"So strong!"
Hiroto looked at the entry's description in shock. The effect of [Shunpo] was simple and crude, providing an extremely terrifying boost to his speed.
Hiroto's current attributes were only at Grade D, and his perception attribute was even at Grade D-.
According to his estimation, Grade C was the level that only those with bounties in the hundreds of millions possessed. In the original story, those were the so-called Supernovas, capable of clashing with Marine Vice Admirals.
The Marine Vice Admirals mentioned here were those from the Headquarters who possessed two types of Haki and could use the Marine Six Powers.
He stood up and pushed the door open, glancing at the bow of the Going Merry, then stomping his foot.
Swoosh!
In the next instant, Hiroto appeared in front of the sheep's head, stepping into empty air. Under the constraint of gravity, his whole body began to fall.
As expected, even when trying to control the speed of [Shunpo] as much as possible, the instantaneous burst of speed exceeded the limit of his perception attribute and he couldn't react at all.
"It's strong, but I'll have to work hard to adapt and master it."
The falling Hiroto stomped in the air and the wind beneath his feet actively gathered. Then, with a bang of an air burst, his whole body shot upward.
In just two steps, he reached the sky above the Going Merry, looking down at the ship that belonged to him.
Zoro, who was training on the deck, looked up in surprise when he heard the noise and saw his captain standing in mid-air.
Hiroto was looking at him, then held up three fingers.
Zoro was stunned, then saw the three fingers turn into two. He instantly understood Hiroto's meaning, his eyes turning sharp as he locked onto the Captain in the sky.
The distance between them was further than last time, and he had already locked onto Hiroto's position in advance, knowing he would charge over just like last time.
So this time, he absolutely had to capture Hiroto's movement trajectory.
Zoro had long known the gap between himself and Hiroto, so of course, he didn't expect to catch him. Being able to see the movement trajectory would be a victory.
After the last finger dropped, [Shunpo] erupted, and Hiroto vanished.
Zoro's pupils constricted as he tried to find a trace of Hiroto.
Until...
A hand patted Zoro's shoulder from behind. Hiroto appeared by his side, his other hand resting on the hilt of Hanazuru.
This left Zoro utterly shocked. Even though he had prepared in advance, and even though he had worked very hard and made progress, he still couldn't see Hiroto's movements. The gap was even larger than last time.
A huge sense of disparity surged again, and Zoro felt his heart grow heavy. 'Is this... the feeling sensei spoke of? He's grown stronger and made progress again. This feeling of being constantly surpassed and left far behind is really...'
Zoro actively snuffed out his wavering thoughts and once again steeled his heart.
No matter what, he would not give up on that promise just because someone else was stronger than him or progressed faster.
Zoro composed himself and said, "You've grown stronger again, Captain."
"Just a small bit of progress." Hiroto said 'humbly'.
Zoro's lips twitched, and he rolled his eyes.
—
Inside the cabin.
Carina hurried to push open the door to Nami's room, finding Nami preparing to change clothes to go down and buy supplies, and pick up some clothes along the way.
With a solemn expression, she held a stack of bounty posters and handed them to Nami. "Nami, look at this."
The first one that caught her eye was Hiroto's 70 million berries bounty.
Even though she already knew, seeing the amount on the bounty poster for real made Nami unable to help but catch her breath, an indescribable joy rising in her heart.
This was the Captain she would follow in the future, a great figure who would far surpass Arlong.
However, in the next second, her eyes widened in utter bewilderment because she saw her own bounty poster.
[Cat Burglar Nami]
[Bounty: 9 million berries (Affiliated with the Hiroto Pirates, under their protection)]
[Dead or Alive]
The glaring words 'Under their protection' made Nami feel as if her heart was being gripped by an invisible giant hand.
She jerked her head up, staring at the grave-faced Carina.
Carina gave a slight nod. "Go see Captain. The longer we wait, the more likely something irreversible happens."
After all, she and Nami shared a room, practically the same bed, and once Nami asked Hiroto for help, odds were she'd end up a crewmate. Naturally, they'd talk about private things at night, including Arlong and the Arlong Pirates.
If cruel, human-hating Fishmen like those, learned the navigator who'd once served them had joined another crew and now enjoyed its protection, the consequences were obvious. They might not reach Nami aboard the Going Merry, but Nami's sister and the rest of Cocoyasi Village couldn't run.
"I'll go to the Captain right now."
Nami burst through the door, breath ragged. In her panic, only one man's figure steadied her.
Only him, only Hiroto, could give her a shred of safety now.
…
After a brief exchange, Hiroto left Zoro to his training.
The Genius Trader investment was locked in. In a few days, he'd reap another round of returns.
On the way back to the Captain's cabin, he tallied Shunpo's might—at least double that of Instantaneous Burst. His burst speed had more than quadrupled, no wonder he couldn't react in time.
A D-rank perception stat still fell short, unable to keep up with Instantaneous Burst and draining stamina at a fearsome rate. Just those two moves had sapped a tenth of his energy.
Sky-walking was slower, but the wind buoyed him, so the strain was lighter.
Either way, it was a fearsome skill entry.
Power, of course, had its price.
Back in the cabin, Hiroto opened his panel. The once-bright blue glow had faded to nothing.
Energy fully depleted.