While Kuro secretly plotted his mad scheme.
Granny Siya's merchant ship sailed for another two days before reaching the destination of this journey—
Foosha Village.
A small village like a paradise secluded from the world.
Though it was territory of the Kingdom of Goa, it was basically cut off from the kingdom, far from all the messy politics and nobles. The villagers lived peaceful, happy lives.
Foosha Village Harbor.
Lynn helped Granny Siya off the ship, then carried part of the cargo from the hold to the harbor.
While they rested, a group of villagers who had volunteered to help carry the liquor came from the village.
Walking at the front was a young woman with dark green hair and a headscarf.
"Good morning, Makino!"
Granny Siya smiled as she greeted the young woman, then introduced her to Lynn. "She's the buyer for this batch of liquor, as well as the owner of Foosha Village's bar, Makino."
Of course, Lynn knew her.
This young woman had run a bar in Foosha Village since she was little.
In the future, when Shanks stayed in Foosha Village, he often drank at Makino's bar. Luffy had also eaten the Devil Fruit in her bar.
Later, when Luffy, Ace, and Sabo lived together with the mountain bandit Dadan, she was the one who often brought the three brothers new clothes and food, and occasionally taught them some manners.
So in a sense, Makino could be considered the older sister of Luffy, Ace, and Sabo.
At this time, Makino was only around twenty years old, at the height of her youthful and lively years.
She brought Granny Siya hot tea and gave the sailors some chilled beer.
But when Makino prepared to hand Lynn a beer, everyone on the ship desperately stopped her.
They had naturally heard from the residents of Fishermen's Town about the "drunken rampage" incident.
"Makino, do whatever you want, but you absolutely cannot give him alcohol!"
Granny Siya warned, "Absolutely not, not even a single drop!"
Makino was utterly confused, but she could tell from the sailors' and Granny Siya's expressions that this was a very serious matter.
So in the end, Lynn drank hot tea alongside Granny Siya.
After everyone had carried all the crates of liquor into Foosha Village, Granny Siya said goodbye to Makino.
Lynn also waved from the side, but he showed no intention of leaving.
Makino looked at the man before her, who was about her age, looked strong, and seemed a little fierce. She asked curiously,
"Aren't you one of Granny Siya's crewmen?"
Lynn shook his head. "I'm just a traveler who caught a ride on her ship."
"Are you staying in Foosha Village, or are you going to the Kingdom of Goa?" Makino continued.
"I'm staying here to wait for someone." Lynn smiled. "It'd be best if I could find some work too. I don't want to go hungry."
"With Granny Siya's introduction, that won't be a problem!"
Makino thought for a moment, then said, "My bar occasionally needs someone to move goods, and the other villagers sometimes have jobs that need a strong hand."
"Sure." Lynn nodded.
He wanted to train his Haki here.
At the same time, in order to find a teacher knowledgeable in Haki, Lynn was waiting for either Garp or Shanks to arrive.
Based on Lynn's estimation, the one he was most likely to encounter was Shanks.
After all, Garp's whereabouts were unpredictable. He was mainly busy with Marine work, as well as giving Luffy Spartan-style training.
Shanks, on the other hand, had stayed in Foosha Village for a long time.
That red-haired man from the New World, one of the Pirate King's crewmen.
Lynn was looking forward to it.
Even before meeting Luffy, Shanks possessed the immense strength to contend with Hawk Eyes Mihawk, the world's greatest swordsman!
Being able to see Red-Hair before he lost his arm would be incredibly exciting!
And so, with Makino's introduction, Lynn temporarily became a member of Foosha Village.
Although Up Slap—the stubborn-as-hell mayor of Foosha Village who wore a striped hat—was suspicious of Lynn's background, Granny Siya had recommended him. So he could only grumble while welcoming Lynn's arrival.
What an old tsundere.
In the days that followed, Lynn stayed at Makino's bar.
He usually helped Makino move goods and occasionally did jobs for villagers that required strength.
If Lynn's arrival brought any change to Foosha Village, it was that the village held more feasts.
Because of his Devil Fruit ability, Lynn's appetite was dozens of times greater than an ordinary person's. He also felt too embarrassed to eat up Foosha Village's food reserves every day; it reminded him of a certain younger martial brother type from a famous classic.
So every day or two, Lynn went hunting in the deep forest. Those massive, fierce beasts became his main source of food.
Whenever Lynn returned loaded down with prey, Foosha Village held a grand barbecue feast, and the villagers enjoyed the food together.
However, to Lynn's disappointment, he never encountered Ace, who lived with the Dadan Family, or Luffy, who was undergoing Garp's Spartan-style training.
Two weeks had passed since Lynn arrived in Foosha Village.
Deep within the forest next to Foosha Village.
Sunlight streamed through gaps in the leaves and fell upon Lynn.
He half-clenched his fists and stood with one hand forward and one behind, assuming a fighting stance.
His upper body was bare, and countless battle scars covered it!
Standing before Lynn was a Giant Wild Boar, around three meters tall and over ten meters long, its sharp tusks radiating danger.
"Are you the 'king' that keeps attacking travelers in this forest?"
Lynn adjusted his breathing. As he did, the muscles across his body gradually warmed, and a thin layer of sweat appeared over them.
Suddenly, the Giant Wild Boar kicked off with its hind legs and charged at Lynn like a war chariot crushing everything in its path!
Lynn took a deep breath, and the Energy Value within his body began to drain.
Energy Value: 1450/1500.
Fifty points of Energy Value flooded Lynn's body. The muscles all over his body instantly tensed, and he immediately lowered himself and charged forward.
Bang! Bang!
Subdue with Might!
Two incredibly fast heavy punches struck the Giant Wild Boar's head.
Lynn immediately felt both fists go numb.
This monster's skull was simply too hard!
But this also slowed the Giant Wild Boar slightly.
At the instant before he collided head-on with the boar, Lynn spread his arms and grabbed one tusk in each hand.
"King, let's see who's stronger!"
Lynn bared his teeth, hot breath leaking through the gaps between them as a dark golden light flickered viciously beneath his pupils.
Hero Skill: Astonishing!
Four hundred and fifty points of Energy Value were instantly consumed.
The massive energy expenditure raised Lynn's physical abilities to a terrifying level!
Bang!
Gripping the boar's tusks with both hands, Lynn took a step forward.
The ground was crushed into a huge pit beneath Lynn's foot!
Then came a second step, a third step...
Lynn forcibly pushed the Giant Wild Boar backward, its four hooves leaving deep gouges in the ground!
It simply could not understand how this tiny human had such immense strength!
Lynn pushed the boar forward for dozens of meters, then suddenly exerted force through his waist and abdomen, lifting the monster that weighed dozens of tons!
Lynn leaped into the air at the same time and roared,
"Get smashed!"
Boom!
Lynn slammed the Giant Wild Boar straight into the ground. Its eyes rolled back, and all life left it.
After landing, Lynn leaned against the Giant Wild Boar's corpse and panted heavily.
"Phew... phew..."
Still not enough.
Lynn's brow furrowed tightly.
Compared to the intense, high-pressure battles in the arena, Foosha Village was simply too peaceful to improve Lynn's strength.
He constantly fought the monsters in this forest, trying to touch the threshold of Haki as quickly as possible. So he forced himself to consume large amounts of energy in battle to simulate desperate fights. Yet after two weeks, Lynn had gained very little.
What exactly was the essence of Haki?
Lynn sighed helplessly, but when he looked at the Giant Wild Boar beside him, his mood improved again.
There would be pork chops tonight.
After resting for a while, Lynn put on his shirt and dragged the Giant Wild Boar back to Foosha Village.
The villagers immediately knew that there would be another feast tonight!
After handing the Giant Wild Boar over to the village butcher, Lynn returned to Makino's bar and ordered a glass of orange juice with ice.
After taking one gulp, he felt all the fatigue in his body vanish.
Just then, the bar door was pushed open.
Someone walked in and sat down at the counter.
"Ha ha ha ha! Makino, bring this old man a glass of ice-cold beer!"
"Okay!"
Makino's voice came from the direction of the kitchen.
While waiting, the man took a Bounty Poster from the pocket of his Marine uniform.
"BOSS Lynn Barek?"
He turned to look at Lynn beside him and grinned.
"A criminal with a bounty of 100 million berries, who dared declare war on the Celestial Dragons... what are you doing in the East Blue?"
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