Every time Garp took leave, he returned to Foosha Village to visit his grandson. When his vacation was about to end, he left satisfied after exhausting Luffy to the point of looking like a dog. Rodney was just as exhausted.
Because Garp said his body was too weak and his vitality wasn't vigorous enough, making it easy for him to lose his life on the battlefield, Rodney's hellish life began once again.
He trained during the day and refined Chakra at night. This cycle continued until Garp's vacation ended, and only then did his hellish life come to an end.
Every day, he stuffed himself with huge amounts of food, absorbing vast quantities of energy and filling his body. His physique began to approach that of the people from the Gay Village. He was exposed to the wind and sun all day, and even his skin tone was changing accordingly. If this continued, his goal might become the Raikage...
No, this wouldn't do. He had to master all six styles as soon as possible and learn Life Return. Otherwise, he really would become a member of the Gay Village.
Thanks to the Sharingan, he had recorded Garp's movements while using the six styles. Once he learned them, he only needed to find a way to integrate them and mastering Life Return would be highly possible. Before that, however, he had to learn the six styles first.
Shadow Clone... Why hadn't he chosen Shadow Clone from the beginning?
Oh, right. Because it was too expensive... He couldn't afford it.
Damn it, I need to do missions!
"Ding! Mission issued!"
Was it really that accommodating?
Mission: Assassinate the pirate Clive Shazzo. Mission Rank: D+ Reward: 100 Mission Points.
Clive Shazzo? Who was that?
Aboard the warship, Rodney, who had been traveling with the ship, asked Bogard, the adjutant, who that guy was.
Before joining Garp, Bogard had been with CP3 and had a background in intelligence. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Clive Shazzo, captain of the Cannon Pirates. He has a bounty of eleven million and commands a ship with more cannons than any other in the East Blue. He has a thousand pirates under him. Two months ago, he appeared in Grayro Village in the East Blue. Colonel Smoker went to subdue him at the time, but he escaped."
Being able to escape from Smoker meant he had some ability.
Smoker's strength was among the very best in the East Blue. With a Logia Fruit and the Marine Six Styles, he could dominate the East Blue without question. He estimated that only the leader of the Arlong Pirates could fight him head-on. Even then, if the battle dragged on, he probably wouldn't be Smoker's match. Without Haki or Seastone, a Logia Fruit was practically invincible.
Being able to escape was an ability in itself.
"What? Are you planning to go after him?" Bogard asked.
Rodney smiled. "Of course." A locator map of the target appeared on the light screen before him. The sea was so vast that without assistance, he might spend his entire life without finding the man. Naturally, he needed the locator.
"I forgot you were a bounty hunter. Where are you planning to catch him?" Bogard asked.
"I'll ask around at the nearby Marine branch first. Thank you for taking care of me these past few days." After saying that, he jumped off the ship and walked across the water.
"Has that boy Rodney left?" Garp put on his dog-head hat and ate a doughnut.
"Yes. Does someone like him really not need to be recruited into the Marines?" Bogard asked.
Rodney's abilities, resolve, and views on justice were all well suited to becoming a Marine. Garp had invited him many times, but Rodney had always refused, saying that he "didn't want to be bound by all kinds of orders," and continued working as a bounty hunter.
"There's no point recruiting him. By the way, does being a bounty hunter make much money?" Garp asked.
"Of course. Bounty hunters can exchange pirates for their bounties. If an ordinary family wanted to accumulate ten million, it would take them a very long time."
"Is that so? Then let's become bounty hunters." Garp was characteristically scatterbrained, giving Bogard a stomachache. He said, "Vice Admiral Garp, the Marines can't claim bounties for pirates they kill."
Capturing and killing pirates was the Marines' duty. At most, they could receive a relatively generous bonus. As for those sky-high bounties, they could forget about it.
"Hahahaha, I forgot!" Garp laughed heartily. Looking toward Rodney, who was teaching a Sea King a lesson on the distant sea, he said, "That boy, as long as he doesn't fall into depravity, can definitely become a Friend of Justice."
Garp understood the kindness in Rodney's heart. As long as that kindness wasn't tainted by this already-filthy sea, it would surely bloom with the radiance it deserved.
Rodney knew what was good and what was evil. He became furious when pirates harmed others, and he became furious when rescuing others. He coldly ignored things he couldn't see. If he heard about them, he would angrily say a few words and then leave it at that. But when something happened right in front of him, he would definitely make those people pay. Using violence to suppress violence wasn't what he wanted, but it was the mainstream of this world.
Even the Marines were merely a simple organization based on violence.
He could only take care of what he could see and touch. Anything farther away was truly beyond his ability. He was still at the stage of looking after himself.
In the end, he was still too weak.
Sitting atop the Sea King's head, Rodney saw the Sharingan in the Sea King's eyes. It was a sign that it had been controlled. His spiritual power had completely crushed the Sea King's, turning it into his means of transportation.
The Sharingan really was useful.
The Sea King sped across the ocean. A seabird soared overhead on the air currents, wearing a hat and carrying a somewhat battered leather satchel.
Rodney patted the Sea King and made it stop. Then he waved at the seabird in the sky. "Over here, over here! One newspaper."
The News Bird responsible for delivering newspapers descended from the sky and landed on the Sea King's horn. Miraculously, it used its wing to take out a newspaper, while Rodney placed one hundred Berries into the News Bird's leather satchel.
One hundred Berries could buy two Choppers, after all!
Chopper earned only a few dozen Berries yet fought battles worth hundreds of millions. Rodney truly felt sorry for him.
The News Bird flew away. Rodney had the Sea King continue forward, then turned around and looked at the newspaper in his hands.
World Economic News always dug up a huge amount of news from every corner of the world. Morgans could be called the world's number-one paparazzo, and he was unbelievably dedicated. Anything that made it into his World News was truly major news.
For example, one of the World Government's affiliated countries in the New World had been unable to endure the oppression of its corrupt nobles and had resolutely launched a rebellion. The article devoted a great deal of space to describing the rebellion's process and outcome, while also hinting that the Revolutionary Army had been involved.
The wording was meticulous and the prose magnificent. He truly was a professional in this field.
"Hm? A wanted poster? This guy is... Ace?"
A wanted poster was tucked inside the newspaper, displaying Ace's smiling face.
Portgas D. Ace, fifty million Berries. "DE OR ALIVE!"
"This guy spent two months entering the Grand Line, and he's already made a name for himself? He's really fast." Rodney shook his head, hoping Ace would keep his promise to him.
The wanted poster flew away on the wind, while Rodney continued reading the news in the newspaper.
Traveling was boring. The next time he encountered a town, he would buy a few books. Otherwise, it was truly too dull.
Most of the newspaper concerned matters in the New World. There wasn't much news about the first half of the Grand Line. The pirate graveyard wasn't just an empty name. The Marines focused heavily on it, and it was also guarded by the Shichibukai. Few pirates could survive, reach the Sabaody Archipelago, pass through Fish-Man Island, and enter the New World. Those who could were all powerful pirates, only to be taught a lesson by one of the Four Emperors' subordinates after entering the New World.
In the New World, the Four Emperors possessed absolute authority. New pirates could only choose to submit or challenge them. Submission allowed them to survive, while challenging them only ended in death.
The newspaper reported that a five-hundred-thirty-million-Berry man had overestimated himself and challenged Big Mom. As a result, Big Mom's number-one Flower-Flower Stick had hung him up and beaten him. Then, because he had accidentally eaten Big Mom's cake, Big Mom had flattened him with one punch.
Of course, if you could make a Four Emperor take a liking to you, you could survive.
If Whitebeard liked you, he would take you in as a son.
If BIG MOM liked you, she would take you in as a son-in-law. If you had a special bloodline and were strong enough, she would take you in as a husband.
If Kaido liked you, he would take you in as a subordinate. Otherwise, Thunder Bagua warning—he would send you to the mines to work as a laborer.
If Shanks liked you, he would invite you to drink.
After finishing the newspaper, Rodney felt completely listless. His goal was still a long way off, and he had several more days of travel ahead of him, so he would be extremely bored for the next few days.
He would definitely buy some books in the future. He just didn't know what the novels in this world were like. Hopefully, they were interesting...
Before you continue