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A year ago, when he travelled to Egghead Island, he met Vegapunk. Through a series of events, the two became friends, and Vegapunk gave him a detector capable of searching for Devil Fruits within a small radius.
Over the course of the following year, the battleship he travelled on passed through many regions of the sea, yet the detector never showed the slightest reaction.
It was just as Vegapunk said back then; it was practically useless, like a chicken rib with little meat on it.
"There should still be some time before the execution." Kojin murmured to himself.
He was certain that the Goro Goro no Mi was located on the sky island ten thousand meters above Mock Town.
The islands connected to that fruit were not large, so if he spent enough time searching, he was highly likely to find it.
As he was now, aside from Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki), nearly every other aspect of his strength had reached its peak. Within his robust body lay power no weaker than that of the Giant race.
His Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki) was already at its fullest, enabling him to coat his entire body with ease.
His mastery of Rokushiki was likewise unparalleled.
In terms of physical prowess alone, he had surpassed the superhuman tier... he was a true monster.
And so, that very afternoon, Kojin set off.
He had no intention of wasting time. Since he had free time during his leave, it was only natural to put it to good use.
Moreover, Devil Fruits were best acquired as early as possible because only then would there be ample time to develop their abilities. Most importantly, Kojin was keenly aware of his own shortcomings in terms of talent.
Haoshoku Haki was innate. His talent for Busoshoku Haki, physical techniques, and swordsmanship was exceptional. However, when it came to Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki), he was completely hopeless.
Despite receiving guidance from Gol D. Roger on Baterilla Island for almost a year, he had not learned anything in that regard.
One must understand that Roger was a man who could hear the 'Voice of All Things'. He had held nothing back, conducting extensive training in both swordsmanship and Observation Haki with him.
And yet Kojin felt as though he had regressed to his early days of learning Kami-e, when he was extremely stupid.
Because of this, Roger had tried to comfort him.
"It's fine. You're already amazing."
However, these words only darkened Kojin's expression further. He wanted to become a true hexagonal warrior like Roger, standing at the pinnacle of the world with no enemies.
But right now, he undeniably had a weakness. His hexagon warrior templet had a massive gap. The Goro Goro no Mi might be able to make up for that flaw.
When leaving the Headquarters Port, Kojin did not take a battleship.
Bullet and the others were training, and he did not want to disturb them.
"Rear Admiral Kojin, sir?"
The port officer recognized him immediately and greeted him with a surprised expression on his face and excitement in his voice.
"Mm." Kojin nodded politely.
This casual acknowledgement was enough to make the officer feel elated.
Then the officer froze, his eyes suddenly widening.
'What had he just seen?'
The senior officer before him had suddenly leapt straight off the port.
"Rear Admiral Kojin?!"
The officer rushed to the edge of the port and shouted.
"I'm leaving Headquarters for a while." Kojin's voice came in the next instant.
The officer's face flooded with shock and astonishment.
On the surface of the inner bay, a long white wake streaked across the sea. Countless ripples spread outwards from it.
At the very tip of the wake stood a tall, imposing figure.
It was Rear Admiral Kojin!
He was running across the sea at that very moment.
"This is unbelievable. How can something like this even be done?!" The officer drew in a deep breath, looking utterly stunned.
And even until the end of his life, that young officer would never forget this breathtaking sight.
In the blink of an eye, the figure at the head of the white wake had passed through the Gate of Justice and vanished.
"By lowering the frequency at which Soru strikes the surface, you can achieve this, running across the sea," Kojin said softly to himself as the scenery beside him rapidly retreated.
Running across the sea by stepping on seawater was, in fact, quite simple. After becoming familiar with this method of movement, he increased the frequency of his steps.
And so, in the very next second...
Shua!
...he produced a scene as if he was Teleporting, his figure seemed to flash by in the blink of an eye.
The white wake vanished. From afar, it looked as though a ghostly shadow were flashing continuously.
Kojin pushed his max-level Soru to its absolute limit, compressing the sea into inches as he sprinted forward at terrifying speed.
Even with such frequent use of Soru, his physical stamina showed almost no signs of depletion, which made him sigh in amazement.
Compared to the weak body he had in his previous life, his current physique could only be described as monstrous.
He did not need any ships or tools.
He could roam freely across the sea with his own flesh and blood alone... and at an incomprehensibly fast speed.
...
Two days later, he arrived at Water 7.
Five days after that, he reached Long Ring Long Land.
Ten days after that, he set foot on Jaya Island.
His powerful physique, combined with nonstop travel day and night, made Kojin realize just how terrifying his body truly was. With such low energy consumption and the help of Life Return, he could use Soru endlessly.
A single burst of movement from him covered five kilometers.
The same was true for Geppo.
"Could I step on my left foot with my right foot and take off straight upwards, reaching the sky island directly?" Standing still, Kojin fell into thought.
In theory, it was entirely feasible.
With his current physique, which was akin to that of a monster, reaching an altitude of ten thousand meters would take only moments.
And so, to the astonished gaze of a young man who had just stepped out of a house, he took off straight from where he stood.
"Hey!!!" The nineteen-year-old Mont Blanc Cricket shouted.
Kojin looked down. His feet repeatedly struck the air, sending out rings of ripples. Seeing someone below, he smiled and waved in greeting.
"From here, going up leads to the Sky Island, right?"
Hearing this, Mont Blanc Cricket froze completely.
"You're going to the Sky Island? You actually believe there is a sky island?"
"Why not?"
"In this world, all kinds of strange things can happen!"
Kojin laughed loudly while speaking.
By now, he was already a hundred meters off the ground. Tilting his head upwards, he suddenly increased the frequency of his steps.
The next instant, Kojin's body shot straight up like a cannon shell.
Mont Blanc Cricket was utterly dumbfounded by this scene.
"That Marine… is he planning to charge up to the sky island like that?"
After a while, Cricket still hadn't seen Kojin fall back down. Staring into the sky, he could no longer see anything.
"That guy… Can he really succeed?"
High above, Kojin could no longer make out the details of Jaya Island when he looked down.
Above him stretched a vast, boundless sea of clouds.
"The higher I go, the greater the pressure! But for me, it's nothing!'
Kojin smiled lightly, and his figure instantly disappeared into the clouds.
Just a few seconds later, everything ahead of him changed completely as he entered another world.
"The Sky Island!"
The thin air made him feel slightly dizzy, but only for a moment. With Life Return circulating, he quickly adapted to the environment.
(End of Chapter)