A month later, a passenger ship pulled into the dock.
Mr. Klein Moretti stepped onto the soil of Shimotsuki Village.
In a quiet corner he removed his old disguise and put on a new one. Mr. Adam came back online.
His schedule over the past month had been packed. Time was short, so he had forced himself to run from one battlefield to the next.
He had hunted down three captains with bounties in the tens of millions, sunk two small pirate ships and taken one slave ship.
By the time he decided to pull back and head home, he could already hear new legends about the East Blue spreading on the wind.
They were called legends because Ethan always fought under disguise, and every time his appearance was different.
And he never went to cash in the bounties of the pirates he hunted.
After all, Ethan was the "Extreme Evil Demon" wanted by the World Government. He had to stay cautious.
If he went to the Marines to exchange bounties and someone saw through his disguise, what would he do then?
Anything could happen on these seas. Strange people and strange powers showed up all the time. If he ran into someone who could see through his cover, that would be the end.
If walking along the river meant your shoes would get wet, then the answer was simple. Do not walk by the river.
Besides, his finances were already in very good shape. There was no need to risk his life for a few bounty posters.
And if we were talking about a Four Emperor level bounty… he would not go for that either.
As he got close to the house, he saw little Robin standing at the window, staring into the distance. Ethan broke into a run toward home. Robin leaped straight into his arms.
"Ethan, I missed you so much."
"I missed you too."
Holding Robin, Ethan felt a deep sense of peace settle in his chest. The killing intent and bloodshed he had built up during this month washed away.
"Robin, I brought you a present."
He opened his bundle and took out two books.
"Ta-da. Two one of a kind history books. They are the history of a country on some island in the East Blue.
"That country has already been destroyed, but the books survived. Do you like them?"
"Oh!! I like them!"
For Robin, books, history books and especially unseen history books had an enormous pull.
She wanted to run straight back to her room and start reading, but she wanted even more to stay by Ethan's side.
The two of them went back to the couch, and Ethan quietly told her about his month away.
Of course, it was the edited version. Many parts were not suitable for a child. He did not want Robin to live in darkness.
He only stopped when his stomach began to growl. After a simple meal together, Ethan went back to his room to rest.
Out at sea he had been on guard every moment. Only at home could he truly relax. His mind was exhausted. Within moments he had fallen into a deep sleep.
The next morning, his biological clock woke him naturally. He stretched hard on his familiar bed.
After washing up, he picked up his long sword and headed into the forest training ground. Sitting cross legged beneath the waterfall, he began整理 his gains from the past month.
Current status:
Constitution: 40
Strength: 38
Speed: 41
Skills:
Shave: Beginner 10%
Conqueror's Haki: 12%–14%
Shimotsuki sword style: Proficient 30%
Observation Haki: Beginner 20%
This trip had yielded huge returns, probably because it had been his first true journey at sea and his first series of life and death battles.
With Constitution at 40, he had already reached the standard needed to train the Marine Six Styles.
Shave's high speed movement would give his combat power a massive boost. In the early stages, when every fight came down to individual strikes, speed was the key that decided victory.
His Conqueror's Haki had risen only a little. That was because he had further refined his revolutionary framework.
Ethan had discovered that his will to change the world and his Conqueror's Haki were now bound together. Every time he broke through to a new level in his thinking, his Conqueror's Haki rose with it.
His Shimotsuki sword style had jumped by twenty percent on the night he cut down Bar, because he had just barely broken through into the realm of cutting steel.
Several more brutal fights after that had pushed it to thirty percent.
Progress grew harder the further he went. His cutting steel state was still not stable. He had to adjust himself beforehand to use it, which left many openings in real combat.
A week earlier, that very weakness had nearly cost him his life.
So he had to keep grinding away. He figured that once his Shimotsuki sword style reached fifty percent Proficient, he would be able to use the cutting steel level freely without any preparation.
Observation Haki, on the other hand, grew the more he experienced.
Battles at sea were perfect for its growth. If his Observation had been poor, he would have been shot in the back long ago.
And this was only the East Blue. If he went to the Grand Line someday, his growth would surely explode.
Once he finished going over his gains, Ethan went back home for breakfast, then went to pay a visit to his teacher, Koushirou.
After watching Ethan slowly sheath his sword, Koushirou smiled in satisfaction.
"In terms of swordsmanship, you are indeed a genius. In just one short month, you have advanced this much."
"This is all thanks to your guidance, sensei. Without you, I would never have found my path forward."
"In that case, spar with me for a bit."
"Huh?"
Ethan had not expected Koushirou to suggest this. For a moment he froze, then battle lust surged up inside him.
To cross swords with a strong man. How could he resist that temptation? He also wanted to know exactly how big the gap was between himself and a true swordmaster.
They each took up a wooden sword. After bowing, they began to face off.
After a while, Ethan realized he had to strike first. Koushirou's sword aura was growing heavier and heavier. If he did not attack now, he would lose the chance.
This strike would be at the level of cutting steel.
Under enormous pressure, Ethan swung his blade. His heart felt completely unburdened. Even without checking his status, he knew he had just improved again.
What he had not expected was that Koushirou simply raised his wooden sword and used the flat of the blade to lightly knock his slash aside.
Ethan was shocked.
"Again."
As soon as Koushirou spoke, he swung his own blade.
Whoosh.
An overwhelming sense of danger slammed into Ethan's soul.
He must not get hit. If that blow landed, he would die. He would die. He would die.
It might only be a wooden sword, but Ethan could feel that if he took that strike, he would be no different from a blade of grass cut down in passing.
If he could not block, then he would dodge. He focused completely. Observation Haki wrapped tightly around the space close to his body.
He saw it. From the left. His whole body snapped to the right in a rapid sidestep.
(End of Chapter)
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