Arduous Cultivation, Big News!

After the first round of intensive training ended, Carlos no longer needed to take part in the later sessions. It was enough to assign experienced leaders from the first session to oversee them.

The position of leader would only be selected after everyone had completed their training, and the number of positions would depend on how many combatants there were.

This kind of intensive training could not be held too often. It simply burned through money, especially with the enormous consumption of ammunition. Combined with the other expenses, Carlos even had to put in his own money.

Of the three pillar industries, the second-tier arms dealer business had yet to recover. Its scale was too small and could only supply internal use, while its income had already plummeted.

For now, they could only rely on the iron ore business, East City's protection fees, and a small number of Mafia-owned businesses, such as bars and hotels, to keep things afloat.

The base salaries for two thousand people alone were no small sum. There had usually been quite a bit left over when there was no intensive training, but once training began, money truly flowed away like water. Fortunately, the Mike Family still had some reserves, and the Berries they had left behind were enough to keep things going.

If they had not had the Mike Family's assets supporting them, and had relied solely on their diminished businesses, a single training session would probably have put them into deficit.

Although it cost a great deal, Carlos did not stint. No amount of money was as reliable as strengthening his own power. As long as he had strength, wealth would naturally come pouring in later!

Carlos was waiting for the arrival of the Great Age of Pirates. That chaotic, violent, brutal era would be the perfect opportunity for his forces to expand rapidly!

Countless people would head out to sea. The Four Seas, the Grand Line, and even the New World would all descend into chaos. Fishing in troubled waters and taking the chance to grow quickly could not have been better!

If he wanted to rise meteorically during the Great Age of Pirates, the strength of his subordinates alone would naturally not be enough. He also needed powerful combat strength to hold the line. So Carlos stopped training alongside his men and began even harsher, more brutal solitary cultivation!

He had to possess the Pupil Power and stamina required to unleash a Dojutsu on the level of the Mangekyo Sharingan. Only then, with comprehensive strength in every aspect, could he carve out a place for himself in the chaotic, brutal, yet magnificent Great Age of Pirates!

Also, when Roger was executed, Carlos wanted to go to Loguetown in the East Blue and witness that moment with his own eyes—to see that man!

Carlos handed the Mafia's internal affairs over to his trusted confidants Noah and Kelly. They were to consult him only on matters they truly could not decide.

Carlos returned to the ascetic life he had led when he had first arrived in this world. Aside from eating, reading a newspaper, answering nature's call, and the necessary amount of sleep, he devoted all his time to cultivation.

In the middle of a small forest on the eastern side of Iron Island stood a crude little cabin. This was Carlos's place of ascetic cultivation, and also where he had cultivated when he had first come to this world.

Compared to when he had first arrived, things were much better now. Back then, he had to worry about filling his stomach even while cultivating... Now, Kelly personally delivered food every day—nutritious, delicious meals. Medicine was plentiful, the entire forest had been sealed off, and no idle outsiders would come to disturb him. Carlos was very satisfied with this arrangement.

Carlos arranged his twenty-four hours a day like this.

Six hours for sleep, and two hours for his three meals, answering nature's call, reading the newspaper, resting with his eyes closed, and relaxing.

That left sixteen hours. Of those sixteen, he spent one hour practicing the fine control and application of his Dojutsu.

He divided the remaining fifteen hours into three parts. Four hours were spent refining internal energy according to the stationary and moving exercises of the Golden Bell Shield; five hours were spent studying and practicing the Eagle Claw Technique and Twelve Road Tan Leg, as well as tempering the Golden Bell Shield's resistance to blows; the final six hours were devoted to improving his stamina and Mental strength.

There was no need to say much about how he improved his stamina. In short, it involved all kinds of methods for training the body and increasing endurance, with countless variations: weighted lifting, weighted running, weighted sit-ups, weighted push-ups, weighted frog jumps, weighted pull-ups, and so on.

In short, he tortured himself in every possible way!

As for improving Mental strength, aside from the ascetic cultivation Carlos believed tempered his will, there were other methods as well—meditation, playing music, calligraphy, and many more. Carlos used every method he could think of.

Carlos tried all kinds of methods and found that ascetic cultivation to temper his will, calligraphy, and meditation were the most effective. After that, he used only calligraphy and meditation to train his Mental strength, alternating between the two.

Oh, and he had nearly forgotten—along with the increase in internal energy within his body, Carlos discovered that having more internal energy could also improve his stamina and Mental strength, and by no small margin. It was a tremendous surprise.

In the blink of an eye, five months passed. His men had long since completed their intensive training, but Carlos remained in the forest.

This kind of ascetic cultivation was not something just anyone could endure. It could even be said that most people would never be able to persist.

One had to possess an unyielding will. Carlos believed his own will was fairly tough. Since childhood, he had practiced martial arts year after year, rain or shine, without fail. After coming to this world, he had cultivated without stopping. He had long grown accustomed to it. A mere five months...

It was not something he enjoyed, but that habit left Carlos without the slightest impatience. He could completely settle his mind.

Near noon that day, Kelly arrived with two attendants to deliver his meal. She was half an hour earlier than usual. Carlos's appetite had grown increasingly large while immersed in cultivation, and eventually Kelly could no longer carry all the food by herself.

Within the forest, the faint sound of fierce, piercing eagle cries rang out. The cries came one after another, and the birds did not dare land in the forest at all, endlessly circling in the sky...

As Kelly and the others approached the cabin, they saw a bare-chested, blurry figure moving relentlessly through the forest. He seemed to leap, glide, and fly. Shrill, ear-piercing eagle cries rang out without pause, layering atop one another until it felt as though they might tear through their eardrums...

"Stop cultivating and eat first! There's huge news in today's paper—news big enough to shake the world!" Kelly shouted loudly, covering her ears. The two attendants had their ears tightly covered as well.

The eagle cries vanished, and Carlos's figure descended to the ground before slowly walking toward Kelly.

"Boss!"

The two attendants immediately lowered their heads and bowed.

Carlos raised an eyebrow, gave a slight nod, and said blandly, "Let me see it."

Kelly took a newspaper from behind her back and handed it to Carlos, her gaze shifting away as she did not quite dare look at the sharply defined, perfectly proportioned muscles of his upper body.

Carlos took the newspaper and looked at the headline. The first thing that entered his sight was a large line of words: "The righteous Marines have successfully captured the evil Pirate King!!!" His eyes shifted, and he spotted a picture of Roger in prison.

Sure enough, Roger had still turned himself in. The prelude to the superstorm that would sweep across the world had already begun—or, more accurately, the great storm before that superstorm had begun!

Roger's supporters, aside from those Roger had specifically instructed, were probably already going mad. They would definitely cause trouble.

However, Roger's supporters would not be able to create anything that shocked the world. Instead, it would be Roger's mortal enemy, rival, friend, and kindred spirit—Golden Lion Shiki—who would cause a world-shaking incident. As a pirate, he would become the first person to attack Marine Headquarters!

"I understand."

"My cultivation has reached a critical point. I'll come out in two days at most."

"Kelly, after you return, have the men prepare the fastest ship available. It must be fully staffed for every position. I have an important use for it!"

"Alright, I understand."

Carlos nodded and began to eat, feeling both anxious and expectant about this trip to the East Blue...