The warship cut through the waves, leaving a long white trail in its wake.
Dragon's defection had been forcefully suppressed by Garp, allowing Kane to finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Huddled in the shadows of the cluttered deck, he appeared to be daydreaming, but in reality, a series of heart-pounding numbers were flashing across his retina.
[Current Violation Value Balance: 100,200 points!]
One hundred thousand! A full one hundred thousand and two hundred points!
This was hard-earned money, obtained by thoroughly deceiving the future leader of the Revolutionary Army!
"Comrade Dragon, you've got to keep it up…" Kane silently prayed in his heart, a benevolent smile spreading across his face. "The more chaos you cause, the more dividends I'll get. When you finally drag the Celestial Dragons down from their pedestal, I'll definitely set up a memorial tablet in your honor."
With this huge sum, Kane finally felt confident enough to plan his next steps.
Ahead lay the New World.
It was a playground for monsters—without Haki, you didn't even have the right to speak to the strong. Although the Storm Fruit was powerful, in the face of truly top-tier fighters, it could still be beaten to a pulp.
"System, open the skill exchange list!"
A faint blue screen flickered as the list expanded.
[Skill Learning Module Activated…]
[Armament Haki (Beginner): Master the basics of covering the body or weapons with Haki for offense and defense. Required Violation Value: 100,000 points.]
[Observation Haki (Beginner): Master the basics of sensing others' presence, emotions, and attack intentions. Required Violation Value: 100,000 points.]
[Conqueror's Haki (Beginner): The mark of a chosen king, capable of intimidating the weak and serving as the ultimate weapon for direct attacks by top-tier fighters. Required Violation Value: 1,000,000 points. (Can be awakened with extremely low probability through special events, extreme emotional stimulation, or high-level draws.)]
Looking at the two glaring "100,000" figures, Kane's benevolent smile froze on his face.
Although he had mentally prepared himself, when it came time to actually spend the points, the heartache of a miser washed over him.
He had worked so hard to save up this much—defying superiors, extorting Germa—finally accumulating 100,000 points. If he exchanged them now, he'd be back to square one overnight, with only 200 points left in his pocket?
That felt worse than death!
"No, absolutely not."
Kane's mind was in turmoil, with two little figures inside his head locked in a fierce battle.
A golden figure waved a stack of bills and shouted, "Spend it! Survival comes first! What good are points if you're dead? Learn Haki now, and you'll earn even more points later!"
A black figure, clutching a money bag tightly, cried out in anguish, "Don't spend it! This is hard-earned money! Isn't Garp a living Haki teaching machine? Let him beat you up a few times, and you might learn it for free! Why waste points when you can get it for nothing? Save them for draws! Turn a bicycle into a motorcycle!"
After an intense internal struggle, the black figure kicked the golden one away.
"Right! Why not use the free option!"
Since Garp had declared "train until you're nearly dead, then train some more," wasn't it obvious he intended to personally instruct him? One-on-one hellish training from the Marine Hero—this was an opportunity money couldn't buy!
Kane took a deep breath, straightened his uniform, and strode to the center of the deck, his footsteps echoing loudly.
"Vice Admiral Garp!"
The booming shout from his diaphragm startled Garp, who had been picking his nose.
"Huh?" Garp's pinky still lodged in his nostril as he glanced sideways, his tone unfriendly. "Kid Kane? Shouldn't you be running laps instead of scaring an old man? Want to swim back to Marineford?"
"No! Vice Admiral Garp!"
Kane stood tall, his eyes blazing with determination. "You called me a core combatant on this ship! But I know I'm not worthy yet! I want to learn Haki! Please teach me!"
Garp stared blankly for a moment before bursting into laughter, baring his white teeth.
"Pfft—HAHAHA! Want to learn Haki? Good!"
He casually ripped off his suit jacket, revealing a shirt straining against bulging muscles.
"I was just wondering where to vent all this pent-up frustration! Since you volunteered, don't blame me for going all out!"
Garp cracked his knuckles with popcorn-like snaps, his fists instantly sheathed in black Armament Haki that radiated suffocating pressure.
"Kane, catch this! From me—the Fist of Love!!"
THUD—!!!
A dull impact echoed as Kane's vision went dark, a massive fist expanding infinitely in his retinas.
He instinctively activated Elementalization, his body dissolving into a gust of wind to disperse.
"Too naive! Elementalization is a joke against Haki!"
The pitch-black fist ruthlessly plowed through the storm's core, precisely striking Kane's physical form.
GHAK—!
Kane flew backward like a boiled shrimp, slamming hard against the mast.
"Owowowowow!"
Sliding to the deck, Kane felt like vomiting his breakfast.
"What? Giving up already?" Garp loomed over him, eyes glinting dangerously. "Where's that earlier spirit? At this level, you'll die in the New World!"
"Cough... Vice Admiral... could we... use scientific training methods..." Kane grimaced through the pain, attempting negotiation.
"Scientific?" Garp tightened his fist again, the flowing black Armament Haki exuding despair-inducing hardness. "On my ship, there's only one training method—"
"Getting beaten!"
"Only through pain will your body learn to defend! Only near death will Haki awaken!"
"Come on, brat Kane!!"
"Damn it..."
If he couldn't evade, he had to fight back!
"Storm: Silent Severance!!"
Kane's hands swept through the air, dozens of vacuum blades sharp enough to slice steel screeching toward all of Garp's vital points!
Facing the storm of blades, Garp didn't dodge. He simply swung his fists casually.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
The razor-sharp wind blades shattered against his bare knuckles, dissolving into harmless breezes.
"Too weak! Are you tickling me?!"
Garp strode forward, ignoring all attacks, instantly closing the distance and smashing his fist into Kane's face.
Thud—!
[Ding! Detected host actively attacking one of the Navy's top combatants!]
[Violation Determination: Assaulting a superior officer, insubordination!]
[Settlement reward: Violation Value + 2000 points!]
Huh? I almost forgot about this stupid system!
Kane wiped the blood from his mouth, staggering to his feet, his eyes growing fanatical.
"Cough cough... Was that punch... from someone who skipped breakfast? So weak, no wonder you couldn't capture Roger or keep track of your son."
Hiss—!!!
The entire deck erupted in sharp intakes of breath.
Bogard, peeking from the cabin doorway, nearly dropped his jaw to the floor.
Is this kid... insane? Saying such things? Does he have a death wish?
A bright red vein instantly bulged on Garp's forehead, his smile turning terrifyingly kind: "Good... very good, boy! Seems you've got more guts than that bastard Dragon! Since you found it too light, this old man will serve you a full course!!"
Boom!
This time, the air itself shattered.
Kane didn't even see Garp move, only feeling a vicious gust rushing toward his face.
"Storm: Cyclone Barrier!"
He mustered all his strength to activate his Devil Fruit ability, layering high-pressure air currents before him.
But against that jet-black iron fist, these air currents that could deflect cannonballs were as fragile as tissue paper.
Thwack!!
Kane took the punch square in the face, his features instantly distorting as he spun 720 degrees in the air before crashing hard into the deck, embedded so deeply he couldn't be pried out.
"Cough cough..."
Lying in the wreckage, blood trickling from his mouth, Kane grimaced in pain.
But he was laughing.
Because the blue screen on his retina was going wild!
[Ding! Detected host publicly provoking a Navy Vice Admiral!]
[Violation Determination: Verbal insubordination toward superior!]
[Settlement reward: Violation Value + 1500 points!]
"Not dead yet? If you're alive, get up and crawl out here!"
Garp stood outside the hole, clenching his fist, seeming slightly regretful about not holding back earlier, but his words remained sharp.
"Of course... not dead."
From the wreckage, a cyan hurricane suddenly erupted.
"Storm Wings!"
The air currents behind him condensed into giant wings, his speed instantly skyrocketing as he transformed into a cyan streak, launching a frenzied assault around Garp.
"Too slow! I can see all your movements!"
"Fist of Love!"
Thwack! Boom! Smack!
"This is the Marine Hero? This is it? You haven't even messed up my hair!" (By now, Kane's face was swollen beyond recognition)
[Ding! Violation Value + 2200!]
"Go ahead and kill me! If you don't, I'll report you to Fleet Admiral Kong for abusing new recruits!"
[Ding! Violation Value + 3000!]
For the entire afternoon, the dog-head warship's deck witnessed a brutal one-sided beating.
But every time Kane was sent flying, he would stubbornly rise again, spouting nonsense that made everyone's blood pressure spike.
The Marines went from initial horror, to later numbness, and finally to respect.
"Lieutenant Kane... is a real man."
"To still stand up and taunt the Vice Admiral after being beaten like that... such willpower is terrifying!"
"Was this to provoke the Vice Admiral, pushing himself to break through under extreme conditions? What a moving dedication to the path of strength!"
Garp's emotions shifted from initial fury to surprise, and finally to... speechlessness.
Why was this kid getting more energetic the more he fought?
That look in his eyes... that gleam as he stared at Garp's fists as if they were made of gold—what was that about?
As the sun set, Garp stopped moving and looked at the boy lying on the ground, still stubbornly giving him the middle finger. He couldn't help but feel immense admiration.
"Enough! We're done for today!"
Garp withdrew his Haki, waving his hand dismissively, his mood unexpectedly light. "Take this kid to the infirmary! Use the best medicine! Don't let him die!"
"Yes, sir!"
Two medics rushed over and carried Kane, limp as a ragdoll, onto a stretcher.
"Wait..."
On the stretcher, Kane, who had been "unconscious," suddenly reached out a trembling hand and grabbed the hem of Garp's pants as he passed by.
Garp paused and looked down. "What? Not had enough?"
Kane's face was so swollen it was barely recognizable, but he managed to force a smile uglier than crying. His voice was hoarse but sincere:
"Vice Admiral... tomorrow... please... turn up the intensity!"
Garp: "..."
The Marines: "..."
A lunatic! He's absolutely insane!
Only Kane knew the truth. Before passing out, the last thing he saw was that beautiful number on his system panel.
[Today's Total Earnings: 28,500 Violation Value!]
[Balance: 128,700 points!]
He let out a satisfied sigh in his heart.
Just five more days... no, four! And I can fully afford Haki!
Vice Admiral Garp, you're such a good man!
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