### Chapter 5: Mahoraga Is the Best Instructor on This Sea
Seeing Marubu reveal interest in the Eternal Poses, the Marine soldier, his survival instinct exploding, immediately stepped forward to explain fawningly.
"General!"
"This warship has a fixed route. Kuriti Island is located in the waters of Wano Country and is a scheduled food supply point. Although Sleepy Ancient Town is on an abandoned island, there are natural springs on it to replenish fresh water."
"The Eternal Poses are the key navigation tools pointing to these islands!"
Marubu suppressed the waves in his heart, waved his hand to dismiss the Marine, took the two Eternal Poses, and leisurely went to the sofa to sit down.
"I didn't expect clues to be delivered to my door as soon as I set out to sea..."
In ancient times, Wano Country was also known as the "Land of Gold" and the "Land of Samurai."
If one were to ask where on this sea is most suitable for swordsmanship training, or rather, where is most suitable for helping Mahoraga adapt to and analyze swordsmanship, there is undoubtedly only one correct answer.
In Marubu's eyes.
Even if the strength of a hundred Wano Country swordsmen were added together, they might not equal one Dracule Mihawk.
But among them, there must be someone who surpasses Hawkeye in a move or two.
"Three cobblers with their wits combined equal Zhuge Liang... Quantitative change will lead to qualitative change."
What Marubu wanted was exactly the essence of those few moves.
And it would be the essence upgraded after Mahoraga's analysis!
"If I drop Mahoraga into Wano Country, where swordsmen are as numerous as the hairs on an ox, and let him adapt to a hundred, a thousand, or even ten thousand types of swordsmanship... then refine these swordsmanships into essence, analyzing and sublimating them into sharper sword moves... once I master them all, in terms of swordsmanship realm alone, would I be considered the world's greatest swordsman?"
Thinking of this, his heartbeat couldn't help but accelerate a bit: "A perfect plan, but I need to be calm... Yes, step by step..."
After making a simple plan for 'Wano Country' in his mind, Marubu turned his gaze to the other Eternal Pose.
Sleepy Ancient Town!
In the official *One Piece* game *Unlimited World Red*, the Zoan Mythical Type Bat-Bat Fruit, Model: Vampire, which Red Count Patrick Redfield sought, slumbered in some ruins within this abandoned ancient town.
At the end of the plot, Redfield arrived here and successfully obtained this fruit by reading the memories of archaeologist Nico Robin.
He hadn't expected the game setting to intertwine with reality.
If the plan went smoothly, Marubu could not only obtain a new Mythical Zoan Shikigami but also trigger the Shikigami Temple's extra reward!
However, the only problem currently was that even if he successfully arrived at Sleepy Ancient Town, accurately finding the Vampire Model Devil Fruit would require relying on an archaeologist's professional knowledge to decipher ancient texts.
And those scholars were not in the New World, but half a map away in Ohara in the West Blue.
After careful consideration.
Marubu still decided to go to Sleepy Ancient Town first.
To win the lottery, one must first buy a ticket.
In his view, getting first-hand information on the Zoan Vampire Model was very important.
With the plan made, the rest was sailing to the destination.
Perhaps feeling the journey was boring, Marubu had a sudden idea and said to Kaido, who was idling by the side enjoying the sea breeze: "To help you adapt to this sea faster, I've arranged an instructor for you."
"What? Instructor? No one in the army was qualified to teach me!" Kaido turned his head with a question mark on his face, then realized something and looked somewhat resistantly behind Marubu. "There's no one else on this warship besides us. Hey, wait, Brother, you don't mean your bodyguard Mahoraga, do you?"
"Ah this this this... No...!"
Although Mahoraga had previously demonstrated the strength to annihilate the entire warship, Kaido believed he could do it too.
As a novice, he had not yet seen the vastness of the sea; his vision was extremely narrow, and his worldview had not yet been established.
This arrangement was truly superfluous!
Marubu smiled, having already made up his mind.
"No rush, you'll understand after being tuned up by Mahoraga a few times. Remember my words: Mahoraga is the best instructor on this sea!"
According to Marubu's vision...
Currently, Kaido's club technique was version 1.0. If he fed this set of techniques unreservedly to Mahoraga, once Mahoraga fully adapted, it would naturally deduce a stronger version 2.0. At that time, when Mahoraga fought Kaido with version 2.0, Kaido could then comprehend the techniques of version 2.0 from the battle.
Essentially, both were using Kaido's combat system to fight, equating to learning from each other, feeding each other, stepping on the left foot with the right foot to climb to the sky step by step.
Of course, this vision also had certain limitations.
Even if Kaido was a combat genius, in front of Mahoraga's BUG-level adaptation mechanism, he was equivalent to a mortal body.
What was the specific efficiency of cultivation?
It was determined by Kaido, the short board!
"Don't doubt it. In the Vodka Army, you were the top dog. You were arrogant, and I don't blame you."
Seeing the horned boy in front of him still looking hesitant, Marubu slowly turned his thumbs-up upside down. "But on the Grand Line, you don't even rank... No rush, you will slowly form a cognition."
Although Kaido was unconvinced in his heart, looking at Marubu's eyes, he swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue.
"Okay, if..."
Before he could finish, Marubu stepped forward and patted him heavily on the shoulder, saying decisively: "There is no 'if'."
After spending a few minutes arranging the training schedule for Kaido in detail.
Marubu tapped his right foot lightly, and a mass of darkness like fine sand and flowing water surged from the floor, wrapping around the treasure chests in the corner and the famous sword on the desk like a living black python.
In an instant, the pile of treasure and the sword were completely swallowed by the darkness.
The Shikigami Temple was an alien space independent of reality, inherently possessing the ability to store all things.
And darkness was the channel leading to that space.
...
The sun and moon rotated, and time passed quietly on the boundless sea.
Marubu obtained basic navigation knowledge from the few Marines, and when passing by a deserted island, he had Mahoraga kick these people into the sea.
When passing through towns on the way, he also purchased complete equipment and specifically bought a few Den Den Mushi for communication.
At this moment.
At the front of the warship deck, Marubu sat on the bow. A mass of twisted darkness emerged above his palm, and an Eternal Pose slowly rose from it.
"Sleepy Ancient Town... calculating the voyage, we should be arriving soon. The course is correct." Marubu took the Eternal Pose back into the Shikigami Temple.
Thick darkness covered an area of the deck. Behind him, darkness rose and fell like a living thing, sometimes stretching out like a cloak, sometimes condensing into a palm, and in a flash converging into a ferocious beast claw form.
Within moments, a roaring pitch-black phantom beast coiled by his side, growling low.
In the following time, Marubu began to practically apply "Shigan," "Flying Shigan," "Rankyaku," "Spiral Blade Cannon," as well as Armament Haki.
Unfortunately.
The relationship between Marubu and Mahoraga was more like friendly units teamed up in a game; all attacks would pass through each other, unable to trigger that heaven-defying analysis mechanism.
Otherwise, Mahoraga would undoubtedly be his excellent support for further progress.
"Ha... ha huff huff..."
On the deck, Kaido collapsed into a "big" shape, his chest heaving violently, greedily swallowing air.
At this moment, he finally deeply understood the meaning of Marubu's words.
"—Mahoraga is the best instructor on this sea!"
Kaido also realized that the opponent was like an expert who had thoroughly studied him, not only good at seizing his flaws but also capable of precise and effective counterattacks.
Coupled with Mahoraga's inexhaustible stamina, monstrous strength, and regeneration ability, Kaido could let go completely and fight to his heart's content.
It was just that this kind of extremely satisfying battle made it very easy to exert too much force, and also very easy to be defeated quickly.
However, Kaido only panted rapidly for a moment.
Then he suddenly grabbed Hassaikai from the deck and jumped up with a carp skip.
"Mr. Mahoraga!"
"I lost that round just now! Let's start another one!"
"Take this!!!"
On the deck, two figures fought again.
Marubu nodded with satisfaction.
"It's just a pity about this warship; it was at least a place to stay..."
His gaze swept around. "The deck is about to be dismantled beyond recognition by these two. The wind is leaking everywhere!"
After sailing for another two hours, the outline of an island was faintly visible.
And by the coast.
A large ship was already docked at this time.