Garp, seeing that he couldn't persuade Rojen, simply gave up. He just shook his head and let out a long sigh.
"I know you've got some hidden strength that can stand up to an Admiral... but still, be careful!"
Rojen nodded. Of course, he understood. The System was reliable most of the time, and the souls it summoned were strong, but what if it failed?
Targeted summons were okay, and they just cost extra. But the random summons? That was pure gambling. No one could say what kind of lunatic might show up.
"Tell me where Rouge is. I'll have Sanbes take you to Long Ring Island."
Rojen's eyes flickered. Around them, the unconscious Marines were beginning to stir.
Taking a few steps forward, he stood face-to-face with Garp and whispered an address into his ear.
"I'm leaving it to you. Once I settle everything, I'll bring them back myself."
Garp nodded solemnly. "Leave it to me, kid."
Honestly, Rojen didn't like putting hope in others, even someone trustworthy like Garp. But this time, he had no other choice. Once they reached the Sabaody Archipelago, anything could happen. Would he even have the ability to protect Rouge then?
"Sanbes, you go with them. Once you arrive at Long Ring Island, disembark and contact us."
Garp gave the order bluntly to a slightly shorter Marine who had just regained consciousness.
"Yes, Vice Admiral Garp!"
Sanbes, still disoriented, snapped to attention and saluted. Then it hit him. He looked at Rojen and the others in shock.
"Vice Admiral! You want me to follow these pirates?!"
"Is that a problem?" Garp raised an eyebrow. "Also, they're not pirates. Do you see any pirate flags? Huh?"
Without waiting for a reply, Garp smacked him upside the head.
Sanbes yelped in pain, eyes welling up.
"Heh heh, come along, comrade Marine," Rojen teased as he boarded the ship, Sanbes gloomily following behind.
"Kid, take care of yourself! Don't go dying out there!" Garp stood at the bow of his ship, shouting loudly as the two vessels drifted apart.
Rojen smiled and turned back to look at Crocodile and the others. These guys had been taken down by just a few hits from Garp, not seriously hurt, but clearly shaken. And honestly, it made sense. After training for so long, they had thought themselves strong… only to be knocked flat by some random old man. It was demoralizing.
"Captain, who's this guy?" Before Jason or the others could speak, one of the trainee crew members curiously broke the silence.
"He's Sanbes. He'll be our guide." Rojen introduced him casually.
"A Marine? Guiding us?" The crew was stunned, but they wisely didn't say more.
They'd traveled with the captain long enough to know: he was mysterious, powerful, and not someone to question casually. Sanbes stood at the bow of the ship, watching Vice Admiral Garp wave at him from a distance. His face was grim. He looked like he was about to cry.
And when he turned back and saw a group of menacing, cold-faced "criminals" looking like they'd love nothing more than to cut him down...
He felt the despair of life itself washing over him.
"Vice Admiral! Why me?!"
Inwardly, he screamed to the heavens. Somehow, from far off, Garp seemed to hear him, and his smile widened even more.
"Hahaha! Sanbes, complete this mission, and I'll give you a promotion. Good luck!"
The faint voice echoed from afar, but no matter how loud it rang… Sanbes' fighting spirit just wouldn't ignite. He'd rather stay a low-ranking nobody than do something this dangerous!
"Sanbes, you'll steer the ship with the others. Once we reach the Long Ring Island, you're free to go," Rojen ordered without the slightest courtesy.
Sanbes' lips twitched. He wanted to protest, but after seeing the fierce-looking crew, he gave up with a sigh and silently walked toward the helm.
"Turn the ship. Change course. You think you can fly or something taking that route?"
His tone was stiff and clearly unwilling.
"Hey, Marine," One of the trainee crew chuckled, "You might want to take off that uniform. If someone sees you like that, they'll assume you've joined us, and that wouldn't be good, would it?"
He pointed at Sanbes' Marine jacket. Sanbes' face instantly darkened.
'But… the guy had a point.'
With a grunt, Sanbes peeled off his uniform coat, gave a cold snort, and returned to the helm. Surrounded by smug, amused eyes, he felt utterly miserable.
Sanbes, proud third-generation Marine, reduced to this... What cosmic joke is this?
Under Sanbes' guidance, The Logan quickly changed course.
Rojen didn't know much about this new route, perhaps it was a secret Marine passage known only to those on the inside. Not that it mattered much. Ever since the six trainee crew members joined, he and the original core crew hadn't had to handle most of the day-to-day ship operations.
So yeah, having more people had its benefits.
As for Jason and the others, after getting thoroughly humbled by Garp, they had thrown themselves into intense training. After exchanging just a few words with the rest of the crew, they had all gone off to cultivate.
Jason resumed his usual bizarre poses, Trens sat cross-legged to refine his true qi, and Crocodile stepped over to Rojen.
"Captain… my strength still isn't enough."
He started in silence, then finally spoke in a low voice.
That single punch from Garp had made it painfully clear: he wasn't nearly as strong as he'd thought. His defenses collapsed instantly, like they weren't even there.
"Oh? And which part do you want to improve?" Rojen asked curiously. "If it's your Devil Fruit ability, I've already given you advice on that."
"My physical combat is weak. My body still isn't strong enough," Crocodile said, frowning.
"Your body, huh?" Rojen grinned.
"Well, that's simple. You need to train your body to superhuman levels."
"Superhuman?" Crocodile was stunned.
Ever since he ate the Suna Suna no Mi (Sand-Sand Fruit) and gained elemental powers, he had always thought of himself as already being superhuman. But now, being told to train his flesh to that level… left him confused.
"Yes. Strengthen your physical body until it reaches the superhuman realm," Rojen explained, pointing out at Jason.
"Like him."
Crocodile's expression darkened. He knew how monstrous Jason's physical strength was. Reaching that level could take years of painful effort.
"Of course," Rojen continued with a smile, "If you go the traditional route, it'll probably take you a solid ten years."
Crocodile's face grew even darker.
"But… if you can master the Dragon-Elephant Prajña Merit, it'll make up for your shortcomings." Rojen's voice grew more excited. "In fact, I've got a set of physical techniques I've been meaning to pass down to all of you!"
At those words, Crocodile's eyes lit up again.
(End Of This Chapter)
You can read ahead up to 15 chapters on my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395