A month later, a passenger ship docked at the harbor.
Mr.
Klein Moretti stepped onto the land of Shimotsuki Village.
He went to a hidden corner to remove his old disguise and put on a new one.
Mr.
Adam was back online.
Noah’s schedule had been packed this past month, as time was limited and he visited several places.
He hunted three captains with million-Beli bounties, two small pirate ships, and one slave ship.
On his way back, new East Blue legends could be heard.
They were legends because Noah always wore a disguise before he acted, and each disguise was different.
Also, he never bothered to cash in the bounties of the pirates he hunted.
Noah was an extremely wicked ghost wanted by the World Government; one had to be vigilant.
What if he was recognized when he went to the Marines to exchange the bounties?
Anything could happen on this sea, with all sorts of strange and unusual people appearing.
If someone could see through his disguise, Noah would be finished.
As the saying goes, if you walk by the river often, your shoes will get wet.
So, the solution was simple: don’t walk by the river.
Besides, Noah was in a very good financial situation and didn’t need to risk his life for such small bounties.
Of course, if it were a Four Emperors level bounty, he wouldn’t go for that either.
As he neared his doorstep, he saw little Robin standing by the window, looking into the distance.
He rushed home, and Robin leaped into Noah’s arms.
“Noah, I missed you so much.”
“I missed you too.”
Holding Robin, Noah felt a sense of peace and tranquility.
The negativity from the bloody battles of the past month dissipated.
“Robin, I brought you a gift.”
He opened his bag and took out two books.
“Tada!
Two ancient, rare history books, about the history of a country on an island in the East Blue.
That country is destroyed, but the books survived.
Do you like them?”
“Oh!!
I love them!”
For Robin, books, especially history books, and history books she hadn’t seen before, were incredibly appealing.
Although she wished she could rush back to her room and read immediately, she wanted to spend time with Noah more.
They went back to the sofa, and Noah quietly told Robin about his month away.
Of course, it was a censored version; much of it was not suitable for a child, and he didn’t want Robin to live in a dark world.
He finished telling his stories when they both got hungry.
After a simple meal together, Noah went to his room to rest.
He had been constantly on guard while he was away; only when he returned home could he truly relax.
He was mentally exhausted and soon fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, his biological clock woke Noah naturally.
He woke up in his familiar bed and stretched thoroughly.
After washing up, he took his katana and went to the training ground in the forest.
He sat cross-legged under the waterfall to sort out what he had gained over the month.
Current status:
Constitution: 40
Strength: 38
Speed: 41
Skills:
Haoshoku Haki 1 2%~14%
Shimotsuki Swordmanship Mastery 30%
Observation Haki: Beginner 20%
This trip had yielded great rewards, likely due to his first official voyage and his first life-or-death battles.
A constitution of 40 points meant he had reached the standard for practicing the Marine Six Styles.
Soru, with its high-speed movement, greatly boosted Noah’s combat power.
In the initial stages of one-on-one fights, speed could be the deciding factor.
Haoshoku Haki had increased slightly because he had further refined his revolutionary framework.
Noah discovered that changing his worldview was linked to his Haoshoku Haki; whenever he had a breakthrough in his thinking, his Haoshoku would also increase.
Shimotsuki Swordmanship had surged by 20% on the night he killed Bal, as he had narrowly broken through to the “Steel Cutting” realm.
After several more bloody battles, it had only reached 30%.
It was getting harder and harder.
Currently, the “Steel Cutting” realm was unstable and required preparation to be used.
It had many openings in actual combat.
Just a week ago, these openings had almost led Noah to his downfall.
Therefore, he needed to continue practicing diligently.
He estimated that at 50% Shimotsuki Swordmanship Mastery, he would be able to use the “Steel Cutting” realm proficiently without preparation.
Observation Haki grew more with experience.
The battles at sea had truly helped Observation grow rapidly.
After all, if his Observation wasn’t good, he might have been killed by a sneak attack long ago.
East Blue was like this; if he went to the Grand Line, wouldn’t he fly?
After reviewing his progress, Noah returned home for breakfast and then visited Master Koushiro.
Seeing Noah slowly sheathe his sword, Koushiro smiled with satisfaction.
“You are indeed a genius in swordsmanship.
To have improved so much in just one month.”
“I must thank you for your guidance, Master.
It allowed me to find the direction for my progress.”
“Then, let’s have a spar.”
“Huh?”
Noah hadn’t expected Master Koushiro to make such a suggestion.
After a moment of stunned silence, his fighting spirit surged.
To swing a blade at a strong opponent – how could he resist such temptation?
He wanted to know the gap between himself and a swordsman.
They each held a wooden sword, bowed, and then faced each other.
After a while, Noah knew he had to draw his sword.
Koushiro’s sword intent was growing heavier, and if he didn’t attack soon, he would lose his chance.
This strike: “Steel Cutting!”
He swung the sword under immense pressure.
Noah felt an exhilarating sense of release.
He knew he had improved again without even looking at his status panel.
However, to his surprise, Koushiro merely raised his wooden sword slightly and deflected his “Steel Cutting” strike with the flat of the blade, leaving Noah a bit shocked.
“Continue.”
Koushiro said and then swung his sword.
Whoosh!
An overwhelming sense of danger washed over his mind.
He absolutely could not be hit; he would die, die, die.
Even though it was a wooden sword, Noah felt that if he were struck by this blow, he would be no different from a blade of grass.
If he couldn’t block, he had to dodge.
He concentrated his mind, and Observation Haki surrounded him within a tiny area. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
He saw it!
To his left!
His body rapidly dodged to the right.
“Wrong.”
Koushiro’s wooden sword was actually swinging to the right.
The wooden sword struck Noah directly.
“Phew~”
Koushiro lowered his sword and stood still.
“Your ‘Steel Cutting’ power is too scattered, which allows your opponent to guide and deflect it.
This shows you lack control over your sword.
If your Observation is not proficient, you can also be deceived by your opponent.
One mistake means death.”
After speaking, Koushiro turned and left.
With a loud boom, the wall behind him slid open, and a sword mark extended across the ground behind him.
Everything in front of the mark was cut in half.
Noah himself was unharmed.
He stood there stunned for a moment, then bowed in Koushiro’s direction, finally snapping out of his stupor.
Although his trip to the East Blue involved bloody battles, the constant victories had made Noah a little arrogant.
Koushiro saw this and said nothing, as swordsmen communicate better with their swords.
Noah’s sword strike, Koushiro’s sword strike.
The message was delivered, and the problem was understood.
Shimotsuki Swordmanship Mastery 35%
Observation Haki Beginner 30%
A spar always yielded some gains.
He would go home and try to find ways to improve his strength.
Master Koushiro had pointed out the problem, so with Noah’s intellect, finding solutions was easy.
Lack of sword control?
He would start by practicing “lifting heavy as light and light as heavy.”
This elder Dugu was amazing.
From “heavy sword without edge, great skill without artifice” to “not being bound by things, all things can be a sword.” The realms were clearly explained.
Practicing this would surely lead to mastery.
It was a bit peculiar to have a martial arts style in a pirate world.
Insufficient Observation strength and accuracy also had solutions.
Blindfolded to stab falling leaves.
When leaves fall in the wind, their trajectories are irregular due to imbalanced centers of gravity, perfect for practicing Observation.
Thanks to the selfless contributions of elders from other worlds.
Once he had an idea, he had to implement it.
Material science in the pirate world was very well-developed.
He asked someone to order a regular-looking but very heavy greatsword.
This material was not originally suitable for forging into a sword, but the demands of the wealthy had to be met.
He also ordered a full-body weighted suit.
Noah’s body training was no longer sufficient with just his own weight.
The people in the world of One Piece had high basic physical fitness, and as long as the intensity was controlled, there was no need to worry about damaging his bones.
Combining these, he would practice “striking leaves with a greatsword.” This would train both “lifting heavy as light” and Observation Haki.
He would practice with a wooden sword underwater, strengthening his physique.
This training method once again amazed Koushiro.
He suddenly felt that Noah was creating a steady and progressive sword training method.
This method, with sufficient resources, could train at least a swordsman who would be considered qualified in Wano Country.
Someone who would change the world?
He truly looked forward to the future.