and fiercely slashed down toward this Sea King!

In the original work, Genzo had never encountered this matter.

In other words, Genzo encountered this life-and-death crisis because of him.

Dammit!

Extreme emotions instantly activated 【Emotional Armament】.

The long saber quietly was coated with a layer of pitch-black Armament Haki.

"Roar!!"

The Sea King also realized the threat, turned its head, and bit towards Amon.

Mere humans—it had eaten countless numbers of them!

"Whoosh!!"

Like a hot knife cutting through butter.

The long saber sliced through the sea snake Sea King's mouth; its full mouth of sharp teeth and hard bones snapped in response, and half of its skull shot up into the sky along with blood.

Blood gushed out!

The severed carcass twisted and swayed endlessly on the vast sea.

Chapter 5: Setting Sail, The Desperate Prince

"?!!!"

"This small Sea Kings was killed by Amon with a single slash?!!!"

"Amon has already become this powerful!"

"..."

All the villagers were dumbfounded. This sudden life-and-death crisis began abruptly and ended with unimaginable crispness and neatness.

Judging solely by build, the Sea Kings undoubtedly held an overwhelming advantage.

A body over ten meters long, limbs thicker than a person, and dagger-like teeth—it could truly be called a fierce beast.

Meanwhile, although Amon was 1.75 meters tall, he didn't have that exaggerated, bursting muscle physique.

Usually, he just fished.

Unexpectedly, he actually possessed such strength.

"Hoo, you brat, quite capable aren't you."

Bellmère stopped running and scolded aloud.

But the surrounding crowd could all hear the pride within her words.

"Ha! I survived, thanks a lot this time, Amon."

Genzo gasped for breath, lying weakly on the sea.

"A piece of cake!"

Amon flicked his blade, sheathed it, and felt spirited.

He didn't have the strength of those monsters from the original work right now, but he wasn't ridiculously weak either.

Arlong, just wait until I find a few high-tier entries, and I'll chop you up to feed the fish later!

"I'll leave this to Genzo-san. Sorry for the trouble helping me sell it, I'm continuing my journey."

Amon turned the bow around and fled directly.

If he went back now, he would undoubtedly face another wave of concern from Bellmère, and if he dragged it out until Nami and the other woke up, he wouldn't even be able to set out to sea today.

The next instant.

"You brat!" Bellmère's scolding came from afar.

Amon didn't even look back as he waved his hand.

...

One and a half months later.

Somewhere in an unknown sea area.

"Oh no, constantly dodging the gathering wind vortices seems to have thrown me off course. Entry-level Navigation is truly unreliable."

Amon looked at the nautical chart, feeling somewhat at a loss.

According to the route records, he should have almost reached the Moonlight Islands, Usopp's hometown.

As a result, where the hell was this?

A barren expanse without even a reference point.

No, is someone there?

Amon looked towards the front-left, where a large, barren, mushroom-like reef stood lonely on the sea surface.

Looking out, let alone animals, not even plants could be seen.

No, is someone there?

Several minutes ago.

On the large reef.

A boy with messy blonde hair and a haggard appearance listlessly drew a horizontal line with a stone, his fingertips trembling from exertion.

"It's the 65th day."

Sanji counted the time in his heart, conserving his physical strength.

The food had run out since last month.

The last piece of moldy bread had even fallen into the sea.

This month he survived entirely by drinking rainwater.

Could he still wait for the next ship to pass by?

Going on like this, he wouldn't even be able to make a sound for help.

"I'm so hungry, that damn guy should be about the same, right? Does he still have any food over there?" Crazy thoughts flashed through Sanji's mind.

Suddenly, in his field of vision, a small black dot in the distance grew larger bit by bit.

"Hey hey hey, save me!!!"

Sanji shouted with all his strength, then collapsed headfirst onto the ground.

A moment later.

Amon tied the anchor to the reef under the isolated island, climbed onto the island using a grappling hook, and felt slightly puzzled: "Eh, wasn't there someone just now? Could I have seen wrong? An illusion?"

The next fraction of a second.

A line of System text refreshed before his eyes.

, , , , , ,

【Target: Vinsmoke Sanji】

【Entries】:

【Genetic Modification】 (Gold) (Unawakened); Status: Downloadable; Size: 50M.

God's Nose (Gold), Status: Downloadable; Size: 100M.

...

【Skill: Cooking...】

, , , , , , ,

"Sanji???"

This luxurious information made Amon's spirit perk up.

He hadn't found Luffy yet, but he found this little fat sheep first?

Moreover, the unawakened gold talent 【Genetic Modification】 was only 50M. This wave was undoubtedly a huge profit!!!

What was the concept of Sanji's Genetic Modification?

First was the exoskeleton, making the body incomparably tough and possessing superhuman recovery powers. It allowed Sanji's injured and fractured body to recover at high speed, and increased physical hardness to reach an invulnerable realm. It could even withstand lasers.

Second was extreme speed; matched with the Raid Suit, it could even achieve an invisibility effect.

Finally, there was the same flame resistance and flame control ability as the Lunarian race.

Still the same saying, even dogs wouldn't eat the Mera Mera no Mi.

No, where is Sanji?

Amon looked down and his expression changed drastically in shock.

The unconscious Sanji was being stepped on the belly by him, his face flushed red.

"Don't you die!!!"

Amon quickly moved his leg away and returned to the deck to get food.

50M, at the current speed, downloading would take at least around 7 minutes.

If the person kicked the bucket before the download succeeded, that would be hilarious.

Although the download speed could also be upgraded, Origin Energy was extremely precious at the current stage. Amon would rather be a bit slower than waste it.

"Drip drop..."

Yellow liquid flowed along his shriveled lips into his oral cavity.

The sweet and sour taste instantly made Sanji lick unconsciously, followed by even more.

"Orange juice, plus the aroma of roasted fish, is this a dream?"

Receiving energy replenishment, Sanji's consciousness slowly revived.

Remembering the ship he saw before losing consciousness, he doubted whether the sweetness he felt right now was just a dream.

"It shouldn't be a dream. My roasted fish skills probably aren't as good as yours. Judging by your attire, you're a chef, right?"

Seeing this, Amon completely set his mind at ease.

As expected of a genetically modified human, terrifying to this extent!

Having been starved for who knows how long, he had become all skin and bones.

Feed him some orange juice, and he was immediately resurrected.

"Swish!"

Sanji opened his eyes, confirming that the man in front of him wasn't an illusion, and the roasted fish smelled by his nose was even less false. A stiff smile appeared on his withered face: "Yes, thank you, benefactor!! I can finally, finally survive!!!"

"No need to be so polite, my name is Amon. Have an orange first." Amon handed over a peeled orange.

"Thank you, Big Brother Amon!!" Sanji thanked him sincerely, tears in his eyes.

Aside from Reiju and the uncles on the ship, the big brother before him treated him the best.

"Hey, don't mention it. Come on, eat something first." Amon picked up the roasted fish nearby.

Suppressing the thought of downloading Sanji's talent right away.

Because of the fame brought by slaying the Sea Kings.

In the first half-month after setting sail, the villagers near Cocoyasi provided him with 66 points of Origin Energy.

Regrettably, people are always easily forgotten.

As time passed, the subsequent Origin Energy became less and less. In the past half-month, there were even only 25 points.

Up to now, the Origin Energy balance was 146 points.

Although Sanji's Genetic Modification entry was good, it was in an unawakened state.

And on the island, there was also a great pirate from the Grand Line. The entry must be powerful enough!

Let's check it out first, then decide which talent to download first!

"Thank you, Big Brother Amon."

Sanji, like a beast, tore into the roasted fish that he would normally never even look at.

"Sanji, how long have you stayed here?"

"Chew chew... Already sixty-five days, chew chew..."

"Tch." Amon clicked his tongue.

People in this world really weren't normal people.

If he remembered correctly.

Sanji was even shared a bit of food by Zeff.

Zeff purely starved for over sixty days.

How long were these two starved before being rescued again?

80 days, or close to three months?

It had been too long, and Amon couldn't remember too clearly.

6 Zeff Entry

"You really have it hard, do you know what sea area this is?"

"Mm, I don't know, Big Brother Amon," Sanji said vaguely.

"Are there any other shipwreck survivors like you on this island? Would he know the situation of this sea area?" Amon guided step by step.

Red Leg Zeff was able to escape the Grand Line unscathed.

Navigation, in System's judgment, was bound to be stronger than his.

He should be able to figure out what sea area this is and how to navigate it.

"There is one, on the other side of the island, but he's a pirate! And a great pirate who came back from the Grand Line!"

Sanji's movements stiffened. Remembering everything that had happened before, his expression turned ugly: "Big Brother Amon, he only shared a small portion of food with me and hogged most of it for himself. He might still have strength now, let's just leave directly."

"That's not right."

Amon shook his head: "Your food has been exhausted for over a month. No matter how frugal he was, it should be about gone by now. Since that's the case, he has no reason to spare you, right?"

Being in this world, one could not use a black-and-white morality to demand every single person.

Among both pirates and Marines, there were figures he admired or detested.

Zeff, who could endure dozens of days of hunger without eating Sanji.

was far better than certain anthropomorphic fellows.

Sanji's face turned pale: "Big Brother Amon, you mean eat...?"

"That's right, he didn't choose to eat you, and even shared food with you at first. Let's go take a look."

"Alright." Sanji took a deep breath, gathered his courage, and stepped forward to lead the way.

Before long, Amon saw a figure on the other side of the island.

Zeff sat upright at the edge of the cliff, draped in a white cloak, motionless, not even the rise and fall of his breathing could be seen.

"The food hasn't been touched?"

Having filled his stomach, Sanji, whose intelligence had retaken the high ground, stared at the 'food package' behind Zeff, falling into deep thought.

"Is it possible that there's no food inside at all?"

Amon patted Sanji's shoulder and stepped forward.

"What are you here for, you brat? No, why are there two sets of footsteps? Did a ship arrive?"

Realizing something was wrong, Zeff turned his head abruptly.

But a body that had not consumed a single grain of rice for a long time had long entered a desperate situation, and with a single movement, he tumbled sideways onto the ground.

Revealing the emaciated body beneath the cloak, as well as his empty right lower leg.

"You guys are lucky to have met me."

Amon stepped forward, helped Zeff up, and took out an orange: "Eat an orange first."

At the same time, a System interface emerged.

, , , , ,

【Target: Zeff】

【Entry】: 【Robust Physique】 (Blue); Status: Downloadable; Size: 60M.

【Iron Will】 (Blue); Status: Downloadable, Size: 50M

【Skill: Red Leg Kick Technique; Status: Downloadable, Size: 60M.

Cooking...】

【Robust Physique: Body functions naturally surpassing ordinary people, coupled with the postnatal tempering of Red Leg Zeff, it is a powerful physique sufficient to endure 85 days of hunger without dying.】

【Iron Will: The strong will of Red Leg Zeff honed by the sea and hunger, even with severed hands and feet, it is like a breeze brushing past his face, without changing his expression in the slightest.】

...

【Red Leg Kick Technique: Red Leg Zeff's self-contained combat kicking technique, paired with a powerful physique, the wind kicked out alone is enough to stop incoming bullets!】

, , , , , ,

"Another big fat sheep."

Amon's eyes lit up.

Not to mention anything else, just copying the blue entry 【Robust Physique】.

will definitely increase his strength greatly!

And it's only 60M. With the current source energy balance, he can completely copy it together with Sanji's golden entry.

"Thank you very much, benefactor."

Zeff extended his trembling hand, grabbed the orange, swallowed it skin and all into his mouth, and chewed away.

The familiar yet unfamiliar sweet and sour made Zeff narrow his eyes happily, and tears even flowed from the corners of his eyes.

Food!

On the other side, Sanji silently opened the unchanged 'food bag'.

Jewels and gold saw the light of day once more, refracting brilliant rays of light.

The only thing missing was any shadow of food.

Not even the smell of food was present.

Sanji couldn't help but blur his eyes.

He clearly possessed a sense of smell incomparable to ordinary people and could have smelled it out; why didn't he think to smell it all this time?

Also, previously, when falling off the ship.

He was also saved by the other party, right?

The other party ended up stranded on this desolate island because of him.

"Swish!"

Tears streamed down like a clear spring.

Sanji asked in a hoarse voice: "Hey, old man, this is all treasure, you gave all the food to me? How did you survive?"

Sanji stepped forward, saw Zeff's empty lower leg, his pupils shrank, and his voice trembled: "Did you eat your own foot?"

"Ah, that's right. If I had known, I should have used more spices when bathing before. I've always fought with my feet, they taste quite sour." As vitality descended, Zeff didn't mind too much, grinned, and changed the subject.

Sanji clenched his fists tightly, unable to accept it, and questioned with suppressed emotions: "You fight with your feet! How can you still be a pirate in the future like this?!"

Zeff didn't care at all: "I couldn't eat my hands, my hands have to be kept for Cooking! I'm a chef! You can't cook with your feet!"

Sanji completely lost control of his emotions and shoutedly asked: "I have never been friendly to you, why did you do this, why?!!"

"Because I share the same dream as you, brat!" Zeff said solemnly.

"Tch, it really has a special flavor." Amon, who was watching from the sidelines, couldn't help rubbing his nose.

Experiencing the famous scene from memory firsthand, needless to say, it was truly a bit touching.

The original Pirate King was the best after all.

Just because of a single word of a dream, they came together.

Amon interrupted the tender drama between the two: "Hey hey hey, since matters have come to this, let's eat first! It seems you are both chefs. I don't know whose Cooking is more delicious, but since you guys barely survived, you have to celebrate properly."

Zeff immediately said: "Of course it's me, benefactor. Let this old man make you a sumptuous feast!"

Sanji: "What are you bragging about? What delicious food can a pirate on the great sea make? Besides, with your crumbling body, you can't even flip a pot anymore, right?!"

"Brat, are you worrying about me?!"

"Ha?!" Sanji's face instantly turned bright red: "Who's worrying about you!!!"

Amon touched his chin, smiled without a word, but complained in his heart: "Hmm? This awkward look, why does it seem like I'm seeing Chopper, and the voice is very similar too."

Ultimately, under the advantage of a complete body, Sanji successfully won the election as the chef for this meal with his intact body.

A moment later.

Orange marmalade with pan-fried salmon.

Flame-seared barnacles.

...

There wasn't much food, but the aroma was exceptionally rich, making Amon couldn't help but take a few sniffs of the aroma.

7. Merging tags, a complete rebirth!

"Benefactor, please enjoy the meal!"

Sanji said to Amon with a pleasant expression, then spoke fiercely to Zeff: "Old man, time to eat!"

"Then I won't stand on ceremony."

Amon eagerly picked up the golden-brown grilled fish and dug right in. After one bite, he directly accelerated his eating speed and praised vaguely: "Not bad! Sanji, you must be the future God of Cooking!"

Although Sanji was young, the food he made smelled much better than what he could whip up.

"What God of Cooking, that's way too exaggerated!"

Sanji's face instantly flushed red, and his whole body became fidgety, but the depths of his eyes were filled with the joy of being needed and affirmed.

"Rude brat." Zeff muttered to Sanji, joining the battle as well while commenting: "It's overcooked, brat, even the skin is burnt."

"Huh?! Then don't eat it!" Sanji's expression changed instantly.

"That won't do." Zeff grinned, raising his hand to dodge Sanji's attempt to snatch it back.

"Tch, what a nostalgic blast from the past."

Amon sighed with emotion, took out a pot of orange wine brewed by Bellmère, divided it into portions, and handed it to the two of them.

"For a banquet, we need to drink some wine to celebrate! This was brewed by my family, give it a try."

"Cheers!"

Sanji and Zeff did not refuse; both of them took the cups, raised them, and clinked them together.

"Gulp, gulp..."

The sweet and sour orange wine slid down their throats, driving away the gloom of the past few months.

"Good wine!"

Zeff wiped the corner of his mouth, tears welling up in his eyes.

This long-lost feeling of exhilaration made him feel as if he had drifted back to the carefree times he used to spend on the vast sea.

Sanji's eyes also lit up: "So delicious, big brother Amon, can you teach me the recipe for this orange wine?"

"I don't know how to make it, but there are dried oranges on the ship, you can try it yourself."

Amon scratched his head.

He hadn't put many points into life skills.

After eating and drinking to their heart's content.

The night grew deeper.

The waves beat against the reef, making a rhythmic sound.

Having eaten and drunk their fill, Sanji and Zeff's exhausted bodies finally gave out. They leaned against each other and fell fast asleep, enjoying the laziness of surviving a disaster.

"They're finally asleep. System, download the tags 【Genetic Modification】 and 【Robust Physique】 for me."

Amon sat next to the two sleeping people, looked at their panels, and gave the command.

【Downloading Genetic Modification, please maintain the connection.】

【Detected same-type tags, merging the download can save 20M of data. Are you sure?】

"Woohoo, tags of the same type can even be used as synthesis materials! Just how much Source Energy will this save? Confirm, confirm!"

Amon's eyes lit up, instantly realizing the benefits.

【Downloading, please maintain the connection.】

【Current progress: 0%】

【Current Source Energy: 36】

Time ticked by second by second.

Ten minutes later.

【Tags 【Genetic Modification】 and 【Robust Physique】 have finished downloading. Do you want to load them?】

"Load all."

Amon did not hesitate.

The next instant.

An indescribable wave of scorching heat exploded from between his eyebrows, instantly sweeping through his entire body!

"Mph...!"

Amon's pupils shrank sharply, and he quickly left the place.

This heat was more than ten times more intense than the previous modification!

Even his skin was like a boiled red shrimp.

It felt as if the blood in his entire body was boiling,

his cells were changing, his muscles were reshaping, his fibers were recombining, and his bone density was increasing drastically.

Amon could feel that his original limit strength of 1 ton was skyrocketing, increasing wildly, surging fiercely!!!

"Why wasn't there such a big reaction during the previous modification? Was it because the previous tags were of a different category, too many tags were loaded at the same time, or because Genetic Modification involves DNA?"

Amon guessed through gritted teeth.

Fortunately, this heat came quickly and went quickly, disappearing soon after.

"Phew, it's finally over."

Amon looked at his own hands.

His palms were broad, and his fingers were slender and powerful.

"Snap!"

Amon reached out to steady himself against the reef nearby, preparing to stand up.

However, the moment his palm touched the reef and exerted force,

Crack...

his palm directly pressed cracks into the weathered rock.

He pulled his hand away.

"?"

Amon's pupils shrank slightly.

To his surprise, a five-finger handprint had actually appeared on the rock.

You must know that this rock had stood in this sea area for who knows how long, and its hardness was imaginable.

But now, he merely exerted force with his hand subconsciously, and he left a clear handprint on it.

It wasn't just strength, but more importantly, the change in muscle and bone density.

An all-around enhancement!

"Heh!"

An uncontrollable smile curled the corners of Amon's mouth.

The chemical reaction brought by 【Robust Physique】 + 【Genetic Modification】.

His strength at this moment was probably even a notch higher than when Zeff was healthy.

Compared to his state before loading, it had increased by at least ten times, or even nine times!!!

"As expected of the technological crystallization of the Vinsmoke family."

An uncontrollable smile curled the corners of Amon's mouth.

"As expected of a great pirate who took a spin around the Grand Line and didn't die."

"These two tags are powerful!"

Amon took a deep breath, suppressed the excitement in his heart, and sat back down in his original spot.

There is still a long way to go.

No rush.

Arlong... just you wait.

Just wait until I beat you into handmade fish balls!

After slightly familiarizing himself with his current strength, Amon fell fast asleep.

The next day.

Amon woke up amidst a fragrant aroma.

"Big brother Amon, you're awake. Breakfast is ready." Sanji hurriedly stepped forward and handed over a bowl of fish offal and barnacle seafood porridge.

"Thanks, Sanji-chan. Thanks to you, after a month and a half, I'm finally living the life of having food brought to my mouth again."

Amon stretched, took the cooled seafood porridge, and took a sip, feeling exceptionally cozy.

"You're welcome, big brother Amon. This is all what I should do."

"Hey, you brat, this old man needs taking care of too."

"You old bastard, do it yourself!"

"Ha!!!"

When the two had finished bickering, Amon leisurely asked: "Mr. Zeff, you should be able to tell the sea areas apart, right? I want to go to the Goa Kingdom, and it's all up to you."

Zeff wiped a grain of rice from the corner of his mouth: "No problem, leave this little matter to me. Back then, in order to find the Miracle Sea, I searched the entire East Blue!"

Sanji poured cold water on him sinisterly: "Hmph, and yet you didn't find it in the end."

Zeff didn't care at all: "What does that matter? At least I was on the road looking for that sea."

Sanji was taken aback.

Zeff smiled subtly and dragged the treasure behind him to the front: "Little brother Amon, as a token of gratitude for saving us, please accept these treasures."

"No need. I'm not interested in treasure. If you really want to repay me, just guide me and cook for me from now on."

Amon refused.

He had already quietly taken the most precious things from the two of them.

"You don't want them?" Zeff was stunned.

He hadn't expected this result.

The things he accumulated in the first half of his life were actually looked down upon by others.

He bowed instead: "In that case, please feel free to command this old man for the rest of my days, little brother Amon!"

"Me too." Sanji hurriedly chimed in, like a lost little deer.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony."

Amon didn't decline either.

Out on the sea, having two chefs wait on him, wouldn't the upcoming sailing time be a blast?

Zeff asked curiously: "Little brother Amon, what are you going to the Goa Kingdom for?"

Amon didn't hide it: "I heard that the Goa Kingdom is the hometown of Marine Hero Vice Admiral Garp. I'm going to find Vice Admiral Garp and ask him to take me as his disciple."

"Little brother Amon, is your dream to become a Marine?" Zeff was stunned. He had never imagined that as a pirate, there would be a day when he could work alongside Marines.

Chapter 8 Merchant Ship, New Trait

"I just don't want to become a pirate. After all, my parents in this life died at the hands of pirates."

Amon shook his head, a trace of coldness flashing in the depths of his eyes.

If you kill ten pirates, perhaps one of them is innocent.

If you kill ten Marines, roughly thirty percent of them probably deserve to die.

Therefore, whether it is Marines or pirates, there are people and things he dislikes.

All of these, he is going to change.

Having System and being able to gather thousands of talents upon himself...

Absolutely, positively, definitely he will be able to do it effortlessly!!!

Thinking of this, Amon said spiritedly, "As for my dream, I want to change this world! Make it look like me!"

"What a remarkable dream!"

Zeff leaned on his wooden crutch and gave Amon a deep look.

Transforming the world into his own image—even the great pirates roaming the Grand Line wouldn't dare easily utter such words, and the World Government hasn't been able to eradicate all pirates after holding power for eight hundred years.

The young man in front of him... hid the world in the depths of his eyes!

However, perhaps the other party really could leave a trace of his own in the world.

Zeff glanced at the fractured reef in the distance.

That rock, before his leg was broken, he could have easily kicked to pieces.

But he couldn't have cracked it open so casually with just a press.

This meant that inside this youth's body lay a powerful force, even stronger than the physical fitness he had honed over many years.

Having such physical fitness at this age, after completely growing up in the future, he will definitely be a monster among monsters.

"Change the world?" Sanji's heart trembled. He didn't even dare to extravagantly hope to change the prejudices of the Vinsmoke family or have his father approve of his dream of being a chef, yet the person before him actually dared to set his goal on the entire world.

"That's right, Sanji-chan, a person must have a dream, whether it succeeds or not, but for now, let's leave this place first!"

Amon ruffled Sanji's somewhat withered, yellowish hair on top of his head.

【Ding, Source Energy + 5.】

【Source Energy: 41】

"Five points?"

Amon stared at the newly popped-up numbers on the interface, somewhat surprised, pondering inwardly.

Was it because saving the two people in a desperate situation turned their gratitude into an exceptionally heavy reputation?

Or was it because Zeff himself was strong enough and his approval carried high gold content?

Or perhaps... as a member of the original protagonist group, Sanji came with a built-in weight bonus?

Unable to figure it out, he stopped dwelling on it.

As for source energy, the more the better.

The three of them quickly packed up and set sail.

Zeff stood at the stern steering the ship, identifying ocean currents with the experience of an old pirate.

Sanji squatted at the bow, looking at the increasingly distant uninhabited island, and let out a long breath of foul air.

"We've finally left this ghost of a place." Zeff also sighed with emotion.

Sixty-five days in the desperate situation had nearly cost him his old life on the reef.

Not long after sailing out of the coastal waters, the silhouette of a medium-to-large sailboat slowly emerged on the distant horizon.

There was no skull pirate flag, no seagull Marine emblem, nor any kingdom's family crest flag in sight.

It was a merchant ship.

Amon's eyes lit up.

Having soaked in seawater every day for the past month and a half, his body forever wrapped in the salty and fishy smell of sea salt, he had long wanted to take a satisfying freshwater bath.

Coupled with the fact that the fresh fruits and vegetables stored on the boat were running low, it was just the right time to resupply a batch.

Not long after sailing out of the coastal waters, the silhouette of a medium-to-large sailboat slowly emerged on the distant horizon.

There was no skull pirate flag, no seagull Marine emblem, nor any kingdom's family crest flag in sight.

"It's a merchant ship! Big Brother Amon! Old man!"

Sanji was pleasantly surprised.

A merchant ship surely has a doctor who can treat the old man's broken leg.

Amon immediately raised a paddle and said, "Oi, little ones, bring the ship over here for me!"

"Understood, Captain!"

Sanji was very cooperative and immediately pitched in.

The small boat steadily sailed toward the merchant ship.

After approaching the merchant ship, the sailors on board were initially somewhat vigilant.

But Zeff exposed the miserable state of his broken leg, coupled with Sanji's emaciated posture.

And with a small bag of gold coins Zeff tossed onto the gunwale, the Captain immediately beamed with smiles, lowered the rope ladder, and politely welcomed the three of them up.

Money paving the way worked better than anything else on this vast ocean.

Cabin.

Public bathroom.

"Awesome!!!"

"So comfortable."

"..."

Having washed up and changed into clean clothes, Amon only felt all the pores on his body relax, and the fatigue from days of sailing instantly dissipated.

Sanji's complexion instantly brightened by a shade.

Zeff, whose injuries had been re-treated, also looked much better in complexion.

Amon was planning to take the two of them to buy some supplies and then leave to continue toward the Goa Kingdom.

At this moment, a figure stepped over with a strange sliding gait from the end of the corridor.

"Michael Jackson? No..."

Amon paused his steps, his pupils contracting slightly.

Dome hat, braided thin pigtails, black-rimmed sunglasses, walking with three sways per step like stepping to a beat.

This styling.

It was the vice Captain of the Black Cat Pirates, the hypnotist Jango!

He calmly stepped forward two steps, deliberately brushing past the other party.

The moment their fingertip skin touched, the System panel automatically popped up.

, , , ,

【Name: Jango】

【Trait】: 【Hypnosis】 (Green); Status: Downloadable; Size: 30M.

【Skills: Backward Dance Steps (Mastered), Boomerang (Proficient)】

【Hypnosis】 (Green): A special ability acquired after eating the magical item Striped Mold Mushroom, which can hypnotize other people's wills. It lacks precise control, does not distinguish between friend and foe, and requires the hypnotized target not to have the slightest resistance mentality.

, , , ,

"Really."

After confirmation, Amon's spirits perked up.

Jango's Hypnosis trait could not be controlled and didn't distinguish between friend and foe, seeming a bit trashy.

In reality, this trait was awesome.

In the original work, Morgan was originally a passionate and upright Marine, but after being hypnotized by him once, his personality changed drastically overnight, becoming the Axe-Hand dominating Shells Town, and even his personality and memories could be tampered with, which was simply dark beyond measure.

Moreover, it could stimulate human potential. After being hypnotized, the cannon fodders with roadside-tier combat power in the Black Cat Pirates could all smash the cliff walls by the sea of Syrup Village with a single punch.

With his physical fitness, wouldn't it directly double after Hypnosis?

Most importantly, as a secondary auxiliary trait, it was only 31M, and could be directly acquired completely.

"You two go to the cargo hold first to buy vegetables and fresh water, remember to pick the fresh ones, and I'll be right there."

Amon casually gave an order, sent Zeff and Sanji away, and turned around to quietly trail behind Jango.

A fat sheep delivered to his doorstep.

He was going to fleece it for sure.

"When was the Black Cat Pirates established? When did Jango join the Black Cat Pirates? Is Kuro here?"

"Damn brain, why didn't I remember more of these backstories back then?"

Amon pondered in his heart.

If he hadn't joined yet, Jango would be a solitary wandering martial artist.

If he had joined, undoubtedly the Black Cat Pirates had already targeted this merchant ship.

He could also use this as an opportunity to harvest a wave of source energy.

Simply wonderful.

As for not being able to beat them?

At worst, release Pokémon Number Two, Zeff.

"Hi! Brother."

Amon took two or three steps in one and reached out to put his hand on Jango's shoulder.

"?!"

Jango was startled and shuddered, his eyes under the sunglasses filled with fear.

Did he expose a flaw somewhere?

He had said he wasn't cut out to be an undercover agent.

Am I going to die?

Damn pirates, damn Kuro of the Black Cats!

Chapter 9: Copy Hypnosis, Black Cat Pirates Attack

"Brother, I've never seen such handsome dance steps. They're so cool."

Amon's second sentence instantly made Jango feel like he was in heaven, ecstatic.

As a failed wandering dancer, he had never received such sincere affirmation.

"Thanks for the compliment! I am a wandering dancer named Jango. What's your name?"

Jango turned his head excitedly, looked Amon up and down, lingered for a second on the long saber at his waist, and his outstretched hand paused slightly.

"My name is Amon, just call me Amon. Big Brother Jango, your outfit is also very stylish!"

Amon naturally went with the flow, while chanting silently in his heart: "System, download the 【Hypnosis】 entry."

【Downloading, please maintain the connection.】

【Current Source Energy: 6】

"Of course, I designed this myself!"

Upon being praised, the trace of vigilance Jango had just raised instantly vanished into thin air.

What kind of bad intentions could a child who likes dancing have?

"No wonder it's so extraordinary."

Amon held his hand and racked his brains to continue praising him.

A size of 30M meant that he needed to maintain physical contact for a full five minutes.

"Jango, are your dance steps original? I've never seen this style of dance before..."

"Of course! Do you want to learn? I'll dance the whole thing for you once!"

As Jango spoke, he wanted to pull his hand back and start dancing, but he was firmly locked in place by a great force.

"No rush, Big Brother Jango. My hometown is a land of dance, and your dance steps vibrated my soul at first glance. I want to feel this soul pulsation more. Can you tell me how you created these dance steps in the first place?"

Amon spoke without missing a beat, his expression unchanged.

"Is that so?" Jango was half-skeptical, but he still began to recount his creative philosophy.

Two minutes later.

"Amon, I have another skill. Do you want to see it?"

"No, I just want to feel the spirit of your dance. It will be ready soon, Big Brother Jango."

Jango was out of tricks.

His strength wasn't as great as the other party's, and he couldn't find an opportunity to use Hypnosis.

He felt that he had most likely encountered a legendary crossdresser.

Once Kuro arrived, he would make this brat die!

【Entry 【Hypnosis】 download complete. Do you want to load it?】

"Load."

Amon confirmed in his heart.

A stream of cool warmth oozed from between his eyebrows and vanished in an instant. Following that, Amon felt that he had gained a strange power, which needed to be triggered with the help of a certain medium.

Amon let go of Jango's palm: "Alright, I've finished feeling it."

It's actually true? Could he really be from some land of dance? If my dance could spread there...

Jango entered fantasy mode: "In that case, come on, I'll teach you my dance steps."

"Boring, not learning."

Amon immediately changed his face and ruthlessly refused.

He was just a ruthless entry-copying machine.

He couldn't waste precious time on skills like dancing that provided no bonus to combat.

"What?!"

Jango widened his eyes, his mentality collapsing.

Boring?

Then what was that fanboy look you had just now?

Are you playing with me?!

"However, I have something to show you." Amon extended his middle finger.

Jango subconsciously looked over.

Amon closed his eyes and waved his finger: "One, two, Hypnosis!"

"Hum—"

Jango's heart-shaped eyes instantly lost focus.

Amon couldn't help complaining: "There's really zero illusion defense, it only adds illusion attack."

Then he asked: "Do you have any relation to the Black Cat Pirates?"

Jango answered honestly: "Yes, 10 days ago, I was on a merchant ship preparing to go to the next island, and then we were attacked by the Black Cat Pirates. Because Captain Kuro discovered that I can use Hypnosis, I survived from the plundered merchant ship and was forced to join the pirates."

There really is? Amon perked up: "What is the plan of the Black Cat Pirates?"

"I am responsible for hypnotizing the Captain and sailors, making the ship arrive at the predetermined location, and then Kuro brings people to plunder."

"Which step has the plan reached?"

"The last step. I was just getting ready to hide and wait for things to end. Kuro should be arriving soon."

At this moment—

"Pirates! It's pirates!"

"It's the flag of the Black Cat Pirates!"

"It's Kuro with a bounty of 5 million!!"

"Damn it! Why are the sails furled? You idiots, do you want to get us killed?!"

"No! The anchor has also been lowered. No, they are pirates! The pirates came long ago."

"Run!!"

"We're done for..."

Panicked voices came from the deck, and a panicked crowd surged from the deck into the cabin.

"Damn, they came so fast? Talk of the devil." Amon couldn't help complaining, taking Jango with him, pushing past the oncoming stream of people and walking toward the deck.

The deck was already a purgatory.

The Black Cat Pirates had firmly hooked onto the merchant ship with grappling hooks.

One pirate after another leaped across ropes for boarding, waving swords and guns to cut down any sailors who dared to resist.

Fresh blood flowed everywhere on the deck, and corpses lay haphazardly in all directions.

Kuro moved as if no one else was even there.

His slender figure shuttled through the crowd, the cat-claw blades between his ten fingers flashing with a cold glint under the sunlight.

Every wave of his arm brought up a streak of blood, accompanied by a miserable scream.

His movements were clean and neat, without a trace of excess fancy movement, just like a precise killing machine.

Everywhere on the deck were panicked people.

Some sailors knelt on the ground to beg for mercy, only to be cut down with a single slash by a pirate;

Someone tried to jump into the sea to escape, but was hit by a pirate's matchlock rifle and fell into the sea;

Someone hugged the corpse of a relative and wailed loudly, and the next second they also fell in a pool of blood.

Screams, cries, pleas for mercy, and ferocious laughter intertwined, and the entire ship had degenerated into a living hell in just a few short seconds.

Kuro raised his hand with the cat-claw blades, used his elbow to push up the glasses on the bridge of his nose, with an elegant and calm posture, like a gentleman attending a banquet rather than standing on a deck strewn with corpses.

His gaze slowly swept across the entire scene, the corners of his mouth raising into a cruel smile.

Jango's Hypnosis is really useful.

With Jango, plus my wisdom, everyone in this vast sea cannot escape the hunt of the Black Cats!

Seeing that all resistance forces on the deck were about to be eliminated, Kuro instructed nonchalantly: "Arrange two people to go and look for our great contributor Jango, and see where that fellow is hiding?"

"Understood, Boss!"

Someone immediately responded, kicked open the tightly closed door of the cabin, and swaggered inside.

The next instant.

"Bang!!!"

A muffled and terrifying loud noise exploded from the entrance of the cabin.

That pirate's head burst open like a watermelon struck by a heavy hammer, and white and red mixed liquids splattered radially in all directions, splashing all over the door frame and the nearby bulkhead.

Blood surged into the sky from the severed neck cavity, the headless body swayed in place twice, and fell backward onto the ground, making a muffled impact sound.

10. Instant kill Kuro, Source Energy surges!

"？？？"

The pirates, who were still grinning hideously just a moment ago, were like people whose throats had been choked, their laughter stopping abruptly.

Their eyes widened in disbelief as they looked at the headless corpse that was still twitching, their hands holding their knives trembling slightly and unconsciously.

Their previously extremely arrogant aura instantly subsided a bit.

The composed smile on Kuro's face also froze.

He stared at the headless corpse, his gaze turning solemn.

Killing a person and blowing someone's head apart with a single punch are completely different concepts.

The former only requires a sharp weapon and sufficient ruthlessness, while the latter requires overwhelming power. Someone who can achieve this level is definitely no ordinary character.

On this ship, there is still someone with such strength?

Kuro slowly turned his neck, his gaze stabbing like a knife deep into the shadows at the entrance of the cabin.

Footsteps came from the darkness.

Steady, powerful, and unhurried.

A figure walked out from the shadows.

The newcomer had a youthful face, but his figure was tall, slender, and upright.

A white tank top outlined the solid lines of his upper body, his dark trousers were neat and crisp, and a long black trench coat was draped over the outside, its hem gently swaying in the sea breeze.

A long blade hung at his waist; its scabbard was unadorned, yet it faintly exuded a sharp aura.

"It's Big Brother Amon!!"

Sanji, hiding on the second floor of the cabin, became anxious and immediately wanted to jump down.

"What are you getting so excited about?! Don't go over there and cause trouble."

Zeff pressed him down with one hand.

Sanji struggled frantically: "Are we just going to watch Big Brother Amon face the pirates all by himself? You old bastard."

"What's the rush? I used to be a great pirate too. If little Amon needs it, I'll make a move!"

Zeff soothed.

A small 5 million Berries pirate was not even worth mentioning to him.

Below.

Amon's gaze slowly swept across the deck, his eyes growing even colder, and he said calmly: "Kneel and surrender, or die."

"Heh."

Kuro sneered, his figure instantly disappearing from where he stood as he launched a silent charge.

Did he think strength was everything?

Ultimate speed likewise represents ultimate lethality.

His figure instantly vanished from the spot, launching a charge silently.

The wooden boards under his feet didn't even make any extra noise, and his entire body turned like a black lightning bolt, charging straight at Amon.

The hook claws between his ten fingers glinted coldly in the sunlight, aiming straight at Amon's throat.

Amon stood where he was, without retreating.

His dynamic vision clearly captured Kuro's movement trajectory.

Much slower than expected—hasn't he reached his peak yet?

This thought flashed through his mind, and instead of retreating, Amon advanced, directly delivering a split-mountain strike!

The long blade came down from top to bottom with a whistling wind, hacking down without any fancy tricks.

Such crude swordsmanship, does he only have strength?

Seeing this, Kuro instantly gained confidence.

He could take down an opponent like this in a single move.

One of his hands met Amon's blade, preparing to use his hook claws to deflect the force, while his other hand aimed at Amon's neck, ready to strike.

However, he didn't notice.

A layer of black coating was faintly entwined around Amon's blade.

"Crack!!"

The instant the blade and claws intersected, the confident smile on Kuro's face froze.

His proud refined steel hook claws snapped with a crisp sound like rotten wood upon contacting that unremarkable blade.

The blade's momentum unabated, it slashed diagonally down from his neck all the way to his waist and abdomen, cleanly cutting him in half with a single strike.

Internal organs along with the lower half of his mutilated body slid to the ground, and blood spread across the deck.

"How is that possible?"

Kuro looked at Amon in disbelief, his lips moving as he made his final sound.

His claw blades were forged from refined steel, accompanied him for many years, and had never lost in weapon clashes.

The opponent's blade was clearly just an unremarkable, poorly made ordinary piece of goods; how could it be cut off in an instant?

It couldn't possibly be that the opponent was a master swordsman capable of cutting iron, yet disguised himself as a brute unskilled in swordsmanship to ambush him, right?

"Am I worthy?"

Filled with lingering doubt and unwillingness, Kuro's eyes completely lost their luster, and his life force faded away.

"Moron."

Amon flicked the filth off his blade.

I have 【Emotional Armament】, do you have it too?

Daring to trade blows with me head-on.

"What a pity about Kuro's entry."

Amon felt slightly regretful.

Judging by the opponent's performance, he likely possessed talent in his legs.

If it could be copied over, he would definitely be able to quickly master Soru, one of the Rokushiki.

As for now, naturally, everything came to naught.

Trash System, not even coming with a feature to drop entries upon killing someone.

"！！！"

At this moment, the entire scene was dead silent.

Everyone widened their eyes, unable to believe everything that had happened before them, unable to recover their senses for a long time.

That notorious Captain Kuro with a bounty of five million Berries, that Captain Kuro who ran amok in the East Blue and terrified countless merchant ships, was actually hacked to death by someone in an instant?

Zeff's heart trembled.

This wasn't an ordinary slash, but destruction that could only be caused by the entanglement of Armament Haki.

This youth was not just a freak of nature with divine strength; he had also mastered Armament Haki at this age.

Armament Haki, even he hadn't managed to master it.

"Captain!"

"Captain Kuro!!"

Some pirates dropped their weapons in a panic, turning to jump into the sea and escape; others among Kuro's loyal followers went red-eyed, roaring as they raised their weapons and charged at Amon.

Amon expressionlessly brought his blade down as his hands moved.

One slash, two slashes, three slashes.

Every slash precisely harvested a life, with no superfluous movements and not a single ounce of strength wasted.

In a short moment, those loyal pirates all collapsed in pools of blood.

The remaining pirates lost all courage to resist, throwing down their weapons and kneeling on the ground while trembling.

The Captain of the merchant ship stumbled out from the corner, grabbed Amon's hand with an ecstatic face, and said with a trembling voice: "Benefactor! Thank you so much! You saved the lives of everyone on our ship!"

The pirates had premeditated it and came too fast; they didn't even have time to launch a bombardment before being boarded and dragged into close-quarters combat.

However, the next instant, Captain Roma was pushed aside by the people who had regained their composure.

Some swarmed around Amon, while others rushed up in excitement and grabbed Amon, giving him a solid hug whose softness at the chest almost made Amon unable to breathe.

Amon's mind went blank for a moment.

Still, what would happen even if it came a few more times?

But more people sat paralyzed on the ground, hugging their loved ones and crying loudly;

A sorrowful atmosphere was spreading.

Amon's mood couldn't help but sink a bit as well.

At this time, Sanji and Zeff also hurried up from the cargo hold.

Sanji rushed over excitedly: "Wow, Big Brother Amon... you're amazing!"

He raised his head, his eyes flashing with undisguised adoration: "Cut in half with a single slash, you're simply like a legendary master swordsman!"

"Hahaha~" Amon's vanity was immensely satisfied as he patted Sanji's head: "I'm still far from being a master swordsman."

Zeff looked back and forth at Amon from the side without speaking, but in his heart, his evaluation of this young man rose by another level.

Being able to master Armament Haki at the age of fourteen or fifteen, this talent could be considered top-tier throughout the entire Grand Line.

When he said before that he wanted to change the world, looking at it now, perhaps it really wasn't just the wild talk of youth and arrogance.

11: Source Energy Rules for Developing Hypnosis

Source Energy rules, developing Hypnosis

"Benefactor, my name is Roma, this is the reward from our Hain Mercantile Association, you must accept it."

Captain Roma returned, carrying a heavy money bag in his hand.

The mouth of the bag was open at one corner, revealing a thick stack of Berries, which, at a rough estimate, was at least over one million.

"Captain Roma, you don't need to be so polite, just call me Amon. As for this money..."

Amon swept his gaze around the people still crying on the deck and sighed softly.

"No need to give it to me, distribute it to these people who have lost their families."

"Is that so? Good!" Roma was stunned, then nodded heavily, a deep layer of respect added to the look he gave Amon.

One million Berries—how many people couldn't save up this amount in a lifetime, yet Amon gave it up just like that, without even blinking his eyelids.

"Big Brother Amon, you are a kind person." Sanji couldn't help praising.

Saving everyone's lives, yet distributing the reward to complete strangers who suffered disasters. He had never seen such a person.

"It's not that exaggerated, it's just that I don't lack this bit."

Amon laughed heartily, reached out and rubbed Sanji's head, messing up that head of blonde hair even more.

Adding up the bounties of Kuro's entire crew, plus the loot scavenged from the ship of the Black Cat Pirates, it was enough for him to get wildly rich in one go.

Five million Berries right now was not like that hyper-inflationary grand era when the plot started; this sum of money could already be considered a huge fortune in the East Blue.

With this money, he could modify the ship of the Black Cat Pirates and use it as his own vehicle.

This small boat right now was truly too cramped; the three of them—himself, Sanji, and Zeff—couldn't even stretch their legs when sleeping.

Thinking of this, Amon looked at Roma: "Captain Roma, where is the nearest town around here?"

"The nearest one is Shells Town, which can be reached by sailing northeast for half a day, and we will also return there to rest later." Roma hurriedly answered.

"Good." Amon nodded, "Please trouble Captain Roma to arrange some people to help me bring along the corpses and captives of these pirates, as well as their ship."

Roma naturally agreed readily, immediately instructing the sailors to clean the deck, collect the remains, and tally the captives.

Although those surviving sailors still had lingering fear, they worked exceptionally hard—after all, their lives were saved by Amon, and this bit of hardship was nothing.

"Big Brother Amon, who is he?"

Seeing that Amon was done, Sanji curiously pointed at Jango, who was standing by the ship's railing with a dull gaze.

"He's also a pirate, caught by me. If you hadn't mentioned it, I almost forgot about him."

Amon slapped his forehead, stepped forward, and snapped his fingers.

"Snap!"

Jango gave a sudden shudder, his consciousness returning from chaos.

He blinked his eyes, his memory still lingering on the last moment before being hypnotized, and subconsciously cursed: "What a hateful brat! How dare you toy with me!"

The next instant, a cold touch came from the back of his neck.

Amon asked with a smile: "What did you say?"

"N... Nothing." Jango swallowed a mouthful of saliva, cold sweat sliding down his temples.

That's not right, wasn't he just inside the cabin?

How did he end up on the deck in the blink of an eye?

Also, where are the people of the Black Cat Pirates?

Where is Kuro?

At this moment, a sailor approached holding a head, respectfully requesting of Amon: "Lord Amon, if we are to bring along the ship of the Black Cat Pirates, it's best to hang Kuro's head on the mast. That way the Marine can see at a glance that we have wiped out the pirates, avoiding being mistaken for pirate accomplices and attacked."

"Lord Amon? That's not right... This is Kuro's head?" Jango's pupils suddenly shrank.

He was too familiar with that face; that pirate Kuro who was threatening him and forcing him to join up in the cabin a day ago, was right now being held in the hand of a sailor, his eyes wide open, dying with grievances unredressed.

Jango only felt like crying without tears.

Kuro, whose speed was so fast that even he couldn't see clearly, actually died just like that, so ordinarily, at the hands of the youth in front of him?

Failing to even leave a scratch on the opponent.

Since you're so strong, why didn't you appear earlier!

"Do whatever you think is best." Amon waved his hand indifferently; anyway, as long as it could be exchanged for money, it was fine.

Saying that, he raised his foot and kicked Jango on the butt, sending Jango stumbling: "Tie this one up too, he is also from the Black Cat Pirates."

He was very curious if Jango could still join the Marine like in the original plot and mingle his way to Marineford.

Jango remained silent, letting the surrounding sailors bind him tightly.

Kuro had been hacked to death by the opponent, and for him to still be alive was already considered fortunate.

A moment later, the two ships set sail again.

On the deck of the Black Cat Pirates' ship.

Amon asked with some worry: "Mr. Zeff, is your body alright?"

He planned to use Hypnosis to develop his potential, but to avoid going berserk and causing unnecessary destruction, he needed Zeff to keep an eye on him nearby.

Zeff leaned on his cane and snorted: "Rest assured, even if this old man can't beat you, temporarily holding you back is still doable."

"OK."

Amon nodded and gathered his thoughts.

At this moment, a System prompt popped up at the edge of Amon's vision.

【Source Energy +19.】

【Current Source Energy: 25】

Amon raised an eyebrow.

Before the second day even arrived, he harvested Source Energy again; this 19 points was clearly from the instant feedback of this incident.

In this way, the way to obtain Source Energy in the future would be much more flexible than imagined.

Moreover, having so much Source Energy coming in right after hacking Kuro, once this matter was publicized, the Source Energy obtained daily would definitely rise to a new level!

"The future is the future, the present is the present; the top priority is to see the limit of Hypnosis."

Amon gathered his thoughts, stared at his fingers, and muttered:

"After Hypnosis, my potential will be developed, and I will become stronger, strong to my limit! Furthermore, I possess enough sanity and will absolutely not lose control!"

Sanji watched in utter confusion, leaning close to Zeff and asking in a low voice: "Old man, what is Big Brother Amon doing?"

"Trying to become stronger through intent via the method of Hypnosis." Zeff stared fixedly at Amon and answered in a deep voice.

"Is that even okay? Isn't this just deceiving oneself?"

"You're wrong, brat." Zeff's tone turned rarely serious, "In this world, the power of will is infinite. Do not underestimate your own will, and even less underestimate Amon's will."

If it were him when he was young, he would only sneer at such a statement.

But he had witnessed the power of will with his own eyes—Armament Haki.

Especially since Amon had already mastered this power, he didn't dare speak lightly on whether it would succeed.

"Hypnosis!"

Amon waved his fingers and activated the power of Hypnosis.

The next instant.

Amon's eyes sank, blue veins bulged all over his body, his muscles swelled up, and his whole body's strength was surging, violently increasing, wildly increasing!!!

He raised his foot and stomped.

"Boom!!!"

The nearly half-meter-thick, incomparably tough deck instantly exploded as if hit by a cannonball, wood chips flying everywhere, wood fragments splashing several meters away!

"So amazing! It actually works!!"

Sanji widened his eyes in disbelief.

Just by believing in oneself, one could burst out with even stronger power? This was simply unimaginable!

Zeff didn't make a sound, but his fingers gripping the cane tightened slightly, enough to show the lack of tranquility in his heart.

12 Developing Entries, Hot-Blooded Morgan

"Hahaha, such violent power!"

Amon couldn't help but laugh heartily.

He could clearly feel that his strength had soared by at least three times under the Hypnosis state.

His muscle fibers were tightened to the limit by an invisible force, and every inch of his bones and muscles was emitting a pleasant resonance.

Even if this was only a short-lived burst state, it was enough to become a trump card kept at the bottom of the box.

The only drawback was that he had to be careful not to let the enemy also get strengthened by Hypnosis.

Otherwise, things would get really interesting.

"Come again. After Hypnosis, my control over my body will increase. I can control blood flow, strengthen muscles, and master Iron Body, Hypnosis!"

"Hum."

Amon activated the Hypnosis skill once more. This time, he felt the entire world had changed.

The 【Weather Perception】 entry, which was originally extremely sensitive to external information, seemed to have shifted from the outside to the inside.

He no longer perceived wind direction and humidity, but instead perceived himself. The blood flow inside his body was clearly visible, resembling surging rivers;

every slight tremor of his muscles, every exertion of his fascia, every breath of his internal organs—everything was rendered in vivid detail within his perception.

"The development direction of the entries is far broader than I imagined."

Amon sighed with emotion.

【Weather Perception】, which was originally used to perceive weather changes with the body, was now, under the development of 【Hypnosis】, perceiving changes within itself inwardly.

"Perhaps... I can use 【Weather Perception】, combined with Hypnosis, and special training to first try and master Observation Haki."

A thought suddenly flashed through Amon's mind.

He suppressed this sudden idea of his and first focused his attention on the experiment before him.

He tried to accelerate his blood flow, pouring it into his arms.

His arms visibly expanded a bit, his muscle lines became more distinct, and his skin tightened.

"Mr. Zeff, kick me and see. Don't use too much force, I want to feel the strength of my current state."

Amon crossed his arms, assuming a defensive posture.

"Good!" Zeff nodded.

Before his voice fell, he had already appeared in front of Amon. That intact thigh tore through the air like a battle axe, hacking down with a whistling wind.

"Thud!!"

A muffled impact exploded.

Amon stepped back, stabilizing his retreating figure, and the tightened blood in his arms also dispersed accordingly.

But instead, he smiled.

Because, it didn't hurt.

Although Zeff's kick, which wasn't at full strength, was heavy and powerful, he still easily defended against it.

At that exact moment, by accelerating his blood flow and tensing his muscles, he gave his muscles a higher level of strength.

This was definitely the principle of Iron Body.

Continuing deeper with this principle, plus the continuous enhancements provided by the entries, he would soon be able to master Iron Body, the simplest of the Rokushiki.

"This is..." Zeff's face showed a look of surprise.

The feeling of that kick just now didn't feel like kicking human muscle tissue, but rather like kicking a piece of soft metal, coexisting with toughness and hardness.

"The Iron Body of the Rokushiki, quite miraculous, right?" Amon explained, "I heard my family mention it, and figured it out a bit on my own. But the drawback is also very obvious; because it's a charged defense, I can't move."

"Quite miraculous." Zeff nodded.

He knew about the Rokushiki; those were the iconic ultimate techniques of the elites of Marineford, and the generals who mastered the Rokushiki were all monsters capable of destroying cities and countries.

Precisely because he knew, he felt Amon was even more extraordinary.

At such a young age, to be able to figure out the embryonic form of Iron Body entirely based on someone else's description was in itself a monster-like talent.

"Mr. Zeff, come again!"

Amon waved his hand, his eyes burning with blazing fighting spirit.

Time quietly slipped away amidst kick after kick and defense after defense.

Until the setting sun dyed the entire sea surface a golden-red, the outline of land gradually emerged on the distant horizon.

"Big Brother Amon! Land! We're about to reach land!"

Sanji was exceptionally excited, leaning over the ship's railing and craning his neck to look. Trapped on the uninhabited island for two months, he now couldn't wait to step onto a normal island and smell the mortal aura of human civilization.

Amon stopped his movements and looked out into the distance.

That was a medium-sized port town. White houses were built against the mountain, overlapping and covering the hillside layer upon layer. Boats of all sizes were moored in the port, and the lights on the shore were beginning to twinkle on.

At the same time, a Marine warship was patrolling in the offshore waters.

The lookout on the mast spotted Amon and the others approaching, and the alarm instantly resounded through the entire warship.

"It's pirates!!!"

"Prepare for battle!!!"

"Master Sergeant Morgan! Pirates are coming! They even hijacked a merchant ship!"

"It's the one that left port this morning!"

"..."

After seeing the flag of the Black Cat Pirates clearly, the Marine soldier in the lookout tower reported downward hurriedly with obvious tension in his voice.

"Don't panic, I am here!"

A steady and powerful voice came from the deck.

"Notify the Second Lieutenant and the others, artillery adjust angles, prepare to shell!"

The speaker was a young military officer nearly three meters tall with a stalwart physique. He wore a neat Marine uniform with a square jaw, and his brows exuded a natural air of authority. While giving orders, he took the telescope handed over by his adjutant and looked towards the direction of the enemy ship.

In the lens of the telescope, the ship flying the flag of the Black Cat Pirates was sailing over slowly.

But Morgan quickly noticed something wrong. That pirate flag had been slashed open by a knife, and the tattered flag was fluttering weakly in the wind. At the top of the mast, a ferocious-looking head was impressively hanging.

Morgan adjusted the focal length and saw that face clearly.

It was impressively Captain Kuro of the Black Cat Pirates.

That head had its eyes wide open and its mouth slightly agape, as if it hadn't figured out how it lost until death.

Morgan's pupils shrank slightly.

He continued moving the telescope, seeing a dozen pirate corpses neatly placed on the deck, as well as several captives tied to the mast.

The gun turrets on both sides of the ship were all turned backward, with the muzzles pointing at the empty sea, obviously unattended.

Looking again at the adjacent merchant ship, although the sailors standing on the deck looked tired, they had no fear of being coerced.

Morgan slowly lowered the telescope and decisively ordered:

"Lift the alert! The Black Cat Pirates have been wiped out. Report the situation to the Second Lieutenant, and say someone has come to collect the bounty."

"Yes!"

A moment later, the ship docked.

Morgan personally led a team of fully armed Marines and boarded the deck of the merchant ship.

As soon as his tall and large figure appeared, the air on the deck seemed to freeze slightly.

Morgan said in a deep voice: "Everyone, don't be nervous. I am Master Sergeant Morgan of Marine Branch 153. I'm just here to understand the specific details of what happened."

Everyone's gazes simultaneously turned toward Amon.

From the moment he killed Kuro, Amon had quietly become everyone's backbone.

Morgan's gaze naturally fell upon the young man standing at the bow of the ship.

Morgan strode forward and stopped in front of Amon. He leaned down slightly and extended a wide palm: "Kid, did you kill Kuro?"

Axe-Hand Morgan? Is he just a Master Sergeant right now?

Amon looked the other person up and down, extended his hand, and shook hands with Morgan: "Yeah, just call me Amon. Ran into him by accident, and now I'm here to exchange for the bounty."

The moment their palms grasped each other, a System panel quietly popped up.

【Target: Morgan】

【Entry: Strong Physique (Blue)】

【Skill: Shooting (Proficient), Axe Skill (Proficient), Command (Beginner)】

Amon glanced at it quickly, and already had a judgment in his heart.

The blue entry 【Strong Physique】 was indeed worthy of this nearly three-meter-tall build, but it was no longer useful to him. According to his previous experiences, low-level entries of the same type would be overwritten by higher-level entries. He already had the dual blessings of 【Robust Physique (Blue)】 and 【Genetic Modification (Gold)】, so downloading another ordinary 【Strong Physique】 would purely be a waste of Source Energy.

Chapter 13: The Unseen Deserter King, Target Goa Kingdom

"Really..."

Morgan's pupils constricted slightly.

The youth in front of him looked to be only fourteen or fifteen years old; although his figure was slender and upright, he didn't exhibit that kind of exaggerated muscle definition.

If he hadn't seen Kuro's head hanging right there on the mast with his own eyes, coupled with everyone's reactions around pointing to the same answer—

Morgan would find it hard to believe that such a youth could take down Black Cat Kuro with a bounty of five million Berries.

He hadn't even sustained a single injury himself, making it hard to imagine just how powerful the other party would become in the future.

A trace of fervent passion flashed deep within his eyes.

Such a promising talent, it would be great if he could join the Marine.

"Thanks to your intervention, little brother Amon." Morgan shook Amon's hand firmly, his tone sincere, "Otherwise, I'm afraid no one on this ship would have survived. As for the bounty matter, it's completely not a problem."

He released his hand, looking at Amon with burning eyes, and changed the subject: "However, are you interested in joining our branch? With your strength, you'll soon achieve military exploits, and promotion to the headquarters will be a piece of cake."

Amon smiled slightly and politely declined: "There's no need for that. I still have to go look for a Great Swordsman to learn swordsmanship. In the future, perhaps I will consider joining the Marine."

Hearing this, a trace of regret appeared on Morgan's face, but he didn't push: "Alright, everyone has their own aspirations. But if you change your mind, Branch 153 always welcomes you."

Amon nodded, but felt some emotional resonance in his heart.

The passionate and upright Master Sergeant Morgan in front of him was simply like two different people compared to that cruel, domineering, and people-oppressing Axe-Hand Morgan in the original plot.

He glanced at Jango, who was tied up on the deck.

"Jango, you brat have committed every evil deed!"

Thinking of this, Amon pointed at Jango and specially instructed: "This person possesses Hypnosis abilities, and it activates extremely fast, but it requires the aid of some prop to be deployed. You all need to be extra careful."

"Huh?"

Jango suddenly widened his eyes, his brain exploding with a buzz.

"How do you know?"

"No, could that lost memory of mine be because I was hypnotized?"

"That's right, this makes sense now, this guy can also use Hypnosis!"

"That's why he was able to control me while I was caught off guard!"

"But how on earth did he figure out that I can use Hypnosis?"

"I clearly haven't even had time to show it in front of anyone yet..."

Jango couldn't figure it out at all, even forgetting to cry out his grievance, kneeling blankly on the ground, falling into a deep self-doubt.

Meanwhile, Morgan's eyes lit up, instantly realizing Jango's value.

If they could use this person's Hypnosis ability to interrogate captured pirates and pry out their lairs and bottom lines, wouldn't Branch 153's bandit-suppression efficiency multiply several times over?

"Thanks for the reminder! We will discipline him properly!" Morgan nodded solemnly.

Amon seized the opportunity to ask: "Right, are there any good craftsmen in town? I just went out to sea not long ago, and I plan to modify the Black Cat Pirates' ship to continue using it."

"No wonder you brought the Black Cat Pirates' ship along as well. In that case, just modify it at our Marine base, everything is free!" Morgan took full responsibility, patting his chest, "Amon, you haven't been to the Marine base yet, right? Why not come and take a look at our base? I guarantee it's grander than you think!"

"No need, just hand it over to me after you guys process it. I plan to stroll around Shells Town." Amon refused.

The Deserter King Koby broke free from Alvida's clutches ten years later and brought Luffy to Shells Town, which meant there was a high probability he was active in this sea area.

That Deserter King's talent of two hundred times effort was something one couldn't afford not to taste.

Although it was still early now, what if he happened to run into some clues?

"Alright then, what kind of modifications do you want for the ship?" Morgan didn't force the issue and changed the subject of his question.

Amon thought about it. He originally wanted to say simple and generous would be fine, but a flash of an image suddenly crossed his mind—Garp's humorous dog-headed warship.

The corners of his mouth curved up slightly, and he changed his mind: "Keep it simple, remove the Black Cat Pirates' emblem, and change the figurehead to... a husky. Do you know what a husky is?"

"A husky?" Morgan was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized, "Oh, you mean that kind of dog that looks really silly? Black and white colored, with a particularly foolish look in its eyes?"

"That's right, that's the one." Amon nodded with a smile.

"Garp, I've decided you're my master."

Start with the same model dog-headed ship, and slowly move closer to you in the future.

"No problem, leave it to me." Morgan readily agreed.

"You can spend a bit more money, but I must set sail again by tomorrow at the latest."

"If it's just one day, I'll have to get a few craftsmen to work simultaneously, and the cost might be a bit higher."

"Is one million enough?"

"It doesn't have to be that much. Aside from Kuro, the bounties of everyone else in the Black Cat Pirates added together should be enough to cover it." Morgan waved his hand, signaling Amon not to worry about the budget.

The two confirmed some details and contact methods again, and Morgan then carried Kuro's head, escorted a group of Black Cat Pirates captives, and returned to the Marine base in a grand manner.

Watching the Marines go far away, Amon stretched and turned to greet: "Mr. Zeff, Sanji, let's go taste if there's any special food in this town!"

"Coming, Big Brother Amon!" Sanji immediately perked up and trotted along to catch up.

"Hey hey hey, take care of this disabled old man!" Zeff carried a huge parcel and limped along behind them.

That night passed without incident.

The next morning.

Shells Town.

"Damn Oda, he didn't even bother to fill in Koby's childhood information."

Woken up by Morgan, Amon walked listlessly toward the port.

Yesterday, refusing to give up, he searched Shells Town for most of the night, cautiously peeping into every household.

He couldn't even find a single strand of Koby's pink hair.

"Little brother Amon, come look at your ship!"

Morgan's voice came from afar.

Amon looked over in the direction of the voice.

That original ship of the Black Cat Pirates was completely unrecognizable from its original appearance.

The hull was repainted dark blue, the damages on the deck had been fully repaired, and what caught the eye most was the bow.

That original black cat statue had turned into a black and white husky with heterochromatic pupils.

That husky was sticking out its tongue, its gaze dull, tilting its head to look forward, its expression exuding a natural foolishness.

Clearly a majestic pirate ship, after being matched with this figurehead, its entire temperament suddenly became friendly.

The long sail on the mast was replaced with a black and white canvas, and on the flag fluttering at the top, it also embroidered a husky head sticking out its tongue and looking immensely foolish.

"This..." Sanji opened his mouth, momentarily not knowing what words to use to describe his current mood.

Zeff was silent for a moment, and slowly spat out two words: "Good dog."

Amon nodded with satisfaction and patted the husky on the bow: "Not bad, very energetic!"

"As long as you're satisfied, little brother Amon." Morgan handed over a leather suitcase, "This is the bounty of the entire Black Cat Pirates. After deducting the modification costs, there are about 5.1 million Berries left. You can count it."

Amon took the suitcase, which felt heavy in his hand. Without opening it to count, he handed it directly to Zeff behind him: "Troubled you, Mr. Morgan. Goodbye."

Just as he was about to turn around and board the ship, a burst of noisy footsteps suddenly came from behind.

"Wait!!!"

"Benefactor!!!"

"Please wait a moment!!!"

A group of people carrying large and small bags surged over from the direction of the town entrance. Walking at the very front was Captain Roma, carrying two large baskets of fresh fruit in his hands, followed by women holding freshly baked bread, bacon, and cheese, while children held colorful wildflowers.

Amon's eyelids twitched, and he decisively decided: "Mr. Zeff, quick! Weigh anchor! Run!"

He grabbed the still-dazed Sanji and rushed onto the deck in three steps two.

Although Zeff's legs were inconvenient, his movements weren't slow at all; with a single hand prop, he vaulted onto the gunwale, and his other hand had already yanked the mooring rope off the bollard.

By the time Roma and his party rushed to the pier out of breath, the ship was already three or four meters away from the shore, slowly sailing away from the port in the morning breeze.

"Benefactor! Have a safe journey!!!"

"Mr. Amon! Remember to come to Shells Town to hang out when you have time!!!"

"Thank you for saving our families!!!"

"..."

Seeing that they couldn't catch up anymore, the people on the shore waved their arms, some shouting loudly, some silently weeping, and others making blessing gestures on their chests.

Amon stood at the stern of the ship, not speaking, just silently waving.

He finally understood that second-generation rich kid collecting rent in Guangdong whom he knew online in his previous life.

Why whenever there were disasters everywhere, he was always the first person to spend his own money to buy supplies and personally deliver them to the disaster-stricken area.

This feeling of being genuinely appreciated and sincerely blessed was something money could not buy.

The sea breeze blew past, stirring the stray bangs in front of his forehead.

Until the figures on the shore gradually shrank into a blurry black line, Amon turned around, facing the open sea ahead, and shouted with raised arms:

"Little ones! Set sail——Target, Goa Kingdom!!!"

"Oh oh oh! Set sail!" Sanji echoed with a booming voice.

Chapter 14: Goa Kingdom is so impolite.

...

Ten days later.

Off the coast of Goa Kingdom.

The husky sailed out from under a rain cloud.

There was a noticeable crack on the left side of the hull, as if it had been violently struck by something.

The canvas on the mast also had several large tears, snapping loudly in the sea breeze like an old, patch-repaired flag.

The deck was still littered with seawater and debris from last night's storm, and a few small fish washed up by the waves were still twitching their tails futilely in the cracks of the deck.

"Big Brother Amon, we actually... survived!!"

Sanji wiped his wet hair, revealing a face full of relief.

Recalling last night's experience still sent lingering shivers down his spine.

That unprecedented, massive storm had come without warning, the tsunami-driven waves higher than the ship, and the black seawater pressing down from the horizon like a moving high wall.

He had hugged the mast tightly at the time, with only one thought in his mind.

It was over; this time he was really going to be buried in the sea.

Yet at the most critical moment.

Big Brother Amon took over the steering wheel, precisely navigating the dangerous currents amidst the perilous, raging waves, forcibly finding a path to survival from the narrow gap between two giant waves.

That was simply not something a human could do.

It could simply be called a miracle.

Zeff leaned against the ship's rail, his whole body soaked as well.

But he didn't care to wring out his clothes, simply looking at Amon with a brand-new gaze, his tone carrying a bit of heartfelt exclamation:

"Little Brother Amon, with such brilliant navigation skills of yours, you don't need an old fellow like me at all... When you brought me along back then, were you afraid I wouldn't survive?"

"Uh." Amon's mouth twitched, completely not expecting Zeff to overthink to this extent, and quickly waved his hand to explain, "No, no, Mr. Zeff, you've misunderstood.

I'm just relatively sensitive to weather changes, and my practical hands-on experience is actually severely lacking.

Otherwise, I wouldn't have run into you guys on that godforsaken deserted island back then."

"Is that so?" Zeff stroked his beard doubtfully.

Amon decisively changed the subject: "Right, Mr. Zeff, let's see where we are now? How far are we from the Goa Kingdom?"

Zeff stopped probing further, pulling out a brass sextant from his bosom, calibrating his position based on the rising sun, and then buried his head in calculations over the nautical chart while muttering to himself.

"Hmm... Although that storm last night almost cost us our lives, it also gave us a huge push."

His rough fingers traced an arc across the nautical chart, finally landing on a marked point: "We are right here now, less than twenty nautical miles away from Dong Island, where the Goa Kingdom is located."

"We've finally arrived."

Amon let out a long sigh of relief, his tense shoulders relaxing slightly.

Twenty minutes later, the massive silhouette of the Goa Kingdom had already emerged on the horizon.

It was a magnificent city built on a hillside, its white city walls shining brilliantly in the sunlight, and its uneven, staggered roofs reflecting dazzling light.

Viewed from afar, the entire city resembled a meticulously carved gemstone embedded among emerald-colored mountains.

Goa Kingdom

However, as soon as the ship sailed into the near-port waters, a patrol speedboat aggressively greeted them.

The guards on the deck raised a megaphone and roared condescendingly:

"Unfamiliar vessel, stop!"

"Your ship is too dirty, docking at the Central Street Coast is prohibited!"

"Dock at the Gray Terminal to the south!"

The guard's finger rudely pointed toward the smoke-shrouded area on the right side of the island.

Mountains of waste piled up there; worn-out wooden planks, rusted iron sheets, and rotting domestic garbage stacked layer upon layer into small hills, stretching boundlessly as far as the eye could see.

Amon gazed into that area, his eyes flashing slightly.

The Gray Terminal is still here, which means the Celestial Dragons haven't arrived yet.

In other words, the three brothers of Luffy are currently still acting as scavengers in the Gray Terminal.

"The Goa Kingdom really hasn't changed at all."

Zeff stood beside Amon, his tone carrying undisguised disdain,

"Stating with their mouths that they are an immaculate kingdom within the borders, the most beautiful country in the East Blue.

In reality, it's just clearing all non-compliant things out of the national borders.

Garbage or poor people, out of sight out of mind, that's what they call beauty."

He turned to look at Amon: "Little brother, want to cause a ruckus?"

"No need." Amon shook his head: "Let's go, to the Gray Terminal."

He was here to copy entries, not to cause trouble.

"I wonder if 491 points of source energy is enough to use?"

Amon glanced at the balance of the System panel.

The fame brought by slaying Kuro, after fermenting over these ten days, brought him nearly five hundred points of source energy income.

This growth rate was something he had never experienced before, worthy of being called an unprecedentedly high amount.

Ten minutes later.

The husky docked at a relatively flat spot in the Gray Terminal.

"Little brother Amon, rest assured and go, I will repair the ship."

"Big Brother Amon, come back early!"

Zeff and Sanji stayed behind on the ship.

"Then I'll leave it to you, Mr. Zeff, Sanji."

Giving a word of instruction, Amon jumped off the ship alone, stepping onto this land abandoned by the Goa Kingdom.

Before walking two steps, a group of people surged out from the shadows of the garbage mountain, surrounding him tightly.

The leader was a bald, fierce-looking brawny man holding a rusted scimitar, followed by a dozen punks holding iron pipes and wooden clubs.

"Kid, hand over the money on you!" The bald brawny man smiled hideously and approached two steps: "Also, besides the three of you, who else is on your ship? Honestly confess, otherwise hmph hmph!"

Amon smiled helplessly: "The local help is too impolite."

Before the words fell, his figure had already moved.

Without drawing his blade, it was purely fists and kicks.

The first punk had his swung iron pipe dodged by Amon sidestepping, and a backhand punch landed on his head.

"Boom..."

The punk's head exploded like a watermelon struck by a heavy hammer, and white-and-red mixed tissues sprayed radially across the faces of the punks behind him.

That headless body swayed in place twice, fell backward to the ground, and emitted a dull impact sound.

The warm liquid splashed onto the faces and hands of the remaining punks; the tactile sensation was warm, but it poured over everyone's heads like a basin of ice water.

The hideous smiles on their faces froze, their hands holding weapons began to tremble uncontrollably, and their legs were nailed in place like they were poured with lead; not a single person dared to take another step forward.

They understood that this time they had truly provoked someone they couldn't afford to offend.

The flesh on the bald boss's face twitched a few times, squeezing out a smile that was uglier than crying: "M-Milord... Can we still reconcile? I am willing to offer all my treasures, all to you!"

"That's right, that's right, we are willing too."

"Milord!!"

"..."

The punks knelt all over the ground, kowtowing like pounding garlic.

"Quiet."

Amon's tone was calm: "I ask, you answer. Otherwise, you die."

The bald brawny man let out a sigh of relief, even his voice trembling: "Ask away, Milord! There is no one in the Gray Terminal that I am not familiar with."

"Do you know the three kids Ace, Sabo, and Luffy?"

"I know, I know!" The bald man nodded quickly, fearing that being a beat slower would land him the same fate as his underlings,

"Those three notorious little runts are frequently active around this area, and many of us have suffered losses at their hands.

You're also looking to cause trouble for them, Milord, right?

Then you've come at just the right time; the Blue Sapphire Pirates are also looking for them,

Captain Bluejam has put out word that he's going to teach those three little runts a lesson, you mustn't miss it."

Amon's gaze flashed slightly.

Blue Sapphire Pirates...

He remembered that in the original plot, Bluejam and Ace's group had two conflicts.

The first time Ace and the others won, and the second time the three of them were captured, with Sabo being taken back to the city by his father.

"Thank you."

Amon politely thanked him.

The bald brawny man instantly let out a sigh of relief, his tense body relaxing.

"There is one last thing."

"What thing? Milord, please speak?"

"What I hate most is admitting mistakes after the fact!!"

Amon raised his foot and dropped it heavily.

"Bang!!"

"Run!!"

The surrounding punks were scared out of their wits, fleeing in all directions without any thought of resistance.

Seconds later, the place quieted down again, and Amon left expressionlessly.

He certainly didn't want enemies he had offended to track down Bellmère and Nami one day.

Therefore, cutting weeds by the roots was the best choice.

15: The Blue Sapphire Pirates Annihilated

Amon walked in the direction pointed out by the bald man for about five minutes before the sound of fierce fighting echoed from among the trash mountains ahead.

“Charge!!”

“You bastards...!”

Amon quickened his pace, rounding a pile of discarded timber, and the scene ahead came into full view.

Three young figures, holding steel pipes, were fighting their way back and forth through a surrounding crowd of grown, burly men.

The leading boy had black hair and determined eyes, swinging his steel pipe so forcefully it whistled through the air.

The blonde boy beside him coordinated with him in perfect sync; the two stood back-to-back, covering each other and repeatedly forcing the besieging men back.

The youngest boy, wearing a straw hat, fought in the most reckless manner. He didn't dodge or evade, taking the burly men's blows head-on and using his own body to strike back as if he couldn't feel pain at all, grinning as he charged back every time he was pushed back a couple of steps.

It was none other than Ace, Sabo, and Luffy.

Although the crowd of burly men surrounding them was large, they were clearly holding back.

They didn't use the swords they carried, relying only on fists, kicks, and wooden clubs. They seemed to have reservations, not daring to actually injure any of the three children.

“It looks like the Blue Sapphire Pirates were hired by Sabo's father to capture Sabo.” Amon instantly understood the situation, speeding up his steps.

On the battlefield, a look of impatience had already appeared on Bluejam's face.

He pulled out a flintlock pistol and pulled the trigger toward Ace's group.

“Bang!!”

The bullet struck the ground in front of the trio, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Startled by the gunshot, the three froze momentarily before quickly ducking behind nearby cover.

Bluejam burst into laughter: “Kuhuhu, that's more like it. Kids should just stay put obediently!”

Taking advantage of the moment, the surrounding pirates rushed forward, working in groups of two or three to pin Luffy and the other two firmly to the ground.

“Let me go!!” Luffy struggled desperately, but the strength of a seven- or eight-year-old child was no match for grown men, and he was held down completely unable to move.

Ace and Sabo were likewise pinned down.

Just then, an amused voice drifted in from the outer edge of the crowd.

“Hey, hey, hey. A bunch of adults bullying kids? Isn't that a bit too shameless?”

Bluejam whipped his head around.

He saw a figure crash into the crowd like a cannonball, kicking the back of the pirate behind Luffy.

With a sharp crack, the pirate's spine bent at an impossible angle. He flew seven or eight meters backward, crashing into the pile of trash behind him, coughing up blood, clearly not going to survive.

Amon landed and, without pausing, grabbed the heads of the two pirates holding Ace and Sabo, slamming them together with force.

“Crack!”

A dull bone-cracking sound rang out, like two wet wooden stakes being crushed by immense force.

The two pirates didn't even have time to groan. Their eyes bulged out as they collapsed limply to the ground, dark red blood foaming from their mouths and noses as they fell into a deep, baby-like slumber.

“Big brother, you're so amazing!!” Luffy scrambled up from the ground, looking up at Amon with shining eyes, stars practically popping out of them.

“Thank you, benefactor!” Ace and Sabo exchanged a glance, both pleasantly surprised and bewildered.

They had never seen this face before. Who was this person?

Why did he save them?

“Where did this brat come from?!” Bluejam's face instantly darkened, and he roared, “Boys, get him! Hack him to death!!!”

“Ohhhh!!”

“Mind your own business, kid, you're asking for death!”

“Hehehe...”

“...”

Having been held back for so long, the pirates drew their swords and cutlasses. The blades formed a wave of bright steel under the sunlight as they surged menacingly toward Amon.

“Interesting.”

An excited smile curled on Amon's lips. He drew the long saber from his waist and, without looking back, shouted to the three kids behind him,

“You three brats retreat first, I'll catch up shortly!”

“No way!!” Luffy refused on the spot, picking up his steel pipe and preparing to charge forward. “Big brother, it's too dangerous for you alone!”

“That's right!” Sabo also raised his steel pipe, his eyes resolute. “We aren't the type of guys who abandon our benefactors!”

Ace didn't speak, but his feet remained firmly planted. He gripped his steel pipe so tightly his knuckles turned white, showing his stance through action.

Amon was slightly taken aback, then smiled.

“I'm actually a little touched, but it's really not necessary.”

Before his voice could fade, he had already plunged into the crowd, sweeping his blade in a horizontal arc.

The blade reflected a cold light in the sun, blooming in his hand like a crescent moon.

Beautiful, and lethal!

Snap! Snap! Snap! Snap!,

Slash! Slash! Slash!,

Steel snapped at the impact, heads flew, and blood sprayed.

During the ten days of sailing,

the two traits, 【Genetic Modification】 and 【Robust Physique】, had continued to work on Amon's adolescent body.

Combined with his persistent training, not only had Amon's height grown to 1.88 meters, but his strength had also vastly improved compared to when he faced Kuro.

With the dimensional-reduction strike brought by 【Emotional Armament】, facing these ordinary pirates now was like a tiger entering a flock of sheep.

Wherever his blade-light passed, weapons snapped, limbs were severed, and blood and organs flew.

The seven or eight pirates rushing at the very front didn't even have time to let out a full scream before collapsing into pools of blood.

Some unlucky survivors were sliced in half at the waist, their upper bodies sliding to the ground as they let out agonizing, heart-wrenching screams.

Blood soaked the soil beneath the trash mountains, and the air grew thick with the heavy stench of rust.

“Even steel was cut through...”

“This is... a master swordsman!”

“What a terrifying guy...”

The remaining pirates halted their charge in unison, their hands holding their swords trembling involuntarily.

No one dared to take another step forward. Some even began to quietly back away, stumbling as they stepped on their companions' corpses.

“So... so amazing!!”

The look in the eyes of Ace and the other two as they watched Amon now held a touch of heartfelt reverence.

“Don't just stand there! Attack! Running away is useless!”

Bluejam realized things were looking bad, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.

But he knew he absolutely could not back down now.

If Sabo got away, his stepping stone to becoming a noble would be shattered.

Drawing his own cutlass, he led the charge toward Amon. “Don't be afraid! He's only one man! All of you, charge with me! You guys, go hack those three brats!”

“Boss Bluejam is right!”

“Charge!!”

The pirates were rallied by their Captain's momentum, temporarily suppressing their fear as they surged toward Amon once more.

Yet, it was futile.

Wherever Amon's blade swept, none could withstand a single blow.

Bluejam watched with a racing heart, unconsciously falling back to the very rear.

This couldn't go on; his own sword was nothing special either.

Perhaps only a legendary Meito could block such slashes!

He was absolutely no match in a head-on clash; he had to find another way.

His gaze drifted past Amon's shoulder, landing on the three kids hiding behind the cover.

Bluejam's eyes lit up. He abruptly backed out of the fray, drew his flintlock pistol from his waist, aimed it at Luffy, and sneered, “Hey, stop right there, stranger swordsman. Otherwise, the brats you're trying to save are going to die!”

“Don't worry about us! Big brother, run!” Sabo shouted.

Luffy stomped his feet in anger: “You despicable bastard!”

Ace gripped his steel pipe tightly, his teeth grinding and the veins on his temples throbbing.

Amon ignored Bluejam's threat entirely. His long saber didn't stop, hacking down two more pirates blocking his path as he walked toward Bluejam step by step.

Each step trod in the pool of blood, making a soft splashing sound.

“Damn it!” A fierce light flashed in Bluejam's eyes. He swung his gun, aimed at Luffy, and pulled the trigger.

Amon's figure blurred, instantly shielding the three children.

“Bang—!!!”

The gunshot echoed through the trash mountains, startling a flock of Crows perched on the debris.

“Big brother!!” The pupils of Ace and the other two contracted in unison as they stared in disbelief at Amon's frozen body.

The bullet hit Amon square in the chest.

However, the expected scene of spraying blood did not occur.

“Clink...”

A crisp metallic clink rang out.

A flattened copper bullet slid down from Amon's body, hitting the ground and bouncing twice.

“Kuku... What?” The sneer that had just surfaced on Bluejam's face instantly froze.

He stared in disbelief at Amon's chest.

Where the bullet had struck, a hole was torn in his clothes, revealing the bronze skin beneath.

Yet there was only a faint white mark on the skin, as if lightly scratched by a fingernail, which was fading at a visible rate and restored to normal in the blink of an eye.

In its place, a fear that seeped from his very marrow welled up in Bluejam's eyes.

His hand holding the gun began to tremble uncontrollably, the barrel shaking like a leaf in the wind.

Even a bullet... couldn't pierce him?

What kind of monster... is this guy?

“Eh!!” The tears in Luffy's eyes also froze.

“It's over.”

Amon lunged forward, hacking down several dazed pirates, and arrived in front of Bluejam.

His long saber was raised high, tracing a perfect arc in the sunlight as it cleaved down with a whistling wind.

Bluejam raised his sword in an attempt to block.

In the next instant,

Slash!

Bluejam's body, along with his sword, was sliced open from his shoulder to his hip.

Organs and blood slowly spilled all over the ground.

“No...” Bluejam let out a final wail.

He couldn't understand.

He had only been doing the same dirty deeds he always did.

How had he run into such a god of death forged of steel today?

The entire field fell into a dead silence.

The remaining pirates stood frozen in place, as if their souls had been sucked out.

Their boss couldn't even withstand a single strike from this man!

Some opened their mouths wide but couldn't make a sound, some felt their legs go weak and fell straight to their knees, while others quickly wet their pants, a dark stain spreading.

Clang...

No one knew whose sword was the first to drop to the ground.

Soon after, a second, a third... the remaining few pirates threw down their weapons one after another, kneeling on the ground and trembling like autumn leaves.

“S-Spare our lives...”

“We surrender! We surrender!”

“Don't kill us...”

Amon remained unmoved, coldly raising his blade and slashing down!

Chapter 16: Luffy's Luxurious Panel

In just a few short seconds, all the pirates fell prostrate to the ground.

Luffy and the other two hadn't thought much of it just moments ago, but now, smelling the thick stench of blood and visceral organs all around them and watching Amon approach step by step,

even though they knew the other party wouldn't attack the three of them, they instinctively felt a bit nervous at this moment.

"Tap, tap, tap..."

Orderly footsteps came from a distance, accompanied by the clashing sounds of metal armor. At least dozens of people were approaching this direction.

Sabo was the first to snap back to reality. Realizing that his father still had a backup plan, he immediately lowered his voice and said, "Benefactor, the people from the Goa Kingdom are here! These pirates are in collusion with the nobles. If we get caught, it'll be troublesome. Please come with us!"

"Luffy, Ace, we need to leave!"

"Got it!"

Amon severed Bluejam's head with a single slash, casually tore off a blue cloak to wrap the head up, carried it in his hand, and quickly followed the three brats' figures, disappearing into the shadows of the trash mountain in the blink of an eye.

In the distance.

"Sir Outlook III, the situation doesn't seem quite right." The leading private captain smelled the intense stench of blood in the air, his brow furrowed tightly, and his right hand already pressed against the hilt of the sword at his waist.

"Oh? Could my son have been hurt?"

Outlook III frowned, his tone carrying clear displeasure,

"Such trashy pirates, failing to even capture a kid."

What he said outwardly was one thing, but what he thought in his heart was entirely another.

It's best not to hurt Sabo's face. Without basic decency, the royal family would never agree to this marriage.

"No, it's not..." The private captain's voice trembled slightly. "The Blue Sapphire Pirates... are all dead."

He lowered his binoculars, a trace of undisguised horror lingering in the depths of his eyes.

"What?!" Outlook III's expression changed, and he questioned with disbelief, "What nonsense are you spouting? Bluejam is a great pirate with a bounty of 14,300,000 Berries! How could he just die like this..."

"It's true." The private captain swallowed hard. "And... it seems he was split in two from head to toe, weapon and all."

Outlook III snatched the binoculars and looked toward the direction of the battlefield.

When he saw the scene in the binoculars, his pupils instantly contracted to the size of pinpoints, and a chill surged straight from his tailbone to his scalp.

Bluejam's mutilated corpse lay in a pool of blood, the broken blade still clutched in his severed hand.

Scattered across the open space around him were more than a dozen pirate corpses, their blood staining the entire ground dark brown.

Bluejam was truly dead.

And it had to happen at this most crucial moment.

When did a powerhouse of this level come to the Goa Kingdom?!

"Retreat! Be on guard!" Outlook III practically roared out the command, his voice carrying a trace of imperceptible trembling.

A moment later.

Deep in Mount Colbo, the dense jungle blocked out the sky, and sunlight filtered through layers of leaves, casting mottled light and shadows.

【Source Energy +50.】

"It actually added so much. It seems that although this pirate's strength was mediocre, his notoriety is definitely not small."

Amon thoughtfully glanced at the head he was holding in his hand.

The greater the influence, the more Source Energy.

"Benefactor, we're here! Please follow us up." Sabo walked under a huge oak tree and waved to signal.

Amon looked up to see a crude yet sturdy treehouse built among the thick branches, secured with wooden planks and vines. A ragged cloth hung at the entrance as a curtain, showing that it was a place where the three kids lived long-term.

"That's right, thanks to you today, otherwise we'd be in big trouble."

Ace also solemnly expressed his gratitude, his tone carrying the relief of having survived a disaster.

He didn't dare to imagine what fate would have awaited the three of them right now if Amon hadn't appeared.

"That's right, that's right, let's have a banquet!!" Luffy chimed in excitedly.

"No need to be so polite, it was just a matter of convenience." Amon waved his hand and introduced himself, "My name is Amon. What are your names? Also, why would a group of pirates target you brats?"

"I am Ace!"

"I am Luffy!"

"I am Sabo." Sabo's face carried a trace of guilt as he lowered his head. "This time it was because of me... My father sent people to capture me..."

Sabo kept it brief and explained the whole story.

"With a dysfunctional family like that, you really have to escape." Amon gave his evaluation. "And with nobles blatantly colluding with pirates, it seems this country is completely rotten to the core."

However, it wasn't just the Goa Kingdom; this world was just as rotten.

Sabo fell silent, and Ace clenched his fists thoughtfully.

Luffy couldn't understand these twists and turns at all. He had been holding back for a long time and eagerly scampered up to Amon, stretching his hands to an incredible degree, his rubber-like arms bouncing back and forth in the air. "Big Brother Amon! Why could you withstand bullets? Is it a Devil Fruit like mine? I am a rubber human who ate the Rubber Fruit!"

Amon pulled on Luffy's incredibly stretchy cheeks with great interest; the texture was miraculous—soft yet resilient.

At the same time, a System panel quietly materialized before his eyes.

, , , , , , , , , ,

【Target】: Monkey D. Luffy

【Trait】: 【Robust Physique】 (White), 【Conqueror's Haki】 (Gold), 【Voice of All Things】 (Gold), 【Supercompensation】 (Gold), 【Sit-up】 (Gold).

【Fruit】: 【Zoan - Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika】 (Divine), Size: 100,000,000M; Current Status: Downloadable.

【Skill】:...

【Conqueror's Haki】 (Gold): Unawakened. Size: 100M;

【Voice of All Things】 (Gold): Unawakened. Size: 100M; Current Status: Downloadable.

【Life Return - Supercompensation】 (Gold) Size: 100M; Current Status: Downloadable.

【Sit-up】 (Gold) Size: 100M; Current Status: Downloadable.

【Conqueror's Haki】 (Gold): Innate kingly aptitude. Merely by one's own "aura," one can intimidate, deter, or even frighten enemies unconscious, and can also directly knock out opponents weaker than oneself and suppress others' Devil Fruit abilities.

【Voice of All Things】 (Gold): Listen to the voices of all things and communicate with animals without barriers.

【Supercompensation】 (Gold): As long as one doesn't die, combat power and vitality can be rapidly restored through massive food consumption.

【Sit-up】 (Gold): Willpower judgment-type exemption; there is a probability of leaving a glimmer of hope on the brink of death.

【Zoan - Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika】 (Divine) Unawakened: The user's body possesses the characteristics of rubber, capable of stretching and rebounding any part of the body according to their own thoughts, giving ordinary strikes greater power, and the body will not suffer damage due to recoil...

, , , , , , , , , ,

"Damn it, being born with four Gold traits—truly worthy of Luffy."

Amon felt fiercely envious in his heart.

If he hadn't awakened the System panel, he wouldn't even have one.

"And this quality of Divine tier should be the highest level, right?"

Amon's gaze swept across the colorful, brilliant fruit trait that looked like a VIP status, feeling somewhat surprised.

Gold quality actually wasn't the top tier trait after all.

What else was separated between Gold traits and Divine traits?

"However, Devil Fruit abilities can actually be downloaded too? System, as expected of you!"

Amon's regard for the panel increased by yet another notch.

Even though it was 100 million M, who knows when he would ever save enough.

Still, it was something to look forward to, wasn't it?

Other Devil Fruit abilities couldn't possibly be this expensive too, right?

Chapter 17: The Necessity of Adhering to the Marine Path

Before Amon could study it further, Luffy let out a dissatisfied voice: "Big Brother Amon!"

"Sorry, Luffy-chan, your body is too amazing."

Amon withdrew his hand that had stretched Luffy's mouth out of shape, and smiled as he answered,

"This is just a technique called 'Iron Body', which can make the body as hard as steel."

Under the synergy of multiple entries like Hypnosis, combined with Zeff's auxiliary training,

Amon had successfully mastered the most elementary 【Iron Body】.

Although it couldn't be used while moving yet,

defending against ordinary flintlock shots in place was already more than enough.

"Big Brother Amon, can we learn this Iron Body?"

Luffy rubbed the corner of his mouth, looking at Amon expectantly, his eyes flashing with a yearning light.

Amon shook his head: "No. Iron Body requires extremely strong physical fitness to master, and your current physical strength is not qualified yet."

"Ah?!" Luffy instantly deflated like a deflated ball.

Ace and Sabo couldn't help feeling a bit lost either.

If they could make their bodies as hard as iron, future battles would undoubtedly give them more advantages.

"By the way, Big Brother Amon, are you a pirate hunter?"

Sabo pointed at the head Amon was holding in his hand, changed the subject and asked, "Did you come to Goa Kingdom to hunt someone down?"

Amon gave his answer: "For now, you could tentatively call me a pirate hunter. But I didn't come to Goa Kingdom to kill people, but to find someone."

"Who?"

"The Marine hero, Vice Admiral Garp. I heard that Vice Admiral Garp's hometown is Goa Kingdom, so I came to try my luck."

"The old man?!"

Luffy and Ace let out an exclamation at the same time, their faces full of surprise.

Amon feigned ignorance: "The old man? This name... Luffy, Ace, do you know Vice Admiral Garp?"

Luffy answered whatever was asked, completely unguarded: "Of course I know him! The old man is my grandpa!"

"I didn't expect that I actually saved the hero's grandson." Amon shook his head with emotion, and seized the opportunity to ask, "Is Mr. Garp on the island now? I want to take him as my master."

"Take the old man as your master?"

The three of them looked at each other, all with unspeakable expressions on their faces.

Is there actually someone who actively comes to ask for a beating?

Thinking of the miserable state of being beaten up some time ago, the three of them couldn't help but feel lingering fear.

In the end, Ace gave the answer: "He's not here. He left after coming to see us some time ago."

"Is that so? That's a pity." Amon sighed, his tone filled with genuine regret.

If he had come faster, he might have made it in time.

But it didn't matter.

There were still entries from these three people that could be downloaded, so this trip wasn't in vain.

Luffy asked with puzzlement: "Big Brother Amon, why do you want to take my grandpa as your master?"

Amon spoke frankly: "Because Mr. Garp is very strong. With his guidance, I can grow stronger faster, and I can enter Marineford faster to become part of the Marine core."

Ace looked suspicious and uncertain: "Big Brother Amon, do you want to become a Marine?"

Amon shook his head, his gaze sweeping calmly across the three of them, his tone indifferent: "It's just that compared to the Marines, I hate pirates more."

"Why? Isn't it good to be a pirate? Pirates are the freest group of people in the world!"

Luffy blurted out.

Luffy was deeply influenced by Shanks, and this concept was deeply ingrained in him.

Amon shook his head slightly: "No. Absolute freedom means absolute chaos."

"My parents died amidst this kind of chaos."

"..." Luffy was speechless, and dryly added, "I definitely won't become a bastard like this who casually hurts others."

Sabo's expression also stiffened, and he looked nervously at Ace.

Ace's face sank completely, and his whole body exuded an aura of depression.

Yet another family shattered because of Roger...

And Big Brother Amon actually saved me, a sinner.

Roger, look at what on earth you've done!

He asked with difficulty: "Big Brother Amon, then do you hate Roger, who started the Great Age of Pirates?"

"Why should I hate someone who has been dead for more than a decade?" Amon looked strange.

Ace's feeling of guilt and sadness stagnated, and he earnestly pursued:

"If it weren't for Roger, there wouldn't be the current Great Age of Pirates.

Big Brother Amon, your parents wouldn't have lost their lives because of it."

"You're wrong. Pirates didn't appear because of Roger." Amon shook his head,

"Even without Roger, someone else would be called the Pirate King."

"Or rather, without Roger, would there be no pirates in this world?"

"It seems... like that?" Ace blinked, feeling an itch in his brain.

Big Brother Amon is right!

The pirates of Roger's era certainly didn't set sail because of Roger, did they?

Not all the sins committed by pirates are related to Roger!

"My parents died under the oppression of others' desires and rules." Amon summarized,

"And among the guys who become pirates, there are people like you who hold yearning for pirates;

there are also those who simply rush to the sea because they have no other way out to escape their current environment;

even more so, there are those who go to sea to achieve a certain dream or a certain purpose;

of course, even more are people for treasure and fame."

"The first type of people sometimes turn into the fourth type—using any means for treasure."

"The third type of people, they don't know what they want, and simply become pirates for the sake of the word 'freedom'."

"The second type of people, they have no other way to go and can only become pirates."

Sabo's expression stirred slightly.

He just wanted to escape this disgusting country and cast off this noble status that was rotten to the core.

He dreamed of going to sea to travel around the world and recording what he saw and heard into a book.

Ace lowered his head thoughtfully, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the corner of his clothes.

Luffy said firmly: "Big Brother Amon, I don't understand anything you said! Anyway, I am definitely going to be the Pirate King!"

As expected of you, a pure warrior.

Amon laughed out loud and rubbed Luffy's soft hair, saying: "It doesn't matter if you don't understand, you'll understand in the future."

"In short, the chaos of pirates and the disgusting nobles are all signs that something is wrong with the world. And joining the Marines is the fastest path for me to change this world."

Being a pirate is not only risky, but pirates also fight each other independently.

The truly strong are far away in the New World, making it completely difficult to approach them to farm entries.

Being a Marine is different. The promotion path is clear, and Marineford is filled with powerhouses.

More importantly, one can graze high-quality entries through non-combat means to develop rapidly.

Hiding out in the Marines to download entries and become a god, how does that feel?

"Changing the world... even the old man can't do it." Ace's eyes darkened, and he couldn't help pouring cold water, "Big Brother Amon, your dream is very difficult. The Marines also have to obey some bad orders."

He knew that his background carried blood. And some of the blood of those innocent families was shed by the Marines' own hands.

"Vice Admiral Garp not being able to do it doesn't mean I can't do it."

Amon clenched his fists, boundless confidence in his words.

Garp didn't hack, but I did.

Is this the same?

"..." The three of Ace were speechless, but they could all feel this powerful aura.

"Let's not talk about this anymore." Amon patted Ace and Sabo on the shoulders and grinned, "What are you going to treat me to eat? I'm already starved."

At the same time, two panel notifications fell into Amon's eyes.

18. Sabo, the God in Charge of Running Away Among Pirates

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

【Target】: Sabo

【Trait】: 【Robust Physique】 (White), 【Empty-handed Trick】 (Blue), Concealment (God), Golden Cicada Molting (God).

...

【Skill】: Theft, Bo Staff Techniques, Scavenging...

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

"Concealment, Golden Cicada Molting… Damn, two God-tier talents! No wonder he was able to escape from the encirclement of the Gorosei and Imu."

Amon was truly shocked.

Sabo really is the God in Charge of Escaping in the Pirate King world.

All of his high-tier traits are related to running away.

"View details."

Amon's mind stirred.

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Concealment (God): Size: 10,000,000M; Status: Downloadable.

Golden Cicada Molting (God): Size: 10,000,000M; Status: Downloadable.

Concealment (God): Deliberately suppresses presence, capable of shielding others' perception, strengthens as one's strength increases.

Golden Cicada Molting (God): When trapped in a certain-death/certain-capture situation, able to make a miraculous escape, strengthens as one's strength increases.

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

"Utility-type traits are only one-tenth the price of combat-type talents."

Amon glanced at the crude and simple details, then looked at Ace's panel information.

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

【Target】: Portgas D. Ace

【Trait】: 【Conqueror's Haki】 (Gold), 【Superhuman Physique】 (Defective) (Green),

【Skill】: Scavenging...

【Conqueror's Haki】 (Gold): Unawakened, Size: 100M, Status: Downloadable.

【Superhuman Physique】 (Defective) (Green): Size: 60M, Status: Downloadable.

【Superhuman Physique】 (Defective) (Green): Congenital defect caused by staying in the womb for too long due to various methods, no longer possessing superhuman power.

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

"Even a defective 【Superhuman Physique】 is of Green quality. What a pity, no wonder Ace didn't inherit any of Roger's monster strength."

A trace of regret flashed across the depths of Amon's eyes.

Judging from the situations of Shanks, Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, and others,

As long as the parents' generation are not super monsters with genetic mutations like Big Mom or Kaido,

the next generation's talents are almost all relatively stable.

If Ace's talent weren't defective,

he wouldn't have ended up unable to even beat that old schemer Blackbeard.

"Of course there is!" Sabo climbed up into the treehouse and searched around, then his little face fell, and he turned back with an awkward smile, "Brother Amon, wait a moment, we'll go hunting right now."

Too many things happened this morning.

He forgot that they had just experienced a storm last night.

There is not a single bit of food left in the treehouse now.

Going to the town now is undoubtedly walking right into a trap.

They could only go hunting.

"We'll be fast." Ace also chimed in.

"Yay! Hunting! I want to eat crocodile!" Luffy cheered heartlessly.

"Forget it if there isn't any." Amon shook his head, changing the subject, "My ship is nearby, let's go eat on my ship. My chef is the future World's Number One."

"World's Number One!" Luffy believed it, his eyes shining as he swallowed his saliva and looked at Ace and the other two.

Watching Luffy's unpromising appearance, Ace couldn't help but roll his eyes.

Sabo flatly refused: "How could we be so embarrassed? Obviously, Brother Amon, you saved us, so we should be the ones treating you."

"Hey, that's not important. As it happens, I still want to ask you a favor." Amon picked up Luffy, making the decision for the three of them.

"Fine." Sabo shrugged helplessly and had no choice but to follow.

Ace asked: "Brother Amon, what do you need us to do?"

Amon: "Memorize my Den Den Mushi code. If Mr. Garp comes back, notify me then, and I will come to visit Mr. Garp. Right, do you guys have a Den Den Mushi?"

He was determined to hug Garp's thigh.

"No problem! The village chief has one, I'll have the old man call Brother Amon then!" Luffy patted his chest in assurance.

"Then thank you in advance, Luffy-chan."

...

A moment later.

Amon brought the three of them back to the coast.

"Look, that's my ship." Amon said, pointing at the husky.

"Wow!!!" The three of them let out sounds of envy simultaneously.

Such a big ship! How long would they have to save up to own such a big ship of their own?

"Hahaha, it's quite unique, right?" Amon laughed contentedly, feeling exceptionally relaxed inside, "Mr. Zeff, Sanji-chan, we have friends coming over!"

"Oh!" Sanji poked his head out from the edge of the deck and lowered the rope ladder.

Zeff's voice came from the other side of the gunwale: "Why are you back so soon?"

Amon replied: "Ran into a little unexpected situation."

A moment later, a few of them gathered on the deck.

"Let me introduce them, my chef, Sanji-chan. This is my chef and navigator, Mr. Zeff. Don't look at him like he's just a lame uncle; he's a great pirate who has been to the Grand Line, oh!" Amon introduced, pointing at Sanji and the other.

"The Grand Line, a great pirate?"

Luffy and the others instantly got excited.

Sabo was exceptionally confused: "Brother Amon, aren't you a pirate hunter?"

According to common sense, the two of you should be fighting to the death.

Amon: "Because Mr. Zeff didn't even hesitate to sacrifice his own leg to save Sanji-chan, I feel he's not a bad person."

"I see!"

The three of them looked at Zeff with even greater respect.

"Mr. Sanji, Mr. Zeff, hello!" Luffy and the others introduced themselves.

"I am Ace!"

"I am Sabo!"

"I am Luffy!"

"Hello." Sanji greeted politely.

Luffy enthusiastically leaned right in front of Sanji: "Are you the future World's Number One chef Brother Amon mentioned? Can you make me a portion of meat to eat?"

Sanji stepped back a bit uncomfortably: "It's not as exaggerated as Brother Amon said… As for cooking, of course I can."

"Let's sit down and chat, Sanji-chan. Please whip up some delicious food."

Amon clapped his hands: "Ace, Sabo, Luffy, what do you guys like to eat?"

Sabo: "If possible, I want to eat ramen!"

"Spaghetti."

"Meat!"

"Alright!" As if granted amnesty, Sanji darted back into the cabin in a flash.

"Sanji-chan, I'll help you!" Luffy followed closely behind.

"No need."

Sanji didn't even look back.

"Luffy, you sit down properly for me and stop causing trouble!!" Ace raised his hand and smashed a punch right onto Luffy's head, producing a crisp, dull thud.

Watching this farce, Amon chuckled dumbly, then turned to ask about business: "Mr. Zeff, how much longer until the ship is repaired? We can get ready to set off to the next location."

"It's estimated to take another day tomorrow. Today I just finished fixing the keel and the bottom hold."

Zeff gave his answer, then changed the topic to ask: "However, so fast? Didn't you say you were looking for Garp?"

"No need, Mr. Garp is not here. I learned this firsthand from his grandson's own mouth."

"Garp's grandson?" Zeff's eyebrows twitched fiercely.

"That's right, it's them." Amon pointed at Luffy and Ace.

"You guys are actually the grandsons of Marine Vice Admiral Garp?!" Zeff stared at Luffy and Ace, letting out an exclamation.

That's Garp!

The hero Garp who arrested Pirate King Roger!

His grandson actually lives a life of picking up trash in a garbage dump?

Is something wrong here?

"Just adoptive grandsons." Ace added expressionlessly.

19. Download, download, download everything!

Not long after.

Sanji stepped forward holding a dazzling array of dishes.

"Mm, Sanji, you have improved again."

Amon let out a sound of satisfaction at the delicious food.

"It is all thanks to the good teaching of Mr. Zeff."

"Hmph." Zeff smiled proudly, basking in the glory.

Amon called out to Luffy and the other two, "Do not stand on ceremony, eat up!"

"Then we will not stand on ceremony, thank you for the treat!"

The three of them began to devour their food like a storm.

While eating, Sabo asked curiously, "Mr. Zeff, can you tell us stories about your time as a pirate?"

"That was a very long time ago."

Zeff began to recount the past.

Amon was not interested in this.

It was nothing more than the story of a dragon slayer turning into a dragon.

In the beginning, he still clung to his ideals and searched for the All Blue.

In the later stages, once he had many people, he became just a vulgar pirate collecting treasure.

"How can a banquet lack drinks? Come, try the orange juice brewed by my family."

Amon took out his treasured orange wine and handed it to them.

"Orange juice?" Luffy did not refuse at all, taking it and chugging it down immediately.

"Mm, it is sweet, and a bit dizzy."

The next second, Luffy collapsed to the ground, out cold.

"What an idiot!" Ace rubbed his forehead helplessly.

"Hhahaha, it is fine, let him sleep." Amon laughed heartily, quietly moving Luffy behind him and placing a rug underneath him.

At the same time, he mentally gave an order to System.

"Download, 【Conqueror's Haki】, 【Supercompensation】, 【Sit-up】"

Conqueror's Haki was the entry ticket for top powerhouses; without it, one would be inherently inferior, so it was a must-have.

Supercompensation could not only be used in combat, but could also enhance the intensity of ordinary training.

The Sit-up was even more important, as it judged based on willpower to retain a thread of life.

Although Amon would not actively plunge himself into a desperate situation of death,

but just in case of any accidents, this was undoubtedly a respawn coin.

【Downloading, please maintain connection, current progress: 0 percent】

【Current Source Energy: 241】

The banquet continued, and a dozen minutes later, a message popped up in front of Amon.

【Entries 【Conqueror's Haki】, 【Supercompensation】, 【Sit-up】 downloaded, whether to load.】

Amon loaded them directly without hesitation.

"Hum."

Two currents of warmth, one cold and one hot, seeped out from between his eyebrows.

The difference was that the warm current swept through his whole body, bringing a familiar fiery sensation, especially in his stomach.

The cold current sank into his mind, putting his entire head into an unusually clear state.

It was very wonderful.

However, there was no excruciating pain like the time before when his entire body was torn apart.

"It seems that the excruciating pain from loading entries last time was indeed due to Genetic Modification involving lineage factors."

Amon analyzed in his heart.

At the same time.

On the other side.

Shells Town.

Marine 153rd Branch.

Morgan and other management personnel above the rank of Sergeant Major gathered together.

The topic of discussion was how to encircle and suppress the surrounding pirates based on the intelligence obtained through the Hypnosis of Jango.

They argued endlessly with one another.

Suddenly.

"Buru Buru."

Everyone instantly fell silent.

Colonel Rice picked up the Den Den Mushi to answer:

"Moshi moshi!"

"Pirate hunter?"

"Okay, I understand."

"Colonel, what is the situation? Is there a new mission?" Morgan asked.

"No, it is a request from the Goa Kingdom." Colonel Rice picked up a photo, froze slightly, and handed it to Morgan. "Perhaps you can help out as well."

"Is this not the husky of Amon? Has he arrived at the Goa Kingdom?"

Morgan recognized the ship in the photo.

"That is right. If I am not mistaken, as soon as he arrived at the Goa Kingdom today, he wiped out a major pirate with a bounty of 14.3 million."

"What?!"

"And just like when he wiped out Kuro, the battle ended with a single slash!" Rice said with emotion.

"Nani!!!"

At this, not only Morgan, but all the Marines present were shocked.

...

Goa Kingdom, Royal Palace.

"Did you hear that, Outlook III? It was merely a passing pirate hunter."

Godzilla III sat upright on the throne overlooking Outlook III: "Flurried and flustered, you have no aristocratic decency at all!"

"Yes!"

Outlook III did not dare to talk back and only wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Furthermore, even if the person who wiped out Bluejam was truly a pirate, when facing the World Nobles, they still have to kneel and salute, and none dare to disobey the World Nobles!"

Godzilla III raised his lofty head.

Thinking of the nobility of the World Nobles, he also basked in the glory.

"Yes!"

Outlook III wiped the sweat from his forehead and regained his composure: "Your Majesty, since there is no Bluejam, we must modify the Gray Terminal destruction plan."

"Oh? Do you have a good method again?"

"We can directly declare that for the arrival of the World Nobles, we will proactively inspect the safety conditions of the Gray Terminal, thereby delivering all explosives to suitable points before directly detonating them."

"What about our reputation?"

"After these filthy trash are buried together with the sea of fire, they will naturally disappear." Outlook III revealed a ferocious smile.

"Hmph hahahaha, not bad, go and do it."

...

【Source Energy + 23.】

"?"

Amon looked dumbfoundedly at the prompt that suddenly popped up.

Previously, it was always a single wave ending, and the impact of today would only be settled the next day.

How come today it comes bit by bit.

Is the panel acting up?

"Hic ~ So full! So delicious."

At this moment, Ace let out a burp, dropped his bowl and chopsticks, with an obvious blush on his face.

"Yeah, so delicious, even more delicious than the ramen in Central Town."

Sabo also looked drunk, but still maintained a hint of sobriety: "Thank you for your hospitality, Big Brother Amon. When we wake up, we will come and help you repair the ship together."

Amon suppressed his thoughts on the source of Source Energy and smiled: "You are welcome, go to sleep."

Waiting for the two to fall asleep, Amon placed his palm on the shoulder of Ace.

The entries of Sabo were too expensive, so there was no way to download them.

As for the entries of Ace, Amon planned to do a test.

"Download, 【Conqueror's Haki】, 【Superhuman Physique】"

【Detected same-type entry 【Conqueror's Haki】, whether to merge downloads.】

【【Superhuman Physique】 downloading, please maintain connection, current progress: 0 percent.】

【Current Source Energy: 204】

"Hehe, indeed two identical Conqueror's Haki do not exist in the world. Conqueror's Haki, unlike ordinary physiques which cannot be stacked, can be downloaded continuously!!"

Amon could not help but smile.

Gathering the Conqueror's Haki of Garp, Sengoku, Whitebeard, Red Hair, Kaido, BIG MOM, Loki...

Bringing together the Conqueror's Haki of all powerhouses in this world, could it rival Joy Boy from a thousand years ago?

Amon did not know, but this was worth a try.

"Download!"

Amon affirmed in his heart.

【【Conqueror's Haki】 downloading, please maintain connection, current progress: 0 percent.】

【Current Source Energy: 104】

A dozen minutes later.

【Download complete, whether to load.】

"Load, load, load everything."

Amon chanted silently in his heart.

The familiar hot and cold currents flowed through.

This time, Amon truly felt his physical strength rising, increasing by at least about one-tenth.

"System, check my information."

Amon moved his mind.

--------------------

【Name】: Amon

【Age】: 14

【Height】: 185cm

【Talent】: Robust Physique (Purple); 【Genetic Modification】 (Unawakened) (Gold); Hypnosis 【Green】; Conqueror's Haki (Unawakened) 【Gold】; 【Supercompensation】 (Gold); 【Sit-up】 (Gold);

【Superhuman Physique】 (Green) +

【Skills:... Tekkai (Introductory)】

【Source Energy: 104】

------------------------

Amon looked at his row of golden entries, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but split to the roots of his ears.

The three little ones of Luffy were indeed big fat sheep!

Delightful.

Chapter 20: Upgrading 【Superhuman Physique】, Roger is just my biological father

【The next stage of the trait is red?】

Amon's gaze fell on the Conqueror's Haki trait.

Although after fusing the Conqueror's Haki of Luffy and Ace, it was still in an unawakened state.

But the edge of the trait's quality was already tinged with a hint of red from its original gold.

Barring any accidents, the color higher in quality than gold traits would be red.

"And what about this '+' sign behind Superhuman Physique, could it be..."

Amon shifted his mind and tried to click it.

【Consumes 100 Source Energy to upgrade the quality of 【Superhuman Physique】. Are you sure?】

Does that even need to be asked? Amon directly confirmed.

【【Superhuman Physique】 (Green) → 【Superhuman Physique】 (Blue)】

【Current Source Energy: 4】

"Buzz—!"

A torrent of heat, fiercer than when any previous physical-type traits had loaded, erupted from between his eyebrows and swept through his entire body like a waterfall.

Amon could clearly feel his muscle fibers tearing and repairing at a rapid speed.

His strength was soaring, exploding, increasing wildly!

He clenched his fist, and his knuckles let out a crisp popping sound.

According to his simple estimate, his strength had directly doubled.

"Is the blue quality bonus this fierce? As expected of a powerful trait inherited from Roger."

Amon cast a burning gaze at 【Superhuman Physique】 on the panel.

If he had enough Source Energy in the future, he would prioritize adding points to this trait; the bonus was simply too high.

"Step, step, step..."

At this moment, uniform footsteps came from afar.

Amon looked into the distance and saw the forces of the Goa Kingdom approaching.

The soldiers were all clad in protective combat gear, holding firearms, in strict formation, and looked quite formidable in combat capability.

"Little brother Amon, it seems to be the army of the Goa Kingdom. Shall we fight?" Zeff narrowed his eyes slightly, his cane already quietly adjusting its angle.

Sanji nervously picked up a spatula from the side.

"No rush, let's see what's going on first." Amon raised his hand to pat Sanji's head, shielding him behind him.

"Step!"

Across a distance of two hundred paces, the Goa Kingdom's forces stopped in unison, clearing a path from the middle.

A middle-aged man in a suit, wearing a top hat and looking quite gentlemanly, walked out holding a loudspeaker:

"Lord Amon, I am Outlook III, a noble of the Goa Kingdom."

"We have verified your identity with the Marine 153rd Branch."

"Thank you for clearing out the Blue Sapphire Pirates, an unstable factor, for the Goa Kingdom."

"If you are willing, you can take Bluejam's bounty right now."

As he spoke, two soldiers carried out a heavy treasure chest with its lid open, inside of which Berries and gleaming gold were neatly stacked.

"This old bastard actually has some wits, no wonder he's Sabo's old man." Amon smiled with amusement.

In such a short time, he actually figured out my identity and even proactively showed goodwill.

No wonder he could directly usurp the Goa Kingdom in the future.

I want to see what trick you are going to play.

"Very well, bring the treasure over." Amon picked up the bundle containing Bluejam's head and threw it directly.

"Boom—!"

The head smashed down in front of the troops, blasting out a small pit with dust and smoke rising everywhere.

The cloak wrapping the head had burst open, revealing Bluejam's air-dried and deformed head with its eyes wide open, dying with an unfulfilled grievance.

"Gulp." Outlook III swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

To actually throw a human head with the momentum of a cannonball?

This bounty hunter was truly not an ordinary character.

Good thing he didn't suppress them with the army right away.

He steadied his mind and continued, "I wonder if you saw three children when you killed the heinous Bluejam? One of them is my son, Sabo."

Not only have I seen them, but they're also sleeping soundly right here with me. Amon glanced at the three sleeping soundly behind him and asked calmly,

"What is it?"

"I am willing to offer three million Berries, hoping you can help me find Sabo."

Outlook III paused and added, "In addition, to welcome the descent of the Celestial Dragons."

"Tomorrow we will conduct a hazard elimination in the Gray Terminal, and there might be some commotion."

"The king invites you to come to Central Street and witness the arrival of the Celestial Dragons together the day after tomorrow."

Amon said faintly, "No need, I'll leave tomorrow. If your son can be found before I set off tomorrow, I'll bring him to you. Just have the money ready."

Outlook III was overjoyed in his heart.

Whether he had a son or not didn't matter—if he could be found, fine; if not, it didn't matter if he died in the garbage dump. The key point was: this dangerous factor would leave tomorrow. It wouldn't affect the garbage dump destruction plan, nor would it affect the arrival of the Celestial Dragons.

After the communication concluded, Outlook III hurriedly left with his men.

"Get up if you aren't asleep." Amon glanced at Sabo and Ace, whose eyelids were twitching wildly.

Ace got up silently, looking into the distance at the receding backs of the army, his fists clenched tightly.

Just a little bit more, just a little bit more, and the brothers would have been separated today.

"Hehe..." Sabo gave an awkward smile, "Big Brother Amon, what do you think... what do the nobles want to do again?"

Proactively eliminate hazards in the Gray Terminal?

No matter how he listened to these words, they felt wrong. Especially since these words came from his father's mouth.

His father had always believed that anyone other than nobles wasn't even human.

Let alone those residents who relied on the garbage mountain to make a living.

"What, aren't you afraid I'll sell you guys off?"

"Big Brother Amon is not that kind of person!" Sabo said with a booming voice.

Ace also nodded solemnly.

"Not bad, I love hearing that." Amon grinned, "Outlook just mentioned a key point, the Celestial Dragons. Do you know what they are?"

"The Celestial Dragons... are the Celestial Dragons, living in Holy Land Mary Geoise, enjoying the right to rule over everything." Sabo tried his best to scour his mind for relevant knowledge.

"That's right, but you don't understand it thoroughly enough. Let me give you an analogy."

Amon raised a finger, "For example, if a Celestial Dragon takes a fancy to Outlook III's wife, Outlook III not only cannot be unwilling, but he must actively offer his wife up."

"Although that's the logic, Big Brother Amon, what you said is too..." Sabo's mouth twitched, "Outlook III's wife, isn't that my Mama?"

Amon waved his hand: "Hey, it doesn't matter. The one who treats you well is your Mama; the one who abuses you is called a biological mother, and she has nothing to do with you."

"Biological mom???" Sabo blinked. Could the relationship between parents and children be described this way?

Ace's pupils shook violently, as if a New World's door had been opened.

The one who treats oneself well is a Mama.

Mama suffered endless hardships for me, so she is my Mama.

As for Roger, he only left me with endless blood debts and sins, and even Mama died because of him.

Therefore, Roger is just my biological father, not a father I recognize.

No, he entrusted me to the old man...

Chapter 21: Ace's Confusion, Talk-No-Jutsu Activated

"OK, now we know the status of the Celestial Dragons."

Amon held up a single finger. "When the Celestial Dragons come to inspect the Goa Kingdom, what will the king and the nobles do?"

Guiding them step-by-step, his gaze fell on Sabo.

Sabo hesitated for a moment and answered uncertainly, "Offer up... their most precious things?"

"That's right." Amon clapped his hands. "Then what is the Goa Kingdom's most precious treasure?"

Sabo immediately gave the answer, "Beauty. Every inch of the kingdom is spotless, praised as the most beautiful country in the East Blue."

"Therefore, the nobles can usually barely tolerate the existence of the Gray Terminal, using it to dump their garbage."

"But at a time like this, the Gray Terminal will only affect the world nobles' judgment of the Goa Kingdom."

Amon said with a playful tone, "Let's guess, what will the nobles do?"

Sabo's pupils constricted slightly.

"The world nobles are arriving the day after tomorrow. What method will the nobles use?

Make this place spotless as well?

There is definitely not enough time for that..."

Following Amon's line of thought, his gaze landed on the mountains of wooden boards and various garbage piled along the shore. A horrifying thought emerged from his mind, sending a chill down his spine.

"The nobles... want to burn down the Gray Terminal!!!"

"Are they crazy?!" Ace abruptly stood up, staring at Amon in disbelief. "There are so many people living in the Gray Terminal! What on earth do those nobles in the city consider human lives to be?"

"Of course they don't consider them human," Amon replied with a smile, his tone as calm as if he were talking about the nice weather today.

"Damn those bastards..." Ace clenched his fists in extreme anger.

He regretted not writing down the old man's Den Den Mushi number earlier; otherwise, he could have had the old man come and resolve all of this right now.

"Brother Amon, help us," Sabo finally pleaded, a trace of trembling in his voice.

Right now, the only one who could possibly change this disaster was the formidable Amon.

"Rest assured, the people can be saved. But you guys shouldn't come to this place for a while," Amon consoled.

If he were taking the pirate route, he would naturally charge straight into the city and blast all the nobles who caused the problem to finish it. But since he was going to be a Marine, he couldn't play it that way.

"Now that you guys are awake, help me repair the ship first." Amon unceremoniously assigned tasks.

As for child labor?

Which kid from your family kicks down a thick tree that takes several people to hug at ten years old?

"Alright!" The two of them instantly regained their spirit.

Neither of them said anything, but they tacitly forgot about Luffy, who was sleeping with snot bubbles blowing from his nose.

Busy time always passes exceptionally fast.

"Bang!"

"Hisss...!!" Ace held his swollen finger and blew on it, wincing in pain.

"Ace, you guy, what have you been thinking about all afternoon? This is the third time, right?" Sabo looked at Ace's swollen hand in puzzlement.

In the past, Ace was always the fastest at doing these chores.

"Cut the crap!!" Ace refused to answer that question.

Right at that moment.

"So dizzy... So uncomfortable..." A hazy voice came from above.

Ace and Sabo looked up in horror.

Luffy was already leaning over the side of the ship, primed and ready.

"Blech~~~~~"

"Luffy, no—!!!"

Hanging on the side of the ship with no room to dodge, the two of them took the full brunt of it directly, instantly closing their mouths with looks of despair.

There was no help for it; opening their mouths would mean eating even more.

"Hahahaha~~~" Amon clutched his sides in laughter.

What a pity, there was neither a camera nor a camera Den Den Mushi; this scene couldn't be preserved.

"Sorry, Ace, Sabo." Realizing he had done a bad thing, Luffy finally snapped back to his senses.

"It's fine..."

"We shouldn't have let you drink..."

The two of them weren't actually angry.

"That's good." Just as Luffy wanted to say a couple more words, his stomach churned violently again, "Blech~~~"

"Luffy, you guy, pick another place...!"

Happy times always pass exceptionally fast.

After dinner, the few who had been busy all day quickly went to sleep.

Except for...

"Ace, is something the matter?" Amon stopped practicing Iron Body and turned around.

Under the Moonlight, Ace stood by the ship's railing, head lowered, hands shoved into his pockets, as if he were making a very difficult decision.

"Brother Amon." Ace raised his head, the hesitation in the depths of his eyes transforming into determination.

Even though their time together had been short, he believed that Amon wasn't the kind of person who would act based on someone else's identity.

He took a deep breath and said in a solemn voice, "I am the son of Pirate King Roger."

"So what?" Amon tilted his head indifferently.

"?" Ace froze.

I am the son of the Pirate King, you know.

Handing him over to the World Government could trade for countless riches.

Brother Amon's reaction... is just like this?

Amon blinked. "What's wrong, do you need me to give you a surprised reaction?"

"No need, Brother Amon." Ace suppressed his stray thoughts and asked seriously, "I have a question to ask you... Back then... according to what you said... Roger... should I hate Roger, or..."

"He's purely a biological father who did nothing, of course you should hate him." Amon pinpointed the core without the slightest bit of ambiguity.

"Why?" Ace pressed on.

Amon analyzed unhurriedly, "Roger was willing to destroy a country for the sake of his comrades—we won't discuss how many innocent people were in that country, but he treated his partners extremely well. You acknowledge this point, right?"

Ace nodded.

Amon: "So we can deduce that since Roger could be called the Pirate King, his strength definitely wasn't low, at least not weaker than Vice Admiral Garp, right?"

"Right."

"Furthermore, Roger is said to have completed the journey of the Grand Line before being called the Pirate King." Amon paused for a moment.

"There must be islands on the Grand Line that the World Government hasn't touched, right?"

"If he truly loved you, truly loved your Mama."

"He definitely could have placed you both in a place where the World Government couldn't find you."

Amon acknowledged Roger's strength.

But as a father and a husband, Amon truly couldn't acknowledge him in the slightest.

Because of love, Rocks was able to break free from the temptation of the Supreme Arch-Succubus.

Because of love, he dared to walk into the dead end of God's Valley.

As for Roger's love, it was really a bit cheap, or rather, spontaneous and irresponsible.

Rocks always talked about conquering the world, but in reality, the moment his family had a problem, he fell apart.

Roger claimed to love Ace and Rouge, but in reality, his ideals were above his family.

"..."

Ace stood under the Moonlight, not speaking for a long time.

The sea breeze brushed across the deck, blowing the stray hair in front of his forehead and revealing a pair of emotionally complex eyes.

Amon didn't pay it much mind and resumed his training.

What Ace thought didn't matter; anyway, he had thoroughly enjoyed his rant.

As a generation's king, he didn't prepare a single good thing or any help for his descendants.

A father like that—whoever encounters him has the worst luck in eight lifetimes.

What?

You say Garp?

Doesn't teach Haki, doesn't teach Rokushiki, one of the mediocre pirate teachers!

Chapter 22: The Prematurely Burning Dump, the Revolutionary Army Appears

The next morning.

The gates separating the Gray Terminal from the interior of the royal capital slowly opened, emitting a muffled metallic friction sound.

Troops wearing hazmat suits filed out, their steps neat and their expressions solemn.

"Disperse!"

"Stay away!"

"For the arrival of the World Nobles, His Majesty has ordered that the entire Gray Terminal be disinfected today!"

"All residents are not allowed to approach the disinfection points within today, otherwise you will inhale the disinfectant and die from poisoning!"

While reciting their pre-prepared script, the soldiers split up into groups of four, carrying heavy wooden boxes as they dispersed toward their designated positions.

"Disinfection?"

"His Majesty the King has finally seen us poor people..."

"Thank the World Nobles..."

"After the disinfection, Ellie's cold will get better, right..."

Clueless dump residents whispered among themselves, their faces even carrying a look of emotional gratitude.

Some had reddened eye sockets, while others pressed their palms together and bowed toward the direction of the royal palace in thanks.

They clearly had not lost trust in the Goa Kingdom's royal family, merely feeling that they hadn't worked hard enough back then or couldn't maintain everyday glamour, which was why they were driven here to live.

"Damn it... they're always packaging themselves so righteously!"

Sabo hid in the shadow of the mountain of trash, listening to all of this, only feeling a surge of nausea in his stomach.

The royals and nobles were using the name of 'disinfection' to plot a massacre of the commoners.

Ace quickly pressed down on his shoulder, lowering his voice: "Sabo, don't get excited, proceed according to the scheduled plan."

"Okay."

Sabo took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

Time flashed by, and in the blink of an eye, it was already afternoon.

The troops placing the explosives had already evacuated, and the Gray Terminal restored a veneer of peace.

At a residential gathering point in the dump.

"Hey, everyone! I am a noble's son, Sabo!"

Sabo stood on a high vantage point piled high with discarded wooden boxes, cupping his hands around his mouth and shouting with all his might.

His voice echoed among the trash mountains, drawing countless doubtful gazes.

"Everything the army said today is a lie! There is no disinfection! The so-called disinfectant is all gunpowder!"

"They are going to burn us all to death here!"

"Please take your precious things and come with me to take refuge in the mountains!"

The crowd became restless.

"Hey! What kind of joke is that? That's disinfectant, to disinfect the dump!"

"You brat, you just want to trick us away from here and then let those nobles destroy all our homes, right?"

"Afraid that we'll ruin the ceremony welcoming the World Nobles!"

"As expected, the Goa Kingdom is completely rotten, and you three brats are bastards too!"

A chorus of overlapping rebukes surged like a tide.

Not a single person moved; some even picked up stones from the ground and hurled them in Sabo's direction.

"How could this be..." Sabo stood on high, his lips trembling slightly.

He didn't understand. It was clearly good intentions, clearly meant to save their lives, so why did it exchange for curses and stones?

"You guys..." Ace timely covered Luffy's mouth, though he was also very angry.

With good intentions speaking out about the nobles' conspiracy, they were instead treated as being in cahoots with the nobles.

"Tch." Amon stood not far away, shaking his head slightly.

He knew it.

Before death was staring them in the face, most people would always harbor wishful thinking.

Moreover, those seemingly crude houses stored all the property of these homeless people.

Tattered clothes, things accumulated over many years... how could they be so easily discarded.

"In that case, I can only help them make up their minds."

Amon quietly made a gesture.

In the distance, Zeff, who was lurking on the hillside, understood, aimed at a pre-embedded gunpowder point, and pulled the trigger.

"Boom...!!!"

A loud bang tore through the evening sky.

Following that, the second place, the third place, the fourth place.

Zeff's muzzle continuously spewed fire, and the pre-embedded explosives were ignited one by one.

Violent explosion sounds rose one after another, flames soared into the sky, and thick smoke billowed, dyeing half of the horizon an ominous dark red.

"It's the sound of gunpowder exploding!"

"No, something's wrong! It's really burning up!!!"

"What those three brats said is true! The nobles and the royal family plan to burn us all to death!!!"

"Damn it...!!!"

The crowd instantly fell into panic.

Those who were previously cursing Sabo turned pale, some collapsed to the ground, some hugged their children and screamed, and some tried to rush back into their houses to rescue their valuables, only to be forced back by the oncoming heat wave.

"Everyone, follow me! We have already prepared a place to escape!"

Sabo spoke up again, and this time, the effect was completely different.

People responded in droves.

Meanwhile, inside the city.

"Damn it!"

Outlook III stood on the royal palace's watchtower, looking at the suddenly lit up flames outside the city, his face ashen, and slammed his fist fiercely onto the railing.

He turned his head and sternly questioned the captain of the guard beside him: "What on earth is going on?!"

After being warned, it was impossible for the commoners to approach the gunpowder spots.

It could only be that the soldiers were incompetent in their duties.

"I don't know, Sir Outlook!"

The guard was sweating profusely, his voice trembling, "We all placed them according to the scheduled plan... It's possible there was a fire hazard near the placement point, which ignited on its own and caused the explosives to be detonated early..."

"Idiot!" Outlook III cursed profanely.

Without uniformly igniting them at the designated time, some of the explosives at certain locations would definitely deviate from their scheduled spots.

Coupled with the impact of darkness on visibility, it was impossible to completely block off all escape routes for the pariahs.

Afterwards, they would still have to settle and deal with the surviving pariahs.

This would undoubtedly increase a lot of trouble and expenses.

He took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and said coldly: "For the post-disaster rescue work and fire-fighting work, I don't want to see any dirty things enter this beautiful city. Do you understand?"

A chill went down the captain's back, and he stood at attention and saluted: "Un... Understood!"

The open sea.

A large ship with a dragon-shaped figurehead carved on its bow was riding the wind and waves, approaching the direction of the Goa Kingdom.

"Swish!"

A figure instantly soared into the air, the hood snapping in the wind.

Monkey D. Dragon suspended himself in mid-air, looking solemnly at the distant horizon.

"Hey, Dragon, what's wrong?"

On the deck, Ivankov looked up and asked, his big head sticking out from the side of the ship with a puzzled look.

"The information was wrong." Dragon's expression sank, "The nobles and royals of the Goa Kingdom... made their move early."

Through the message brought by the wind.

He had already confirmed that the Gray Terminal was ignited.

"Your ability is really useful."

Ivankov sighed with emotion, then asked again, "But for such a remote border country in the East Blue, how on earth did you get intelligence here?"

"I'll go ahead a step, Ivankov."

Dragon did not answer this question.

His figure dissipated completely in mid-air, leaving only a ripple whipped up by the wind.

A moment later.

Dragon had already arrived in the coastal waters of the Goa Kingdom.

Observation Haki spread like an invisible ripple, extending toward that Gray Terminal turned into a sea of fire.

"...There are no more signs of life, we're late."

A heavy look of sorrow surfaced on Dragon's face.

However, the next second.

"That's not right."

Dragon abruptly opened his eyes, locking his gaze on a small boat at the edge of the forest, extending Observation Haki into the forest.

23 You Are a Coward

In the forest.

The escaped residents of the Gray Terminal were looking back with lingering fear at the path they had taken, now engulfed in flames.

The firelight reflected in their pupils, leaping endlessly, dyeing everyone's faces with a flickering orange-red hue.

"Phew... How terrifying... Good thing we escaped, or we would've been burned to ashes..."

"Thank you, Sabo! You are completely different from those bastard nobles and royals in High Town!"

"That's right, if it weren't for you all, we would've all died here!"

"Who said you guys are bastards? I think you guys are amazing!"

Sabo's face flushed from the praise, and he waved his hands repeatedly, looking somewhat embarrassed.

He opened his mouth to say something, but didn't know how to respond to this sincere gratitude.

Aside from the goodwill of Ace, Luffy, and Dadan, he had experienced too little of it.

Although Ace was happy inside, he still restrained himself to maintain a calm expression, only the slight upward curve of his lips betraying his mood at the moment.

"Hehe, you're welcome!" Luffy wore a bright smile, hands on his hips, thoroughly enjoying the praise.

"And this young man."

Everyone's gaze fell upon the figure swinging a blade not far away.

With a flash of his blade, Amon cut down tall trees one by one, dragging them neatly to the side to form a makeshift firebreak.

Sweat trickled down his jawline, gleaming in the reflection of the firelight.

It seemed to cast a hazy halo over his heroic and extraordinary face.

"He is big brother Amon," Sabo reacted, not taking the credit for himself, "It was big brother Amon who analyzed all of this, and it was his plan to save you."

Ace also nodded: "That's right, we just followed orders. If you want to thank someone, thank big brother Amon, no need to thank us."

"That's right." Luffy nodded vigorously, implying that he was the same.

"I see, Mr. Amon, thank you very much for your intervention!" everyone said gratefully.

Not only did he save them, but he didn't mean to take any credit at all, and was even constantly thinking of them—what a truly good person!

"No need to thank me."

Without looking back, Amon continued swinging his long blade,

"Those who still have strength, come and cut down the surrounding trees."

"If the entire Colpo Mountains catch fire, you won't even have a place to get food for a period of time."

The residents looked at each other, then quickly sprang into action.

Some picked up fallen branches to use as tools, some worked together to carry the felled trees, and others ran off to find a water source.

Amidst the chaos, order was being laboriously rebuilt.

"This is... a youth with a heart of gold."

Dragon's gaze locked deeply onto Amon.

On this trip, he originally intended to take the opportunity to recruit some homeless people to join the Revolutionary Army, but the youth before him...

was not a person of the Goa Kingdom, yet he could strive for the life and death of a group of strangers.

He already possessed the revolutionary will to fight for the freedom of others!

"Boom!!"

Dragon made his move.

The invisible wind seemed to possess a will of its own, swirling up in this place instantly.

Fierce winds howled, leaves fluttered everywhere, and gravel and grass clippings on the ground were whipped up into mid-air.

"What is this?!"

Everyone closed their eyes tightly, struggling against the blowing wind.

Some hugged tree trunks, some squatted down, and some supported each other to barely stand firm.

"Dragon?"

Only Amon, relying on his superhuman physique, stood steadily in the wind, looking around.

The ability to manipulate the wind, appearing at this time...

It should only be that Dragon from the Monkey family.

Sure enough, Amon spotted the unmasked, hooded man in the air.

"Boom!"

The hurricane was still howling, forcibly pushing the edge of the fire back bit by bit.

The high-temperature embers and debris were even forcibly cooled down by the biting wind.

Forming a ten-meter-long firebreak.

Firmly sealing the fire outside of a safe distance.

"Such an awesome wind!!" Luffy was much simpler, his eyes shining, completely unaware of what lay behind this gust of wind.

"What... happened?" Sabo looked blankly at everything before him, unable to react for a moment.

"Probably... a Devil Fruit?" Ace glanced at Luffy, whose collar he was gripping.

If there are Devil Fruits that can turn people into rubber, there must definitely be Devil Fruits that allow people to control the wind.

He looked toward Amon: "Big brother Amon, is this your ability?"

"No, it's that unfamiliar uncle."

Amon pointed high into the air and calmly invited: "Thanks a lot, mister! Why don't you join us for a meal?"

"Sure." Dragon wasn't polite either, casting a subtle glance at his foolish son, and gracefully descended.

"Hello, Mr. Dragon." Amon reached out his hand.

He was very curious, what kind of traits would Dragon have on him?

Dragon's spirits lifted slightly, surprised: "You know me?"

As he spoke, an imperceptible burst of wind emerged, trapping the conversation between each other's ears.

Some things, if others heard them, would instead be a disaster.

"Of course, your reputation is thunderous." Amon had seen the other party's bounty poster.

In this era, it was as high as 3.2 billion Berries.

It could be said that he was a thorn in the side of the World Government.

At the same time, a panel emerged.

, , , , , , , , , ,

【Target】: Monkey D. Dragon.

【Trait】: 【Inhuman Physique】 (Silver-gilt), 【Conqueror's Haki】 (Silver-gilt), Armament Haki (Dark Gold), Observation Haki (Dark Gold), Revolutionary Will (Dark Gold)...

【Fruit】: 【Logia - Storm Fruit】 (Dark Gold)

【Skills: Dragon Claw, Marksmanship, Armament Haki (Hardening, Mastery, Infusion)...】

【Inhuman Physique】 (Silver-gilt): Size: 10000000; Status: Downloadable.

【Conqueror's Haki】 (Silver-gilt): 1000000; Status: Downloadable.

【Armament Haki】 (Dark Gold): Size: 10000000; Status: Downloadable.

【Observation Haki】 (Dark Gold): Size: 10000000; Status: Downloadable.

【Logia - Storm Fruit】 (Dark Gold): Size: 10000000; Status: Downloadable.

【Logia - Storm Fruit】 (Dark Gold): Control the power of storms.

【Inhuman Physique】 (Silver-gilt): Dragon's formidable physique forged through years of training and battles, enough to shake mountains and shatter seas.

【Conqueror's Haki】 (Silver-gilt): Dragon's determination to change the world and bury all nobles!

【Armament Haki】 (Dark Gold): Dragon's Armament Haki cultivated over many years

【Observation Haki】 (Dark Gold)...

, , , , , , , , , ,

A dazzling array of traits, with skills everywhere.

"As expected of a monster among the current world's top powerhouses, the traits are both numerous and high-level."

Amon sighed inwardly.

"It seems the levels after red traits are silver-gilt, dark gold, and finally god. There shouldn't be anything else in between, right?"

Amon collated the uncertain information.

He didn't look further into the specific information of the traits.

The source energy required was too high; he simply couldn't afford it right now.

"Is that so?" Dragon didn't mind either, taking the opportunity to say: "Little brother Amon, what do you think of me?"

The World Government's reports did not describe him very positively.

"Coward."

24: Conqueror's Haki, Grandly Awakened!"

"Coward."

"?"

The composure on Dragon's face instantly froze.

Because of Amon's previous friendly attitude, he had imagined many kinds of responses.

The partner of justice, the dangerous revolutionary.

Then he could follow the other party's response and preach his own revolutionary ideas.

To see if he could recruit the youth in front of him as a comrade-in-arms.

But... why did it turn out like this?

"Eh? Can't hear anymore?" Luffy curiously leaned closer, tilting his head to look left and right.

Although Sabo was confused, he also realized that the communication between the two did not seem very harmonious.

Ace quietly pulled at the corner of Luffy's clothes, signaling him not to move around randomly.

"Why?" Dragon regained his composure, his gaze fixed directly on Amon.

He really wanted to know why the youth in front of him had such a perception of him.

Judging from his attitude just now, the other party did not look like an ignorant youth who believed the reports of the World Government.

"I'm very curious, why would a big shot like you appear in such a remote kingdom?" Amon did not answer and instead asked back.

Dragon asked in return: "Does this have anything to do with the question above?"

"Of course."

Dragon spoke without reservation: "I learned that the Goa Kingdom planned to burn to death the surviving residents of the garbage dump in order to welcome the visit of the World Nobles and maintain the glamorous appearance of the Goa Kingdom, so I came."

Amon nodded, and then asked in puzzlement: "With your intelligence-gathering capabilities, why couldn't you directly kill all the nobles and royalty who formulated this plan? With your strength, it should be very easy to do, right?"

"Revolution is not the impulse of one person, but the awakening of millions of people," Dragon said in a deep voice.

"Awakening requires blood, but it is not sitting back and watching a disaster happen, and then extending a helping hand to the people in the disaster."

Amon shook his head, his tone carrying undisguised denial.

He did not approve of this revolutionary philosophy.

"..."

Dragon fell silent.

With his ability, he could indeed arrive faster, and even nip everything in the cradle.

He was indeed waiting.

"You capture the nobles and royalty, and then lay all causes and effects before the people. Would the people who were almost burned to charcoal not awaken? Would they not be angry? Would they not resist?"

Amon did not remain silent and continued to press.

"Take down the nobles and hold a direct grievance-airing meeting."

"Not only can it break the concept of destiny and awaken class consciousness;"

"It can also break the people's fear of the nobles and mobilize the masses to dare to struggle;"

"Destroy the old authority left behind by the nobles in the past;"

"Establish the mass foundation of the Revolutionary Army;"

"And finally, leave a messy situation for the World Government and the Marines."

"This is simply a wonderful thing that achieves multiple goals at once."

"Why didn't you do it?"

"Anyway, you are already a world-class criminal."

"Are you still afraid that the World Government will add some more bounty to you?"

"..."

Every question from Amon was like a knife stabbing into Dragon's heart.

The self-blame in Dragon's heart and his regard for Amon rose continuously with each question.

These things, he had never thought of in the past, let alone imagined.

Among the people around him, those who could discuss such core platforms were even fewer and farther between.

Most people followed him in revolution simply because they were dissatisfied with the oppression of this world.

Yet very few people could propose such a clear path of action.

If the other party joined, he believed the development path of the Revolutionary Army could go much faster.

Therefore, he spoke, even using an honorific: "Mr. Amon! I request you to join the Revolutionary Army as our Chief of Staff!"

"I refuse."

Amon shook his head.

Dragon was puzzled: "Why?"

"Mr. Amon, I can feel it. You are similarly filled with dissatisfaction and anger toward this world; and you harbor boundless love for the general public."

"Because it's too slow," Amon replied.

What does the Revolutionary Army have?

A Dragon, plus the future commanders of various Revolutionary Army branches.

Barely considered full of talents.

And what about the Marines?

Kong, Sengoku, Garp, Zephyr, Akainu, Aokiji, Kizaru.

There are seven monsters at the Admiral level alone.

And the lower-ranking Marines are countless.

I can copy to my heart's content!

"What is too slow?"

"Your pace of subverting the world is too slow," Amon asked back. "According to your style of doing things, you still need to accumulate strength for a long time, right?"

Dragon nodded silently: "Revolution is not the impulse of one person, but the awakening of millions of people."

"It is true that I can charge into Mary Geoise alone and kill some Celestial Dragons."

"But the World Government will introduce new Celestial Dragons, oppression will not stop, and sacrifices will have no meaning."

"So, this is the reason why I disagree; it takes too long."

Amon shrugged.

"..."

Dragon fell silent.

He considered this to be already very fast.

At least within twenty years, he could officially declare war on the World Government.

And this was still not enough in the other party's eyes.

He asked curiously: "Then what do you think is a faster path, Mr. Amon?"

"Join the Marines, command the Marines, and then, with one's own strength, fucking overthrow this damn world!!!"

Amon clenched his fists, his words resounding with strength.

If previously this was just an expectation.

But now...

Having gone to sea for less than two months, he had already undergone heaven-defying changes.

Once he becomes a Marine rising star and takes office as an Admiral.

By then, after accumulating entries for a period of time.

Under his power, this world will also bend into the shape he wants!!

"Hum!!!"

The berserk spiritual will turned into substance.

Gold, red, and black trichromatic lightning, centered on Amon, crushed and poured toward all directions.

The air was trembling, the gravel on the ground was jumping, and even the distant flames seemed to be suppressed by this momentum, shrinking by a few inches.

"Hum..."

Ace, Sabo, Luffy, Sanji approaching with meals, and the surrounding people...

One by one, they fell to the ground, foaming at the mouth, and fell unconscious.

Even the distant trees trembled in this invisible coercion.

"Is this the legendary Conqueror's Haki?"

On the deck of the husky, Zeff trembled in fear, sweating like rain.

"This power..."

Dragon's pupils also shrank slightly.

Possessing Conqueror's Haki was nothing unusual.

The owners of Conqueror's Haki in the New World were like crucian carp crossing a river, countless.

But the point was this power; it looked nothing like the first awakening of Conqueror's Haki.

And this youth, although tall in stature, could not fake the immature look on his face.

He should not be an adult yet.

Dragon originally wanted to say that humans have limits, and the Marines even more so cannot violate the will of the World Government, but he ultimately remained silent.

【Conqueror's Haki (Gold) has been awakened.】

"This is Conqueror's Haki, pretty good."

Amon felt the brand new power and was somewhat pleasantly surprised.

He had originally planned to use the 【Hypnosis】 entry.

To create some tragic memories for himself to stimulate himself.

And try to awaken Conqueror's Haki.

Unexpectedly, it came out on its own now.

"I am starting to look forward to your future path," Dragon slowly spoke, taking out an exquisite and compact wiretapping Den Den Mushi: "If you are unhappy in the Marines, you are welcome to join the Revolutionary Army and fight together for the freedom of all the world's people!"

"Alright."

Amon did not refuse and took it calmly.

More choices mean more paths, and it's also a way to play at collusion between officials and bandits.

Chapter 25: Dragon's Help, Training Conqueror's Haki

"Here, I'll leave this to you, Mr. Dragon."

Amon picked up Sanji and walked towards the husky.

"Aren't you going to say goodbye to them?"

Dragon pointed at Luffy and the other two.

He vividly remembered that the three of them regarded Amon as their big brother.

"As long as we're still alive, we'll definitely meet again on the vast sea."

Without looking back, Amon walked towards the husky on the shore, hoisted the sails, and set course for Shimotsuki Village.

"Youthful vigor, huh."

Dragon sighed with emotion and took out a Den Den Mushi.

"Bloop, bloop."

"That bastard, disturbing old man me—I was almost about to break my donut record!!!"

Soon, the Den Den Mushi connected, and a grumpy voice came through.

Dragon: "Dad, it's me."

"Oh, what do you want?" Garp said indifferently.

"I met a boy in the Goa Kingdom, he..."

Dragon cut to the chase.

"He's a good kid with a sense of justice, so are you calling to show off to your old man?" Garp grew impatient.

His feelings toward the Marine were exceptionally complex.

The Marine's ideal of protecting civilians was the creed he practiced.

But he was powerless to change the corrupt system led by the World Government and the Celestial Dragons.

"No, he wants to join the Marine, and I hope you can take him as your apprentice." Dragon voiced his thoughts.

Amon was too precious—so precious that he couldn't bear to see this pure heart polished into ruthless stone by reality.

"?" Garp was stunned.

Hostile to the World Government and nobles, yet wanting to join the Marine?

Did he recognize reality and still choose to join the Marine to uphold justice?

Or did he want to use the Marine to achieve his own goals?

"I see. What's his name?"

"Amon."

"Hmm."

"Click."

Dragon put away the hung-up Den Den Mushi, lit a campfire, and waited silently.

"Swish!"

Before long, two sturdy figures appeared behind Dragon.

"Hey, Dragon, did you run into enemies?"

Ivankov glanced at the people lying all over the ground.

Dragon shook his head: "No, it's a quite exceptional boy."

"Oh?" Not only Ivankov, but Bartholomew Kuma also slightly lowered his gaze.

What kind of boy could be called exceptional by Dragon?

Dragon recounted everything he had just heard.

"Hmm? This isn't just theory; it's a workable, practical process!"

Ivankov's eyes grew brighter as he listened.

He, Ginny, and Kuma had never given up resisting since they were children.

But the common people were different.

In most areas ruled by nobles,

the people were indoctrinated to believe that all their disasters were because they weren't born nobles.

They had no consciousness or concept of rebellion at all.

If they followed the approach of grievance-airing meetings, it would undoubtedly ignite the spirit of resistance in the people's hearts.

This would bring indescribable benefits to the revolutionary work.

"At such a young age, to have this kind of awareness—he truly is an exceptional boy, even better than us. Dragon, why didn't you invite him to join the Revolutionary Army?"

"He has his own plans to pursue." Dragon shook his head slightly.

At this moment,

"Ugh ah..."

A groan sounded. Ace woke up first and took in his surroundings.

Unfamiliar people, and two more sturdy figures beside them.

The uncongealed meal nearby emitted a slight fragrance.

The main point was that Big Brother Amon and Sanji were completely gone, and even the boat was missing.

"What just happened? Was it some kind of attack?" Sabo rubbed his aching head, glanced around, and asked, "Ace, where is Big Brother Amon?"

"I don't know." Ace didn't dare act rashly, staring vigilantly at the three of Dragon.

"It was an attack, it must be you! Give Big Brother Amon back to us!"

Luffy directly leaped up and kicked towards Dragon.

"Wait, Luffy!!"

Ace and the other tried to stop him, but it was too late.

"..."

"Smack!"

The kick landed squarely on the eyebrowless forehead.

"You brat." Dragon grabbed his own son and shook him.

If he didn't want his family's information to leak,

he really wanted to teach Luffy a good lesson.

"Calm down, Amon has already left. If you don't believe me, you can try contacting him." Dragon took out a Den Den Mushi.

"Sorry, mister! Luffy got too excited."

Ace quickly stepped forward and pinned down the unconvinced Luffy.

"Let's try it then!" Luffy said angrily.

On the other side,

"Moshi moshi."

Amon answered the call.

Luffy's voice came through: "Is that Big Brother Amon?"

"That's right, it's me. Sorry about that, Luffy-chan. My ability went out of control and knocked all of you out."

Amon hadn't expected the other end to be Luffy.

He thought it would be Nami and the others unable to hold back and calling him.

He couldn't help feeling a warmth in his heart, realizing they still cared enough to worry about him when they found him missing.

It wasn't in vain that he had stepped in to spare the three little ones the agony of separation from their brothers.

"It's okay! Have a safe journey, Big Brother Amon!"

"You guys too, be careful usually, and don't let nobles and the army come looking for trouble afterward."

"Okay!"

Hanging up the phone, Amon stretched and felt a somewhat burning gaze.

It was the awakened Zeff.

"Ow."

Following that, Sanji also woke up: "Did a battle just happen?"

He remembered he had just finished making a dish.

Zeff: "It was Haki."

Sanji was puzzled: "Haki?"

"That's right, Haki is divided into... And what Amon just used cannot be trained; it's called Conqueror's Haki, the aptitude of a king." Zeff stared at Amon's back and explained.

Sanji widened his mouth: "Conqueror's Haki? As expected of Big Brother Amon, even his Haki is the most powerful kind."

Zeff nodded: "However, from what I've heard, Conqueror's Haki is the hardest to master. Most users awaken it easily, but cannot use it a second time in a short period. It's the most difficult Haki to master."

"Is that so?"

Sanji blinked his eyes.

At the same time, Amon sat upright at the bow of the ship, muttering words under his breath.

"Three seconds from now, I will see the tragic sight of myself failing to defeat Arlong despite trying my best, the villagers of Cocoyasi Village being executed one by one, Bellmère and the other two being brutally hacked to death, while I am knocked to the ground, heavily wounded and dying, unable to move."

"I won't wake up until I touch seawater."

"Three, two, one, Hypnosis!"

The Hypnosis ability activated.

The next instant,

Amon's eyes widened in fury, his entire body suddenly springing up as he drew his blade and slashed fiercely towards the sea in front of him: "Arlong!!!!"

Along with the roar, violent Conqueror's Haki surged out from Amon once more!!!

"Old man, didn't you say Conqueror's Haki is the hardest to master?" Sanji rolled his eyes and passed out cold.

"..." Zeff broke out in a cold sweat, doubting his life choices.

No, is this right?

Is the rumor wrong,

or is there something wrong with Amon himself?

"Glug glug..."

"Relying on extreme emotions to repeatedly stimulate the outbreak of Conqueror's Haki really works!"

A sober Amon poked his head out from under the water, his eyes full of pleasant surprise.

The 【Hypnosis】 entry might seem like just a green one.

But in Amon's view, ordinary purple entries couldn't compare to it.

It could be called the god of support.

"Just a bit mentally draining."

Amon could feel a lingering sense of Spiritual exhaustion.

"From now on, everyday I'll drain my physical strength with Tekkai first, and then drain my Spiritual energy with Conqueror's Haki."

Amon set his plan and began trying again.

Chapter 26: Shimotsuki Village, the Youngest Steel-Cutting Swordsman!

Three days later.

【Source Energy + 91】

【Current Source Energy: 295】

"91 points of Source Energy. Over the past three days, not only has it not dropped, but it has also gotten higher and higher. It seems that I've started to make a name for myself in the East Blue!"

The moment Amon opened his eyes, he saw the settled Source Energy, and his mood greatly improved.

Stretching lazily, Amon walked out of the cabin as a salty sea breeze hit his face.

Sanji, wearing an apron, was exceptionally busy: "Big Brother Amon, good morning. Breakfast will still take a little while."

"Good morning, thank you for your hard work," Amon smiled.

Zeff stood at the helm, lowering his head to compare the nautical chart in his hand: "Amon, you came out just at the right time. If the route is correct, Shimotsuki Village seems to be arriving soon."

"Is that so?"

Amon's eyes brightened slightly as he took out a telescope to look at the distant island.

The massive Isshin Dojo was not far from the port.

The point was—

On a platform by the sea, a green-haired child was doing squats while lifting a giant boulder several times larger than his own body.

Such an age, such immense strength, such distinct features.

Who else could it be besides Roronoa Zoro.

"We've found the right place."

Amon confirmed the result, then changed the subject: "Without any accidents, I will cultivate in Shimotsuki Village for a period of time. Mr. Zeff, Sanji, you can consider your upcoming journey."

"……"

Zeff's hand trembled, and he froze on the spot.

Having experienced those two months on the isolated island, he had already found his former self.

A blind pirate career was not what he wanted to live.

But now that he had a lame leg and his combat power was greatly impaired, it was even more impossible to continue heading to the Grand Line to search for the blue sea.

What could he do?

"……" Sanji was even more utterly lost.

He was someone not even acknowledged by his biological father.

Where could he go?

"Can't think of anywhere? Then think about it slowly, no need to rush. Now, little ones, dock the ship for me first!"

Amon interrupted their thoughts.

"Oh, okay!!"

"……"

Isshin Dojo.

"Are they pirates?" Zoro put down the stone, raised two wooden swords, and approached excitedly.

"No, Zoro, they should be guests."

Shimotsuki Koushirou pushed up his glasses and led the assistants inside the dojo to welcome them forward.

"Boring." Zoro turned back in disappointment.

Soon, the ship docked.

Amon also saw Shimotsuki Koushirou and Zoro on the shore.

He jumped off the deck, reaching out his palm toward Shimotsuki Koushirou: "You must be Mr. Shimotsuki Koushirou of Isshin Dojo, hello!"

"Hello, Your Excellency Amon, no need for formalities. Just call me Genzo. You are much younger than I imagined."

Shimotsuki Koushirou shook hands, a flash of surprise sweeping across the depths of his eyes.

Judging by his facial features, he looked to be around fourteen or fifteen years old.

Yet his body had developed so well.

A body with extraordinary natural talent?

At the same time, a panel surfaced before Amon's eyes.

, , , , , , , ,

【Target】: Shimotsuki Koushirou.

【Entry】: Formidable Physique 【Red】, Armament Haki 【Silver-Plated】.

【Skill】: Shimotsuki Style Swordsmanship 【Consummate】, Armament Haki 【Hardening, Infusion, Flow】, Sword Zen...

Formidable Physique 【Red】: Size: 100000M; Status: Downloadable.

, , , , , , , , ,

Glancing at Shimotsuki Koushirou's information, Amon was attracted by another point: "Mr. Genzo, you know my name?"

Was it because of Dragon?

He remembered that after the Goa Kingdom, Dragon had also come to Shimotsuki Village to resupply.

With Dragon's abilities and ship, his speed was undoubtedly much faster than theirs.

"Partly due to an old friend, and besides that, Your Excellency Amon, you have gained quite a widespread reputation recently."

Shimotsuki Koushirou smiled slightly, spreading his hands to guide them: "Why don't we enter the dojo first? We can talk about it slowly."

An old friend—that was definitely Dragon.

Amon confirmed it in his heart, replied with a sure agreement, and leisurely followed along, entering the dojo.

"After reading this, Your Excellency Amon will understand everything." Shimotsuki Koushirou took out a newspaper from under the table.

"A newspaper?"

Amon was slightly stunned, thinking about why his Source Points had been increasing day by day during this period.

It was probably because the news of Kuro and Bluejam's deaths had started to spread.

However, how come they hadn't received the News Coo's newspaper?

Could it be because of that storm?

"Come, have some tea." Genzo personally brewed a cup of barley tea and handed it over.

"Thank you."

Amon took a sip, unfolded the newspaper to take a look, and as he expected, the report was precisely about the incident of slaying Kuro and Bluejam.

"Shimotsuki Village is located in a remote area, even more on the edge of the East Blue than Goa Kingdom, yet we can still receive relevant reports about you."

Shimotsuki Koushirou smiled: "If it were a wildly popular city like Loguetown, I estimate you would already be a big figure spoken of on everyone's lips."

Shimotsuki Koushirou said these words with utmost sincerity.

First slaying Kuro of 5 Million Berries, saving a merchant ship;

Later slaying Bluejam of 14.3 Million Berries, and also saving a large number of citizens in the scrap terminal.

And both times ending the battle with a single slash.

Placed across the entire East Blue, he was already a resounding swordsman.

Such combat power was finally discovered by the local newspaper offices in the East Blue, starting to appear in the papers one after another.

Now he had been dubbed the Greatest Swordsman of the East Blue!

Amon looked closely, and the newspaper headlines were exceptionally exaggerated.

【The Death of the Black Cat, the Youngest Steel-Cutting Swordsman!!!】

【The Steel-Cutting Swordsman Appears Again, the End of the Gem Pirates!!!】

【The New Pirate Hunter, the Unbeatable Steel-Cutting Swordsman!!!】

"Wow, Big Brother Amon, the newspaper took a very handsome photo of you."

Sanji leaned over, letting out a surprised sound.

Among the photos in the newspaper, one showed Amon holding a blade with a face as calm as a lake, and at his feet was Kuro, split neatly in half from person to claws. The composition was exceptionally impactful, and it was unknown who had captured it amidst the chaos.

"Ha."

Amon couldn't help but smile.

Who wouldn't like others buttering them up?

However, a person should have self-awareness.

He knew what the true situation of his foundation as a steel-cutting swordsman was.

Cutting steel relied entirely on 【Emotional Armament】, plus brute force dominating everything.

Absolute stats combined with the mechanism of the golden entry; his introductory swordsmanship was just a mere bonus.

"This…"

Amon was just planning to speak up and state his purpose.

"Bang!"

The door was heavily pushed open.

"Father."

A girl with short black hair, tall and slender, stood at the doorway and calmly spoke, "It's time for breakfast, what are you doing... Eh!!!!"

Her gaze shifted to Amon, her small face filled with pleasant surprise as she suddenly screamed out, "Amon, you're His Excellency Amon, the youngest steel-cutting swordsman! Why are you here?!"

Saying that,

she rushed straight over and pinched her own old father.

"Hiss!" Shimotsuki Koushirou sucked in a breath of cold air on the spot. "Kuina, what are you doing?!"

"It hurts, it's real, it's not a dream!"

Kuina completely ignored her old man, rushing to Amon's presence like a fully energized little deer.

Lifting her head, her distinct black-and-white almond-shaped eyes were filled with unmasked beams of worship.

"It really is Your Excellency Amon himself!"

"Your Excellency Amon, how did you master steel-cutting?"

A fangirl? Amon's eyes were peculiar. He had never imagined that Kuina would actually have such a side to her.

Chapter 27: Kuina, the Fan, and Genzo's Definition of a Great Swordsman

"This is my daughter, Kuina. Please forgive her. She is usually very quiet and only knows how to practice swordsmanship."

Genzo gave an apologetic smile. "However, recently she has become very interested in the news of you, the youngest great swordsman in the East Blue. Now that she sees you in person, she's gotten a bit carried away."

"It's fine." Amon waved his hand to indicate it was no trouble.

A fan's adoration—how could something like that ever be a burden?

The more, the better!

That way, the daily Source Energy can keep increasing.

He extended a hand and greeted, "Hello, Kuina!"

He was even more curious about what entries this talented female swordsman, who was suspected to have died prematurely in the original work, would possess.

"Hello, Lord Amon! What brings you to Shimotsuki Village? Can you stay for a while longer? I want to ask for your guidance in swordsmanship."

Kuina extended her hand and couldn't help asking.

At the same time, a panel materialized before Amon's eyes.

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

【Target】: Shimotsuki Kuina

【Entries】: 【Strong Physique】 (Green), 【Inborn Sword Heart】 (Gilded Silver)...

【Skills】: 【Isshin-ryu Kendo】 (Minor Accomplishment)

【Inborn Sword Heart】 (Gilded Silver): Size: 1,000,000M; Status: Downloadable.

【Isshin-ryu Kendo】 (Minor Accomplishment): Size: 80M; Status: Downloadable.

【Inborn Sword Heart】: Anticipates enemies during a clash, keenly capturing opponents' motion flaws and power-output vulnerabilities; pre-judges attack trajectories, locking onto offense and defense timings in advance, possessing a natural suppression effect against enemies who rely purely on brute force and instinctual attacks.

【Isshin-ryu Kendo】 (Minor Accomplishment): Discards superfluous and flashy moves, unifying mind and spirit, integrating offense and defense. A single blade strike condenses all gravity and focus, parrying is concise and effortless, counterattacks are swift and fierce; excels at defeating complexity with simplicity, counteracting multi-directional offensives, and capable of precisely intercepting frantic combo attacks.

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

"A Gilded Silver-tier Inborn Sword Heart—no wonder she could suppress a young Zoro. The Shimotsuki clan's talent really is exceptional."

Amon swiftly glanced at Kuina's talent skills and said, "I came to Shimotsuki Village precisely for this matter."

"Oh?" Genzo's eyes narrowed slightly, his gaze carrying a hint of scrutiny.

"Lord Amon, do you intend to challenge our Isshin Dojo?" Kuina also grew nervous.

Challenging a dojo was not a sparring match with bamboo swords.

Rather, it was a real battle with real blades, fighting to the death for honor.

One side was the pirate-punishing, youngest great swordsman of the East Blue—what she aspired to become;

The other side was her biological father. Seeing either side get hurt was not a result she wanted to witness.

"No, Kuina, you've misunderstood." Amon waved his hand,

"In reality, my ability to cut iron relies entirely on my innate physique coupled with somewhat unpolished Armament Haki. On the level of swordsmanship, my standards are not high."

He paused, looked at Genzo, and said in a sincere tone, "I came here to truly undergo systematic kendo learning. I hope Mr. Genzo can teach me!"

In truth, that wasn't the case.

The only place in the East Blue currently possessing high-tier entries and capable of safely allowing Amon to copy them was right here.

He planned to build a relationship. If becoming Garp's apprentice didn't go smoothly, after dealing with Arlong, he would turn into a bounty hunter, accumulate Source Energy, and simultaneously find an opportunity to download Genzo.

As well as the entry of Shimotsuki Kozaburo, who he didn't even know if was dead or alive.

"Ah?" Kuina was stunned, the eagerness in her eyes turning into confusion.

"Of course you can." Genzo nodded readily, then changed the topic, "However, Lord Amon, you don't need to belittle yourself too much. You are already a great swordsman right now."

"?" Amon was puzzled.

"Father, what are you talking about?" Kuina was also somewhat dazed.

Lord Amon denied being a great swordsman, yet Genzo claimed the other party was one.

What on earth was going on here?

"An iron-cutting great swordsman not only needs to practice swordsmanship, but a powerful physique and the realm of cutting iron are even more paramount."

Genzo smiled slightly. "Swordsmanship, to put it bluntly, is simply using various moves and techniques to knock down the opponent. With your physique, Lord Amon, I imagine you will be able to make up for the basics very quickly."

So he was just being modest! Kuina's gaze became even more fanatical.

"In that case, I'll have to ask for your guidance, Mr. Genzo." Amon's eyes lit up.

What Genzo said completely aligned with his understanding of a pirate's kendo.

Moves were nothing more than derivatives of swordsmanship basics combined with physique and Haki.

"You're welcome. Please follow me."

The breakfast location was a spacious building inside the dojo near the seaside.

Isshin Dojo was quite large; even during breakfast time when some students had not yet arrived, there were still over a dozen people.

Aside from Genzo and Kuina, there were also two assistant instructors in the dojo, an elderly woman who cooked, and several children who boarded here.

Zoro was also among them, presumably called back halfway through, and was currently sitting in a corner with a displeased expression.

The breakfast style was even simpler.

The staple food was barley rice, miso seaweed soup, and a few wild vegetables that Amon couldn't name; their color, aroma, and taste were all very ordinary.

"Only now do I realize how exceptional Zeff and Sanji's Cooking skills are."

Although Amon was very hungry, at this moment it tasted like chewing wax.

He only now discovered that Sanji and the other had long spoiled his palate.

"What's wrong, Lord Amon? Are you not used to it?" Kuina, who was constantly paying attention to Amon, immediately noticed something was amiss.

"It's nothing." Amon waved his hand.

Others were treating him with good intentions; he couldn't possibly say their food tasted terrible.

Right at that moment.

An overbearing fragrance wafted in from outside the window.

"Gurgle gurgle…" Amon's stomach reacted instantly, letting out a rumble.

"So fragrant! What is that?"

"Just smelling it makes my mouth water!"

"I can't imagine what kind of delicacy it would be once eaten..."

Shimotsuki Koushirou and the few adults could still manage to sit still, but the group of children immediately had all their attention captivated by this overbearing fragrance, looking towards the outside of the door.

"Gulp." Zoro had done extra training all morning and was already starving to death, so he directly began swallowing his saliva.

"To actually make such a pathetic sound, Zoro, you're so rude!" Kuina glared fiercely at him.

"You guy!" Zoro got angry and retorted, "Isn't the new guy even more exaggerated than me?!"

Kuina was being way too hypocritical today!

"Lord Amon is an iron-cutting great swordsman, and a powerful physique naturally requires more food to sustain it. It's just that our meals are too ordinary and lack sufficient nutrition. And what about you? A guy who can't even beat a girl—what qualification do you have to speak of Lord Amon!"

As soon as these words came out, Zoro instantly fell silent on the spot, as if his mute acupoint had been pressed.

That's right... I've already lost over fifteen hundred times.

Damn it!!

Thinking of this, Zoro stealthily sized Amon up from top to bottom once more.

Iron-cutting great swordsman? Is he very strong?

Looking at him, you can't tell.

Isn't he just a little taller than me, and looks a bit stronger.

Why not... find a chance to fight him?

28. Left swing has great strength, right swing has high speed.

It really is like brine dropping on tofu; everything has its match.

Amon chuckled with a smile, saying, "Hahaha, Kuina, how could meals filled with heartfelt care be ordinary? They are none other than top chefs returning from the Grand Line, or rather, future world's greatest! I've already gotten used to their care."

"Really? Big Brother Amon!"

Sanji said in pleasant surprise.

At the same time, his figure appeared at the doorway.

Beside him was Mr. Zeff, who, even with half a leg missing, steadily held up a large tray of food in his hands.

Spicy seafood pasta; steamed sea urchin egg, hand-pressed tuna sushi, torched...

"Wow!"

The group of children let out gasps of amazement, their eyes shining as they looked at the dazzling array of food.

Even as reserved as Kuina, she couldn't help swallowing her saliva.

"Aren't you swallowing your saliva too?" Zoro caught this change.

"Nosy!" Kuina said angrily, her cheeks blushing. She cautiously glanced at Amon, and seeing that he wasn't paying attention to her, she let out a sigh of relief.

Amon reined in his smile: "Of course, recently, thank you for the meticulous care from you, Sanji, and Mr. Zeff."

In just half a month, his height had grown significantly.

"Hehe." Sanji couldn't help but be happy.

"In that case, Genzo-sensei, I wonder if your dojo can temporarily take in a disabled old man like me?! Let me introduce myself, my name is Zeff, a former pirate."

Zeff's eyes flickered as he looked at Genzo, making no attempt to hide his identity.

"Lord Zeff, for a figure of your stature to condescend to stay at the dojo is truly the good fortune of myself and these children. We couldn't welcome you fast enough, it's just..."

Genzo's smile remained unchanged as his gaze swept over the abundant ingredients, his words carrying unexpressed hesitation.

With ingredients of this caliber, coupled with the wages paid to the other party, Isshin Dojo would likely go bankrupt before long.

If it were a few days ago, there would still be quite a lot of accumulated food and valuables.

But a few days ago, he had given all of them to Dragon to support the revolutionary cause.

At a glance at the dishes, Zeff immediately understood the swordsman's concerns: "It's no problem, this old man still has some savings, don't worry. From now on, all the ingredients for Isshin Dojo will be covered by me!"

"How can that be!"

Genzo quickly refused.

Working for free, yet still paying to buy ingredients.

No matter how thick-skinned he was, he couldn't accept this promise.

"It doesn't matter. The most important thing is that young master Amon eats happily. He saved the lives of this old man and Sanji; paying anything is fine." Zeff took full responsibility and said.

Genzo understood.

The other party's words were meant to set his mind at ease, indicating that their dojo was merely an attachment.

But in reality, how could it be that simple.

"That's right, Genzo-sensei, let this serve as the tuition fee for my swordsmanship studies." Amon added.

"In that case, alright." Genzo still couldn't resist this temptation: "Lord Amon, I will definitely do my utmost to teach you."

"Teach? Might as well let me do it!" Zoro instantly perked up, puffing out his chest: "If you can't even beat me, there's no need for master to make a move at all."

As he spoke, Zoro tried hard to lift his head, attempting to look Amon in the eye, but the height difference was too great, and it ultimately turned into looking up.

"Lord Amon, how about it, care to have a spar with me?"

Shimotsuki Koushirou rebuked, "Do not be rude!"

Kuina's expression changed even more as she raised her fist: "Zoro, you ignorant fool, you can't even beat me, yet you still want to challenge Lord Amon."

"It's fine, it's fine. I also happen to want to experience Isshin-ryu Kendo!"

Amon smiled to smooth things over, raising his hand unassumingly and, relying on his fast speed, rubbed the slightly prickly green hair.

------------------------

【Target】: Roronoa Zoro

【Entry】: 【Strong Physique】 (Green), 【Conqueror's Haki】 (Gold - Unawakened), 【Asura Aura】 (Gold), 【Bad Sense of Direction】 (Dark Gold)...

【Skill】: Isshin-ryu Kendo, Two-Sword Style, Three-Sword Style

【Conqueror's Haki】 (Gold - Unawakened): Size 100M; Status: Downloadable.

【Asura Aura】 (Gold - Unawakened): Size 100M; Status: Downloadable.

【Bad Sense of Direction】 (Dark Gold): Size 10000M; Status: Downloadable.

【Bad Sense of Direction】 (Dark Gold): Even at the simplest crossroads, can mistake the way and get lost. Without the assistance of Observation Haki, one will be permanently trapped in this trouble.

【Asura Aura】 (Gold): The power combining killing intent and spirit; at its peak, it can even make people see illusions and be injured by the illusions' attacks.

------------------------

"Hmph, you guy."

Zoro unhappily turned his head away.

"A dark-gold-grade bad sense of direction, you're really something." Amon's mouth twitched as his gaze lingered on 【Asura】 Aura for a split second.

Kuina perked up: "Then, can I also experience your skills?"

"Of course you can, but for now, let's eat first?"

Amon pointed at the sumptuous breakfast.

"Of course!"

After the meal.

...

Inside the spacious dojo, wooden floors were laid, wooden racks were nailed to the walls on both sides, and rows of bamboo swords and wooden swords were neatly hung.

At the innermost part of the hall stood a simple wooden shrine, above which hung a dark ink vertical scroll inscribed with the four large characters 【Sword Is One-Minded】.

It had quite a bit of ancient charm.

Unfortunately, the argument ruined this atmosphere.

Zoro was extremely dissatisfied: "Why should I cooperate with you?!"

Kuina showed no mercy: "Idiot! Lord Amon's time is precious, who do you think you are? Being able to receive guidance together is already lucky, how much more of Lord Amon's time do you want to waste?"

As she spoke, Kuina brandished her sword and launched an attack.

And while Zoro argued, he also immediately followed up, his dual swords sealing off Amon's movement route.

Their coordination was extremely tacit.

Unfortunately.

In the face of absolute stats, all fancy tricks were meaningless.

Amon's left swing had great strength, and his right swing had high speed.

Two unremarkable basic attacks knocked the bamboo swords out of both of their hands, and with a casual swipe, he sent them flying.

"So amazing!!"

"Kuina and Zoro flew out all at once."

"Is this the Iron-Cutting Swordsman?"

"..."

All the children in the audience, including the two assistant instructors, were incomparably shocked.

As for Kuina and Zoro.

Zoro was already invincible among the dojo trainees, and even the two assistant instructors couldn't defeat him.

Needless to say about Kuina; having sparred with Zoro more than a thousand times over the past year, she had always suppressed Zoro with her strength.

Yet, when the two of them joined forces to besiege him, they couldn't even last a single move in Amon's hands.

"How could it be, the gap is this big?!" The webbing of Zoro's thumb and index finger hurt severely, his arms were numb, and he couldn't even sit up.

"Isn't this a completely normal thing? This is the youngest Iron-Cutting Swordsman in the East Blue!"

Kuina was not surprised at all.

She had long known the gap between them.

What she hadn't expected was that the gap would be so enormous that she couldn't even see the speed of his sword swings.

29. Entering the Isshin-ryu, Family Call

"Alright, quiet."

Shimotsuki Koushirou spoke, his voice not loud, but it instantly suppressed the noise.

He drew Wado Ichimonji: "Lord Amon, please show me everything you've got."

"Alright!"

Amon's spirits stirred, and without hesitation, he drew his blade and charged.

In the next instant, he had already arrived before Shimotsuki Koushirou.

His longsword, wreathed in Armament Haki, slashed down fiercely.

"Clang!!"

"Clang, clang, clang!!!"

Not until the blade was right upon him did Shimotsuki Koushirou raise his sword to intercept, the point of impact sparking a continuous stream of sparks.

The two fought faster and faster, their blades nearly weaving into a dazzling blur of light within the room, the turbulent buzzing causing quite a few children to uncomfortably exit the dojo and admire from a distance.

"So strong." Zoro was dumbfounded.

Both of them are so strong.

He had originally thought his master was at most much stronger than the assistant instructor.

Once he beat Kuina, he could try challenging his master.

Now looking at it, it was completely not the case.

"Lord Amon is amazing, actually able to contend with my father." Kuina's eyes flashed with brilliant colors.

"Mr. Genzo, the next move is my strongest power!!"

Amon activated the pre-set Hypnosis command.

In an instant, his perception surged several times over, his body's potential was stimulated, and his strength skyrocketed, exploded, and surged!

Following that, he stamped heavily with his feet, manipulating all the blood in his body to rush into his upper limbs.

His entire upper body expanded by a circle, and his two arms swelled to be comparable to thighs, slashing down violently toward Shimotsuki Koushirou.

The surrounding air was faintly condensed and compressed, forming a shockwave that blasted toward Shimotsuki Koushirou a step ahead.

"Flying Slash!!"

Kuina's heart skipped a beat.

A flying slash, coupled with the ability to cut iron—a Great Swordmaster!

Amon wasn't just a swordmaster who could cut iron, but a Great Swordmaster!!!

Can Father block it?

"Isshin · Iai."

A streak of silver light suddenly flashed.

The slash wave exploded, turning into a wave of air that swept in all directions, forcing everyone to close their eyes.

When they recovered their vision.

Amon stood tall in place, with only half of the blade left in his hand.

Shimotsuki Koushirou wore an apologetic smile: "Sorry, Lord Amon, it's been a long time since I fought so freely, I lost control a bit. I will recast a sword for you."

"It's fine." Amon didn't care at all.

It was just a crudely made sword, the ship had plenty of them.

"Lord Amon, please come with me."

"Alright!"

Under everyone's gaze, the two came to a quiet room.

Shimotsuki Koushirou placed Wado Ichimonji on the sword rack and said: "Lord Amon, your strength, speed, and control over your body are all beyond reproach. The only things lacking are swordsmanship routines and mastery over Haki. I've noticed that you seem to only be able to control Haki when attacking? You should know about Haki, right? It's the power to cut iron."

"Mhm, indeed that's the case. My mastery of Haki is an uncontrollable instinct."

Amon nodded.

He currently had Armament Haki.

It was entirely thanks to the cheating of the Emotional Armament provided by Nami back then.

In reality, after training for so long, he still couldn't freely control Haki.

"I see."

Shimotsuki Koushirou came to a realization, thought about it for a moment, and said: "In that case, you will first learn swordsmanship moves from me. After becoming proficient, take Sword Zen as the main focus to unearth your own potential."

"Alright." Amon nodded.

Anyway, whatever the professional says, he'll do.

"Isshin-ryu is passed down from... Lord..."

Shimotsuki Koushirou took out a bamboo sword, explaining while demonstrating.

In every gesture, although the movements were extremely slow, there was a sense of flowing water like clouds.

Amon moved along with him.

With today's various entry bonuses and control.

Although Amon couldn't replicate it one-to-one.

But his grip on the moves and the transmission of force lines were not off by a bit.

Very quickly.

An extra skill appeared on his panel.

【Isshin-ryu Kendo (Novice)】

"Skills, aside from advanced techniques like Armament Haki flowing and Conqueror's Haki infusion, are best practiced by oneself. Precious Source Points should be left for various powerful entries."

Amon's heart stirred as he made his plan.

"Not bad, your talent is indeed exceptional."

Shimotsuki Koushirou's eyes were fiery: "The best way to progress in kendo is through combat. Keep attacking."

"Alright!"

Amon didn't stand on ceremony either; his bamboo sword was hardened by Armament Haki and slashed down fiercely.

"Clang!"

Time passed day by day just like that.

In the blink of an eye, 5 months passed.

Shimotsuki Village coast.

"Brat, you're quite capable, huh? You've become East Blue's youngest swordmaster who can cut iron? You can't even bear to come back for your own birthday."

"Hehe, just so-so."

Amon held the Den Den Mushi, wearing a fawning smile.

"I told you, when facing pirates, don't try to stand out heroically. What are you doing?! Pirates with bounties of 5 million, pirates with over 10 million, you wiped them all out. You're so amazing!"

The Den Den Mushi vividly displayed Bellmère's gnashing of teeth and sarcastic expression.

Amon didn't dare to refute.

Bellmère nagged a bit before getting to the main point: "Is the matter of becoming Vice Admiral Garp's apprentice going smoothly? I heard a massive fire broke out in the Goa Kingdom, and the Celestial Dragons arrived to visit."

"Vice Admiral Garp wasn't in the Goa Kingdom, but I previously found his family, who agreed to help me contact Vice Admiral Garp."

"In that case, what are you still doing outside?!"

At this moment, two voices squeezed in.

"Amon! I'm very angry! You actually didn't even tell us and secretly left."

"Onii-chan, isn't your trip over yet? We miss you."

Amon couldn't help but raise a smile: "I'm currently learning kendo at a dojo, and I'll probably be back after some time."

Amon's thought stirred, bringing up his own panel.

【Name】: Amon

【Age】: 15

【Height】: 195cm

【Talents】: Emotional Armament 【Gold】; Weather Perception 【Gold】; Robust Physique 【Purple】; Genetic Modification 【Gold】 (Unawakened); Hypnosis 【Green】; Superhuman Physique 【Blue】; Supercompensation 【Gold】; Sit-up 【Gold】; Conqueror's Haki 【Gold】; Asura Aura 【Gold】 (Unawakened); Armament Haki 【Gold】...

【Skills】: Isshin-ryu Kendo 【Great Accomplishment】, Sword Zen 【Minor Accomplishment】...

【Source Energy】: 910

【Download Speed】: 100k/S+

Over these past three months, Amon had already copied Zoro's Conqueror's Haki and Asura Aura.

Isshin-ryu Kendo also filled in some of his shortcomings under Genzo's guidance.

Most importantly, through the three entry skills Sword Zen, Hypnosis, and Emotional Armament, stepping on his left foot with his right foot, he successfully mastered Armament Haki and the hardening technique.

He also took advantage of the previous heat to accumulate an unprecedented 910 points of emotional value.

However, being far from the high-level entries on Genzo and Kuina was still a long way off.

According to his past habits, Amon would have long since set sail, searching for the next pirate to extract source energy.

However, the battles between Zoro and Kuina had reached 2001 times.

Amon planned to see if he could save Kuina, this little fan.

30. Blondie and Curly Brows: Supreme Grade Ladder ×, Supreme Great Negation √

"Amon, why aren't you answering me?!"

Nami was extremely dissatisfied that Amon only answered Nojiko's question, her voice bursting out from the Den Den Mushi.

Amon's smile grew even wider. "Huh? Talk to you? Should I watch you cry like a slug, or wait for you to sneak onto the ship? There are pirates out on the sea, and I definitely don't want to travel with a dead weight."

"Damn it! Amon, you... mm-mm-mm!"

The rambling Nami was directly suppressed; static filled with a struggle came from the other end of the Den Den Mushi, followed by Bellmère's calm voice. "Alright, remember to come back early."

"Lastly, happy birthday."

"Happy birthday!!" * 2.

Bellmère didn't chat much, presumably not wanting to take up Genzo's time.

Amon's heart felt warm.

"It's time to prepare in advance the things I'll need to go home."

Feeding the Den Den Mushi a tender leaf, Amon put it back into his arms, his gaze falling upon the distant dojo.

"I need to download the Cooking skill from Zeff, and also download Navigation to supplement it. Fortunately, the prices for lifestyle skills aren't high; Master Cooking and Advanced Navigation together only cost 180M, which I can completely afford right now."

The dojo under the setting sun was shrouded in a warm golden halo.

Zeff was busy in the open kitchen, his hands and feet nimble, a rich aroma overflowing as his spatula flew back and forth.

He had already found a new meaning to life here.

It wasn't the out-of-reach All Blue, but rather the smiles people showed when eating the food he made.

As for Sanji, he should have found it too.

As the head sous-chef, Sanji listened with ears tuned to all directions and watched with eyes observing all sides.

"Zoro, you idiot! Why are you cutting them into such big chunks?! These are meant for braising, are you planning to hug them and gnaw on them?!" Sanji said with his hands on his hips, unleashing a tirade at Zoro, who was wielding a knife in front of the cutting board.

"You bastard curly eyebrow! Aren't everyone else cutting them this big?!" Zoro flew into a rage on the spot, slamming his kitchen knife fiercely onto the cutting board, the blade embedding itself into the wooden chopping block with a dull thud.

He really couldn't stand it anymore.

Everyone was helping in the kitchen, but this curly-browed bastard kept targeting him.

"Huh? Curly eyebrow? Who are you talking to?" Sanji glared, firing on all cylinders. "Moss-head, didn't you claim to be second in swordsmanship? Shouldn't cutting them smaller be a given? No wonder you can't even beat Kuina! In my opinion, your bone-chopping technique isn't even as good as mine!"

"You can be this confident just from knowing how to chop bones?" Veins popped out in a grid on Zoro's forehead. "If you've got the guts, pick up a bamboo sword and compare with me! Cur-ly! Eye-brow!!!"

"Your sword-swinging speed can't even match the speed of my spatula, yet you dare to talk big, moss-head!"

The more the two spoke, the angrier they became, their faces almost pressing together, their nose tips less than three centimeters apart, saliva practically splashing onto each other's faces.

The two didn't notice at all that a terrifying figure behind them was quietly approaching.

Amon hurriedly made a gesture.

Zeff understood and silently stepped back half a step.

Amon quietly stepped forward, his two large hands pressing onto the back of their heads respectively, gently bumping them towards the middle.

"!!!!!"

Each other's faces rapidly magnified in their fields of vision, both of them terrified as they tried to turn their heads, but Amon's hands were as steady as iron tongs, not moving an inch.

"Mm!!"

Their lips in panic kissed each other's cheeks.

"Click!!"

The shutter sound rang out crisply, freezing this historical moment in time.

"Yue!!!!!"

The two bounced apart as if electrocuted, each frantically wiping their own cheeks with disgusted expressions as if they couldn't wait to scrub their skin off.

Following that, the two turned their heads in tacit understanding, looking at the man holding the camera and smiling brightly.

Sanji's face turned dark. "Big Brother Amon! How could you do this!"

Zoro also had a gloomy expression. "Bastard swordsman! Hurry up and delete this kind of thing!"

"Hahahaha~ Don't blame me, Sanji-chan, Zoro-kun. Anyone else would find it irresistible. As for deleting it?" Amon shook the camera, his smile growing even more brilliant, "Impossible. This is the testimony of your friendship, I will keep it well."

He let out a happy laugh, his figure flashing, and instantly vanished outside the kitchen door.

What was somewhat regrettable was that the two didn't kiss each other directly. Otherwise it would have been perfect.

Easily shaking off the two who chased after him, Amon was planning to go find Genzo to continue his training, only to see Shimotsuki Koushirou rush out from the quiet room at the back of the dojo.

His face carried unprecedented panic, his steps disorderly, and he even forgot to take the glasses he usually wore.

"Mr. Genzo, what happened?"

A bad guess rose in Amon's heart, and he hurriedly followed.

"Kuina fell from the loft in the warehouse." Shimotsuki Koushirou was concise and to the point, a hint of tremor suppressed in his voice.

"As expected, it's this matter." A flash of solemnity and helplessness swept across the depths of Amon's eyes.

When the occurrence time of plot events isn't clear, it's just like this.

Unless one guarded Kuina around the clock, could this matter be completely prevented.

But that would get him treated as a pervert.

Both of their physiques were extraordinary, and in a few leaps they rushed to the scene.

Kuina was already surrounded in the middle by students who discovered the situation, not far beside her was the long ladder leading straight to the loft.

She lay on the ground, a pool of dark red blood slowly blooming behind her head, appearing exceptionally glaring on the gray surface of the whetstone.

Her gaze was already beginning to scatter, her breathing weak and rapid.

Amon glanced at that long ladder, at most five meters high.

Zoro could even squat while lifting massive boulders weighing several tons.

Yet Kuina, who could suppress Zoro...

Actually fell into this state so simply and carelessly?

How could a person's physical fitness undergo such a huge change in a short period of time?

Wait, as everyone knows, in the pirate world, strength and will are deeply bound.

Crocodile of Alabasta was suppressed by Luffy.

But in the Marineford War not long after, he was able to hard-resist a blow from Akainu while in a wounded state.

Could it be that Kuina is also in this kind of situation?

"Kuina!"

Shimotsuki Koushirou approached, wanting to touch his daughter, yet afraid of affecting her state, that outstretched hand hung mid-air, caught in a dilemma. He could only turn his head helplessly and ask, "Doctor, how much longer for the doctor?"

"Father..." Kuina squeezed out a low voice, a trace of relaxation flashing through her lingering spirit.

Father was right after all. A woman's body can never compare to a man's. I am too weak, only able to walk as far as here.

The teaching assistant answered in a panic, "They've already been called, but... it still takes a little time."

"Let me do it." Amon squeezed forward, squatted down, and raised his hand to gently press against Kuina's cheek.

, , , ,

【Target】: Shimotsuki Kuina

【Entry】: 【Strong Physique】 (Green)...

...

, , , , , , , ,

"The entries haven't changed, as expected Kuina herself didn't want to live anymore."

A flash of realization crossed the depths of Amon's eyes.

It wasn't the Supreme Grade Ladder.

Rather, it was Shimotsuki Koushirou's Supreme Great Negation that shattered Kuina's will.

Even though Zoro used the supreme grand goal of being the World's Greatest Swordsman to inspire her, it still failed to save Kuina's heart.