Late at night, in the secret room of the base commander's office.
The party continued outside, but Aiden sat alone in the quiet room.
He did not get lost in the glory of the day. To him, the death of the Golden Lion was only the beginning. It was now time to check his real rewards.
"System."
Aiden thought of the command, and the screen glowing with golden light appeared again.
His eyes slowly looked down the list.
Earlier, to focus his mind, he had quickly given up [Conqueror's Haki]. Now, he needed to make the right choice.
Aiden first looked at the Haki section.
He skipped [Haki: Observation Haki] immediately.
Was this a joke?
With the boost from the "Voice of All Things," his Observation Haki was already at the [Transcendent] level. Aiden doubted anyone else in the world was more skilled in Observation Haki than he was. Compared to him, the Golden Lion's Observation Haki was not worth looking at.
He moved past it.
As for [Haki: Armament Haki], Aiden waited for a moment but also chose to pass.
Both his Armament Haki and the Golden Lion's Armament Haki were at SS level. Although he still wasn't sure how to make his Armament Haki stronger, adding more Haki of the same level probably would not help much. It would be a waste.
Aiden's eyes finally moved between [Body] and [Swordsmanship].
This was a hard choice.
Although the Golden Lion was in his fifties and at the best age for the world's strongest fighters, he had a steering wheel stuck in his head and his legs were gone. These permanent injuries had caused damage to his body that could not be fixed. Because of this, the system only allowed Aiden to take a "small amount" of his physical strength.
"If I choose the physical improvement, it might not let me break through my current level. The Golden Lion's body is too damaged," Aiden thought
He thought about the benefits. "But swordsmanship is different—"
He looked at [Skill: Dual-Wield Style - Lion Style Swordsmanship (].
Description: Get the lifelong sword knowledge of a Great Swordsman. Includes all secret moves. Already reached the "Great Swordsman" rank.
"The battle today proved how strong the Golden Lion's swordsmanship was."
"Since I'm not sure about the body, I'll take his top-level swordsmanship. Even if my body isn't perfect yet, the strong pirates in the New World probably won't be able to beat me now!"
Aiden stopped waiting and made his choice.
"I choose the swordsmanship."
Buzz—
A huge amount of information rushed into Aiden's mind, making him dizzy.
He felt as if he had become the Golden Lion, swinging a sword for many days and nights. He saw how to use the wind, how to find the "breath" of all things, and how to put Haki into the sword.
Many sword secrets were broken down and finally learned in his mind.
After a long time, Aiden slowly opened his eyes.
Inside his dark eyes, a sharp light shined. It was so strong that people would be afraid to look at him, as if his eyes were two sharp swords.
Half an hour later, at the empty coast behind G-17 Base.
The moonlight was bright, and the waves crashed against the rocks with a very loud noise.
Aiden stood alone on the high cliff. The sea breeze made his clothes move.
The Golden Lion's two swords were being cleaned, so Aiden held a normal Navy sword he had taken from the storage room.
"The rank of a Great Swordsman, huh—" Aiden whispered.
He closed his eyes and did not rush to swing the sword.
At this moment, the noisy waves, the wind, and even the sounds of insects became very clear. He heard the breath of the sea, the feel of the wind, and even the "heartbeat" of the simple iron sword in his hand.
The Voice of All Things.
Combined with the Great Swordsman rank, the entire world in his eyes had turned into many "lines" that could be cut.
"Phew—"
Aiden slowly opened his eyes and held the handle. Black Armament Haki flowed like water, quietly covering the blade.
With no extra movement, he simply swung the sword at the big sea ahead.
"One-Sword Style: Sea Divider."
Slice—
A small sound rang out, almost silent.
Then...
BOOM—!!!!
The waves ahead were suddenly pushed apart as if by a giant hand!
A scary crack, thousands of meters long, appeared instantly on the water!
The water rolled back quickly to both sides, showing the bottom of the sea filled with mud and rocks.
The most shocking part was that the crack did not close immediately.
On the cut water, a strong power remained. It acted like two invisible walls, holding back the heavy sea from both sides.
The sea had been cut in two.
It took more than ten seconds for the power to go away. The water on both sides crashed back together with a loud bang, creating a wall of water a hundred meters high.
Aiden looked at the calm sea and smiled.
"Is this the world of a Great Swordsman?"
"Cutting the sea is easy now."
Now, he truly stood at the top of the world.
The next morning.
G-17 Base, base commander's office.
Aiden sat at his desk, reading reports about the base.
Suddenly...
Bulu-bulu-bulu— bulu-bulu-bulu—
The Den Den Mushi on the desk rang loudly.
It was a direct line from Marine Headquarters.
Aiden raised an eyebrow, as if he had expected this call.
He slowly put down his papers and picked up the Den Den Mushi.
"This is G-17 Base. Aiden speaking."
"So you still remember who you are."
A tired, annoyed woman's voice came from the other side.
It was Vice Admiral Tsuru from Marine Headquarters.
"I knew that when Fleet Admiral Kong sent you to a place like G-17, you wouldn't stay quiet for long. But I didn't expect this.
Tsuru sighed, and her voice turned serious.
"You've made a huge mess."
"What is it, Vice Admiral Tsuru?" Aiden asked, acting as if he knew nothing. "I just went out for a while and cleaned up the area."
"Cleaned up the area?"
Tsuru's voice rose at once.
"You call killing the Golden Lion 'cleaning up'?"
"The reports from G-17 were on the leader's desk this morning! The reports say you not only brought back a floating island but also showed everyone the Golden Lion's swords and told them he was dead!"
Tsuru stopped for a moment, then asked in a low voice,
"Aiden, tell me the truth. Was that really the Golden Lion? Did you really kill him?"
"Yeah, it was me."
Aiden did not hide it.
His blunt answer made Tsuru fall silent again.
"I went out yesterday and ran into the Golden Lion. After a hard fight, I killed him."
There was a long silence on the other side.
Even for someone as calm as Tsuru, her heart still shook when she heard Aiden say he had killed a legendary pirate so casually.
That was the Golden Lion.
"The report also said you came back on a floating island."
Tsuru took a deep breath and finally asked the most important question.
"Does that mean someone already got the Float-Float Fruit?"
Aiden looked out the window.
Outside, Gion was making several huge rocks float in the air as she practiced her new power.
"We got lucky. When the Golden Lion died, the fruit appeared on a nearby tree. I had Gion eat it."
"You..."
Tsuru stopped mid-sentence.
Normally, a Devil Fruit this important, one that could affect the balance of war, had to be handed over to Marine Headquarters first. The higher-ups would decide who got it. Aiden deciding that on his own was against the rules.
It was far too bold.
She wanted to scold him for acting on his own.
But she could not say it.
She had watched Gion grow up. Gion was one of the Marines' best people. Now that Gion had eaten it, even if the process was against the rules, the power was still in Marine hands. That alone was a huge boost to their strength.
If the fruit had been sent back to Headquarters, things might have become much more complicated.
"Eating it is fine."
After a long silence, Tsuru finally spoke.
She had accepted it.
"It's better for us to keep that power. That girl Gion... with this fruit, she'll become even stronger."
"I'll speak to Fleet Admiral Sengoku for you. No matter what, you did something incredible. Killing the Golden Lion is a major achievement. That alone is enough to silence a lot of people."
"Then thank you, Vice Admiral Tsuru."
Aiden smiled.
"Don't be happy too soon."
Tsuru's tone changed all of a sudden.
"Aiden, do you understand what this means?"
"The moment the Golden Lion died, you changed the world."
"The monsters of the New World, Whitebeard, Big Mom, and Kaido, will all react now."
"You're already too famous, and you're too young. First you destroyed Mock Town, then you killed a major pirate, and now even the Golden Lion has died because of you..."
Tsuru's voice carried deep concern.
"Ever since that incident back then, you've become a completely different person. You're growing too fast. Fast enough to make people uneasy."
"Right now, everyone is watching you."
"Be careful."
Click.
The call ended.
Aiden held the Den Den Mushi in his hand and listened to the silence on the other end.
The smile on his face slowly faded.
He stood up and walked to the large window, looking down at G-17 Base and the sea beyond it.
"Everyone is watching me, huh?"
Aiden placed a hand on the glass.
There was no fear in his eyes.
Only the urge to fight.
"Good."
"I need some strong enemies to test my new swordsmanship."
"If they want to come..."
"Then let them come."
To Be Continued
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