Half a month later.
On the training grounds.
Rhode stood completely relaxed, like an elegant yet explosive panther, his gaze fixed on a predetermined landing spot in the distance.
"Shave!"
In an instant, Rhode shot forward, becoming a blur that tore through the air with a gust of wind before landing with pinpoint accuracy almost dead center on the target spot. "This level should be sufficient for actual combat."
Letting out a soft exhale, Rhode nodded with mild satisfaction.
Mastering Shave—this explosive movement technique—in just one month had exceeded even Rhode's own expectations.
Though he possessed various advantages like accelerated learning and rapid stamina recovery, martial arts ultimately required repeated, grueling practice to achieve results.
"It's probably because my physique improved significantly."
"After all, it's martial arts. The stronger your body, the easier it naturally becomes to learn."
Setting aside these scattered thoughts, Rhode looked up at the sky and leaped.
Whoosh! His current physique far surpassed human limits, granting him astonishing jumping power. With minimal effort, he reached mid-air before gravity inevitably began pulling him down.
Normally, humans couldn't possibly remain airborne, let alone fly.
Yet the Moon Walk technique from the Navy Six Styles granted temporary aerial suspension.
Rhode's feet stamped against what seemed like solid air, producing a "thud" as his body rose slightly higher.
After several repetitions, he landed back on the training grounds.
"Moon Walk is an advanced application of Shave, allowing humans to gain footing in mid-air for brief suspension. Its significance is tremendous."
"The drawbacks are poor maneuverability, even greater stamina consumption than Shave, and inability to use it for long-distance movement."
Rhode analyzed intently.After all, the sky is not the domain of humans. The Moon Step technique granting temporary aerial suspension is already incredible—truly an advanced martial art that surpasses human limits.
"However, most captains have mastered two or three of the Six Powers. Learning this just fills my weakness in that area, so I won't be led around by the nose in battle."
"The most important improvements are still Thunder Power and swordsmanship!"
Tier 2: Book of Knowledge
Attributes: Intelligence +2, Perception +1
Talents:
Swordsmanship Specialization — Man and Sword as One, greatly enhancing comprehension of sword techniques! Thunder Control — Thunder God Descends, freely manipulating Thunder Power!
Energy: 149/1000
Energy has broken through the hundred mark and surged forward, reaching a solid 149 points!
At this stage, Rhode's Thunder Power is twice as strong as when he first went to Monster Island. Even without relying on swordsmanship, Thunder Power alone is now a formidable force, capable of devastating effects.
At the same time, in swordsmanship, as his physical strength finally begins to meet the threshold, the Sword Aura he unleashes has reached a considerable level of power. If he were to face the beasts of Monster Island again, a single slash of Sword Aura would be enough to cleave them apart—his destructive power has risen dramatically.
Before becoming a swordmaster, the potency of Sword Aura depends largely on the swordsman's own strength.
"Physical prowess is the foundation of everything"—this isn't just empty talk.
"Overall, my current combat ability should give me over a 90% chance of victory against captains like Nia."
"As for Shano of the First Division… I've heard he's also a swordmaster, but since I've never seen him fight, it's hard to gauge…"
After some thought, Rhode concluded that as long as Shano hadn't mastered Two-Colored Haki, he was confident he could defeat him.
After more than two months of training, Rhode had finally gained a foothold of strength in this world—enough to suppress even the elite reserves and future cadets nurtured by major factions like the Revolutionary Army.
If he were to master Two-Colored Haki, Rhode's power would surge yet again.
This rate of growth is terrifying by any measure.
But in truth, in the world of pirates, going from an ordinary person to a decently strong fighter isn't particularly difficult. With a bit of luck, even a single Devil Fruit could achieve that.
A rare Logia-type Devil Fruit might even grant enough power to dominate the seas—or at least the first half of the Grand Line.
However, once reaching a certain level, further progress becomes extremely difficult.
Figures like the Warlord Doflamingo or the commanders of the Yonko crews are strong enough to fight on par with Navy Admirals. But to truly stand among them—or even surpass them—is an almost insurmountable challenge, one that some might never achieve in their lifetime.
But Rhode is different.
The Book of Knowledge grants him limitless potential, allowing him to grow almost without restraint.
Bottlenecks? Nonexistent.
Top Floor of the Coastal Base
Kiel Dyau had been standing by the window for a long time.
"A month to learn Shave and Moon Step, and master them proficiently…"
"Such martial arts talent… I doubt even Sabo could compare."After some thought, he shook his head, his eyes gleaming with wisdom as he murmured to himself, "No, it's not martial arts talent."
"Is it learning speed? The ability to quickly detect mistakes and effortlessly correct them, such sharp perception..."
"And the Thunder Power, or rather Thunder Sword Intent, can actually be utilized this way?"
This was the most astonishing part. He clearly hadn't expected that Sword Intent could be developed in such a manner, becoming a conventional form of power.
With his discerning eye, he naturally recognized that Rhode could harness lightning to rapidly restore his stamina, thereby accelerating his training progress.
"Geniuses truly defy common logic."
Kierdao shook his head and returned to his desk, continuing to organize intelligence reports.
"Report!" A voice came from outside the door.
"Enter."
Kierdao gave a slight nod to the Revolutionary Army soldier who strode in briskly.
"A group of pirates has landed on the eastern shore—127 in total."
"Judging by their Jolly Roger, it's the Silver Sword Pirates, quite notorious in these waters."
"However, their captain isn't present. Leading them is the first division commander of the Silver Sword Pirates, 'Black Fist' Slote, with a bounty of 83 million berries. There are also seven or eight other squad leaders."
The Revolutionary Army soldier reported swiftly.
"..."
Upon hearing this, Kierdao fell into brief contemplation. Just as he was about to speak, Hatchan's voice suddenly rang out from outside the door: "Finally, some pirates have arrived, huh?"
At his words, Kierdao could only shake his head helplessly, knowing this guy was planning to take the recruits to fight the pirates.
"I'll leave this matter to you."
"Leave it to me! Those brats have been itching for action lately."
The fish-man Hatchan laughed heartily before turning to leave. Given his familiarity, this clearly wasn't the first time he'd done something like this.