Conrad would never have made Baby 5 go out and work. He'd been arrogant from the day he was born. Even when his horizons were practically nonexistent, he'd dared to boast that with enough determination, he could get rich hauling bricks and eat lavish meals every day.
But right now, he couldn't go out and work, so borrowing was the only way he could keep himself afloat.
"I'll definitely pay you back, Kujaku. Lend me another hundred thousand! Just a hundred thousand Beli!"
At Port One, Conrad had a long black-silk-wrapped rifle strapped to his back. He raised his head humbly for the sake of money, holding out his hand in front of Kujaku and shaking it in indignation.
"No! You're all staying with me. I'll cover your food, drinks, and expenses!" Kujaku shook her head firmly, then said with narrowed eyes and a frown, "You're not allowed to leave me!"
How could Conrad possibly be willing to become her sidekick? He had a head for business.
All he needed was a little startup capital, then he could pull off one big deal and make a fortune. Staying by the little girl's side would only hold back his financial, emotional, and intellectual potential.
"I'll compromise. Eighty thousand Beli."
"This isn't about how much money you need!" Kujaku pulled her pink seagull-shaped wallet from the neckline of her strapless dress and opened it, revealing a thick stack of ten-thousand-Beli bills.
Conrad's material desires had always been modest. A mere handful of Beli could hold his gaze for only three seconds before he managed to tear it away.
Kujaku hugged her chest with her left arm and waved the wallet with her right as she continued, "As long as you stay where I can see you, you can eat and drink as much as you want. It'll all be my treat. You don't have to pay me back."
Conrad sighed and looked at his two roommates.
Drake was even poorer than he was. Bling Bling had worked hard as a Marine and saved up a little, but prices in Marineford were high, and most of his money had already been spent.
So in the end, he had to give in after all? He couldn't accept it!
"Hey! I didn't know you were this poor!" Prince walked over with his hands in his pockets, looking as though he'd come to enjoy the show.
Kujaku's expression shifted at once. With a mischievous grin, she said, "What does his being poor have to do with you? You're quite the hothouse flower, aren't you?"
Prince hated being called that, but he couldn't bring himself to argue with a little girl.
Just then, a warship pulled into port. He boarded it up the gangplank, looking disgruntled.
Conrad silently pulled a notebook from the inner pocket of his trench coat and began to write.
"Marine Calendar 1511, December 10. Port One, Marineford. A tiger fallen to the plains is bullied by dogs. Poverty has left you unable to retort! Conrad! You have to get rich! Pull off a few big deals!"
Kujaku leaned over curiously. Beneath her golden hair, her wheat-colored skin and pale pink lips stood out as she asked, "What are you writing? I can't understand a single word."
"Read more books." Conrad shut the notebook. "Get on board."
The warship sailed through the Gate of Justice and headed for West Blue.
On deck, Conrad hauled on the ropes to raise the sails. Before long, his hands were covered in sticky black grease.
As a crewman, he was sorry to say he knew absolutely nothing about operating a warship.
But he'd always been enthusiastic. If he didn't know how to do something, he learned. He watched everyone at work, and in just a few days, he'd picked up nearly everything he needed to know.
After all, the work was repetitive and mechanical, with little technical skill involved. With his intelligence, it was a piece of cake.
On the second day of the warship's voyage, Aokiji gathered the crew and did something unexpected—he taught them the Six Powers ahead of schedule.
It was a set of skills that could be called common, but certainly wasn't widespread. Even in the Navy, few people could master all six.
Aokiji had first been a student at the Zephyr Training Camp and was later a direct disciple of Garp the Hero. Naturally, he was one of those who had mastered them.
The Six Powers were Tekkai, Geppo, Soru, Kami-e, Rankyaku, and Shigan.
Tekkai worked by controlling blood flow to harden the body, making it as tough as iron. Rosinante had used this technique to withstand several of Vergo's Armament Haki punches.
Geppo was the art of stepping on air.
The remaining four were movement and attack techniques.
Aokiji divided the two hundred Marines aboard into six groups, letting each choose what to learn. Most people might only master one or two techniques in their entire lives, or fail to grasp even the basics.
Kujaku had actually learned Kami-e from her grandmother long ago. It made the body as light and thin as paper, allowing it to move naturally with the air currents and dodge incoming attacks.
So the second technique she chose was Geppo. To her, agility mattered most.
Drake chose Shigan. As the name suggested, it let him fire his fingers like bullets. Paired with his Allosaurus claws, it gave him explosive power.
Bling Bling chose the straightforward Tekkai, since the others made no sense to him. He couldn't understand them, and even controlling Tekkai was difficult.
As for Conrad, he was learning all six.
Aokiji taught two techniques a day, completing one round every three days. The voyage to West Blue would take a week, so he taught two full rounds in total.
Today was the final day. The warship was about to reach the Ilusia Kingdom, the first stop on their journey.
Aokiji had never wanted to come to West Blue. It was where his life had turned, and where his painful memories had begun.
He had once joined the Buster Call that destroyed Ohara, the island of knowledge. There, he had personally frozen a friend, let a girl escape, and lost his way when it came to justice.
He stopped gazing wistfully out at the sea, finished the coffee made from his own special recipe, picked up a bottle of Tio Pepe Pear Wine, and went up on deck.
"Everyone, stop what you're doing and gather around."
His voice, carried by Haki, rang throughout the entire warship.
The Marines quickly assembled. The man before them was their superior, but after a week of teaching them for free, he was practically a mentor as well.
"I taught you only to ensure this operation goes smoothly. You don't need to feel any attachment to me. We're simply in a normal superior-subordinate relationship."
For the first time, Aokiji wore a Vice Admiral's coat over his undershirt. "Anyone who's managed to use Tekkai, step forward."
Nearly twenty people came forward. It was the technique the most people had learned, and Conrad was among them, of course.
Aokiji took a swig of wine. "Demonstrate it."
They were elite Marines with a foundation already in place. They might not be proficient, but they could still manage one basic demonstration, whatever the strength of their technique.
Aokiji nodded, then briefly said, "Kami-e."
Since they'd had so little time, only ten people stepped forward. Kujaku and Conrad were among them, naturally.
Aokiji extended his hand, turning it to ice, and sent ice shards flying. The Marines swayed left and right like willow branches in the wind.
Aokiji called out the remaining four techniques. Two were offensive, and two were for movement. Their difficulty had increased sharply, and mastering them required years of training.
Only Drake and Conrad had learned Shigan.
And Conrad was the only one who had learned Geppo.
Once Aokiji had finished calling out all six techniques, the Marines stepped back into formation. He furrowed his brow and peered at them through half-lidded, drunken-looking eyes, realizing there was a problem.
Every Marine present had noticed it too.
They were all staring at Conrad, who was stepping in place five meters above the deck, his feet puffing out air as though he were dancing.
They couldn't hide the shock in their eyes.
Conrad had stepped forward for all six of the Navy's Six Powers!
After a moment's thought, Aokiji relaxed his brow and asked, "Had you learned them before?"
"No." Conrad shook his head and landed on the deck. At the moment, he could only jump six times with Geppo before running out of Haki.
He spread his hands as everyone stared at him in stunned disbelief.
"To put it a little arrogantly—but it's the truth—it's kind of easy. I just practiced a little, and I got the hang of it."
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