Rodney, refreshed from his shower, shook drops of water from his damp, tousled hair. In his hand, he clutched a dark red ball, the size of a lychee—a chakra fruit he'd obtained in a recent battle. It was similar to those grown by the Otsutsuki, but the taste… the same, disgusting. "Better canned herring than a devil fruit," he muttered, swallowing the ball.
The fruit dissolved in his mouth, restoring his chakra and increasing its reserves. "Now I'm like one and a half Kakashis," Rodney chuckled.
He thought of Kuro, who had faked his own death. "It's a shame I won't be able to receive the reward," he sighed.
A long-awaited purchase awaited him at the shopping center: "Mutually Multiplying Explosive Seals" - the Second Hokage's forbidden technique, an infinite ninjutsu of level A.
"One explosive tag is enough to make it impossible for the enemy to get rid of it," he read the description.
Rodney had no doubt that this technique would become a powerful weapon in his arsenal, especially in the East Blue and the first half of the Grand Line.
After the purchase, Rodney went to lunch. Life on Syrup Island was quiet and measured.
"— The next ninjutsu will be... hm..." He ran his eyes down the list, but the price of the next technique scared him off. "Forget it, I'll think about it later," Rodney waved his hand.
He decided to leave the village and head for Loguetown. The boat, with Rodney on board, floated through the waves.
"Water, food..." Rodney thought about his supplies.
Suddenly, a giant monster, the Sea King, emerged from the depths of the water.
"— Roar!" — the Sea King growled loudly.
"Why are you screaming so loudly?" Rodney took off his glasses, got out of the boat and, moving through the water, rushed towards the monster.
The Sea King had never seen a man run on water before and without hesitation he rushed to attack.
"— Oh? — " Rodney, seeing that the monster was about to swallow him, performed the "Dancing Leaf Shadow" technique, sending the Sea King flying backwards with a kick.
"Not today, my friend!" Rodney rode the waves, watching the Sea King.
The Sea King, possessing cunning and wily nature, tried to escape, but Rodney quickly tied his horn with a rope.
"Hey, here comes some free labor," Rodney smiled.
The boat, pulled up to the Sea King, turned into a powerful draft mechanism.
Sea kings are fast creatures, and those that inhabited the East Blue were notoriously cowardly. Rodney was baffled as to how the red-haired boy had managed to lose his arm. If the sea king had tried to drag him into the sea, he would have simply beaten him. Naturally, the sea king, having learned from experience, hesitated to try again and asked to be taken to the nearest island.
"Damned man! When I get stronger, I'll definitely eat you!" he croaked, enduring pain and tears in his eyes.
The sea king, moving resolutely forward, created a roller coaster-like sensation. Rodney soared up, fell down, soared again, and fell again, ad infinitum.
"Bastard, slow down!" he shouted.
The pursuing sea king threw something at Rodney's head, causing him some pain.
"Ugh!" Rodney breathed out. "You're such a tease!"
Slowly but surely, a ship appeared ahead. The Sea King ignored it and charged straight at it. Rodney didn't mind teaching the Sea King a lesson. He lay there and savored the moment.
- Boom! - the waves scattered in all directions. - Boom! - another wave!
A small black dot grew larger before Rodney's eyes - it was a cannonball!
— ... — Rodney watched silently.
"Oh, my God!" he whispered as a cannonball flew past, piercing the bottom of the ship behind him. Seawater gushed in.
— ... — Rodney watched silently.
Making a quick decision, Rodney jumped out of the boat and approached the Sea King. A warship stood before him.
— ... — Rodney watched silently.
He stepped on the sea king's head.
"You bastard, what have you done?" Rodney growled.
The Sea King whined a few times. He did nothing, simply approached the warship. Rodney saw a strong old man on board. He was wearing the cloak of justice and held a cannonball in his hand, ready to throw it. It was obvious the old man possessed incredible arm strength, as the projectile's speed matched the speed of the fired bullet. And the target was Rodney himself. How could he have encountered this old man? The old man seemed to mistake him for a pirate. Dodging the projectiles, Rodney noticed more and more coming his way.
"Fire Element!" Rodney shouted. "Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
Small fireballs flew outward, colliding with the shells and causing explosions. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Rodney stepped onto the water and jumped onto the warship.
"Stop! I'm not a pirate!" he shouted.
"Hey! A young man must first experience an old man's blow!" the old man roared.
"Bang!" came a deafening blow.