In front of the royal palace.
Kai and Lucci once again stood before its grand gates.
It had taken them half an hour to walk back from the massive warehouse where the hostages had been held.
The same familiar gate guard was still on duty.
When he saw Kai and Lucci return, the guard hurried over at a jog, bowing respectfully.
"Honored sirs, shall I announce you to His Majesty?"
"Yeah,"Lucci said with a nod.
The guard turned and hurried away.
Kai stood quietly, waiting.
His thoughts drifted back to the System prompt that had just appeared.
After that battle where he had practically wiped out the entire Sword-Lion Pirates by himself…
There was no way the System would stay silent.
[This training session has yielded: Strength +0.0009, Speed +0.0007, Stamina +0.0009, Mental Power +0.003, Rokushiki Proficiency +0.05]
[After applying the 100x Training Amplification…]
[Host gains: Strength +0.09, Speed +0.07, Stamina +0.09, Mental Power +0.3, Rokushiki Proficiency +5]
Boom.
A warm current rose within him out of nowhere.
It rushed through his organs, meridians, bones, and blood, washing through his body and bringing about a subtle transformation.
All his physical attributes ticked up a notch.
The warmth didn't just flow through his limbs; it also washed across his head, his mind sinking into a soft, warm ocean.
At the same time, a stream of fresh information about Rokushiki poured into his brain.
New insight, new experience—
His mind greedily absorbed it.
His control over Rokushiki, which was already monstrously refined for his age, sharpened even more.
His mastery shot up.
A few moments later, the transformation was complete.
His body had finished its minor upgrade.
His Rokushiki proficiency had soared.
Kai opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing through them.
Feeling the power now surging through his body, he couldn't help the satisfied smile that tugged at his lips.
"I got stronger again."
This time the improvement was small on paper, but gathering drops made an ocean. Over time, every little bit stacked up into a terrifying difference.
He clenched his fists.
They felt heavier. More dangerous.
A thought stirred in his mind.
"System, open status panel."
[Host: Kai]
[Strength: 33.8 (+1.7)]
[Speed: 27.2 (+1.1)]
[Stamina: 35 (+1.7)]
[Mental Power: 17 (+0.8)]
[Ghost Back Completion: 10.96%]
[Current Training Amplification: 100x]
This was the change in his strength over the last stretch of time.
In just a few days, his stats had climbed again.
Of course—
Compared to the very beginning, the rate of growth was clearly slower.
But he hadn't forgotten one basic truth.
The stronger you get, the harder it is to keep growing.
On this sea, once certain powerhouses reached a given level, their improvement slowed to a crawl. Every bit forward was like dragging a mountain.
Even though Kai hadn't hit his own bottleneck yet, it was only natural that the higher he climbed, the harder it would be.
Everyone went through this.
That was exactly why he was in such a hurry to head to Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
There, he could use the most scientific training methods to keep breaking his limits again and again.
Just relying on ordinary hell training and random combat—
Wasn't cutting it anymore.
He needed better ways to grow stronger.
And as the dominant force on these seas, the Marines obviously had professional staff who could design the perfect training program for him.
Huff…
He let out a slow breath and dismissed the status panel from his mind, setting aside the messy trains of thought.
Once this matter was wrapped up…
The next stop: Marineford.
The thought filled him with anticipation.
He had been looking forward to that place for a long time.
"If nothing goes wrong…"
"We should reach Marineford in about three days by warship. As long as nothing unexpected happens on the way."
Kai mused.
Three days.
Soon.
As Kai and Lucci waited, the gate guard soon returned, retracing his steps.
"Honored sirs, His Majesty requests your presence," he said, bowing even lower than before.
This time, his attitude was far more respectful. There was even a hint of nervousness in the way he held himself, as if facing nobles of high rank.
Just from that—
Kai could guess what had happened.
"If I'm not wrong,"Lucci said beside him, "Rosede IV already knows you wiped out the Sword-Lion Pirates."
"Otherwise, he wouldn't be this polite."
"When he first met us, even though he didn't speak harshly, I still saw doubt and contempt in his eyes."
"But now, with word spreading that the Sword-Lion Pirates were annihilated, it's only natural that his attitude toward us would completely flip."
Kai nodded slightly.
Human nature.
He understood.
Their ages were simply too misleading.
Who would believe two kids came to solve a pirate crisis and rescue hostages?
"Let's go,"Kai said.
He and Lucci followed the guard through the palace once more and into the grand central hall.
The moment they stepped inside, they saw a plump, middle-aged man with a round, prosperous face and a large belly.
He was dripping in luxury.
Nine of his ten fingers wore gold rings. Several heavy gold chains hung from his neck. Golden earrings, golden bracelets, and other ornaments all gleamed under the palace lights.
In short—
He was practically wrapped in money.
His dress and bearing screamed wealth and status.
Naturally—
This was Rosede IV.
"You two, please, come in, come in!"
When he saw Kai and Lucci, Rosede IV's eyes lit up. His expression was full of excitement and respect as he personally moved forward to greet them.
In that moment—
His attitude toward the two was worlds apart from before.
That was the difference true strength made.
"King Rosede, no need for too much small talk,"Lucci said blandly.
"This rescue mission has been successfully completed. The Sword-Lion Pirates have been wiped out."
"Now, all you need to do is dispatch people to the warehouse where they were holding the hostages and round up the unconscious pirates."
"What you decide to do with them afterward is entirely up to you. We won't interfere."
"As for the nobles and soldiers from your kingdom who were captured, they're all there as well. None of them were injured. They're just unconscious."
"You don't have to worry about their safety."
"Alright. If there's nothing else, we'll take our leave."
Lucci's tone was as indifferent and flat as ever, his face expressionless. He didn't bother to put on warmth just because he was talking to a king.
Kai remained silent at his side.
These tedious formalities weren't something he had any interest in handling.
That was Lucci's job.
"Please, wait a moment,"Rosede IV said quickly.
He turned and raised his voice. "You heard what our guest said just now?"
"Pass my order. Mobilize three thousand soldiers and head to that warehouse. Arrest every pirate there."
"Then…"
"Free the captured nobles and soldiers."
"Is that clear?"
The officers he addressed hurriedly bowed.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
They rushed out of the hall.
Once they'd gone, Rosede IV turned back, smile wide and eager. His gaze lingered on Kai, full of admiration—and something like goodwill.
Compared to Lucci—
He clearly valued Kai more.
Because he knew very well.
He understood exactly who had destroyed the Sword-Lion Pirates.
It was this boy standing before him.
A four-year-old monster.
An unprecedented existence.
Facing a once-in-a-century monster like this, even as a king, Rosede IV didn't dare show the slightest hint of disrespect.
Put simply—
If not for Kai, he definitely wouldn't be treating Lucci so politely either.
From the reports he'd received earlier, he understood perfectly.
A four-year-old capable of wiping out a massive pirate crew… such a person possessed unbelievable potential.
A genius of this caliber…
If you could build a good relationship with him—
There were no downsides.
For Rosede Kingdom, the benefits in the long term were enormous.
"Gentlemen,"Rosede IV said sincerely, "it's all thanks to you that Rosede Kingdom was not brought to its knees by those pirates."
"I was already prepared to go down with them in a mutual slaughter."
"I never expected…"
"That you two would so easily resolve our crisis, and even annihilate that entire pirate crew."
"Such a heavy favor…"
"As the king of Rosede Kingdom, I can't allow you to leave empty-handed. I must repay you properly."
"If you don't mind, to express my gratitude, I've decided to open the royal treasury."
"You two may enter and select one item each, anything you like."
"That will be my token of thanks."
"Please, I insist you do not refuse."
Visit my patreon for more chapters
Advance 60+ Chapters Available
patreon.com/ZeusOp