Just as the ship gave a heavy jolt and started moving, five or six people suddenly came running from the port.
"Wait up!"
"Wait for us!"
The six of them sprinted desperately, faces filled with urgency, heading straight for [The Logan]. Jason's hand trembled slightly. [The Logan] wobbled and came to a stop not far from the port.
"Phew, we made it!" The six shouted, panting as they stood not far from the ship.
"Who are you people?" Jason asked.
At this moment, Crocodile stepped forward, his eyes cold as he swept his gaze over the group below.
"What are you here for?"
These people were, in fact, his former pirate crew.
"Captain, please don't abandon us! We've been waiting for you here for a long time. We finally spotted you today. Let us come with you!" The one leading the group pleaded desperately.
"Where are the others?" Crocodile asked as he exhaled a puff of smoke.
The six exchanged glances, then lowered their heads. With only six of them left at the port, the fate of the others was obvious.
"Why didn't you scatter like the rest?" Crocodile asked again.
"We want to follow you." They replied in unison.
Crocodile fell silent. Despite everything, he still had some feelings toward this first group of subordinates. He turned and looked toward Rojen, who nodded slightly.
"Jason, let them aboard." Crocodile said.
"You've got a softer heart than I thought, Crocodile," Jason remarked in surprise.
The six ragged men looked disheveled and filthy; it was clear they'd had a rough time lately. Chasing after Crocodile was likely a result of having nowhere else to go.
"Thank you, Captain!" The six were ecstatic when they heard Crocodile's voice and rushed toward the ship.
Jason brought the ship closer to the dock, allowing the six to climb aboard one by one.
"From now on, I'm no longer your captain," Crocodile said coldly as he looked at the ragged crew.
Their expressions changed immediately, nervously glancing at him.
"From now on, he's your captain," Crocodile said indifferently, pointing toward Rojen.
"What?!"
The six turned to look at Rojen, recognizing him as the one they'd seen back in the desert, their faces grew even more nervous.
"You guys, go take the helm and fix any broken parts of the ship. Since you're on board now, don't just sit around." Rojen didn't hold back at all as he gave his orders.
"Starting today, you're trainee crew on this ship."
The six were stunned.
"Trainee crew?"
Their strength wasn't exactly weak, yet here they were being treated as newbie sailors?
"What the captain says is law. Move it!" Crocodile barked coldly.
His frosty expression left the six shaken. They immediately sprang into action. And so, [The Logan] gained six new trainee crew members. The wooden ship sliced across the sea, leaving ripples in its wake as it sailed forward.
After three days of sailing, the six trainee crew members had grown accustomed to their roles, while Rojen and the main crew continued with their training.
"Captain, something's wrong with our course." That day, Jason walked over with a puzzled look on his face.
"What's going on?" Crocodile asked from the side.
"Are you talking about the needle pointing upward?" Rojen replied calmly.
"Yeah. The Log Pose is pointing into the air. Is it broken or something?" Jason pointed at the Log Pose strapped to his wrist.
Rojen's eyes flickered slightly as he shook his head.
"The Log Pose isn't wrong. According to the route, our next destination is Skypiea."
"Skypiea?" Crocodile looked puzzled as well.
"There's really an island in the sky?" Trens, who was being helped over by two of the trainee crew, also looked curious.
"Yes, there is. But…" Rojen confirmed with certainty, then paused.
"We can't get there."
Skypiea did indeed exist, but reaching it wasn't that simple. In the original story, the Straw Hat Pirates had used a rising air current to reach the sky. But for them, such a current might not appear. And even if it did, it might not appear anytime soon. Who knew how long they'd have to wait?
"Then what do we do? If we don't pass through Skypiea, how are we going to reach Sabaody Archipelago?" Jason asked.
"We'll head to Mock Town first and take a look around." Rojen replied, his eyes deep and thoughtful.
If possible, he absolutely wouldn't pass up a chance to go to Skypiea. There were ancient ruins there containing massive amounts of gold. And in the system, all of that gold could be exchanged for an equivalent amount of Belly. If he could acquire it all, his account balance would soar to a terrifying level.
Jason paused, then nodded.
[The Logan] continued sailing. Everyone on board was cultivating their abilities.
Jason stood on deck, contorting his body into various strange postures, bones cracking and creaking, as he was training in the Dragon-Elephant Prajñā Merit.
Crocodile sat cross-legged, with his internal energy flowing rapidly through his body as he trained in the Innate Merit. As for Rojen, after consistent effort, his Heavenly Star Hole Merit had now opened all 363 acupoints, reaching the current peak of his strength.
He looked at the others around him, lost in thought.
"From No. 3, I managed to copy Rokushiki techniques: Soru, Geppo, Kami-e, Tekkai, and Rankyaku. Only Shigan was missing. But that's fine. What I've obtained is already enough. This physical technique system, meant only for bodies beyond the limits of humanity, definitely has its strengths."
Indeed, Rokushiki was an extremely powerful martial art. For top-tier powerhouses who had mastered it, it could make them superior to the majority of the world. It was the body technique used by Marine elites. If combined with Haki, its power could be truly terrifying.
Those men in black had been taken down so easily by Rojen only because their Rokushiki skills were still lacking. True powerhouses would innovate and create new moves based on Rokushiki, pushing its power to the extreme.
"All of these techniques can be taught to them. Jason, with his overwhelming strength, will surely unleash devastating power through them."
Rojen was not a stingy person; when it came to his companions, he was generous. While he was deep in thought, a trainee crew member came running from the bow, panic on his face and in his eyes.
"Captain! Bad news, Marines! A Marine battleship!"
As soon as the crewmate spoke, those meditating with closed eyes instantly snapped them open.
"Whoosh!"
Suddenly, a piercing sound of air being torn echoed. Everyone looked up and saw a streak of black light screaming toward them at high speed.
"Why… why is there no sound of cannon fire?" Jason stared up at the sky, dazed.
That one sentence caused everyone's expressions to sharpen. They had all heard the sound of something slicing through the air, but none of the unique boom or thump that accompanied a cannon being fired.
"My god… Someone is throwing those cannonballs… by hand!"
Trens, stunned, stared at the Marine warship in the distance, his voice filled with disbelief.
(End Of This Chapter)
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