The night was quiet, with only the crescent moon in the sky shining its light. Marineford was brightly lit, and the streets were bustling with people.
A luxurious three-story villa welcomed its new owner at Marine Headquarters, near the inner area.
Turning the key, Nokiyoru pushed open the door and entered the hall, pleased with the surroundings.
“A high-class villa indeed, fully equipped with all the facilities. You can move in immediately, very nice.”
“Rear Admiral, where should I put these things?” A young soldier, about seventeen years old, holding Nokiyoru’s rewards, looked very excited.
“No trouble at all, just leave them here,” Nokiyoru said, standing in the living room with a gentle tone.
“No trouble at all, sir. I’m honored to help you.” The boy hurriedly shook his head, looking very nervous.
“Heh, you don’t need to be nervous. Anyway, thank you. Here, take this money.” Nokiyoru shook his head, took a few bills from the reward money, and handed them to the boy.
“No…no… I can’t take it. I helped you willingly, Rear Admiral.” The boy was flustered, shaking his head firmly.
“What’s your name?” Nokiyoru looked at the shy young soldier kindly.
“You can call me Pakas, sir. I don’t have a last name; I’m an orphan. I joined the Marines last year.” The boy lowered his head, looking a bit sad.
“Pakas, that’s a nice name.” Nokiyoru nodded, noticing the sadness in the boy’s eyes. With a silent sigh, he felt a kinship with Pakas, having been an orphan himself in his previous life.
“Pakas, do you want to become stronger?”
Nokiyoru asked impulsively.
“Yes, I want to stand tall and proud like you. I watched your battles; you were amazing. I don’t want to be bullied anymore, so I want to get stronger. But…” The boy admired Nokiyoru, but his voice grew quieter, and he lowered his head, feeling inferior.
“If you want to get stronger, can you endure any hardship?” An idea flashed in Nokiyoru’s mind.
“Yes, I’m not afraid. But I don’t know how to train.”
“Alright then, I’ll give you a chance. A month from now, I will be heading out to sea. In this time, if you can meet my requirements, you can join my crew. Today, I received three Devil Fruits. If you prove yourself capable, I don’t mind giving you one.”
It was like a bolt from the blue. The boy looked stunned, and after a few seconds, his face was filled with excitement. “Really? Thank you, Rear Admiral! I…I…”
“Enough. Listen carefully, I’ll say this only once.” Nokiyoru could understand the boy’s excitement, similar to when Zephyr took him in.
“Yes, sir.” The boy suppressed his excitement.
“When you go back, follow my training methods. First, improve your physical strength. Remember, no one will supervise you; it’s all up to you. If you don’t meet my requirements in a month, you will remain a low-ranking soldier. Opportunities are always for those who are prepared.”
“On the first day, 500 push-ups, 200 frog jumps…”
Though with reduced quantities, every instruction was part of Nokiyoru’s training routine.
Ten minutes later, the boy had left, and everything would be clear in a month.
Why did he choose to mentor this boy? Nokiyoru had no clear reason. It was just a spur-of-the-moment decision. If the boy had potential, Nokiyoru didn’t mind giving him a hand. Relationships could be important, especially since Nokiyoru planned to leave the Marines.
With the boy gone, the house fell silent again.
Only then did Nokiyoru have the chance to look at his rewards.
The first thing that caught his eye was the Great Grade Sword.
Unfortunately, Nokiyoru didn’t know how to use it. Though sworders were renowned for their powerful attacks, Nokiyoru wasn’t interested in training as one.
Nokiyoru’s training focused on three main areas: first, body techniques, including Shave, Finger Pistol, and Moonwalk.
The second was his Devil Fruit. Nokiyoru believed that with proper development, his Devil Fruit could be unbeatable.
The third was Haki. This ability was indispensable, sometimes even more crucial than the Devil Fruit. Haki was based on physical strength, and the power of the Devil Fruit also depended on physical strength. Thus, regardless of the future, training his body and building his physique was Nokiyoru’s primary goal.
Therefore, this sword would be given to someone who needed it later. Selling it had never crossed his mind.
Next was the money, which Nokiyoru ignored. Finally, he looked at the three invaluable Devil Fruits in the box.
One Paramecia type and two Zoan types could have been more powerful.
Picking up the Paramecia-type fruit, Nokiyoru read the description, his eyes lighting up. He didn’t expect this Devil Fruit to be so powerful.
As the name suggested, the Gravity Fruit allowed users to make themselves or objects they touched heavier. Imagine developing it to the point where a single finger could weigh thousands of tons. Even a scrape would cause serious injury in battle, and a direct hit would break bones. How terrifying!
Any power, under absolute gravity, was nothing. Imagine delivering a slap with such weight; Nokiyoru’s eyes gleamed excitedly.
It was incredibly powerful, a human-shaped monster. However, developing such a powerful ability was no less difficult than ascending to the heavens, because no matter how heavy, it had to be bearable by the user.
In other words, if the user could only withstand a thousand pounds of weight, the maximum would be a thousand pounds. It still depended on the person. If someone with a strong physique developed this fruit, millions of pounds wouldn’t be a dream.
“This world probably has a Gravity Fruit, so this one should be the lower version. Still, it’s not bad, certainly not weak.”
Putting down the Paramecia-type fruit, Nokiyoru turned to the two Zoan-type fruits.
Unfortunately, after reading their descriptions, Nokiyoru pouted with disdain. One was a Mouse Fruit, the other a Rabbit Fruit, both the most ordinary types. After a glance, Nokiyoru lost interest.
He thought he might sell them when he got the chance.
Among the three Devil Fruits, only the Paramecia type seemed valuable.
Stretching, Nokiyoru decided to take a bath, head to his master’s house for dinner and get a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow, he would select his subordinates. A thousand men were no small number.
After choosing them, he would train them for a month before setting out to sea, accumulating military merits to rise to Vice Admiral quickly. He hadn’t forgotten the promise from the Gorosei: reaching the Vice Admiral would grant him access to the World Government’s intelligence network.
It was the World Government’s intelligence network, not the Marines’, since the Marines’ intelligence network served the World Government. Moreover, the government’s intelligence network was independent, indicating more comprehensive and detailed information.
The thought excited him. He was finally strong enough to venture out, which brought him one step closer to finding his sister.
“Kishi, wait for me. Give me time, and I’ll find you.”
Taking a deep breath, Nokiyoru’s eyes sparkled with determination and renewed energy.
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