The banquet carried on well into the evening, finally winding down past nine o'clock. One by one, the guests took their leave. Once the last had gone, Sengoku called Rosinante into the study.
"Rosinante, that was reckless of you. Z's so-called 'test' is nothing short of a brush-off. There's no way you can drag Garp's third-grade cannonball at your current level. Z only came up with that test because he didn't want to turn me down outright. This was his way of sidestepping the issue."
Sengoku sighed heavily, the tone of a worried father etched deep in his voice.
"If you hadn't accepted just now," he went on, "I still might've been able to plead with Z again. But now that you've agreed publicly, even I can't step in anymore."
"I know it was a deliberate hurdle, Dad. I also know you could've kept pushing on my behalf. But I don't want to hide behind your name forever, and I especially don't want Z to think I snuck in through the back door. I want to pass that test. I want Z and every cadet at the Marine Academy, to recognize my strength. I want to prove myself, on my own merit."
Rosinante stood tall as he said it, looking Sengoku straight in the eye.
Sengoku stared at his son, stunned. After a long pause, he suddenly burst out laughing.
"Good! That's the spirit! You're starting to look like a real man, Rosinante!"
"Ugh... Dad, could you drop the 'starting to' part? I am a real man already, you know!"
"Hahahaha... Is that so? Well then, show me. Work hard and prove it to me, Rosinante."
"Right. I'll get going, Dad. You still have paperwork to finish."
"Yeah. Go rest up."
Rosinante left the study and returned to his room. Without hesitation, he brought up the system interface and selected the Ruby Crystal reward he'd earned earlier.
Ding!
Reward received. System has detected that Host currently possesses the item "Bead of Healing." These two items may be fused to form a higher-tier piece of equipment: Crystal Bracers. Proceed with fusion?
"Fuse!"
Rosinante didn't even pause to think. The next moment, the system chimed again:
Fusion complete. New equipment obtained: Crystal Bracers.
Attributes: +200 Health, +50% Base Health Regeneration.
Would you like to equip now?
"Equip!"
As soon as he confirmed the selection, a glowing orange bracer set with a sapphire-blue gem materialized in his equipment slot. Rosinante immediately felt a surge of raw vitality coursing through him, his stamina more than doubled on the spot. His once-fragile body now brimmed with explosive strength.
This was the terrifying power of a 200-point health boost.
Rosinante estimated that with his current stats, his strength was now on par with that of a typical Warrant Officer.
"Alright! Another leap in power. Let's go, double training load tonight!"
He pulled out the weighted lead vest Garp had given him, strapped it on, and dove into his nighttime workout.
Push-ups. Sit-ups. Frog jumps. Handstand walks. Pull-ups.
Every exercise he could think of, he trained with unwavering focus.
There's no such thing as someone born strong. Every "monster" out there is forged through tireless effort. Since he didn't get to eat a Logia-type Devil Fruit, his only option was relentless training.
To grow stronger. He had to become strong—absurdly strong—as fast as possible. That was the only way he'd stand a chance of becoming Fleet Admiral after the Paramount War. Only by reaching that position could he drag those parasites clinging to the Empty Throne down from their pedestals and bury their so-called "gods" in history's trash heap.
This world was rotten. Full of tragedies, most of them orchestrated by the World Government. Rosinante had been one of its many victims.
That's why he had to change it. Tear down their false divinity. Remake the world.
Power. Power was the only way to seize control of your fate and rewrite the rules of the world.
"This kid... he's really something."
Sengoku stood by the window, watching Rosinante train tirelessly in the courtyard below. There was pride in his eyes.
In this sea, only the strong may rule.
Two hours later, it was already past eleven. Rosinante had pushed his body to its absolute limit, he didn't even have the strength left to crawl back inside.
"I'm done... Dead tired... Time to sleep..."
"Silence-Silence Fruit: Deep Sleep."
Snnnnk...
And just like that, Rosinante passed out right there in the yard.
Moments later, two doors creaked open simultaneously—Sengoku's and Kalit's. They exchanged glances, and Sengoku raised a finger to his lips. Then, quietly, he walked over, scooped Rosinante up in his arms, and carried him back to bed.
Two hours passed.
Suddenly, Rosinante jolted awake.
That was another feature of the Silence-Silence Fruit: it allowed him to set a mental alarm while entering deep sleep mode. During this state, all outside sounds were completely blocked out. Then, when the preset time expired, the ability would automatically release—letting in all external noise like a flood, instantly waking him.
GRRRRGGGG...
"I'm starving!"
Clutching his growling stomach, Rosinante tiptoed to the kitchen. There, he found some leftover Sea King roast from dinner. Cold or not, he devoured it like a starving wolf.
Once full, his energy returned to peak—full HP restored.
Time for round two.
This time, he added ten more reps to every exercise from his earlier set.
And so, two more hours passed. After completing another round of intense training, Rosinante invoked his ability once more and collapsed into deep sleep. It was hands down the most efficient way to eliminate fatigue and recover strength.
Thanks to the Crystal Bracers, his regeneration rate was now far beyond ordinary human levels. In fact, unless he needed mental rest, his body only required 90 minutes of sleep to return to full power.
Which meant—
Every 3.5 hours, Rosinante could complete a full cycle of high-intensity training and full-body recovery.
In a 24-hour period, if undisturbed, he could squeeze in six full sessions—the equivalent of six days of training for a normal person.
Absolutely broken.
There are natural-born geniuses, and then there are hardworking ones.
Rosinante might not be the former, but he was most certainly the latter.
By dawn, the sky began to lighten.
Today, Sengoku had a meeting at the Strategy Division with Vice Admiral Tsuru to discuss defense logistics for the New World, so he wouldn't be around to accompany Rosinante.
But Kalit had a free schedule, and she'd agreed to take Rosinante over to Vice Admiral Garp's place to pick up the third-grade cannonball that would be used for the test. Better to start practicing early.
Of course, that suggestion hadn't come from Kalit—it was something Garp himself had arranged yesterday.
Why?
Because that old geezer was about to take a long-overdue vacation. He'd be heading back to the East Blue later this afternoon. If Rosinante didn't pick up the cannonball today, he'd have to wait for another 20 days.
Classic Garp. The most laid-back Marine in the entire Navy.
Just decides to take a break, and off he goes—"Wahahaha!"
(End of Chapter)
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