"How about it? Do you want to make a trade with me?"
Rain looked at Gol D. Roger with a calm smile.
Roger let out a dry laugh, shaking his head helplessly.
"As you said, I'm nothing but a soul now. I don't have any power left. Even if I don't agree, what good would it do?"
"Don't worry," Rain replied seriously. "Since I've given you my word, I'll follow through. Your wife will be safe...she'll never be harmed."
Roger's eyes softened, though they still carried a trace of sorrow. Rain, however, spoke with deliberate weight:
"At least, I'm just an ordinary man. Taking away Lady Rouge with me doesn't attract as much attention as if Vice Admiral Garp did it, wouldn't you agree?"
Roger blinked, surprised. "You even know that much…? Seems in this state, I really can't hide anything from you."
He believed him.
"If that's the case," Roger said, his expression finally hardening with resolve, "then I'll leave everything to you."
The air grew heavy. Roger's eyes locked onto Rain's, a faint plea flickering in his gaze.
"Don't worry," Rain answered firmly. "I'll take care of it."
"Wait..." Roger suddenly frowned. "If you got my memories… then that means you know about the One Piece?"
"Yeah," Rain tilted his head, puzzled by the sudden shift. "Why? Don't worry, I'm not interested in it."
Roger's face twisted. "No, no, no! That's not it! I… I wanted my son to be the one to find it first! Aghhh!" He actually stomped his foot, throwing a tantrum like a sulking child.
Rain's eyebrow twitched. This guy really was the Pirate King? He sighed, then tried to soothe him with a helpless smile.
"That doesn't count, does it? I didn't 'find' it. I just know about it. Your son still has every chance to discover it himself someday."
"…Hmph. Fine."
"Soul Receive!"
Roger let his resistance fade. His soul was pulled into Rain's magic, erased completely, becoming part of Rain's power.
Outside, Rain's eyes shot open. A violent aura nearly burst forth, but he quickly forced it down, suppressing the storm inside.
If Conqueror's Haki erupted here, it would be far too conspicuous. He hadn't mastered this power yet...he had to tread carefully.
"How is it, Rain?" Mirajane leaned in, her eyes filled with concern.
"It worked," Rain answered with a grin. He gestured for her to relax.
"Give me sometime, and I should be able to fully control his power. When I do… I'll stand at the top of this world."
"Very good." Relief spread across Mira's face.
"Let's move. We'll find a place to settle for now. Once I've mastered this strength, we'll head for the South Blue."
Rain glanced back at the square, where chaos still reigned from Roger's last words, then turned and walked away with Mira at his side.
A few quick "donations" from local thugs gave them enough funds to stay in a decent inn.
There, Rain immersed himself in controlling Roger's overwhelming Haki while teaching Mira to wield it as well.
Between training sessions, he told her everything he knew, about the seas, the factions, the dangers, and the vast world that awaited them.
"This world… really is magical!"
Mira's eyes lit up after hearing everything Rain explained about the seas, the powers, and the legends drifting across this world.
"Adventure…" she whispered, before suddenly turning to him with a sparkle in her gaze. "Rain, shall we set sail tomorrow?"
"Of course."
Rain agreed without a second thought.
That night, he carefully reviewed his current strength.
Although he had absorbed Roger's soul, that didn't instantly mean he possessed the Pirate King's full might.
His own relentless training had already forged his body into something formidable.
Thanks to that, he had successfully inherited Roger's swordsmanship in full.
His hands now carried a blade technique honed by the strongest.
As for Haki... what he gained was beyond precious.
The Conqueror's Haki Roger wielded now pulsed within him, alongside the sharp edge of Observation Haki.
Rain was confident: with a bit of time, he would fully master both.
Especially Observation Haki, his had already reached the level of hearing the "Voice of All Things."
Conqueror's Haki… the potential there was immeasurable. Combined with the Gate of Time and Space that Rain possessed, his path was set to reach even farther than Roger's.
That was why Rain pushed himself again and again, training to control the overwhelming surge of Conqueror's will.
The only thing he lacked was Armament Haki.
Although he had inherited it, Armament was a power tied directly to the body. Unlike spirit and soul, he couldn't skip the grind, it demanded training.
Still, with Roger's knowledge as his guide, his growth would be lightning fast.
In short: Conqueror's and Observation Haki could be fully brought out almost immediately.
Armament would take time.
Until then, his current strength was still far from Roger's.
But once the absorption was complete?
Rain's lips curved. "With this power combined with my magic… my strength won't be far off from Yamato's or even stronger."
It was insane... he had gone from fodder to a real contender in just one day.
This was the true might of Soul Receive.
As long as he could completely dominate a target, their essence, their abilities, and their very life force would become his.
And Rain wasn't just anyone. He was born with tremendous magical power, enough to sustain long, drawn-out battles without faltering.
Armament Haki would come in time, but he already had the resources to fight at the top.
"One or two years… that's all I'll need. By then, my Armament Haki will be refined."
Satisfied, Rain leaned back, his eyes gleaming with ambition.
What does it mean to soar to the top in a single step?
This...this was reaching the heavens in one stride.
The next morning, after a simple breakfast, Rain and Mira set off.
Ever since Roger's execution, the world had been thrown into chaos. Countless men and women rushed to the seas, inspired to become pirates.
And in that chaos, it didn't take long for Rain and Mira to find their next goal.
"Mira, according to what I've heard, a small boat fit for just the two of us costs around two million Beli. As for that pirate crew up ahead their captain has a bounty of three million."
Rain pointed at the ragtag bunch swaggering around the docks. "If we take him down and hand him over to the Marines, we'll get the bounty.
That's enough for a boat, supplies… and I could even buy myself a decent blade."
However
"Rain, your road is far too narrow."
Mira shook her head at once.
Rain blinked. "Huh? What do you mean?"
Wasn't his plan perfectly logical?
"Rain, you've got it wrong." Mira crossed her arms, her expression turning unusually serious. Then, with a troubled sigh, she pointed to the harbor. "Isn't our ship docked right there?"
Rain followed her finger and his jaw tightened. Their vessel, the modest little ship they had arranged for, was right there in plain sight.
But the problem?
A group of pirates had already made themselves comfortable on deck, guzzling rum, laughing, and acting as if it belonged to them.
Mira's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Forget about the dockworkers who should be unloading supplies for us. Why are those pirates occupying our ship?"
Her voice grew firm, almost righteous. "Private property is sacrosanct. So...there's only one option."
She clenched her fist. "We take back what's ours and drag those criminals to the Marine base ourselves!"
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