Chapter 10: Departure
At night, in the dining hall,
Rhodes was feasting in a corner, his hands constantly working as the mountain of food before him vanished at a speed visible to the naked eye.
His appetite was far greater than that of the average person. A normal person's physical strength improves bit by bit. No matter how strenuous their training, their energy needs are limited, and their food intake isn't excessive.
But Rhodes was different.
His daily physical improvement was almost visible, incremental.
This was equivalent to accumulating the strength gained by others through years of diligent training in a single day.
Naturally, the daily energy and nutrient requirements far exceeded those of an average person.
Rhodes was chewing on a golden, glistening leg of lamb when Rez's voice suddenly reached him.
"Finally, I found you."
"Rez? What's up?"
Rhodes raised his eyes slightly, mumbling.
Seeing his expression, Rez said irritably, "There's a combat mission tomorrow. Come early."
With that, he turned and left without stopping.
He and Rhodes had a poor relationship to begin with, and he'd come specifically to deliver a message, presumably at Captain Nia's request.
"Actual combat?"
Rhodes's eyes lit up, but were quickly drawn back by the aroma of food, and he returned to his meal.
...
The next day.
The headquarters castle was packed with people.
Since the Revolutionary Army didn't have a set uniform, the outfits were all over the place, giving Rhodes a new perspective on the eccentric characters of the pirate world.
Fortunately, amidst this chaotic scene, there was a single bright spot: Koala, standing at the front of the crowd. She elevated the average appearance of these misfits to a new level.
Rhodes's joining the team had raised their standards even further.
As a result, this future Revolutionary Army contingent was barely presentable.
"Wow, what a star! You're the last one here."
Rhodes turned to see a tall woman, dressed in clothes that couldn't be described as modest, glaring at him with disapproval.
"Am I late?"
Rhodes was nearly dazzled by the crowd, but he remained indifferent.
"You!" Nia clenched her fists, truly wanting to give Rhodes a beating.
Everyone else had gathered here early, but Rhodes was the only one who arrived right on time, making her, the captain, feel embarrassed.
Phew!
Nia took a deep breath, suppressed her frustration, and decided to spare Rhodes's life.
She began to explain the combat mission:
"This mission is actually just to let you newcomers like you and Rez see some blood."
"See blood? Kill pirates?"
Rez couldn't help but lick his dry lips, his eyes shining.
The Revolutionary Army opposes the World Government, and is essentially different from pirates in the conventional sense. Given the opportunity, they will punish evildoers.
Interestingly, in some seas where corrupt Marines are rampant and officials collude with pirates, the Revolutionary Army is the righteous side, protecting the interests of ordinary civilians.
"Heh..."
Nia sneered. "You're still too green to fight pirates. Besides, this is the New World. Even if you were tied together, you wouldn't be able to defeat a single pirate."
"We're heading to an archipelago near Baltigo. There are many ferocious beasts there."
Nia opened her mouth, a fierce expression on her face. "These beasts vary in size. The largest are even seven or eight meters tall. They could devour you all in one gulp!"
Then, she glanced at the solemn expressions of Rez and the others and felt a flicker of amusement.
She remembered how she'd been frightened the same way before...
Then, Nia glanced at Rhodes, only to find him calm, as if utterly fearless.
"Ignorance breeds fearlessness,"
Nia snorted inwardly. She wondered if Rhodes could maintain this annoying composure while being chased by a beast.
Of course, Rhodes wasn't afraid.
He was even a little excited. After a month of training, his strength had skyrocketed.
Now, he could easily defeat his former self from a month ago with one hand.
However, true combat power cannot be determined solely through conjecture and speculation; it must be tested in actual combat.
Moreover, he had long ago discovered that the energy gained from combat was far greater than that gained through normal training.
...
And at this time, fishman Hack finally arrived, and he came to the front of the group and said:
"You should all be aware of the details of this mission. Alright, let's set off now."
"Hai!"
The reserves pulled out their long-prepared coats and donned them one by one.
These coats were similar in style to the ones Dragon wore in the original series, but in gray.
The neat gray coats lent a solemn air to the group.
The restless hearts of the newcomers gradually calmed, as if they could sense the hardships their predecessors in the Revolutionary Army had endured while quietly developing themselves in this desolate land.
The group marched swiftly, each possessing a superior physique, easily capable of running a marathon.
However, the harsh environment of Baltigo, with its frequent sandstorms, forced them to take a detour, taking a full seven days to reach the coast.
A large sailing ship was already waiting there.
Everyone boarded the vessel in an orderly manner, and there was a moment of silence.
It was noticeable that after seven days of marching, Rez and the others had undergone a subtle change in demeanor, becoming less flashy.
Fishman Hack nodded slightly, turned, and gave the order to set sail.
Koala, however, looked relaxed. She turned and walked into the cabin, intending to catch up on some rest.
The reserves also found their own places to rest. The seven days of marching were merely an appetizer; no one had forgotten the real combat that was about to begin.
The sailing ships in this world were all advanced, with exceptional performance. Rhodes barely felt any turbulence. Starting at full speed, they quickly left Baltigo behind on the horizon, out of sight.
This was Rhodes's first time at sea.
Although he had known about the ocean from various news and stories, he could never truly grasp its vastness and immensity without experiencing it firsthand.
It was like a spiritual awakening, a broadening of the mind.
Rhodes leaned against the railing, squinting his eyes in comfort. He checked his status and saw that his total energy had increased by seven points, reaching seventy-three.
The increase was relatively steady.
With normal training, he gained about one point a day, and for the first few months, he could accumulate 100 energy points this way.
With the Lightning Body Training, however, the increase was roughly two points a day.
During the seven days of the march, Rhodes naturally couldn't do the lightning body training. It wasn't because he was afraid of being discovered, but because he couldn't meet the energy needs of his body after the training.
Rhodes really couldn't stand the state of being so hungry that his eyes turned green and everyone looked like food.
"If only I had a storage ring or something like that."
Looking at the distant sea horizon, Rhodes thought boredly. It was indeed a bit inconvenient without such a thing.
(End of Chapter 10)
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