Six Styles! Heavenly Prodigy!

Conrad naturally wouldn't let Baby-5 go out and work for others; he had been born with a haughty spirit. Even when his horizons were limited, he had the audacity to boast that with his perseverance, he could strike it rich even by hauling bricks, eating like a king at every meal.

But right now, it was impossible for him to get a job, so the only way to sustain his life was to borrow.

"I will definitely pay you back, Kujaku, lend me another hundred thousand! Just one hundred thousand Beli!"

At Port One, Conrad carried a black-silk-wrapped spear on his back, holding his head high despite his humble request for money, his hand outstretched before Kujaku's face, shaking it with indignation.

"No way! You guys just need to follow me; I'll pay for all the food and drinks!" Kujaku shook her head firmly, her eyes curving into a glare as she said, "You are not allowed to leave me!"

How could Conrad ever be content as a mere follower? He possessed a mind for business.

He only needed a small amount of startup capital, and then, after pulling off one big job, he would have money. Staying by the little girl's side was a constraint on the manifestation of his financial wisdom.

"I'll take a step back, eighty thousand Beli."

"This isn't about the amount of money!" Kujaku reached into the neckline of her tube-top dress, pulled out her pink seagull wallet, and fanned it open, revealing a thick stack of ten-thousand-denomination bills inside.

Conrad's material desires had always been low; mere Beli could only hold his gaze for three seconds before he could pull his attention away with a slight effort.

Kujaku crossed her arms, shook the wallet with her right hand, and continued, "As long as you don't leave my sight, you'll have plenty to eat and drink. Consider it my treat; you don't have to pay me back."

Conrad sighed and looked at his two roommates.

Drake was even poorer than him. Bling Bling had only saved a bit of money from his hard work as a marine, and with the high cost of living in Marineford, he had almost nothing left.

In the end, did he have to submit... He was so unwilling!

"Yo! I didn't expect you to be this broke!" Prince walked over with his hands in his pockets, looking on as if it were a joke.

Kujaku's brow furrowed instantly, and she smirked, "What does it matter to you if he's broke or not? How interesting, you flower from a greenhouse."

Prince hated it when people said that about him, but facing a young girl, he couldn't bring himself to argue.

Just then, the warship docked, and he sullenly climbed the gangway.

Conrad silently pulled a notebook from his trench coat pocket and picked up a pen to start writing.

"Marine Calendar 1511, December 10th, Marineford Port One. A tiger fallen in the plains is bullied by dogs. A poor purse leaves you unable to retort! Conrad! You must make big money! Pull off a few big jobs!"

Kujaku leaned over curiously, her pale pink lips curling against her wheat-colored skin under her blonde hair as she asked, "What are you writing? Why can't I understand a single word?"

"Read more books." Conrad closed the notebook, "Get on the ship."

The warship sailed out of the Gate of Justice, heading toward the West Blue.

On the deck, Conrad pulled the ropes to hoist the sails, his hands covered in sticky black grease before long.

As a crew member, he felt apologetic; he was currently clueless about the work of sailing a warship.

But his enthusiasm had always been boundless. If he didn't know, he would learn. He watched everyone else work, and within a few days, he had grasped the gist of what needed to be done.

After all, it was just repetitive, mechanical labor that didn't require much technical skill; with his intelligence, he had it under control.

On the second day of the voyage, Aokiji gathered the crew to do something unexpected—teaching the Navy Six Powers in advance.

This was a set of skills that could be called common, yet it was absolutely not "everywhere," because even within the Navy, few people could master them all.

Aokiji, having been a student at the Zephyr Training Camp and later a direct disciple of the Navy hero Garp, was naturally one of those who had mastered them.

The Six Powers were: Tekkai, Geppo, Soru, Kami-e, Rankyaku, and Shigan.

Tekkai involved increasing one's hardness by forcing blood flow to engorge the muscles, making the body as tough as iron; Rosinante had previously relied on this move to withstand a few of Vergo's Armament Haki-infused punches.

Geppo was the ability to step on the air.

The latter four were techniques for movement and offense.

With two hundred marines on board, Aokiji divided them into six classes for elective instruction, as most people's talent would likely only allow them to master one or two, or perhaps none at all.

Kujaku had actually learned "Kami-e" from her grandmother a long time ago, allowing her body to become as thin as paper so she could naturally dodge away with the airflow when an enemy's attack approached.

Therefore, the second technique she learned was Geppo; for her, agility was paramount.

Drake chose "Shigan," which, as the name implied, allowed the fingers to fire like bullets; combined with his Allosaurus claws, the lethality was explosive.

Bling Bling chose the simple Tekkai, as he had no clue about the others and couldn't understand them; even Tekkai was difficult for him to control smoothly.

As for Conrad, he was learning all six.

Aokiji taught two types a day, completing a cycle every three days. The voyage to the West Blue took a week, so he taught two full cycles in total.

Today was the final day, and the warship was about to arrive at the Ilusia Kingdom, the first stop of this trip.

Aokiji really didn't want to come to the West Blue, as it was the turning point of his life, and bad memories were born here.

He had once followed a Buster Call to wipe out an island of knowledge called Ohara, where he had personally frozen a friend and let a girl go, blurring his own sense of justice.

Stopping his melancholy gaze at the sea, Aokiji finished his signature blend of coffee, carried a bottle of Tio Pepe sherry, and stepped onto the deck.

"Stop what you're doing and come over here."

His voice, amplified by Haki, echoed throughout the entire warship.

The marines quickly gathered. The man before them might have been their superior, but after a week of free instruction, he was effectively half a master to them.

"I am teaching you only to ensure this mission goes smoothly; there is no need for you to harbor any personal feelings toward me. This is strictly a standard superior-subordinate relationship."

For the first time, Aokiji draped a Vice Admiral's coat over his undershirt. "Those who have successfully used Tekkai, step forward."

Nearly twenty people stepped out; this technique had the highest number of practitioners, and Conrad was naturally among them.

Aokiji took a swig of wine. "Demonstrate it."

Being elites, they already possessed a foundation. While they couldn't claim mastery, they were at least capable of mimicking the form, regardless of the intensity.

Aokiji nodded and said curtly, "Kami-e."

Given the short amount of time, only ten people remained, with Kujaku and Conrad naturally among them.

Aokiji extended his hand, turning it into ice, and fired off ice shards. The group swayed and dodged like willow catkins in the wind.

Aokiji continued to call out the remaining four techniques—two for offense and two for mobility. The difficulty spiked sharply; they were impossible to master without long-term training.

Only Drake and Conrad could perform Shigan.

As for Geppo, it was Conrad alone.

Once the questioning on the Six Powers concluded and everyone had returned to their positions, Aokiji frowned. He squinted as if intoxicated, scanning the crowd, and discovered a problem.

Every marine present had also noticed this issue.

Everyone was staring at Conrad, who was treading air five meters above the deck, his feet emitting bursts of air as if he were dancing.

The shock in their eyes could not be hidden.

The Six Powers—Conrad had actually mastered them all!

Aokiji pondered for a moment, then his brow relaxed as he said, "You've learned these before, haven't you?"

"No." Conrad shook his head and landed on the deck. He could only manage six steps with Geppo for now; his Haki wasn't sufficient yet.

Facing the silent, incredulous gazes of the crowd, he spread his hands.

"To say something a bit arrogant, yet truthful: it's a bit simple. I just practiced a little and picked it up."