"Lipri, are you really coming aboard my ship?"
"Of course. How many times have you asked me that on the way here? We already agreed on this. If anything goes wrong, I can always leave you behind and run back to Elbaf."
Lipri giggled. "We're going to steal branches from the Adam Tree, right? I know where they're kept. I'll lead you there."
"Who said anything about stealing? We're making a fair trade!"
Mongge, who was sitting on Lipri's shoulder, sprang up and smacked her hard on the head.
"Ow!"
Lipri scowled. "You old geezer, stop hitting me on the head! I'm not a kid anymore."
"Haha, sorry, sorry."
Mongge stood up on Lipri's shoulder.
"That's enough for now. Take a short break."
"You can't handle even this much?"
"Can't be helped. Rocks has a poor foundation. Even with talent, he'll have to work harder than the others if he wants to catch up."
That was why so few pirates made a name for themselves when they were young. Unless someone was exceptionally gifted, talent alone couldn't turn into strength overnight.
Lipri turned to look back. A bedraggled figure was trailing far behind them.
After all, Lipri was a Giant woman twenty meters tall, with legs alone stretching over ten meters. A casual stride from her took an ordinary person several steps to match.
Lipri had told them that Elbaf's Rainbow Bridge wouldn't be set up for at least another week, so Mongge had given up on taking it straight to the Giant village.
Instead, they planned to head to Elbaf's middle layer by taking a detour from the lowest layer.
The method, naturally, was to go on foot.
The mountains and hills that the Giants could cross with ease were a challenge for Rocks. He could manage for a while, but after a long stretch, even after more than a month of Mongge's training, he was starting to struggle.
Having risen from humble beginnings himself, Mongge knew that too much of a good thing could be harmful. Training too hard stopped being training and became life-threatening.
But recalling his earlier conversation with Lipri, Mongge came up with a new idea.
Pressure alone wasn't enough.
He had to give Rocks some motivation, too.
In other words, a smack followed by a sweet treat.
"Here!"
Mongge tossed a canteen to Rocks, who had stopped and was panting heavily. He grinned. "Kid, are you cursing me out in your head right now, thinking that once you get stronger, you'll get even with me?"
Rocks's heart skipped a beat. How is this old man so perceptive? He figured that out, too?
Seeing Rocks's expression, Mongge knew he'd guessed right. He burst into laughter. "Pffft, hahaha! I knew you were the vengeful type. You're still holding a grudge because I forced you to join the crew."
As a future Overlord of the Sea, how could Rocks be content to live under someone else? Mongge had never expected to win him over easily—not even when Rocks was young.
"Here's what I'll do. I'll give you a chance."
Mongge grinned, looking thoroughly pleased with himself. "In the end, this sea is ruled by strength. Do you think you're strong enough right now to beat either me or Lipri?"
Rocks paused. He thought of Mongge's sword technique, which had cleaved the sea in two, then recalled the power and speed Lipri had shown when she attacked Mongge. He gritted his teeth.
Though he hated to admit it, he couldn't beat either Mongge or Lipri right now.
"Don't forget, the White Wolf Pirates may only have three of us at the moment, but as long as I'm here, nobody will dare look down on us."
"Without strength, you'll be bullied on these seas. Without strength, you'll be robbed. Without strength, you can't even protect yourself."
"Strength is wealth!"
"Strength is dignity!"
"Strength is everything!"
Mongge's words rang in Rocks's ears, and he clenched his fists.
"So, I'm giving you a chance!"
"With your current strength, you can only be a trainee in the White Wolf Pirates. But that doesn't mean you'll be a trainee forever."
Ever since he'd gained the aptitude for Conqueror's Haki, Mongge had shaken off his former decline and begun to resemble the man he'd been when he first arrived in this world.
Before, he'd had no system and no aptitude for Conqueror's Haki. That might have been one thing—aptitude determined a person's limits, and no matter how hard Mongge tried, he couldn't change that.
But now he had a system, and he had the aptitude for Conqueror's Haki.
So what if he was the chosen one?
So what if he was the protagonist?
Given the same conditions, when had Mongge ever been inferior to anyone?
"Rocks! Lipri!"
Mongge looked at Rocks and Lipri and raised his voice. "From this moment on, the White Wolf Pirates have a new rule!"
"No matter who you are—"
"If you can beat me head-on, you're qualified to become captain!"
"Rocks, right now you're just a trainee in our crew. But if you beat Lipri one day, I'll make you a full-fledged crew member. And if you beat me, what's wrong with letting you be captain?"
"Lipri, same goes for you. Don't think you can dismiss Rocks just because of the Giant Tribe's natural advantages. If you lose to him someday, don't come crying to me!"
If Mongge had made this rule a few years ago, everyone—including Mongge himself—would have thought he was looking for an heir.
But things were different now.
He'd found a crew of extraordinary talents, and he wanted them chasing after him, pushing him to keep improving so he'd never grow complacent.
Was there anything more thrilling than captaining the future Overlord of the Sea and future Four Emperors?
Forget the Four Emperors.
What if Rocks became the future Pirate King?
This era belonged to him. It belonged to Mongge!
At that moment, Mongge was filled with confidence. Even the Haki within him surged fiercely, like a slumbering dragon finally preparing to rise from the abyss.
Rocks felt just as fired up.
He'd assumed Mongge would keep him under his thumb, and that even if he taught him, he'd hold back and never give him a chance to challenge him.
But Mongge's words had just overturned that assumption.
Mongge wasn't afraid of being challenged by him!
If that was the case, what was there to hesitate about?
Rocks clenched his fists and stared at Mongge, his fighting spirit blazing. "Old man, you said it! Don't go back on your word when you lose!"
"Pffft, hahaha! If you can beat me, why would you be afraid I'd go back on my word?"
Rocks thought about it and realized Mongge had a point.
"Old man, let's keep going! I think I can run some more!"
Rocks didn't feel tired at all anymore. If he could beat Mongge, he could take his place as captain of the White Wolf Pirates.
In that case, the faster he got stronger, the better!
"Stop calling me 'old man' all the time!"
A finger came down from above and nearly squashed Rocks flat.
"Do you think you can just call me 'old man' whenever you want? Call me Captain Mongge! And you're only a trainee right now. You have to beat me before you're qualified to challenge the captain. Don't forget, I'm way stronger than you right now. I might beat the captain before you even get the chance to challenge him."
"Old man, am I right?"
Looking at Lipri's mischievous grin, Mongge promptly gave her a knuckle on the head.
"Both you and Rocks, show some respect! So what if I'm seventy? In the Giant Tribe, that's exactly the age when you should be working hard!"
Mongge grumbled.
"If you want to challenge me, then get moving! Lipri, go carry the Black Pearl over here. We're running with weights!"
Mongge had planned to leave the ship on the shore of Elbaf and have Mado watch over it. But now that Rocks and Lipri were both fired up to train, they might as well carry it back to the Giant village.
No need to trouble Mado.
"Yes, Captain!"
Lipri saluted Mongge, then broke into a cheeky grin.
"Captain, both of us are training hard. What about you?"
Lipri looked at Mongge on her shoulder, teasing him. "As captain, you should be setting an example, shouldn't you?"
"Ahem!"
At Lipri's words, Mongge couldn't help coughing. He was already so old—how could he still train like a young man?
Mongge was about to refuse.
But his system didn't give him the chance.
[The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step!] [Success is one percent talent and ninety-nine percent hard work. At eighteen, how can you sleep if you aren't working hard?] [Daily Mission: Training.] [Mission Requirements: 1,000 weighted push-ups, 1,000 weighted sit-ups, 1,000 weighted squats, and a 100-kilometer weighted run.] [Reward: Restored stamina and a slight increase in Cellular Activity!] Mongge: "..." You've got to be kidding me, right? ...
Before you continue