"Ha! Hah!!"
On a warship in a certain sea area, a figure was constantly swinging a gleaming golden rod in their hand.
The air was being smashed, producing sharp cracking sounds.
The figure was none other than Sabo!
After obtaining the Rumble-Rumble Fruit in Birka, Sabo went to Upper Yard with Kyle.
There, they took all the gold and the golden bell for themselves.
Having harvested so much gold, combined with his newfound powers from the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, Sabo created a golden pipe for himself to use as his weapon.
That's right, his supreme-grade steel pipe had been gloriously retired!
What would accompany him from now on was the—supreme-grade golden pipe!!!
Its appearance was incomparably more luxurious, although the name "golden pipe" seemed to sound worse than "steel pipe."
It might just be that he hadn't gotten used to it yet; once he did, it would be fine.
Was changing the steel pipe for a golden pipe simply for luxury?
Of course not; he wasn't that shallow.
The main reason was that gold, under the influence of his lightning, could transform into various shapes. In the future, his arsenal wouldn't be limited to just a pipe.
He could just create whatever weapon he needed on the spot.
Of course, large objects would definitely be impossible, given the golden pipe's limited size.
But because the weight of the golden pipe differed from the steel one, he needed to adapt to it, which was why he was training.
Even after eating the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, Sabo didn't plan to rely solely on it for combat; his own physical techniques and the three colors of Haki were still very important.
Combining Devil Fruit abilities with physical strength was the strongest path, just like Kyle.
The Rumble-Rumble Fruit had greatly enhanced his speed, while also granting him large-scale AOE and long-range attack capabilities, compensating for many of his previous shortcomings.
He was really looking forward to returning to Marine Headquarters and having some fun with those guys.
He wanted to take on six of them!!
Everyone except Kyle should come, and let them experience what true power felt like!!
The more Sabo thought about it, the more excited he became, and he trained even more earnestly on the spot.
Elsewhere, Kyle sat at the bow of the ship, eyes closed, sensing everything around him.
The battle with Kaido had shown him that his Observation Haki was still somewhat lacking.
Even though he had Human Weakness Insight, allowing him to concentrate his attacks on an opponent's weak points, the opponent's Observation Haki placed certain limits on this ability.
Kaido, being a well-rounded fighter, was strong in every aspect, including Observation Haki, which had reached the stage of foreseeing the future.
In his hybrid form, Kaido was undoubtedly one of the absolute top-tier powerhouses.
His Observation Haki could cause many of Kyle's attacks to miss, because his speed in hybrid form was sufficient to react.
He was a sitting target in his Azure Dragon form because even if he foresaw the future with Observation Haki, his speed wasn't enough; even knowing the trajectory of Kyle's attack, he couldn't dodge it.
There was nothing to be done about that!
Of course, it could also be said that his Observation Haki wasn't strong enough, that he couldn't foresee a more distant future.
If his Observation Haki was strong enough, and foreseeing a few seconds into the future wasn't enough, then foreseeing further ahead would solve the problem, wouldn't it?
Each of the three colors of Haki was extremely important.
In this world, there were many powerhouses who relied solely on the three colors of Haki to reach the pinnacle of strength.
The most representative examples were Roger and Garp.
Both relied only on the three colors of Haki and their powerful physiques to become among the strongest in their respective factions.
Oh, and later generations' Red-Haired Shanks as well!
One-shotting the 'Emperor of the Seas' Kid, worth three billion, with Killer thrown in as a bonus.
So, while a powerful Devil Fruit could certainly greatly enhance one's strength, the cultivation of one's own three colors of Haki and physique was equally important.
Suddenly, a shout interrupted Kyle's training.
"Kyle, come quick and teach me how to develop the Rumble-Rumble Fruit!!"
Kyle opened his eyes, glanced at Sabo not far away, and revealed a helpless expression.
Damn it!!
He hadn't thought of this before. Ever since Sabo ate the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, he kept bothering him, asking to be taught how to develop it.
After all, he had eaten his Devil Fruit four years ago and was far ahead of Sabo in developing the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
Although there were differences between their Rumble-Rumble Fruits, and some of Kyle's moves weren't suitable for Sabo's ordinary version,
there were still many moves in common, and Kyle could offer very useful advice on which directions to develop in.
Sigh!
He had somehow become the giant whose shoulders were being stepped on!
Suddenly, as if struck by an idea, Kyle slowly stood up, a slight smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
He thought of a method to rapidly increase Sabo's proficiency with the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
For any skill one wished to improve quickly, actual combat was one of the best methods!
So—
Hehe ...
Kyle clenched his fists, the bones rubbing together producing crackling sounds.
He liked coming to ask for advice on developing the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, did he?!
Well then, he would definitely learn from Kaido and properly impart his own experiences to Sabo!!
Some time later~
Sabo lay on the warship's deck, his whole body blackened, wisps of black smoke rising from his mouth as he groaned weakly:
"This ... this isn't scientific!!"
"Why, when I've become lightning myself, can I still be electrocuted into this sorry state!!"
Nearby, Kyle emerged from the cabin, holding a glass of juice he had made himself, and sat down beneath the ship's mast.
He took a sip of the juice, a comfortable expression appearing on his face, before turning his gaze to Sabo and speaking:
"You eat a fruit and think you've truly become lightning?"
"First, you have to remember, you're a person. Whether you have personhood or not, we won't discuss for now, but at least in terms of species, you are indeed a person!"
"Only on this foundation can you be called lightning!"
"So, do you think I can electrocute you? Especially since your lightning isn't as advanced as mine!"
"Little bro, your strength isn't there yet, keep practicing slowly!"
As he spoke, Kyle took another sip of his drink.
Suddenly, a chime rang out in his mind.
[Ding...]
[Ding! Special event detected, now issuing recruitment mission! (Note: Recruitment target this time is a pet!)]
[Recruitment Target: Tony Tony Chopper, loading into pet file...]
[Tony Tony Chopper, born on Drum Island, ostracized by the reindeer herd for his blue nose, further ostracized by humans after eating the Human-Human Fruit. Later taken in by Dr. Hiriluk to study medicine, then refined his medical skills under Kureha. In the year 1522 of the Sea Circle Calendar, he joined the Straw Hat Pirates, becoming the ship's doctor and pet!]
[Recruitment Suggestion: Currently, Chopper is rejected by both species and isolated without support, so... quickly go give him the warmth of love and take that cute tanuki in as a pet~]
!!!
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