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That's right.
For Roy, what was currently displayed on the light screen was his greatest achievement.
This included the two Guardian Gods' Devil Fruits of the Alabasta royal family and all five of Baroque Works' top officers, including Crocodile and Nico Robin.
In this Alabasta operation alone, he obtained a total of twelve Devil Fruits.
This allowed his Fruit Ability Slots to unlock once again.
The appearance of the fourth Fruit Ability Slot was undoubtedly another massive boost for him.
And that wasn't all.
"Special Fruit Ability Slots..."
Roy looked at the encyclopedia's contents, his expression thoughtful. Clearly, the changes to the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia exceeded his expectations.
At the same time, however, Roy wasn't overly surprised.
Because in truth, during his eight years of researching the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia, he had long noticed something...
Although the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia appeared in the form of book pages, what Roy could see had always been limited to the sections that logged Devil Fruits.
As for the latter half of the book, he had never been able to open it at all, so he had always suspected that his cheat ability still held deeper secrets.
And now, it seemed that was indeed the case.
"After collecting sixty fruits, the fifth special slot unlocks. That's three times harder than unlocking a normal slot, which means its power should also be more than three times greater."
Roy analyzed inwardly.
"Fruit Fusion..."
That name alone sent his imagination running wild. Moreover, it allowed him to draw broader inferences.
For example...
"As I analyze and collect more fruits, will the encyclopedia unlock new pages and abilities?"
Roy felt a thrill akin to finally leaving the beginner's village and realizing how vast the world truly was.
However, he quickly suppressed that excitement.
Not to mention unlocking more features of the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia, even reaching the sixty Devil Fruits required for this "special Fruit Ability Slot" was still a long way off for him.
Dreaming about the future was fine, but being overly ambitious wasn't.
So Roy soon shifted his thoughts to another issue.
"The best move right now would be to recall Youji (Rooster) and Shinryu to refresh their status. Then, I could grant each of them one additional Devil Fruit ability."
Roy was very clear about this.
"But meeting with them would be troublesome."
Both Youji (Rooster) and Shinryu were currently wanted criminals under close scrutiny by the World Government.
Under such circumstances, sneaking them into Marine Headquarters was practically impossible.
Meeting his clones privately wasn't safe either. If that were discovered, his identity would be exposed immediately.
In other words...
"I urgently need an ability that allows me to meet my clones later without anyone noticing."
Roy frowned.
Coincidentally enough, he actually knew of a very powerful Devil Fruit that could accomplish exactly that. The only issue was that the fruit wasn't located at Marine Headquarters.
"Once my training under Zephyr Sensei is finished, I'll need to find a way to leave headquarters for a while."
Just as Roy was thinking this...
"Roy."
A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.
"Binz?"
When he opened the door, he saw Binz standing outside.
"What brings you here?"
The two had naturally grown close after spending this time together, so Roy asked familiarly.
"Zephyr Sensei told me to take you to training," Binz said with a smile.
"Training?" Roy paused slightly, then laughed.
"No need. I'm already very familiar with the location of Training Room No. 3."
He didn't think he needed a guide.
But, to his surprise...
"No, Roy. Today, you're not training in Room No. 3." Binz grinned mysteriously.
"The place Zephyr Sensei told me to take you to is the center of the entire Zephyr Training Camp and the only place he can use: Training Room Zero."
"Hmm?" Hearing that, Roy's expression shifted.
Then...
"You mean..." He looked at Binz, his tone turning serious.
Binz nodded.
"It's exactly what you're thinking. Sensei said that, from today onward, you will begin your real training."
After saying that, he turned and started walking.
"Follow me."
Roy took a deep breath and followed him.
Soon, after weaving through the maze-like training facilities with Binz... Roy arrived at Training Room Zero.
This training room was enormous, and Roy immediately recognized that the walls were made of Z-Alloy, a special material.
But the center of the room stood out the most.
There was a raised platform, and above it stood a massive structure that looked like a pipeline.
At that moment... "Black Arm" Zephyr was standing atop the platform.
When Zephyr saw Roy, he grinned.
"Well then, have you been getting impatient? Thinking the old man was fooling you before?" Zephyr laughed loudly as he spoke.
"To be honest, a little. If it weren't for you, Sensei, I would've gone to headquarters to report the scam by now." Roy replied with a perfectly serious face.
After that, the now-familiar master and disciple exchanged a look and smiled at each other.
"Come on up. This is where you'll be training." Zephyr beckoned with his hand, and Roy said nothing more.
With a solemn expression, he stepped onto the massive platform.
Then...
"... "
Nothing happened.
"?
Roy, who had tensed his entire body, looked at Zephyr, confused. 'Old man, what are you doing?'
"Don't rush." Seeing Roy's puzzled expression, Zephyr burst out laughing again.
"I told you before... you have sufficient talent, so the training you'll receive is naturally a bit special. But before that, I need to ask you something."
He looked at Roy.
"What do you think of my strength?"
'His strength?'
Hearing this, Roy glanced at Zephyr, confused.
"Zephyr Sensei, you're naturally very strong. In fact, you're the strongest person I've ever fought." He answered sincerely.
This was the most reasonable reply.
To this day, Roy still clearly remembered that punch from his last clash with Zephyr.
In that exchange, Roy used one of his strongest combinations in terms of physical toughness. However, he couldn't reveal himself as a Devil Fruit user, so he couldn't use his most powerful beast or hybrid forms against Zephyr.
Even so, the combination of the Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Model: Wind God Winged Dragon, the Giant Rhino Fruit, and the Muscle-Muscle Fruit was already extremely powerful.
In that state, Roy was confident that he wouldn't lose to a Sea King-class monster. Yet, when faced with Zephyr's powerful punch, he was sent flying.
Even old and retired, an Admiral was still an Admiral.
They represented the pinnacle of raw stamina on the seas.
Zephyr was clearly pleased with Roy's honest answer. The old man chuckled happily, then continued. "Then where do you think my strength truly lies?"
"Naturally, Haki." Roy answered without hesitation.
Zephyr's nickname was "Black Arm."
From that alone, it was obvious that his greatest strength lay in his Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki).
This was exactly what Roy most wanted to learn. Once he had Armament Haki, dealing with Logia-type users would be much easier.
After all, not every Logia user would be as easy to counter as Crocodile.
But...
"Correct, yet also incorrect." Hearing Roy's answer, Zephyr spoke softly.
"Haki is only the result, Roy."
He looked at Roy.
"The true answer lies in the body and technique."
He calmly explained the conclusion he had reached over many years.
"Those with Logia, Zoan, and Paramecia abilities are born with extraordinary talent. From the start, they surpass ordinary people. For non-Devil Fruit users like us to catch up, we can only rely on physical conditioning and technique."
He didn't notice that when he said the words "non-Devil Fruit users," Roy's expression became strange.
Zephyr looked at Roy, speaking each word clearly.
"Because he understood this, Garp created his own 'Iron Fist.'"
At this point, Roy naturally understood Zephyr's meaning.
Almost everyone in Marine Headquarters knew that the "Marine Hero" Garp had his own unique training method.
Instead of using Haki or abilities, he punched the seastone at the bottom of battleships with his bare fists again and again.
Year after year, he tempered his "fist bones" endlessly.
Eventually, he could smash a mountain or a small island with a single punch, even without Haki.
That was how he earned the title "Garp the Fist."
Zephyr's meaning was equally clear.
"Like Garp, I have my own unique training method and combat style."
There was unmistakable pride in Zephyr's voice.
"Unlike that reckless fellow who focuses all his power in his fists, I pursue the training of the entire body."
He looked at Roy, expectation clear in his eyes.
"This is also what I intend to teach you."
As he spoke, Zephyr raised his left fist.
"I'm accustomed to fighting with my hands, which is why people call me 'Black Arm.'"
"But, in truth, the perfect combat art tempers and awakens the potential of the entire body, whether it's skin, bones, muscles, organs, or even blood..."
He paused, then spoke the name clearly.
"...is the essence of my technique. It is called Black-Body Flow."
(End of Chapter)
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