In the Nameless Sea, an old sailing ship moved against the wind.
The angle between the sail and the wind created a pressure difference on both sides, pushing the ship forward even against the breeze.
However, Monger deliberately adjusted the angle to make the ship move slowly, sometimes even drifting backward. Whenever it went backward, it was the toughest moment for Rocks.
"Stinky old man, you'll pay for this!" Rocks shouted.
At the bottom of the ship, Rocks panted heavily, like an exhausted bull. On his left and right, Monger had set up extra-long oars for him to row, powering the ship forward.
Monger called it exercise.
"Alright, that's enough for today," Monger said.
Hearing this, Rocks' face relaxed, and he nearly collapsed from exhaustion.
It had been a month since Monger was attacked by the Blood Skull Pirates. During that time, Monger had passed through two islands and two countries listed on the pointer.
Unfortunately, both countries were non-government member states, so Farel's head couldn't be exchanged for a bounty.
That was 170 million berries!
After parting ways with his old crew, Monger had less than 5 million berries left. For a normal retirement, that might be enough. But to make a comeback, it was far too little.
Of course, Rocks, a rookie pirate with no criminal record, would have to claim the bounty. If Monger tried, he'd be surrounded by a navy fleet in minutes.
"Captain, is this exercise really useful?" Rocks asked, slumped on the floor, staring at the ship's ceiling in despair. This was nothing like the free, adventurous life he'd imagined sailing the seas.
"Of course it works!" Monger raised his eyebrows and said bluntly, "With your current strength, you can't even beat a naval officer. Your physical fitness is too weak. To use powerful skills, you need strength and stamina to match!"
"Then when can I learn that trick you use?" Rocks asked, weakly waving his sore arm.
Monger knew exactly what he meant, but could an ordinary person who hadn't eaten a devil fruit really learn the giants' skills?
"Not until you learn Haki," Monger replied.
Rocks was still an "ordinary person" in this world, meaning his strength hadn't yet reached the "monster" level in the eyes of most people.
But Rocks' progress was monstrously fast. A month ago, he could barely push the long oars. Now, he only felt tired after rowing for half an hour.
Such terrifying potential!
If Rocks didn't provoke the Celestial Dragons in the future or fight the Navy, the Celestial Dragons, and the Roger Pirates all at once, the title of Pirate King might not belong to Roger.
At this rate, Monger believed Rocks could learn the Navy Six Styles soon. Haki training was also on the horizon. And what if Rocks awakened Conqueror's Haki?
Monger felt a shiver at the thought.
After all, Monger was old, and his potential was nearly tapped out. Even with the system's help to regain his peak strength, he was still far from matching the future Four Emperors.
Unless he fully mastered Conqueror's Haki—or at least learned Conqueror's Haki entanglement.
In this world, there were three types of Haki:
Observation Haki enhanced perception and, at its peak, could let you see the future.
Armament Haki boosted attack and defense, and at its strongest, could unleash telekinetic strikes or even destroy from within.
Conqueror's Haki could intimidate enemies and mentally overwhelm the weak.
True mastery of Conqueror's Haki meant using it to affect reality itself with your will—a mark of a true hegemon.
Haki was a potential everyone in this world was born with. Anyone could train Observation and Armament Haki, but only a rare few had the potential for advanced Observation Haki or Conqueror's Haki.
Before the system, Monger lacked the qualifications for Conqueror's Haki. Now, thanks to the system's quirks, he had gained that potential.
If he had Conqueror's Haki, how far off could advanced Observation Haki be?
Monger smiled at the thought.
"Captain, how far is Elbaf?" Rocks asked, standing up after a short rest. He scooped water from a wooden barrel, one hand on his hip.
Though Rocks dreamed of being a captain and working alone, seeing Monger's strength gave him a new idea: *This old guy doesn't have many years left. I'll learn everything he knows, then kick him out to retire.*
Rocks, born in a small place, knew talent alone wasn't enough. A good teacher could help you master your potential and avoid mistakes.
In just one month of Monger's brutal training, Rocks felt the difference. He could now defeat several versions of his past self!
"Soon," Monger said, glancing at the permanent pointer in his hand without looking up.
He'd sailed the seas for years and collected many permanent pointers, including one for Elbaf, the land of giants.
Why was he heading to Elbaf?
Monger gently stroked the Black Pearl's wooden boards. The ship's name was chosen on a whim, but no one expected it to stay with him this long.
The weather in this world was harsher than in others, so ships here couldn't last centuries like in some places. A weak keel could mean a ship breaking apart in a storm.
The Black Pearl, with its Adam wood keel—the strongest wood in the world—had been with Monger for forty-five years. He'd built it in the seventh year of his sea adventures, after saving enough to afford such a rare material.
But forty-five years was long enough, even for Adam wood. The Black Pearl was worn and couldn't join him on new adventures.
So Monger was heading to Elbaf to build a new ship. As a great pirate, he refused to settle for ordinary wood. If he was building a ship, it had to be the best.
Was there anything better than Adam wood? Elbaf had an Adam tree!
That was one reason for the journey.
The second reason?
"At this point in time, Charlotte Linlin, one of the future Four Emperors, should be in Elbaf by now, right?" Monger thought with anticipation.
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(End of this chapter)