Rono opened his panel again.
Status Panel
Age: 17
Strength: 1203 (Vice Admiral Level)Speed: 610 (Vice Admiral Level)Stamina: 921 (Vice Admiral Level)
Haki:
Conqueror's Haki (Advanced)
Armament Haki (Advanced)
Observation Haki (Advanced)
Other Abilities:
Swordsmanship (Advanced)
Combat Experience (Beginner)
Devil Fruit Ability: None
All three physical attributes had reached Vice Admiral level.
And on top of that—
He possessed all three types of Haki at Advanced rank.
Plus Advanced swordsmanship.
Rono could now say without hesitation:
He stood above ordinary Vice Admirals.
Below Admirals—
But at minimum, he was already comparable to a top commander of an Emperor's crew.
There was still some gap in raw physical stats compared to veteran top commanders.
And one more thing—
Combat experience.
It was not something to underestimate.
A soldier raised in comfort, training daily, was fundamentally different from one forged through constant life-and-death battles.
Even without systematic training, someone who survived the battlefield would outclass the former by several levels.
The Seven Warlords had not become powerful overnight.
Each had survived hundreds of brutal fights.
But that was fine.
With Teacher Roger's personal instruction, I'll catch up soon enough.
"Rono, well? Still want to continue?"
Roger saw him lying on the ground and assumed victory.
"Of course. Let's keep going."
Rono brushed off the dirt and stood.
"Oh? Still have energy? Then come!"
Roger's voice carried admiration.
This stubborn refusal to yield—
He liked it more and more.
The two clashed again.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
Three consecutive collisions.
Rono was forced back each time—
But Roger's expression grew increasingly serious.
He could clearly sense it.
Each strike from Rono was stronger than the last.
More force.
More speed.
More refined Haki control.
Roger could even feel that Rono was beginning to anticipate his movements—
But Rono hadn't possessed Observation Haki earlier.
Is he… growing mid-battle?
The thought startled him.
If true—
The speed of growth was terrifying.
Roger's Observation Haki did not make mistakes.
He possessed a rare variant — the ability to hear the Voice of All Things.
No one could conceal their true strength before him.
If Rono truly was evolving through combat alone—
Then his future was unimaginable.
They clashed again.
And again.
Each time, Roger felt the increase.
He now had to exert himself fully to prevent being pushed back by Rono's steadily rising power.
[Ding — Combat Experience acquired.][Ding — 598 Strength acquired.][Ding — 456 Strength acquired.][Ding — 98 Speed acquired.][Ding — 55 Stamina acquired.]
Inside, Rono was ecstatic.
Every exchange yielded gains.
His physical stats were climbing rapidly.
"This guy really is growing during the fight…"
After several more clashes, Roger confirmed it.
"In that case… I'll go all out."
Yet he did not withdraw.
Instead—
He poured even more power into his strikes.
Deliberately helping Rono grow.
With Roger increasing his output, Rono's gains became even greater.
Rono felt it.
He understood.
Roger was intentionally aiding his growth.
No wonder he becomes Pirate King.
Such generosity.
Such broad-mindedness.
The crew of the Pirate King would naturally be united—
Because their captain possessed this kind of presence.
They continued.
Through sunset.
Through night.
Through dawn.
Neither stopped.
Finally—
"That's enough. I'm tired."
Roger abruptly withdrew.
He sensed it.
Rono had reached a temporary bottleneck.
Continuing would yield diminishing returns.
"Hey! Warn me before you stop!"
In a balanced clash between high-level fighters, sudden withdrawal could cause loss of control.
Rono was forced to instantly retract all the Haki he had just released.
It felt like choking back a lungful of pressure.
If he hadn't—
Roger might have been seriously injured.
Roger laughed at the sight of blood at the corner of Rono's mouth.
"I knew you'd pull back."
"Yeah? If you hadn't suddenly stopped, I wouldn't have been hurt."
Rono wiped the blood away and rolled his eyes.
Roger really did operate entirely on instinct.
Still—
Rono was grateful.
Without Roger's wholehearted teaching, he would not have grown this quickly.
Now his strength had undergone a qualitative leap.
He was a genuine top commander-tier powerhouse.
And at this point—
He could no longer extract anything from Roger.
Roger had been completely drained.
"Cages can't hold ambitious birds. With your talent, you'll carve your own path."
After the fight, Roger gave up recruiting him.
To grow that much from a single battle—
Even Roger felt a hint of pressure.
His own talent was top-tier.
But compared to Rono's—
It seemed almost ordinary.
And Rono was still young.
His future might extend far beyond even Roger's imagination.
Someone like that—
Should not stand beneath him.
"Finally accepted reality?"
Rono exhaled.
Convincing someone like Roger to give up was no easy task.
For a moment, he had worried Roger's charisma might actually sway him.
Aftermath
Roger suddenly produced a jug of alcohol and sprawled comfortably across the deck.
"After a proper fight, you need good liquor!"
Rono blinked.
"Where did you even get that?"
He quickly realized—
It was from his ship.
After learning advanced brewing on the island, Rono had crafted a large supply.
When had Roger found it?
"You made this? Not bad at all!"
Roger gulped it down in moments.
Then, in the blink of an eye, he disappeared—
And reappeared carrying over a dozen more jars.
"Drinking alone is boring. Join me."
He tossed one to Rono.
"Hey! I didn't brew that much!"
Rono winced.
That stock was meant to last until he joined the Rocks Pirates.
Roger waved him off.
"Don't sweat it! That fight wore me out. Cheers!"