Are You Still Holding On to Your Dream?

"Jiehahaha..."

Golden Lion looked at Shakky and said indifferently, "It's good to eat more!"

"Ares is at the fastest stage of his growth right now. We can't let him fall behind nutritionally!"

He then reached out and patted Ares on the shoulder, laughing like an elder caring for a junior. "Ares, eat your fill. Eat as much as you want!"

"Eating more will help your body grow and develop!"

Deep in Golden Lion's eyes was a profound shock. Ares digested food at a speed far beyond ordinary people, yet his stomach still hadn't even bulged.

Thinking of that terrifying physique, Golden Lion found it understandable.

When Shakky heard Golden Lion's words, her eyelid twitched. She clenched her teeth so hard that deep bite marks appeared on the cigarette filter and asked in astonishment, "You mean this big guy is still growing?!!"

"Shiki, how old is he now?"

As the chef of the Rocks Pirates, she suddenly felt as though the world had gone dark.

Dark lines appeared across her fair, jade-like forehead. This muscular four-meter-tall brute, several times larger than Kuma, was still growing?!

This guy ate enough in one meal to feed dozens of people... If he kept growing like this, how much would he be able to eat in a single meal?

"Fourteen or fifteen." Golden Lion answered. He had just been about to help Ares solve this problem, but then he remembered that he had lost a hundred million Berries to Whitebeard.

On top of that, MISS. Bagin had squeezed quite a lot out of him. He was short on cash now, so he abandoned the idea.

Golden Lion chuckled and said, "He's an official crew member recognized by Captain Rocks. This food is free!"

"Don't worry. With this guy's combat power, he'll soon be able to contribute to the Rocks Pirates."

Shakky glared fiercely at Ares, who was devouring his food, then stomped her foot angrily and said helplessly, "What kind of big eaters has the Rocks Pirates recruited? Kaido, Linlin, and now Ares."

"Can he eat even more?!"

She turned angrily and walked toward the kitchen. Every chef inside was working feverishly, and the sweltering kitchen had them sweating profusely.

Their hands couldn't stop moving for even a moment. This was a battle!

Golden Lion said boldly to Ares, "Eat as much as you like. Stuff yourself! If it's not enough, just have the chefs make more!"

If it weren't free, one might really have thought he was the generous patron footing the bill.

One meal.

It took nearly an hour, and the plates piled on the table were stacked as high as three or four people.

"Ares, your talent is truly enviable!" Golden Lion rose from his stool. This guy's appetite and digestion were practically a production line.

He continued excitedly, "A guy like you was born to become a pirate!!"

Someone like this would possess astonishing vitality, and his recovery ability would far surpass that of ordinary people.

"Burp~"

Ares let out a satisfied belch and said happily, "The food here is so delicious! It's far tastier than anything I make myself!!"

"I've never eaten such delicious food before. From now on, I'm going to eat food this delicious every day!"

For the past several years, he had simply skewered the animals he hunted over a fire and eaten them once they were cooked.

But food prepared with such care, cooked with all kinds of delicious seasonings, and made with master-level culinary skill was simply irresistible.

He felt incredibly excited and happy.

"Come on, it's time to head back." Golden Lion spoke to Ares.

Ares stood as well. His burly body was considerably taller than Golden Lion's, and he looked down at him as he said, "I still have to train!"

"Even practicing swordsmanship won't make my body surpass a Supreme Grade Sword. I can't stop training my physical body for even a single day!!"

His firm, determined tone left Golden Lion with no way to dissuade him. A hint of admiration appeared in his eyes. "You're really disciplined. If even a guy like you can't achieve your dream..."

"There aren't many people in this world who could achieve theirs."

Golden Lion patted Ares on the shoulder with some emotion and said wistfully, "Ares, one day, you'll see the day when I, Golden Lion, achieve my dream."

"I hope that when that time comes, you'll stand at my side and share this supreme glory with me!"

He looked intently at Ares, his eyes carrying a trace of expectation. Although he was currently part of the Rocks Pirates, he believed that one day—

he would surpass Rocks and become the—overlord of this sea!!

And Ares was definitely a powerhouse capable of helping him achieve that!

Unfortunately, to Ares, who was only fourteen or fifteen and had just encountered the outside world, Golden Lion's words were no different from playing music to a cow. Instead, he asked with a puzzled expression, "What's your dream?!"

The boldness faded from Golden Lion's face. He glanced at the other pirates around them instead of answering directly and said vaguely, "Of course, it's to make a name for myself across the sea!"

"I'll make a name for myself across the sea too!" Ares said. "I know that only a Famous Sword tempered through countless trials will be recognized as a Famous Sword by the world."

"I'll do it. At that time, I'll be the blade, and the blade will be me."

"There will also be a Famous Sword in this world that surpasses the Supreme Great Swords. Its name will definitely be—Ares!"

Golden Lion suddenly burst into laughter. "Jiehahaha... Go on, work hard to achieve your dream!!"

"This vast sea is where dreams intertwine and converge. In my eyes, the dreams people pursue amount to nothing more than fame, wealth, and status. But you're different..."

Your dream is destined to shatter the rules and understanding of this world. I hope you can succeed!!

Laughing wildly, he turned and left. The world would certainly become more interesting because of Ares's arrival.

Golden Lion firmly believed this!

Shakky, in the kitchen, also cast a curious look over. She watched Ares with some surprise. This boy had actually earned such high regard from Golden Lion.

He had his own persistence and dream.

She thought to herself, It seems this glutton isn't actually as annoying as I thought.

Ares also strode out of the dining hall and headed straight for the training room.

The blood in his body began to flow faster, and he seemed to be warming up slightly. It was the perfect time to train!

He knew that choosing to forge himself into a Supreme Grade Sword that surpassed the Supreme Great Swords was, in the eyes of ordinary people, something utterly impossible.

He didn't care.

Giving up without trying was the behavior of the weak. It was merely the weak comforting themselves mentally.

Some dreams weren't things you could simply reach out and seize when they were placed before you.

In the empty training room.

The familiar, thunderous pounding rang out once more, and Ares was the piece of steel being hammered again and again.

It was destined to be a long process requiring persistent effort.

Under the pounding, his skin and muscles gradually reddened and heated up. Even the iron rod in Ares's hands began to grow warmer.

This made his skin and muscles even tougher.

Even his resistance to high temperatures gradually grew stronger, improving bit by bit!

A quantitative change would eventually bring about the day of qualitative change!