Marineford, Fleet Admiral's Office.
"Outrageous!"
"What does that old geezer Garp think he's doing? Mobilizing the entire East Blue's intelligence network just to track down some rookie pirate. Has he gone senile?"
After hearing Vice Admiral Tsuru relay Garp's message, Sengoku slammed his hand onto his desk and shot upright.
"Don't think I'm completely oblivious. He went back this time for his own grandson."
Sengoku waved his arms furiously, clearly agitated.
In his eyes, that old geezer definitely wanted to abuse the naval intelligence network to track down that troublesome grandson of his.
Why else would Garp get so serious over a mere rookie pirate?
"Tsuru, this is not up for debate. Tell him to return to headquarters immediately!"
"A brat without even a bounty isn't worth his time at all," Sengoku fumed. "If he had claimed it was Fire Fist Ace, I might have actually believed him."
Fire Fist Ace also hailed from the East Blue.
Just two weeks ago, his bounty had already reached seventy million beli
This was largely due to him being a Logia devil fruit user.
As a result, the navy kept a close eye on him. They projected that Ace would become this year's pirate supernova once he reached the Grand Line
"Garp has never been reliable, but I think he might be right this time."
The chief of staff, Vice Admiral Tsuru, slowly set down her teacup. She pushed a document across the desk toward Sengoku with a faint smile. "Perhaps you should take a look at his analysis on this Lius. If this report holds any truth, that little guy's future threat level will far surpass Ace."
"Oh? Tsuru, you have always been the voice of reason. Do you actually believe that old man's nonsense?
Sengoku flashed a look of surprise upon hearing her words. He picked up the document and began reading through it with heavy skepticism.
A fresh wave of anger surged through him the moment his eyes landed on the first page
But as he read further, the fury on his face gradually morphed into shock. By the end, his expression was entirely consumed by pure disbelief.
"Is this for real? How bizarre!" Sengoku looked up at Tsuru with questioning eyes.
"I had my doubts as well, but very few people can actually capture that guy's interest."
Tsuru picked up her teacup and took a small sip. She shook her head with a bitter smile
She did not state it explicitly, but she was clearly agreeing with him.
If it were not for her understanding of Garp's character and the meticulous details in this report, she would find it hard to believe that such a bizarre anomaly could exist in this world.
Sengoku inhaled sharply.
Even the fleet admiral, a man who had witnessed the changing of entire eras, could not help but gasp.
The report Garp sent over was simply far too weird.
"Fine, I will let him handle this matter. But if he dares to lie to me..."
Sengoku clenched his fists tightly. "Hmph, I will deduct his bonus for the entire year and eat every single rice cracker in his collection! Don't think I have no idea where he hides them!"
"…."
Tsuru smiled bitterly as she shook her head.
The fleet admiral held the greatest power across the seas, yet he would only display such a childish side in front of his old comrade.
….
..
.
The morning light pierced through the thick clouds and spilled over the quiet sea. Tens of thousands of golden rays reflected off the azure waves.
Sitting cross-legged at the bow of the ship, Lius rested with his eyes closed. At this moment, he finally opened his eyes.
Despite not sleeping the entire night, he still felt completely refreshed. Boundless energy surged through his body. His gaze was as fierce and radiant as the sun itself.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host. You have obtained a special check-in opportunity!
[Do you wish to check in?]
The system rang abruptly in his mind.
"A special check-in?"
Pleasantly surprised, Lius muttered inwardly, "Check in!"
[Ding! Congratulations to the host. You have obtained Body Tempering Pill * 5!]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host. You have obtained attribute points * 5!]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host. You have obtained one of the Navy Six Styles: Moonwalk manual!
[Ding! Congratulations to the host. You have obtained one of the Navy Six Styles: Shave manual!]
Lius's eyes lit up with excitement upon hearing the system's prompts. A joyful smile spread across his face.
Sure enough, handsome guys always had the best luck!
"Allocate all attribute points to swordsmanship. Consume three Body Tempering Pills and extract the remaining two."
"And open all the manuals!"
Lius made his decision without a second thought.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host. Check-in rewards successfully used!]
As the system's window faded away.
A warm current immediately flooded Lius's body. His very cells seemed to cheer, and the contours of his muscles grew visibly more defined and powerful.
Profound insights regarding swordsmanship merged with his own knowledge within his mind, sparking endless waves of inspiration.
The two Navy Six Styles manuals were particularly noteworthy.
The Navy Six Styles was a martial arts discipline specifically created to push past the limits of human physical capabilities.
Lius already possessed superhuman physical prowess.
Now, with the help of the manuals, he instantly grasped the force-generation techniques behind Moonwalk and Shave.
His cells had even developed the muscle memory for both martial techniques.
He could execute them at any given moment with just a single thought, and their sheer power was evidently nothing to scoff at.
"As expected. With my superhuman physique, these martial techniques will automatically reach a corresponding level of mastery despite me only just learning them."
Lius muttered to himself as he thoughtfully examined his status panel.
---0---
[Host: Lius]
[Physique: A+]
[Haki: Conqueror's Haki (Max Level), Armament Haki (B-), Observation Haki (B)]
[Skills: Swordsmanship (S-)]
[Martial Arts: Moonwalk (A-), Shave (A+)]
[Other: None]
---0---
A new martial arts section had been added to his status panel.
Although the rank of his swordsmanship had not changed, Lius knew that he was already on the verge of a breakthrough.
Either he needed to invest a massive amount of attribute points all at once.
Or he had to encounter some kind of real-life catalyst.
"Hahaha, quite a bountiful harvest! I hope my luck holds up in the future!"
Lius was in an excellent mood. He then extracted the remaining two Body Tempering Pills from his spatial backpack.
These were reserved for Nami.
Furthermore, now that he had comprehended the Navy Six Styles, he could take this opportunity to teach them to Nami before the navy started hunting them down.
After all, Nami already possessed a few hundred units of power.
Learning the Navy Six Styles should be much easier for her.