Partners' Updates, the Road to Strength

"What were you and that Vice Admiral Tsuru talking about just now?"

Facing Roman emerging from the Fleet Admiral's Office, Nami, now calmer, patted her still-unaccustomed coat and said, "It's just some girly stuff. Grandma Tsuru is a very nice person."

·······

"If I told you that Vice Admiral Tsuru was the Chief of Staff of the Navy, someone who once chased the Shichibukai all over the place, you wouldn't say it so casually."

"Why?"

"Never mind, let's go."

After the promotion, of course, a celebration was in order. Although we could only go to the naval mess hall, well:

"Ha ha ha ha!!"

"Let's go, let's have a good drink!"

Looking at the group of Second-generation Marine who seemed to be excitedly strolling through some incongruous place, Roman looked them over several times and then confirmed: This is definitely the naval mess hall! What's with these guys?

"Normally, Borgin and his men don't come to the naval mess hall."

Isca, seeing Roman and Nami's expressions, knew what they were thinking and offered an explanation:

"Because everyone who eats here is—"

As Isca pointed, the people eating around looked up:

A giant Vice Admiral standing fifteen meters tall! Commodore covered in scars! And a group of elite field officers forming small circles, and:

"Hey, isn't this little Borgin?"

A slender woman, about the height of Admiral, walked over carrying a large plate of meat, causing Roman's brow to twitch.

'Momousagi' Gion, Candidate Admiral!

He wore a general's overcoat, a pink jacket, and black shorts. Famous Sword, 'Kompira,' slung at his waist. His long, slender legs were as white as jade, and a spider was tattooed on his left thigh.

A female swordswoman of Admiral- level prowess has arrived with some meat...

A woman who can instantly capture the attention of all the main combat members of the Straw Hat crew!

"This... the new Commodore?"

"Ahem, Gion-san, this is Brigadier General Roman from our 211th Squadron," Polkin stepped forward to introduce. "It's normal that Gion-san doesn't know him because he was just promoted."

"Yeah?"

Gion nodded, found a seat, and pointed to a group of second-generation rich kids.

"Don't stand here, everyone. Others need to eat."

"Okay, okay, okay~~~"

As Roman and Nami sat down, surrounded by a group of people, Ace continued to explain:

"Commodore Roman knows what Polkin and his men were like before. They wouldn't dare eat in the mess hall; it's full of elite naval personnel who have fought on the battlefield. It's normal for them to look down on people like Polkin and his men. If a conflict breaks out, even their fathers can't say anything."

Got it. It's fine for the privileged kids to flaunt their power outside. But if they go and hang around in front of a high-ranking military officer, they'll get beaten up and won't even have a chance to complain.

But--

Roman glanced around and saw that even this seemingly ordinary cafeteria was teeming with experts! And the most powerful among them was:

?

Gion glanced at him briefly, causing Roman to look away.

Borgin nearby, was already earnestly advising:

"Boss, stop thinking about it. Look over there—"

Borgin pointed to the other side of the cafeteria, where a man dressed in khaki clothes and a khaki round hat, also wearing an officer's overcoat... a sleazy old man? His gaze followed Gion's every move; anyone who didn't know better would have thought he was a stalker.

'Chaton' Kake, Candidate Admiral!

Another top expert—the so-called Candidate Admiral is because there are only three Admiral positions, so even if one's strength has reached the standard of Admiral, one can only be ranked below them.

"That Kake Candidate Admiral is pursuing the Gion boss, and he's already been rejected over a hundred times..."

The implication is that the 'opponent' is too powerful.

"What are you thinking about?"

Roman calmly Guotou, letting Nami's fingers around his waist continue to increase in pressure.

"I'm only interested in their strength and Devil Fruit abilities..."

Forget it, the idea of Candidate Admiral... Roman knew his own limitations; his current strength was at most that of Vice Admiral —and even then, just a regular Vice Admiral. He shouldn't be too ambitious.

"Eat meat and drink alcohol!"

The Navy doesn't prohibit alcohol, and for its elite members, drinking alcohol is no different from drinking water. So everyone started to eat heartily, except for Nami and Isca, who maintained their ladylike demeanor.

After witnessing the two 'candidate Admiral' up close, Roman didn't rush to lead his men out to 'clean up' the pirates because:

"Have you heard? Fleet Admiral Sengoku has recommended Aokiji Admiral the next Fleet Admiral..."

"However, the World Government has a higher opinion of Admiral Akainu..."

"Who do you think is more suitable?"

"The strength of both Admiral is beyond doubt, but if I had to choose... I'd prefer Admiral Akainu. If only the Great Pirate Era could end sooner..."

"I believe Aokiji Admiral..."

Such conversations echoed throughout Marineford, the Marine Headquarters currently under reconstruction; after all, even a minor official has connections. Those naval personnel working here all possess their own networks.

The final battle of Punk Hazard is about to begin, and Roman and Nami:

"Hey, how have you guys been lately?"

In Roman's room, the two were on the phone.

"Aaaaah, I'm going to beat this rabbit to a pulp today!"

Luffy's energetic voice came first, mixed with sounds like "Second Gear - Gomu Gomu no Jet Gatling", which made the others in the "chat room" fall silent.

What kind of rabbit could possibly fight Luffy in Luffy Second Gear to a standstill?

"Clap clap clap clap! Si Tu Ji, get on my heels—"

To retract my earlier statement, Luffy was so badly beaten that he could barely speak.

"Okay, Luffy, keep it up!"

Rubbing his temples, Roman knew the creatures on the island Rayleigh had chosen were incredibly powerful, but a rabbit that could easily defeat Gear Second Gear Luffy...

"Zoro, what about you over there?"

"Whew~~Whew~~~I killed five Masira today. Tomorrow I'm going to take down the Masira captain."

This·····

Others are at a loss for words. What world did Luffy and Zoro end up in? Why are the rabbit and the Masira so powerful?

"Sanji, haven't you learned Geppo yet?"

In response to Roman's words, the furious voice on the other end was practically piercing the heavens!

"Let's not even talk about whether Geppo is easy to learn on your own. How long do you expect me to fly through this vast ocean using Geppo? — And you're not even giving me directions, where am I supposed to go?!"

"Spinning around~~~ Sanji, come and learn the Okama Kenpo from us—"

"Get the hell out of my way!!"

Keep it up! If you don't work hard, you'll be kissed, hugged, and lifted high by ladyboys. You'll be considered a master when you finally conquer the Kamabakka Kingdom.

······

"Robin, did you receive the supplies I sent?"

In response to Roman's words, Robin's intelligent voice came from the other end of the phone.

"We've received it; gold worth five billion Beli."

!!

Nami, who was idly flipping through a naval manual nearby, instantly broke down in tears.

"What?! Five billion! My gold!!! Even Robin wouldn't..."

"Stay calm, stay calm."

Roman let the tearful Nami grab his collar and shake him from side to side.

"That's not for Robin, it's for Luffy's dad—that is, the Revolutionary Army's money."

"But·····"

Nami hesitated after releasing Roman. Although it had only been a short ten days, her 'undercover' life during this period had made her sympathize with these Marines who were dedicated to protecting ordinary people.

"Don't worry, the Revolutionary Army's enemy isn't the navy. It's..."

Celestial Dragons.

I raise enemies to fight me, no problem!

"Ahem, Chopper."

Roman changed the subject to the next person.

What do you think of my suggestion? Is it possible for it to be implemented?

"There's no problem in theory," Chopper said, displaying strong confidence even when he was shy, when it came to his major.

"But this is a drug I made specifically for myself. I'll use the blood you sent to improve it and make it into a 'Rumble Ball' for them."

Very good!

What is Chopper's greatest value?

It's not about '100 Beli fighting against billions', but rather his thorough research into Zoan Devil Fruit!

Rumble Ball are a type of drug that can disrupt the transformation wavelengths of Zoan Devil Fruit. Developed by Chopper, its effects last only three minutes and can generate seven additional transformation stages.

However, repeated consumption will trigger a berserk state—essentially, Zoan Awakening! While initially uncontrollable, Chopper can actively control his berserk state Chopper two years. In other words:

Chopper has a perfectly scientific way of mass-producing Zoan Awakening Devil Fruit users!

Kaido overjoyed!!

Watch as my eight hundred animal Awakening ability users sweep across the world...

Ahem, I've gone off on a tangent.

"Okay, then I'll leave it to you, Chopper."

And Roman happens to have a group of Zoan users at his disposal—Rob Lucci and his team! Just imagine these elite agents collectively pulling out Rumble Ball and taking drugs.

Tsk tsk tsk, Zoan Awakening user who knows the Six Powers, are you scared yet?!

No more fear of Tekkai tipping over...

"Franky, how's it going on your end?"

In response to Roman's question, Franky's signature voice came from the other end.

"Super cool!"

"Vegapunk is a genius! His designs as a child were already a century or two ahead of their time. It will take me a while to fully grasp these technologies..."

"Okay, then I'll take care of the issue regarding the high-strength 'alloy'."

Roman has already given the order, and he believes that Lucci from CP9—no, CP0—will soon have news of Wapol. Once Roman obtains the finished 'Wapol Metal,' he can mass-produce this revolutionary superalloy.

At that point, not only will it be 'General Franky,' but even the 'Sunshine Merry Pluton' will be...

"By the way, Brook."

"Yo ho ho, this is the skull with the afro. What can I do for you?"

The other members of the Straw Hat crew were mostly in the places most suitable for them to train, and they also had the experience of predecessors, but Brook had to figure it out on his own.

"I did some research and found that the Revive-Revive Fruit) is not just about 'resurrection'."

"The Revive-Revive Fruit will not only bring you back to life, but also grant you abilities related to the soul, which can suppress the souls of others. Your attacks will carry the chill of the Yomi Yomi, which can cause frostbite to your enemies. You can explore developing your abilities in this direction."

"Oh ho ho, thank you so much, Mr. Roman."

Excellent, everything is progressing smoothly and steadily. The Straw Hat crew needs to secretly develop, and two years later they'll amaze the New World! Let's pause for three seconds to mourn for Doflamingo... But before that:

"Nami, I'm going to watch Akainu and Aokiji's duel. What about you?"

"I won't go, I made plans with Isca."

... You girls make friends really fast!

"All right,"

Just as Roman was excitedly preparing to 'watch' the battle between the two top Logia Admiral Nami and Isca knocked on the door in front of him.

"Grandma Crane," X2

"You're here, please have a seat."

"But, training..."

Seeing Nami and Isca looking hesitant, the Chief of Staff Naval Staff waved his hand kindly.

"No rush, let's have afternoon tea with my wife first."