Chapter 27: Gathering
In the training hall.
Rez and the other newly promoted trainees were chatting.
"It's been almost four months since we became trainees. Time flies."
"By the way, speaking of time, it's been a month and a half since our last mission, and there's been no news at all."
"I don't know. Rez, do you know?" Someone looked at Rez.
Aside from a certain monster who practically transcended the trainee ranks, Rez was arguably the strongest of this batch of newly promoted trainees, and he was usually the first to know any news.
"It should be almost graduation time," Rez said, taking a sip of water.
Trainees couldn't stay in training forever.
Every so often, someone got promoted to full member. Given the qualifications and strength of the trainees at headquarters, most of them would receive higher pay and status once they became full members, roughly equivalent to a Marine officer.
"Squad Captain Shanuo, Squad Captain Nia, and the others should all be graduating by now. I wonder who will get the vacant captain positions, but Rhodes will definitely be captain of Squad One."
"No way! That monster Rhodes will definitely graduate early. With his strength, if he's still in the trainees, we'll just be playing house from now on."
"Heh... that's true."
Rez couldn't help but laugh. If Rhodes were still around, future combat missions would really be like playing house.
"He's on a completely different level," Rez said helplessly.
During the initial Doriki test, he'd been confident he could suppress Rhodes, but a month later, Rhodes' performance in missions had completely overwhelmed him. Another month later, he couldn't even see Rhodes' back, reduced to a mere spectator.
Considering he still hadn't even learned Soru, the gap was probably even greater.
"Hey, why are all the squad captains here?" someone suddenly asked.
Rez and the others turned to look.
They saw Shanuo, Nia, and the others, led by Hack, striding into the training hall.
"What's going on?" someone asked, puzzled.
Aside from missions, the squad captains rarely gathered like this.
To everyone's surprise, after the captains arrived, more and more important figures began to appear.
"Intelligence Director Gildeo!"
"Sabo's here too, and Koala."
"Oh my god, isn't that Northern Army Commander Karasu?"
The appearance of so many Revolutionary Army officers and senior officials caused a stir among the trainees, their confusion growing deeper.
"Who are those people? They all look so arrogant!"
Rez and the others were secretly puzzled. Behind Northern Army Commander Karasu followed a dozen or so young men and women with extraordinary bearing, gazing at them with hostile intent.
Then—
A figure that took the trainees completely by surprise slowly emerged.
The entire crowd fell silent, and everyone looked at the middle-aged man in the dark green coat with deep respect, even reverence.
"Dragon-san!"
"Dragon-san!!"
With such a title, the identity of the newcomer was unmistakable: Monkey D. Dragon, the founder and leader of the Revolutionary Army!
A truly formidable figure standing at the pinnacle of the world!
His status was so elevated that even the Yonko, who reigned supreme over the New World, were slightly inferior. His strength and origins were difficult to fathom. Even among the Revolutionary Army's high command, few knew his true identity.
The trainees felt suffocated by his presence.
Especially Rez and the others, who had never even met Dragon before!
Dragon remained silent, seemingly merely observing the strength of the Revolutionary Army's new generation. This calmed the trainees somewhat, and a touch of excitement crossed their young faces.
In the tense silence—
The dozen or so young men and women who had accompanied Karasu, seemingly with permission, moved to the center of the field, staring across at Nia and the others with obvious disdain.
Squad captains like Shanuo glared back, eager to teach these provocative individuals a lesson.
"How arrogant! They're clearly here to cause trouble," someone muttered.
Rez narrowed his eyes slightly, a sudden realization dawning on him. He whispered,
"These people are probably trainees from other bases. They're here to challenge us."
Rez had heard from Nia that outstanding trainees from other bases would come to headquarters upon graduation for exchange programs to promote the younger generation's growth.
Those who performed well might even have the opportunity to skip several ranks and become Revolutionary Army officers directly.
This was, after all, a world where the strong were respected, where strength determined status, and the Revolutionary Army was no exception.
Just then, a young man in his twenties emerged from the opposing group. He was stocky with a scar on his forehead, standing tall like a giant bear.
"Western Army trainee, Sasse. Please guide me."
The burly young man spoke with meticulous politeness, yet one could sense his overwhelming pride. His calm eyes made it seem as if he didn't even consider Shanuo and the others worth his attention.
At the same time, in the individual training room.
"Busoshoku... hardening!"
Buzz!
In a flash, the jet-black aura of Busoshoku Haki surged forth, quickly coating his arm and dyeing the skin a brilliant black, revealing a metallic texture that seemed indestructible.
"I can almost use Busoshoku: hardening! at will now."
From occasionally achieving Busoshoku hardening two weeks ago to now being able to use it almost 100% of the time—Rhodes' learning speed was simply astounding!
"Time to test the power."
Rhodes clenched his fist and slammed it into the steel plate in front of him.
BANG!
The thick steel plate before him was pierced through instantly like paper!
"That's about a twofold increase in attack power." He felt a slight satisfaction.
A twofold increase in attack power might not have been significant a few months ago, but for Rhodes today, it was an extremely terrifying enhancement.
If he were to face "Black Fist" Slott again, he could probably cleave him in two with a single slash, without needing to resort to point-blank stabs.
Thus, a month and a half of training had paid off handsomely.
Haki was a highly compatible power for everyone in this world. Simply cultivating and improving it directly boosted one's strength, increasing both attack and defense simultaneously!
Furthermore, Busoshoku Haki granted ordinary people the ability to counter Logia intangibility, making it the most effective countermeasure against Devil Fruit users.
Of course, Devil Fruit users also cultivated Haki.
Therefore, in high-level battles in the pirate world, Haki was often the crucial determining factor in victory or defeat.
In addition to mastering Busoshoku Haki, his physical strength had also steadily improved over the past month and a half of training. However, compared to the initial dramatic leaps from his Lightning Body Tempering, the improvement had slowed considerably, gradually reaching a more stable plateau.
Rhodes didn't mind this, as he was using his sleep time for continuous improvement. Compared to ordinary people, it was simply additional training time. What could he possibly be dissatisfied with?
(End of Chapter)
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