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Training Kami-e (Paper Art) was proving difficult for Kōjin. He seemed to be naturally insensitive to perception-type skills like this one.
He had already mastered the other five Rokushiki techniques. With training, he had even reached Level 2 with Soru, Tekkai, and Shigan. Still, he felt nothing at all when trying to grasp this final move.
"You don't have to master every single Rokushiki move," Kuzan suggested.
"Just knowing them or specializing in one or two is enough."
Because Kōjin kept requesting it, the two often sparred against each other. Kuzan showed Kōjin moves, and Kōjin searched for ways to improve his techniques.
"If you make contributions and earn the chance to get a Devil Fruit in the future, you can also grow stronger."
Hearing this, Kōjin shook his head.
"The body is the foundation of every strong fighter. A Devil Fruit's power can help, but you can't rely on it too much."
"You've got a point," Kuzan laughed before nodding.
Their bodies constantly crossed, clashing at high speed; the metallic ring of ding-dang echoed repeatedly.
By now, Kōjin had become very skilled with Tekkai, Shigan, and Soru. Without spending any skill points, he had raised them to Level 2 through training alone.
...
Noon: After lunch:
Garp began giving Kōjin targeted guidance.
"Not bad. You've got quite the talent for Rokushiki. Next, you can start training in Busoshoku (Armament) and Kenbunshoku (Observation) Haki."
Garp was extremely satisfied with his disciple's progress.
Mastering five Rokushiki moves in such a short time was beyond the capabilities of most geniuses.
"Once you finish Kami-e, I'll teach you a technique beyond Rokushiki... Life Return!"
Garp grinned.
And Kōjin's eyes lit up upon hearing that.
Life Return was undoubtedly useful; it gave users complete control over their bodies, and they could recover quickly from injuries by eating an enormous amount of food.
Garp then began intensive Kami-e training with Kōjin.
But soon...
"How can you be this stupid?!"
"No! Not like that!"
"Just relax your body! Let all the strength leave your body! Is that how you do Kami-e?! You fool!"
His merciless yelling echoed across the battleship, drawing the attention of every Marine, who turned to look at them.
Kōjin clutched his aching head and bared his teeth in pain.
He realized that he truly had no talent for this final Rokushiki technique. No matter how Garp instructed him, he couldn't grasp the slightest hint of the concept.
"What use is your stamina if you can't control your body?!"
"If you can't release or retract your strength freely, what good does it do?"
Garp's scolding was relentless. His strictness made Kōjin's heart tremble.
"Three thousand push-ups!"
"Three thousand squats!"
"Ten thousand sword swings!"
"Clear your head!"
Garp roared.
Kōjin pressed his lips together, then obeyed.
He glanced to the side. Kuzan, Sakazuki, and the others had already retreated far away. When Chicken Bro (Kuzan) noticed Kōjin's gaze, he whistled innocently, pretending he hadn't seen anything.
Days passed like that...
The battleship still hadn't found any trace of Roger's crew.
But Garp remained absolutely confident, directing Bogard with the certainty that they would meet Roger. During this time, Share experienced his greatest setback yet, he began to seriously doubt himself.
He still felt nothing for Kami-e and was scolded by Garp every day.
"You've hit your talent bottleneck. Everyone has things they're good at. And without a doubt, you're not suited for Kami-e."
Kuzan secretly came to him and whispered,
Kōjin gritted his teeth and smacked him on the head.
"OW!"
Kuzan grimaced. He didn't expect Share's punches to be as hard as Garp's.
"I'll master it!"
During this period, they also encountered pirates and fought them.
Garp, being unbelievably carefree, loved nothing more than standing on the ship and letting the recruits fight freely. He believed that battles between life and death were the best training.
Kōjin's progress after each fight was clearly visible. His mentality and combat experience quickly caught up to those of Kuzan, Sakazuki, and the others.
This made him extremely happy because he could grow quickly in battle.
A powerful enemy always allowed him to grow stronger.
"A big fish with a 580 million bounty... really is something. Add in the other crew members, and their total bounty is over 1.05 billion. And I wiped out the entire pirate crew all by myself."
Kōjin let out a quiet sigh.
"At the same time, I earned system points."
After maxing out his Haoshoku Haki, he chose to invest in Soru from the Rokushiki as his second ability.
In his view, once Soru reached max level, its speed would rival that of teleportation. Combined with Haoshoku Haki Infusion in his fists, he could instantly kill anyone, no matter who they were.
It was practically a guaranteed-kill combo.
"Kōjin! Continue your training!" Garp roared.
Kōjin's expression tightened slightly, and a hint of helplessness surfaced in his eyes.
He still felt no sensitivity toward Kami-e and was unable to grasp even the slightest trick of that technique. He had a feeling he might be stuck there for a long time.
According to Garp, if he failed to master all of the Rokushiki technique, Garp wouldn't teach him Life Return.
As for Observation Haki and Armament Haki, those were completely out of the question for now.
Time passed. Since the naval battle at Etwall, they had been sailing for nearly ten days.
That afternoon...
The lookout officer suddenly blew the alert whistle.
"A pirate ship spotted ahead!"
Because of the distance, he couldn't see the emblem on their flag yet.
Garp, however, burst out laughing. "Hah, hah, hah, hah!"
"Bogard, do you see it!?"
"That's Roger's ship!"
Bogard froze. He raised his binoculars and looked, but all he could see was a tiny black dot on the water. He had no idea how his superior could have identified the target so quickly.
"It's the mutual awareness between strong men! I'm sure he can feel that I'm here as well!" Garp roared with laughter.
Everyone on the ship turned their eyes toward the horizon.
"Is it Roger?"
"Are we really about to face one of the Three Great Legends of the world!?"
Kuzan ran over excitedly and threw an arm around Kōjin.
Kōjin raised his head and glanced at him, his lips twitching.
He really trusted Garp 100%.
As they closed the distance, the lookout officer finally shouted in shock, announcing the ship's identity.
"It's the Oro Jackson!"
"It's the Roger Pirates, one of the three great pirate crews!"
Garp laughed loudly, clapping his hands together.
"The exciting moment has arrived! Everyone, prepare for battle! We're going to capture Roger!"
The entire crew answered in unison. Kōjin quietly accepted the military sword that Bogard handed him. He hung it at his waist and looked straight ahead.
Moments later, the ship ahead came into full view.
"Garp! You really put me on the spot! To think we'd bump into each other again in the middle of this vast sea!"
A booming laugh came from the pirate ship, shaking the sea breeze itself.
Kōjin focused his gaze.
He saw a man wearing a captain's hat with a face full of confidence and a bold grin.
The current Gol D. Roger.
The future Pirate King!
(End of Chapter)