67 [67] Strengthening
[2450 Words]
------------------------------------------
The Grand Line, Paradise.
In an unknown sea.
A disguised ship sped at full throttle towards its destination, even when the weather was stormy, the ship continued its course relentlessly.
On board the ship, there were a few individuals dressed strangely, each with a different physique.
"Your mission is to sign a treaty with the notorious pirate, Black Death. Remember not to act recklessly and not to offend him accidentally," Den Den Mushi spoke with a man who seemed to be their leader.
The leader nodded then said, "Understood."
*Ca-tcha~*
.
Marine Ford.
A Marine ship sail towards Alabasta.
"Sis, what's our mission?" On the deck, a Marine woman approached Tsuru curiously and asked.
What is the important task that the Chief of Staff must personally undertake?
"Gion, something big has happened in this sea," Tsuru sighed and looked at the woman, then told her about the battle with Black Death and Ace's fire Fist.
"It turns out Black Death is powerful enough to defeat fire Fist, Crocodile, and another Vice Admiral," Gion sighed sadly upon learning of the Vice Admiral's death.
The news hadn't spread yet, as only a few hours had passed since the incident, The World Government would try to cover up the matter or at least distort the truth of Dogberman's death.
The World Government had been doing this for centuries; they controlled the news, and with money and power, they ruled the world.
"A new era is coming..."
Tsuru left these words as she disappeared from Marine Ford's sight and her ship made its way to Alabasta.
.
Garp stood, his somber expression never leaving his face, atop one of the Marine Ford buildings and looked out at the deep blue sea.
He wanted to go immediately and retrieve Luffy from the clutches of Black Death, but he hadn't yet got the things he requested.
And Sengoku wouldn't allow him to go; he knew Garp was emotionally unstable right now.
"Ace..."
.
Admiral's Fleet Office.
Sengoku ended another call with the Five Elders, being informed that a group of CP-9 agents was on their way to Alabasta with a Warlord's contract, and then the news would be disseminated to the public.
"I mustn't let Garp do anything reckless."
With this determination in his heart, Sengoku returned to work once again.
.
Alabasta.
Ren, Nami, Nojiko, Mikita, Kaya, ViVi, and Lorena stood in an empty training ground.
According to Vivi, this ground used to be used for training the Royal Guard decades ago, but it was recently abandoned, and another training ground was built elsewhere.
That wasn't important; what mattered to Ren was the training.
"Are you ready?" Ren looked at the six girls and said, and they quickly nodded.
"I'll start with you, Mikita," the blonde cheered when she heard his words and eagerly waited to see what he would do.
Ren took out a brush and explained to Mikita how it worked, The girl nodded and asked Ren to tattoo her shoulder.
There was a slight disappointment in Ren's eyes, but he quickly thought, "I can change it anytime..Hehe."
With a mischievous laugh, Ren finished the tattoo and looked at what he would give to Mikita.
"Miss System, consumes the Observation Haki cake on crew member Mikita."
[Ding! The Observation Haki cake (Low) has been consumed on crew member "Mikita."]
And confirming the system's words, Mikita's mind was filled with information, and she began muttering to herself.
"This... Observation Haki!" she exclaimed joyfully, catching the attention of the other girls, They quickly congratulated her, then heard Ren's voice again, "I've given you Observation Haki, Mikita, You must train hard from now on, alright?"
"Got it! I won't let you down, Captain!" with a sweet smile, Mikita assured him of her diligence.
Ren knew Mikita might be the second hardest-working person in the crew after him, or perhaps she was just like him. She didn't miss training sessions.
He admired her quest for strength.
And his rewards weren't over yet.
"I'm not done yet, Mikita, Take this and drink it."
Ren took out a medium energy drink from The Infinity Space and handed it to the blonde.
"This... an energy drink?" It seems Nami and Nojiko recognized the bottle holding a red liquid inside and looked at Mikita with envy.
When she saw them like that, Mikita could only smile and say, "What's an energy drink?"
"Drink it, and you'll see for yourself, Rehahaha," Ren laughed, then Mikita complied and drank the red liquid in one gulp.
"Warm...!!"
Mikita sighed as she felt the warm sensation seemingly emanating from within her depths, She felt strength and vigor filling her body.
She felt her physical strength multiply several times over; she didn't build prominent muscle mass but accumulated that strength in her cells and veins, Her blood circulation improved, and her previous fatigue from battle disappeared.
"How do you feel?" She heard her captain's voice from the side, looking at her with curiosity, trying to ascertain the changes that had occurred in her.
"I feel better than ever...My body is filled with strength! Kyahahaha~" Mikita laughed lightly at her happiness, who wouldn't be happy to become stronger?
"Captain... Thank you very much," Mikita said softly, but everyone could hear her.
There were only crew members around, except for Lorena, so Mikita felt comfortable saying what she wanted.
"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have imagined that I would gain such power..." she said, her tone threatening to break into tears, seemingly recalling a bad memory.
'Sigh... What is this girl hiding,' Ren sighed and decided to console the blonde girl.
"!?"
Mikita was surprised when she felt Ren's warm embrace. After the initial shock and slight resistance, she quickly let him hug her, closing her eyes and quietly shedding tears.
'I've become too emotional in front of everyone...This is embarrassing,' Mikita complained internally.
The girls watched this interaction between Ren and Mikita quietly, while others like Kaya, Lorena, and Vivi were affected by the dramatic scene.
"Alright, now we must continue what we started," Ren ended the embrace, wiped Mikita's tears, then returned to his usual mood and stood next to the girls, waiting for Ren to speak.
"I'll give you another Reward, Mikita," he looked at her surprised expression after hearing his words. She wasn't alone; the other girls were surprised too.
When he saw their looks, he quickly reassured them, "There are other things for you all as well, and the things I give to Mikita suit her more. Understand?"
After hearing his explanation, they nodded. It wasn't like they would oppose him giving another reward to Mikita without any explanation, but it would leave some resentment. Of course, it wouldn't be directed at him but at Mikita, and that's not what Ren wanted.
"Miss System, consume the Armament Haki cake on crew member Mikita.
[Ding! The Armament Haki cake (Low) has been consumed on the crew member "Mikita."]
A similar scene occurred when Mikita received Armament Haki. After the initial shock of receiving the information, she smiled widely and looked at Ren.
'How can I repay this kindness?'
She thought in her mind, finding it impossible.
'Maybe if I keep serving him forever, that would be enough,' Mikita thought, not thanking Ren again. She realized she had to show her gratitude to him through actions rather than words, so she focused on absorbing the power of Armament Haki.
"You now have two types of Haki, Plus the Finger Gun skill , In addition to the powers of the Devil Fruit, and physical strength approaching that of a low-ranking vice admiral."
Ren began speaking with Mikita, who nodded quickly, indicating her enthusiasm.
"In the end, you can be considered as powerful as a low-ranking vice admiral now, but you still need to adapt to your Haki and ensure you become stronger," Ren said.
"Got it!" she said softly.
'Miss System, displays Mikita's status.'
[As you wish.]
------------------------------------------------
¶- Name: Mikita.
¶- Age: 22 years.
¶- Occupation: Not specified yet.
¶- Affiliation: #### Pirates.
¶- Status: Stable
¶- Title: None.
¶- Bounty: 7,500,000 million 𝕭.
¶- Physical Power Level: 37,000 (D).
¶- Loyalty: 99%.
¶- Devil Fruit: Kilo Kilo no Mi.
¶- Devil Fruit Rating: ★★★★☆.
¶- Skills: Finger Gun (low) .
¶- Haki: Observation Haki (Initial Mastery) - Armament Haki (Initial Mastery)
------------------------------------------------
When looking at Mikita's new status, Ren couldn't help but smile at her increasing loyalty, There was nothing left to reach perfection.
'The energy drink added about 20,000 points to her physical strength'.
Ren analyzed, remembering that her physical points before consuming the energy drink were around 17,000.
'So, the weaker a person's physical strength, the more points they will gain after consuming the energy drink?'
Ren remembered that his physical points hadn't increased by 10,000 points after consuming an meduim-level energy drink, while Mikita had doubled her points after consuming the same drink.
This was because Mikita was weaker than Ren when she consumed the energy drink.
Mikita had 17,000+ points.
While Ren had 30,000+ points.
In short, the stronger your body becomes, the harder it is to make it stronger.
Something like that.
As Ren had already been confirmed by Miss System that when the energy drink was consumed again, it wouldn't cause the same changes as when consumed for the first time.
This meant that if Ren decided to take the remaining energy drink for himself, it wouldn't benefit him much. He would likely only gain a few points, but it would cause the girls to lose tens of thousands of points because of his selfishness.
So, of course, he wouldn't do that. He quickly pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind and said:
"Now it's your turn, Nami and Nojiko," he said to the sisters, catching their attention and making them excited.
"Here, I have an energy drink for each of you." He took out the remaining medium-level energy drinks and handed them to the girls.
With expected expressions, they quickly drank the red liquid eagerly.
*Gulp*
*Gulp*
The same changes that occurred with Mikita began to happen, Their bodies filled with energy, and their cells danced from vitality.
"Display the status of Nami and Nojiko, Miss System," Ren instructed mentally.
[Umu!]
She responded gently, and their statuses were displayed to Ren.
------------------------------------------------
¶- Name: Nojiko.
¶- Age: 22 years old.
¶- Occupation: Not specified yet.
¶- Affiliation: #### Pirates.
¶- Status: Stable
¶- Title: Spirit Sniper.
¶- Bounty: 50,000,000 𝕭.
¶- Physical strength Level: 40,800 (C).
¶- Loyalty: 100%.
¶- Devil Fruit: Bomu Bomu no Mi.
¶- Devil Fruit Rating: ★★★★☆.
¶- Skills: Moonwalk (low) + Shave (low) Sniping (medium).
¶- Haki: Observation Haki (Initial Mastery) - Armament Haki (Initial Mastery)
------------------------------------------------
"Oh, Her body has finally reached level C..."
After making a brief comment, Ren looked at Nami's status.
------------------------------------------------
¶- Name: Nami.
¶- Age: 18 years.
¶- Occupation: Not specified yet.
¶- Affiliation: #### Pirates.
¶- Status: Stable
¶- Title: Bloody Sword.
¶- Bounty: 45,000,000 𝕭.
¶- Physical strength Level: 40,400 (C).
¶- Loyalty: 100%.
¶- Devil Fruit: None.
¶- Devil Fruit Rating: None.
¶- Skills:Shave (low) Swordsmanship (medium)
¶- Haki: Observation Haki (Initial Mastery) - Armament Haki (Initial Mastery)
------------------------------------------------
"They're almost at the same level, with Nojiko slightly surpassing Nami in physical strength points, and their skill levels are still the same,"
Ren thought in his mind, then added: "And Nami's swordsmanship has become medium instead of low, meaning she's accustomed to the sword and can innovate styles or attacks as she wishes."
"In short, They become stronger"
Ren was satisfied with the progress of the girls, looking at them with hidden pride in his eyes, then said,
"Go train with Mikita."
"Got it, Captain!"
"Understood! We won't disappoint you!"
Then the three characters quickly began sparring with each other, while Ren turned to Lorena, Kaya, and Vivi.
Lorena wasn't a crew member yet, but he decided to invest in her regardless.
"Thank you Ren-san," Lorena thanked him, not expecting him to be willing to give her a reward even though she wasn't part of his crew.
As for why she wanted power? Lorena had become very fascinated after seeing the supernatural world and the powers that defied known logic in the Four seas , so like any normal human, she also desired power.
He took out the low-level energy drinks he had obtained today, they were three, and they consumed them all.
Then, Ren ordered them to train with the rest of girls because he had something to do.
.
'Observation Haki Cake...'
He took out the medium Observation Haki Cake and ate it.
He could have consumed it directly with the help of the system, but he preferred to eat it this time.
Immediately after consumption, he felt the new power engulfing his body and mind.
He unleashed his Observation Haki.
The range of Haki, which had been limited to the royal palace only, gradually expanded until it covered the entire capital.
Ren felt that he could expand it further with proper training.
Then, after that, he focused his Observation Haki on Nami.
Nothing happened.
He wanted to sense Nami's strength, but apparently, he failed.
'Sigh...This is a bit hard, I still need to adapt to it to be able to do this.'
But he didn't stop there, and he tried to sense Nami's strength again.
After a few unsuccessful attempts, he succeeded, He knew Nami's strength and whether he would win if he fought her, all from just Observation Haki.
But Ren already knew Nami's strength from her status in the system, so this was boring.
He needed someone whose data didn't show up in the form of an interface to test his strength sensing again.
"Let's do that later..." he muttered to himself, then continued consuming the rewards.
"There is still a high-level Moonwalk scroll and a medium-level Shave scroll."
Ren consumed the Moonwalk scroll directly and felt improvement in this skill, He could now maintain it for a long time in addition to his speed during its use.
After that, he consumed Shave scroll and felt that his speed during the use of this skill had at least doubled.
He decided to try it, then disappeared from his location. When he reappeared after two seconds, he was already outside the palace.
"This is like instant teleportation..."
He couldn't help but wonder about the prospects that Shave would reach at advanced levels.
Suddenly, his Den Den Mushi began to ring.
He picked it up, then answered the call, hearing a soft voice greeting him.
"Hello Ren~"
He heard a soft voice from The Den Den Mushi.
After identifying the caller, Ren smiled and said:,"Let's meet at the capital's stros, Robin, Don't worry, I know how to find you."
"Ok," Robin replied with a hint of tension.
*Ca-Tcha~*
*Whoosh!*
Ren disappeared from his location and went to meet the mature woman.
He had something to discuss with her.
------------------------------------------
Author's gossiping.
We approached the end of the volume.
MC's Devil Fruit won't be from OG.
