On the day the Celestial Dragons perished, the Marine spies monitoring Wano Country reported that Orrick had confirmed an alliance with "Hundred Beasts" Kaido.
This means that a year later, the opponents they would face are not only the Ancient Weapon "Sea King" and the "Celestial Dragons rebel" Orrick, but also the Hundred Beasts army, which has been secretly built up for years, and their leader, "Hundred Beasts" Kaido!!
To be honest, if Rowen had encountered this situation when he first arrived in this world, he would absolutely not expect the Marines to win this war.
Whether he could protect himself was the question he was most concerned about.
Now, the Marines do have the strength to fight, but undoubtedly, this is still a bitter battle.
A battle that is the largest epic battle in history in 800 years!!
"And I have to go find Caesar at this time. After all, the indirect cause of the extinction of the Celestial Dragons is still him. If I don't find him, I can't give Im an explanation."
"Really..."
Even if the Gorōsei (Five Elder Stars) did not specify, Rowen could imagine what expression Im had at this moment.
As the saying goes, even when beating a dog, one must look at its owner.
For that person, ambition and dreams are nothing more than a joke and a pastime, just like the chilled juice on the table while eating spicy little Dragon shrimp, purely a compliment.
But if someone spits saliva into the juice, their mood would definitely not be good, a full slap in the face.
"What a hassle!"
Knock, knock, knock!
At this moment, there was a knock on the door.
Rowen put the wooden box away and crossed his legs: "Come in."
pā dā...
The first sound that came was the sound of hard objects hitting the floor, but the visitor was not Smoker. He had discarded his cane a few days ago, and as long as he didn't make any big movements, his life was safe.
So...
"Yo! Have you finally escaped the danger, Koby?"
"Hah... Hah... Sorry to disturb you, Admiral!"
Koby pressed both hands on his cane against the door, his face pale and breathing rapidly. Two doctors in white coats followed behind, pushing an IV stand with a drip.
"I apologize, Admiral Soryu (Azure Dragon), Lieutenant Koby insisted on seeing you no matter what, so..."
"I see, then you can go back... as long as he won't die."
Doctor: "..."
'Which of your eyes saw that he wouldn't die, hey!!!'
"It's okay, I'm fine now."
Koby said as he moved his cane, supporting himself to walk into the room, then "Pū Tōng" fell to the ground, the bandages soaked in blood.
"Not good, his wound has opened again!"
"Do we have a hemostatic agent?!"
Looking at the chaotic scene before him, Rowen helplessly rubbed his forehead: "If you came here to make trouble for me, I admit you succeeded."
"Sorry... sorry!"
Koby was helped up, and took a deep breath: "I had to come here in person, even if it meant death, I don't care."
Saying this, he struggled to stand up straight and pushed the doctors away.
"This is my lifelong request, please, Admiral Soryu (Azure Dragon)..."
"Please take me as your apprentice!!!"
This is to...
Apprentice?
Rowen looked at this scene in astonishment. Am I also at this stage of life?
It feels like aging before my time!
Clearly, I don't even have a girlfriend, just like the readers...
Then he waved his hand, signaling the doctors to leave.
When only the two of them were left in the room, Rowen lit a cigar.
"It seems this war has had a significant impact on you, Koby."
"Yes!"
Koby bowed at a 90-degree angle, gasping for breath while gripping the fabric on his knee.
"I've worked so hard, yet I still can't accomplish anything."
"Whether it was when Nami was taken away, during the Marineford War, or this time... so many important things were right in front of me, yet I couldn't protect them!"
Tick-tock, tick-tock...
Koby, who seemed to have grown taller and gained conviction, returned to his crying personality, tears streaming down his face.
He bit his lip tightly.
"Indeed, even Zephyr San recognized my strength, saying I could stand alone as a Marine, but... it's still not enough!"
"Not enough!!!"
Koby raised his head and cried out: "If I could be just a little stronger, a little stronger, strong enough to protect them... they wouldn't..."
Life in the New World is difficult and harsh. Even someone as strong as Smoker faced many setbacks when he first arrived. The pirates here, even if they are not strong, are crazed and cunning to a degree that the First Half cannot match.
But Koby has always enjoyed it because he can clearly feel that with each battle of wits against the pirates, he is growing.
He is moving towards his dream.
He thought life would continue peacefully and without waves, however, the "Conflagration" King came.
The real Monster-level Natural Disaster arrived!
He shattered Koby's beautiful dream with a single punch, telling him that death is a very simple matter. Everything he treasures and wants to protect with his life is nothing more than a triviality to a powerhouse of Jhin's level, not even worth lifting a finger.
Too weak!
After waking up, Koby was confused for a few minutes, then a feeling of frustration accumulated in his chest with nowhere to vent.
Is this really what I want?
Watching his companions fall one by one in pools of blood, unable to save them, while he repeatedly escaped death.
No, that is definitely not the truth!
What I want is power!
The power to protect my companions and everything I cherish!
Perhaps this dream seems cheap and unworthy, but no matter what... that kind of pain and despair makes Koby feel worse than facing the blade's edge of Jhin!
So he absolutely does not want to experience it again.
Hearing this, Rowen exhaled a puff of smoke.
"You desire power, don't you?"
"Yes! So please, take me as your apprentice, Admiral!"
"Don't have everyone knocking on my door, it's a hassle..."
Rowen sighed helplessly and leaned back against the sofa: "I'm not making excuses; it's just that coming to me really won't help you."
"My main combat method is my Devil Fruit ability, which I can't teach you. As for martial arts, sword techniques, and Rokushiki, there are plenty of more suitable Senseis in the Marine."
"How could that be?! cough cough...!"
Koby coughed up a bunch of blood clots, his face filled with disbelief: "Zephyr San said that you are the man who broke the record for the fastest graduation from the recruit camp; you are also one of the best in survival training; and the fastest to master all Rokushiki in history!"
How could someone like him say that his martial arts are inferior to others?
"No, to be honest, that's true."
Rowen shrugged: "I broke the record of learning Rokushiki because my healing ability allows me to take risks without fear of death, letting me directly engage in what others need years to solidify. After all, I would be fine the next day, so my progress was rapid."
"Sword techniques and martial arts are similar; to be honest, I never really received systematic training from Zephyr San. He just reserved his strength to spar with me, allowing me to explore the combat style that suits me best... at most, he would hold back at critical moments to prevent me from actually getting killed."
"You can't learn that kind of method, can you?"
Zephyr's relentless attack rhythm is extremely oppressive and could really kill someone!
"How could I..."
Koby looked despairing.
Just as Rowen said, his self-harming training habits are still circulating in the recruit camp, and the two senior brothers, Shuzo and Binz, who have been demoted to assistant instructors, catch a few reckless kids every month who want to imitate him.
These people only end up in the Headquarters hospital, with no other significance. This confirms the non-replicability of this training mode.
Koby asked himself, could he endure it?
No, everything has its limits, even training to strengthen the body.
Exceeding that line leads not to breakthroughs but to death!
"So that's how it is..."
Koby turned pale, weakly straightened his back, took his cane, and walked toward the door.
"Sorry for the interruption, I'll leave now..."
"But!"
Suddenly, Rowen spoke up.
"While there's no possibility of borrowing from martial arts, I do have some insights on Devil Fruit development."
"Uh??"
Koby looked up in confusion, not understanding Rowen.
Rowen reached for the wooden box that had been on the table since the beginning, and then, to Koby's astonishment, he took out a bright orange fruit.
"If it's Logia, then it will be even more handy."
Clap! Clap!
Rowen tossed the Mera-Mera Fruit up and down, smiling.
"What do you think? Are you willing to sell your soul to the wicked devil, Koby?"
Staring blankly at him, Koby finally snapped back to reality after a long moment.
"Whether it's a wicked devil or an angel, as long as I can protect the most important things to me, even if it's the incarnation of Asura, so what?!"
He set his cane aside and solemnly knelt on the ground.
"Thank you so much!"
"Your great kindness, I will never forget in my lifetime!!!"
"Ah? What did you just call me? I didn't hear clearly?"
"No, thank you very much, Master!"
(End of chapter)
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