The warship cut through the white-capped waves of the sea, leaving a long, frothing wake trailing far behind from the stern.
Dragon's sudden desertion had been forcibly suppressed and covered up by Garp, allowing Kane's racing heart to finally settle back into his chest.
He huddled in the shadows of some junk piled on the deck, appearing to be in a daze to any onlookers. In reality, a series of heart-pounding numbers were popping up rapidly across his retina.
[Current discipline points balance: 100,200 points!]
One hundred thousand! A full one hundred thousand and two hundred points!
This was the hard-earned currency he had exchanged for tricking the future leader of the Revolutionary Army into a corner!
"Comrade Dragon, you have to do your absolute best out there..." Kane prayed silently in his heart, a kind, almost saintly smile appearing on his face. "The more trouble you cause for the world, the more dividends I will get. When you finally pull the Celestial Dragons off their high horse, I will definitely set up a Longevity Tablet in your honor."
With this huge sum of points, Kane finally had the confidence to examine the dangerous road ahead of him.
Further ahead was the New World.
That place was a paradise for monsters; without the power of Haki, a person didn't even have the qualification to speak with the truly strong. Although the Storm-Storm Fruit was undeniably powerful, in front of top-tier experts, they would still find a way to beat the crap out of him.
"System, open the skill exchange list!"
The blue light screen flickered slightly in his vision as the list expanded.
[Skill Learning Module Open...]
[Armament Haki (Beginner): Master the basics of coating Haki onto the body or weapon surfaces for offense and defense. Requirement: 100,000 discipline points.]
[Observation Haki (Beginner): Master the basics of perceiving others' presence, emotions, and attack intentions. Requirement: 100,000 discipline points.]
[Haoshoku (Beginner): The symbol of the chosen king that intimidates the weak, the ultimate weapon for direct attacks by top-tier experts. Requirement: 1,000,000 discipline points. (Can be awakened with extremely low probability through special events, extreme emotional stimulation, or high-level lucky draws)]
Looking at those two eye-catching "one hundred thousand" marks, Kane's kind smile froze directly on his face.
Although he had been mentally prepared for high prices, when it actually came time to pay, the heartache of a miser arose spontaneously.
He had worked so hard to save for so long, constantly contradicting his superiors and extorting Germa, finally scraping together a hundred thousand. If he exchanged it now, he would immediately return to poverty overnight, with only two hundred points left in his pocket?
This feeling was more painful to him than actually being killed!
"No, absolutely not."
Kane's heart was locked in a frantic struggle, and two little versions of himself in his head were fighting fiercely.
A little gold person waved banknotes and shouted: "Spend it! Saving your life is what really matters! What is the use of points if your life is gone? Only after learning Haki can you earn even more points in the future!"
The other little black person held onto a money bag tightly, lamenting: "You can't spend it! This is all hard-earned money! Isn't Garp a living Haki teaching machine? Just let him beat you a few times, and maybe you will learn it for free! Why spend money when you can get it for nothing! Save it for the lucky draw! Turn a bicycle into a motorcycle!"
After a bout of intense mental struggle, the little black person kicked the little gold person away.
"Right! Why not use what is free!"
Since Garp had said "as long as you don't die from training, train to the death," wasn't that a clear sign he was going to personally teach him? Hand-to-hand hellish teaching from the Marine Hero—you couldn't buy this kind of treatment with any amount of money!
Kane took a deep breath, tidied his rumpled uniform, and strode to the center of the deck, his footsteps thumping loudly against the wood.
"Vice Admiral Garp!"
This shout came from his very core, giving Garp, who was currently picking his nose, a sudden start.
"Hmm?" Garp still had his pinky finger in his nostril as he squinted over, his tone sounding unfriendly: "Brat Kane? Instead of running laps, you come here to scare this old man? Do you want to swim all the way back to Marineford?"
"No! Vice Admiral Garp!"
Kane stood tall and straight, a determined light flashing in his eyes: "You said I am a core combatant on this ship! But I know deep down that I am not qualified enough yet! I want to learn Haki! Please teach me!"
Garp was stunned for a brief moment, then he grinned, revealing a row of stark white teeth.
"Pwahahahaha! Want to learn Haki? Good!"
He casually ripped off his suit jacket, revealing a shirt underneath that was nearly bursting from the pressure of his muscles.
"I was just worrying about having nowhere to vent this chest full of anger! Since you have come to my door voluntarily, don't blame me for being impolite!"
Garp cracked his knuckles, making a popping sound like dry beans. Black Armament Haki instantly infused his fists, emitting a suffocating, heavy pressure.
"Kane, take this! This is a gift from this old man—the Fist of Love!!"
Bang!!!
With a dull thud, Kane felt his vision go dark as a massive fist enlarged infinitely on his retina.
He subconsciously tried to use his elementalization, his body turning into a gale in a desperate attempt to disperse.
"Too naive! Elementalization is a joke in front of Haki!"
That pitch-black fist slammed into the center of the storm without any regard for logic, accurately capturing Kane's physical form.
"Pwah!"
Kane flew backward like a cooked shrimp, smashing hard against the thick mast.
"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!"
Kane slid to the ground, feeling like his breakfast was about to come back up.
"What? Down already?" Garp walked over and looked down at him, a dangerous light flashing in his eyes. "Where is that momentum from just now? If you are only at this level, you will die in the New World!"
"Cough, cough... Vice Admiral... can we... talk about scientific training methods..." Kane tried to negotiate while grimacing in pain.
"Scientific?" Garp clenched his fist again, the pitch-black Armament Haki looking like flowing ink, radiating a desperate hardness. "On my ship, there is only one training method—"
"And that is getting beaten!"
"Only by feeling true pain will the body remember how to defend! Only when on the very brink of death will Haki awaken!"
"Come on! Brat Kane!!"
"I freaking..."
Since he couldn't escape, he could only fight back!
"Storm: Silent Sever!!"
Kane waved both hands, and dozens of vacuum-transparent wind blades, sharp enough to cut through solid steel, slammed toward Garp's vital points with piercing shrieks!
Facing the sky full of wind blades, Garp didn't dodge or hide, simply swinging his bare fists.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Those incredibly sharp wind blades were smashed by those bare fists, dissipating into a harmless breeze.
"Too light! Are you just scratching an itch for me?!"
Garp strode forward, ignoring all attacks, closing the distance in an instant and punching Kane square in the face.
"Pffft!"
[Ding! Detected that the host has actively attacked one of the Marine's top combat forces!]
[Discipline violation determined: Attacking a superior, insubordination!]
[Settlement reward: discipline points + 2,000 points!]
Hmm? He had almost forgotten, there was still this retarded system to take advantage of!
Kane wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, stood up shakily, and his eyes became fanatical.
"Cough, cough... That punch of yours... did you not eat today? It is so weak, no wonder you couldn't catch Roger and couldn't keep an eye on your own son."
"Hiss!!!"
The sound of collective gasps echoed across the deck.
Bogard, who was peeking from the cabin entrance, almost had his jaw hit his feet.
Is this kid... crazy? Saying such things? Does he think his life is too long?
A bright red cross vein instantly popped on Garp's forehead, and his smile became incredibly "kind": "Good... good brat! It seems you have more guts than that bastard Dragon! Since you think it is light, then I will give you an extra serving!!"
Boom!
This time, the air directly exploded.
Kane didn't even see Garp's movement clearly, only feeling a fierce wind rushing at his face.
"Storm: Cyclone Barrier!"
He used all his strength to mobilize his fruit ability, setting up layers of high-pressure airflow in front of him.
But in front of that pitch-black iron fist, these airflows, which were enough to deflect cannonballs, were as fragile as a thin piece of paper.
Bang!!
Kane took a direct hit to the face. His features were instantly displaced, and he spun seven hundred and twenty degrees in the air before smashing hard into the deck, so deep he couldn't be pried out easily.
"Cough, cough..."
Kane lay in the wreckage, blood overflowing from the corner of his mouth, grimacing in pain.
But he was smiling.
Because the blue light screen on his retina was frantically scrolling with notifications!
[Ding! Detected that the host has publicly provoked a Marine Vice Admiral in a public place!]
[Discipline violation determined: Verbally contradicting a superior!]
[Settlement reward: discipline points + 1,500 points!]
"Not dead yet? If you are not dead, crawl back up for me!"
Garp stood outside the hole, clenching his fist. He seemed to regret not holding back just now, but his mouth remained unforgiving.
"Of course... not dead."
In the wreckage, a green gale suddenly rose.
"Storm Wings!"
The airflow behind him condensed into huge wings, his speed instantly exploding. He turned into a streak of green light, frantically attacking all around Garp.
"Too slow! I can see all of your movements!"
"Fist of Love!"
Bang! Boom! Snap!
"This is the Marine Hero? Just this? You haven't even messed up my hair!" (At this point, Kane had been beaten into the shape of a pig's head)
[Ding! discipline points + 2,200!]
"Kill me if you have the guts! If you don't, I will report you to Fleet Admiral Kong for abusing New Recruits!"
[Ding! discipline points + 3,000!]
For the entire afternoon, a tragic, one-sided beating took place on the deck of the dog-head warship.
But every time Kane was sent flying, he would stubbornly crawl back up, his mouth still spewing trash talk that made one's blood pressure soar.
The Marine soldiers went from horror at the beginning to numbness later, and finally to pure admiration.
"Ensign Kane... is truly a man."
"To be beaten like that and still stand up to mock the Vice Admiral—this willpower is terrifying!"
"Is it to provoke the Vice Admiral so he can break through in an extreme state? What a moving heart for seeking the path!"
Garp went from rage at the beginning to surprise later, and finally to... being somewhat speechless.
This kid, how did he get more energetic the more he was beaten?
That kind of look... that look in his eyes as he looked at Garp's fist, as if he were looking at a pile of gold—what on earth was going on?
As the sun set, Garp stopped his movements. Looking at the boy opposite him who, even while lying on the ground, stubbornly gave him the middle finger, he felt immense admiration in his heart.
"Alright! That is enough for today!"
Garp withdrew his Haki and waved his hand, his mood unexpectedly becoming exceptionally pleasant. "Carry this kid to the infirmary! Use the best medicine! Don't let him die!"
"Yes, sir!"
Two medics rushed up and lifted the limp Kane onto a stretcher.
"Wait..."
On the stretcher, the originally "unconscious" Kane suddenly reached out a trembling hand and grabbed Garp's trouser leg as he passed by.
Garp was stunned and looked down: "What? Haven't had enough yet?"
On Kane's face, which was so swollen it was unrecognizable, he managed to squeeze out a smile that looked worse than crying, his voice hoarse but full of sincerity:
"Vice Admiral... tomorrow... please... increase the intensity!"
Garp: "..."
Marine Soldiers: "..."
Madman! This is definitely a madman!
Only Kane knew that the last thing he saw before passing out was that beautiful line of numbers on the system panel.
[Today's cumulative earnings: 28,500 discipline points!]
[Balance: 128,700 points!]
He let out a satisfied sigh in his heart.
Just five more days of being beaten... no, four days! I will be able to pay for Haki in full!
Vice Admiral Garp, you are truly a good person!
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