Meanwhile, on the Going Merry, in the hastily constructed training room.
Zoro looked at the two Famous Swords placed before him, a complex look in his eyes.
Sekigetsu and Raichi, the gifts of gratitude from those merchants to the Captain. Now Hiroto had given them to him.
Zoro understood clearly that no matter what the original agreement was, Hiroto now definitely treated him as one of his own. He even no longer held Wado Ichimonji, but hung it in the Captain's cabin.
This warmth of human kindness made Zoro's heart glow.
But...
Precisely because of this, Zoro felt that he absolutely could not be left far behind by Hiroto.
"Hiroto's ability allows me to turn 1 day into 50 days, this is already a huge help. I must work hard, ten times, a hundred times harder. I believe in myself, I will definitely catch up to the Captain and surpass him."
(Note: MC has set the investment length to a specific point to siphon 50%.)
Zoro got up, picked up the giant steel rod he used for training, and began to practice his sword techniques with resolute eyes. Simple, plain swings, one after another, he immersed himself in training with utmost focus. Even when it was late at night, he never stopped training.
Sweat poured down, showcasing the demeanor of an Effort King.
Meanwhile, in the Captain's cabin.
Hiroto, who had also been training but had finished, lied on the bed, sore all over, leaning against the headboard, quietly waiting.
Soon, the settlement time arrived, and Effort King activated.
Countless images suddenly appeared in Hiroto's mind, showing his efforts and Zoro's efforts, but all multiplied by 200 times. Various insights into swordsmanship surged into his heart, settling down as another layer of foundation.
At the same time, he could feel his physical attributes visibly surging up a notch. He stretched out his hand, clenched his five fingers tightly, and suddenly a popping sound erupted.
'My strength and constitution have probably increased by a fifth of D-rank. A qualitative change should occur before we reach Cocoyasi Village.'
'My agility hasn't increased much, but I can't ask for too much. After all, Zoro also has his limits.'
Hiroto lied on the bed, contentedly drifting off to sleep.
At this moment, in the training room, Zoro was still working hard, putting in extra hours.
...
Two days later.
East Blue, the sea area near Cocoyasi Village.
Kuroobi stopped with a few Fishmen in a certain sea area and looked at Hachi, who was leading the way. "Is this it?"
"That's right."
Hachi nodded, then added, "If the address you provided is correct."
"Then it's correct. Nami's sea chart can't be wrong."
Kuroobi's gaze was chilling. "This is the sea chart she drew. I don't think she knows that we secretly learned cartography skills."
"If she comes back, she'll definitely pass through here. Let Momoo out, we'll monitor this sea area, find the gathering, and then sink their ship. There's no need to fight that swordsman head-on. In the sea, it's our Fishmen's domain, humans can absolutely not defeat us."
Based on his understanding of Nami, seeing the contents of the bounty poster, she would definitely return with the powerful ally she had latched onto to save people. In a hurry, she would definitely take the fastest route, which would avoid the trouble of searching for people in the vast ocean.
Then, the Hiroto Pirates would deliver themselves, to be completely buried and fed to the fish in this sea area. With the strength of a 70 million berries bounty, he shouldn't die when the ship sinks.
This was good, because he intended to carry out Arlong's will, to beat that audacious human who dared to provoke the Arlong Pirates half to death, bring him back to Arlong Park, and hang him on the building to die in the sun.
Just like what those human nobles did in Sabaody Archipelago after being angered by their Fishman brethren.
All plans were ready, just waiting for those humans to deliver themselves.
Thinking of this, Kuroobi couldn't help but touch a human ear stored in a waterproof bag.
He was looking forward to seeing if that strong woman would cry out in pain and regret her reckless decision when Genzo's ear would be presented to her as interest for her betrayal.
He didn't know the answer but Kuroobi longed to see this scene.
Because this was a small interest on their Fishmen's revenge against humans.
At the same time, in the New World.
On an uninhabited island in a certain sea area.
A News Coo, its face showing a human-like expression of terror, suddenly took flight, leaving behind a man with a helpless smile.
He held a cane, exuding an air of weathered experience. Middle-aged, he wore a light purple kimono, and his eyes were filled with exhaustion.
He opened the newspaper he had just bought, wanting to see if his previous actions had changed anything. But unfortunately, he had changed nothing.
That kingdom remained exactly as it had always been.
The weathered man sighed, exhaustion and despair weighing on his shoulders.
The world seemed beyond saving.
He saw these filthy sins and drew his blade to strike them down according to his heart, yet after all that slashing, nothing had changed. Only an endless stream of sin appeared before his eyes time and time again.
That invisible future made him almost want to give up but he could not turn a blind eye to it.
Would slashing blind these eyes that see sin grant him a sliver of breathing room?
The weathered man dropped the newspaper, looked at his cane, and reached out to pull—the Supreme Grade blade named Yakuza Kasen was unsheathed.
He was hesitating and wavering, yet in the next instant, he froze.
The newspaper dropped on the ground was blown by the sea breeze, flipping pages until it stopped on a photograph. It was a gentle-looking man wearing round-framed glasses, holding a long blade and slashing toward the sky, a Flying Slash sweeping past cannonballs falling from the sky.
Then, the intense light of an explosion enveloped the sky above that man.
The weathered man was stunned. He quickly picked up the newspaper to check, only to find that it was a story fabricated based on the photo.
Theoretically, it was just a fake story. But the man understood that the person in the photo... was a friend he hadn't seen in a long time.
At least, they had once shared the same ideals.