Pengen?
Noah's expression shifted slightly. He took another look at the shy boy and realized that he did indeed look quite a lot like the person he remembered. Going back twenty years, his age was about right, too.
It had to be him. This was T Bone, the Ship-Slicing Swordsman.
In the original story, he was the Marine Headquarters Colonel in charge of escorting Nico Robin during the Water 7 incident.
He didn't get much focus, appearing in only a chapter or two. He was the kind of minor background character who was easily forgotten once the arc was over.
But Noah hadn't forgotten him.
"If the criminals I was originally escorting were released back into this world, I don't know how many innocent people would end up bleeding and weeping because of them!"
"Even in this unjust world, I'll prove that there's still justice here!"
A man who could say something like that, hold fast to his convictions, and put them into practice shouldn't be forgotten.
"How old are you, kid?" Noah asked impassively, wanting to test him.
"Fif... fifteen."
The "big shot" from Marine Headquarters had spoken, making Pengen even more nervous. He lowered his head and answered quietly.
"You just enlisted, right?" Noah pretended to frown. "Citrus Island is two days away by sea. Have you ever piloted a ship? Can you handle it alone?"
"Should we get someone else, then?" Colonel Bako immediately read the situation and gestured to the other Marines behind him. "I brought several people with me. You can pick anyone you like."
Noah didn't answer. He simply watched Pengen in silence.
"I... I can do it!"
Apparently stung by the doubt, Pengen grew flustered. He raised his head abruptly and looked straight at Noah, his eyes shining. His voice was louder, too.
"I've been in the Marines for two years, and I'm very skilled at navigation. I'm from the West Blue, so I know these waters well. Please... please trust me!"
That was more like it.
"Good."
Noah nodded, pleased by the courage and confidence Pengen had shown. He pointed at the boy and said to Colonel Bako beside him, "No need to switch. I'll take him."
You never knew how terrifying a disciplined person could be.
Fifteen-year-old Pengen had always thought he was among the most hardworking and self-disciplined people in the world. But after meeting Noah, he realized just how wrong he'd been.
2:00 a.m. Boarded the ship. Set sail.
2:00–4:00. Training. Exercise.
4:00–6:00. Training. Exercise.
6:00–8:00. Training. Exercise.
8:00–8:01. Couldn't hold it any longer. Went to pee.
8:01–12:00. Training. Exercise.
As they traveled, T Bone steered the ship and stared in stunned disbelief at Noah, who kept up his grueling training on deck without stopping.
Aside from a brief trip to the stern to take care of his bodily needs, Noah hadn't paused to rest at all.
For more than ten hours straight.
Was he even human?
As the hours passed, afternoon arrived. Pengen watched Noah practicing swordsmanship for a while and decided it was time to speak up and remind him of something.
"Um, Mr. Noah..."
He didn't know Noah's exact position, so he didn't dare address him by rank.
When Noah turned to look at him, Pengen worried that he might be interrupting. He asked uneasily, "Aren't... aren't you hungry? Did you get so caught up in training that you forgot to eat?"
"Hm?"
Only then did Noah look up, belatedly. He glanced at the blazing sun overhead, confused. "Huh? When did the sun come out? Is it time for breakfast already?"
"It's lunchtime," Pengen corrected him. "It's one-thirty in the afternoon, sir."
"It's that late already?" Noah muttered. He went into the cabin, then came back with a pile of canned food and tossed a few cans to Pengen. "Here, have some."
"No need, sir." Pengen hurriedly shook his head and tried to refuse. "I brought rations, too. These cans in the cabin were specially prepared for you by Colonel Bako. I'm not entitled to—"
"I said eat. Don't make such a fuss."
Noah firmly shoved the cans into his arms. "I've served in a branch base before. I know what your rations are like. What if you don't get enough nutrients, get dizzy, and steer the ship off course? Eat!"
"..."
Pengen didn't dare refuse again. Besides, the canned food did look far more appetizing than his rations, and his stomach was already growling.
So he thanked Noah awkwardly, opened a can, and wolfed down its contents.
Noah smiled, opened one of his own cans, and dug in.
Compared with the famished Pengen, Noah had much better table manners—or rather, with his looks and bearing, there was no way he could look bad.
Even if he sat in a restaurant and ate like Luffy, the girls passing by would still look at him with admiration.
As they ate, Noah silently replayed his earlier training in his mind.
The huge boost in physical ability he'd gained from adding points benefited him in every way, especially during training. Being able to do tens of thousands of push-ups and thousands of sword swings, then still feel full of energy, was an incredible feeling.
Pengen probably thought that training nonstop for more than ten hours was horrifying. But to Noah, this wasn't even enough to test the limits of his current stamina.
"I feel like I should change my sleep schedule."
Noah considered the matter. With his freakish physique, the more than fifteen hours of daily training he'd done before could no longer exhaust him.
In other words, he probably didn't need to go to bed every night anymore.
There was a guy named Blackbeard with an unusual body who could go for decades without sleeping. Noah couldn't do that yet, but barring special circumstances, he should be fine resting every other night.
Why waste time sleeping while alive when you could sleep forever after you died?
Using the time other people spent sleeping to improve himself felt great.
Ordinary people would find it hard to settle back into the dull routine of training after suddenly doubling their attributes with a massive boost.
If you could wait for rabbits to run into a tree stump every day, who would want to come home from the fields at sunset?
But Noah was different. He understood that to dig a hole, you needed a sturdy tool. Adding points couldn't replace hard training, because training didn't just strengthen the body—it also forged a person's will.
What's more, a strengthened body needed further training to build a solid foundation and adapt to its new abilities.
"Every time I add enough points to reach the next stage, it seems to unlock more of my body's potential, raising my limits along with it."
As he thought, Noah opened another can and peeked inside. Yellow peaches. He was already about seven or eight tenths full, so they'd make a nice dessert to finish off the meal.
"That means even if the number of points needed keeps increasing, I can still improve my basic physical attributes through training."
It was a shame that this week's item shop hadn't stocked a Taijutsu Training Acceleration Card. Hopefully one would show up next week. It was affordable, and it worked great.
After finishing the canned peaches, Noah checked the time. It wasn't two o'clock yet. He thought it over, then looked at Pengen and asked, "If the trip goes smoothly, can we reach Celeste Island by tomorrow night?"
The warship carrying Marine Headquarters Elite Training Camp should have arrived at Celeste Island by now. Noah guessed the 48-hour field test would begin by sunset at the latest.
He didn't expect to arrive right away, but he needed to catch the test within its first twenty-four hours.
"I'm afraid not, sir." Pengen shook his head apologetically. "Even though this boat is fast, the earliest we can reach Celeste Island is the day after tomorrow at dawn."
"The day after tomorrow at dawn..."
Noah sighed. He'd expected that answer, but it meant he wouldn't have much time left for the test.
Hopefully the officers of the Bege Pirates on the island wouldn't have all been killed by Shiryu and the others by then. They'd better hold out a little longer and leave him at least a bite.
After finishing his meal, Noah lay down on the wooden platform beneath the mast, his arms folded behind his head as he squinted up at the sky. He looked like he was enjoying a lazy afternoon nap in the sea breeze, but in reality, he'd opened his inventory and was getting ready to read Ryuma's swordsmanship notes.
He'd run into a few problems during his afternoon sword practice that he couldn't figure out on his own. He planned to look for answers in the book.
When he opened his inventory, he saw a golden chest icon beside the worn golden scroll. Only then did he remember that he hadn't opened the gift box he'd received for completing the side quest.
Actually, he'd claimed it and put it in his inventory a while ago.
But at the time, he'd been in Momousagi's body. To be cautious and avoid getting a reward that directly affected his body, like attribute points, Noah had left it unopened.
Now that he was back in his own body, and had finished adding points, he was lying on the deck with nothing to do. He might as well open it and find out whether his luck made him a chosen one or a jinx.
I finished writing the first chapter at 10 p.m. I'd planned to get the second one out before midnight, but I had an upset stomach and fell asleep on the toilet. Sorry for the delay, everyone...
Before you continue