The System didn't have the habit of guaranteeing a win with ten consecutive draws, so the moment he obtained the draw chance, Ivan thought about it and drew directly.
Streams of light swirled rapidly on the panel, and densely packed character templates flashed by so fast that only a blur remained.
In an instant, the stream of light suddenly stagnated, and the image froze.
It was a middle-aged man wearing a ninja vest, with a dull gaze, looking not very bright.
[Congratulations, you have obtained Template: Yamato!]
[Congratulations, you have obtained Skill: Wood Release!]
[Wood Release: A top-tier Kekkei Genkai in Naruto, possessing the ability to grow and control trees!]
Yamato?
Yamato was an elite Jonin of Konohagakure, possessing both the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai and top-tier sealing jutsu. His strength was not weak.
Ivan was quite satisfied with this draw result. Although Yamato's Wood Release was a watered-down version, it was still Wood Release, allowing him to cosplay the Woods-Woods Fruit (Mori Mori no Mi) to a certain extent.
Unfortunately, he didn't hit the jackpot and draw Hashirama Senju's character panel in one go.
Otherwise, with just that one template, he could have ascended to the heavens in a single step, instantly possessing combat power comparable to a Marine Admiral!
With a thought, Ivan extended his index finger.
A faint light flashed at his fingertip, and a slender tree branch burst out, spreading its twigs.
But if one looked closely, they would find that this branch had sparse leaves and was dry, like a withered twig lacking vitality.
Ivan knew exactly why.
This was the fundamental difference between Yamato's and Hashirama Senju's Wood Release.
He lacked the life force originating from the Sage Body and the God Tree, so his Wood Release lacked vitality and similarly couldn't fully absorb chakra.
Retracting the branch that had popped out of his index finger back into his hand, Ivan walked out of the captain's quarters onto the deck.
For now, this Wood Release was enough for the East Blue. At the very least, it gave him the ability for crowd control attacks.
When Ivan reached the deck, he saw a shorty punching a sandbag in front of him with all his might.
Ivan smiled faintly, walked up to the shorty, and asked, "Coby, are you getting used to life as a Marine?"
Coby trembled all over, turned around excitedly to look at Ivan, stood at attention, and answered loudly:
"Ensign Ivan... No, Major Ivan! It's truly an honor to join the Marines. I will definitely train desperately and strive to be of help to the Major!"
Not far away, Barton, carrying a bow and arrows on his back, glanced at Coby with amusement and teased:
"With your current strength, it's very difficult to be of help to the Boss. You need to be at least a hundred times stronger than you are now!"
Coby's face flushed red, but he refused to admit defeat: "I will work hard!"
Barton shook his head disapprovingly and continued drawing blueprints, designing a new type of arrow.
Who didn't want to become stronger? But how many monsters were there on the sea?
With Coby's physique, wanting to help the Boss was just too difficult!
If Ivan didn't know the plot, he might have also thought Coby was a scrawny guy with no talent. But knowing the plot, he knew what heights this next "Marine Hero" could reach.
Ivan patted Coby on the shoulder and encouraged him:
"I believe in you. As long as you put in two hundred times the effort of ordinary people, you will definitely become a powerhouse beyond anyone's imagination!"
"Yes, Boss!" Coby was so excited he almost fainted.
Barton smiled and didn't refute.
The Boss was still too gentle. Little did he know that not telling this young man the truth would only bring him more pain in the future.
Thinking of this, the color in Barton's eyes deepened, presumably recalling some unpleasant experiences.
...
The Conomi Islands were Ivan's destination for this trip, and also Nami's hometown, currently occupied by the Arlong Pirates.
It wasn't far from Loguetown. Two days later, a warship far larger than ordinary ones appeared in these waters.
"Report!" Tashigi pushed open the door to the captain's quarters and said energetically, "In another two hours, we will arrive near the Conomi Islands. At that time, we will come into conflict with the fish-man scouts."
Ivan's expression remained unchanged as he issued the order: "Pass the order down: full speed ahead. Today, we will settle all grievances with Arlong once and for all!"
Tashigi nodded heavily and responded loudly, "Yes!"
Knowing part of Ivan's strength, she had absolute confidence in him!
Just then, there was another knock on the cabin door.
Receiving Ivan's permission, Barton pushed the door open and entered. With a somewhat strange smile on his face, he said gloatingly:
"Boss, we ran into a group of pirates looting a merchant ship up ahead. Looks like we might be delayed for a moment."
"Pirates?" Hearing this, a hint of playfulness flashed in Tashigi's eyes, and her expression became subtle.
These pirates' luck was simply too terrible.
If they had encountered other Marines, they might have had a chance to survive. But encountering Ivan... it could only be said that they were practically dead meat!
Ivan didn't take such a trivial matter to heart, nor did he plan to take action personally. He simply let his subordinates have the military merit:
"You guys handle it. Make it quick. Oh, and don't hurt the innocent!"
Trying not to involve civilians was precisely the Burning Justice he believed in, the most fundamental difference from Akainu's cold Absolute Justice.
He was not a pedantic person. If it came to a critical moment, he would sacrifice the interests of a few to save the many.
But he would absolutely not be like Akainu, selling his life to the World Government and slaughtering civilians at will.
Blazing flames could burn away the most heinous sins in the world, but they could also turn into a warm current to warm people's hearts.
This was Burning Justice!
In just a moment, the sounds of killing completely subsided.
Tashigi pushed the door open and entered. Her uniform was splattered with specks of blood, and her eyes were sharper than before, the fierceness of the recent battle not yet fully faded:
"Major Ivan, that group of pirates was the Black Scar Pirates. They have been completely purged. However, the merchant ship suffered heavy damage earlier and has completely sunk.
We've settled all the surviving members of the merchant convoy on the front deck. Additionally, the leader of the convoy wants to thank you personally and hopes to meet you."
Ivan thought for a moment and didn't refuse: "Let's go meet them."
The convoy leader was a kind old man. Although he had lost a heavy amount of cargo, he didn't wallow in self-pity. Instead, he expressed his gratitude to Ivan from the bottom of his heart.
Ivan offered a few words of comfort, took out some tents from the cabin for them to live in temporarily on the deck, and prepared to return to the captain's quarters.
But just then, a striking orange color caught the corner of his eye.
Ivan turned his head abruptly and saw an orange-haired girl in the crowd of refugees, shrinking back and peeking at him furtively, her lively eyes full of curiosity.
Ivan's eyes lit up. He had worn out iron shoes searching for her, only to find her without any effort!
If this wasn't Nami, who was it?!
Almost at the same time, Nami also noticed his gaze. Her expression changed slightly, and she hurriedly tried to shrink behind the crowd, but it was too late.
Ivan raised the scabbard at his waist, pointed it in that direction from afar, and said clearly:
"That orange-haired lady over there, stop hiding. I'm talking to you. Come here!"