Old Man, I'll Coin You Sooner or Later

"What are you doing!?"

"Shut up!"

Without paying attention to Rocks, whom he had knocked down with a single slap, Magnus stared intently at the panel before him.

[Ding~ Congratulations on defeating the Overlord of the Seas, Rocks D. Xebec!]

[You have achieved an impossible feat.]

[You have awakened Observation Haki, you have mastered the Marine Six Powers, and all the injuries you sustained in this battle will be fully restored.]

[Your cellular activity has increased.]

Things like Observation Haki and the Marine Six Powers, which he had mastered long ago, were not worth Magnus's attention.

His eyes were fixed on the last two lines of text.

Injury Recovery!

Cellular Activity Increase!

Injury recovery was easy to understand, but Magnus hadn't sustained any injuries in this battle. Yet, as the text appeared on the system panel, Magnus felt his body lighten.

"This is..."

Under Rocks' astonished gaze, Magnus casually picked up the short sword that had fallen from his hand.

Then.

"Nation Splitter!"

The technique learned from the Land of Giants, which had become difficult to use due to his old age.

But as the short sword in Magnus's hand fell.

The sea before him, at this moment.

Split in two!

Meeting Rocks' astonished gaze, Magnus smiled again.

He laughed more unrestrainedly than ever before.

"Pfft, pfft hahahahahahaha————"

He understood. The so-called injury recovery not only restored his current injuries but also healed all his old, hidden wounds.

After all, he was a pirate!

Living on the edge of a knife, with his life hanging by a thread, no matter how severe the injury, he could only grit his teeth and endure while drifting at sea.

This was why, despite both being old men.

Garp, a Marine, was in robust health, while Whitebeard, a pirate, was riddled with tubes.

It was because Whitebeard had too many hidden injuries.

Just like Magnus, without the system, in a few more years, his condition might not have been much better than Whitebeard's in the future.

But now, it was different.

All the hidden injuries on his body were healed!

Although his condition had inevitably declined compared to his prime due to old age, he could still exert about eighty percent of his strength.

He had almost been unable to use Haki before.

As for the increase in cellular activity...

Since he wasn't a doctor and couldn't draw blood for tests, Magnus didn't know what changes he had undergone for now.

But it would be great if he could live a few more years.

After all, who wouldn't want to live longer?

In a better mood, Magnus's gaze towards Rocks became more pleasant. He tossed the short sword back to Rocks and, looking at the stunned youth still reeling from the earlier commotion, Magnus asked with a smile:

"Want to learn?"

Rocks instinctively nodded.

"Then what should you call me?"

"C-Captain?"

"That's right."

Magnus stood up, looking at the sea surface that had been cut by him and was now slowly recovering. He looked at the system panel before him, his gaze deep.

'What a shame.'

Magnus felt regret in his heart.

If the system had arrived ten or twenty years earlier, when his combat power was still at its peak, he might have been able to use the system to achieve something.

But now, it was too late.

The system, upon its appearance, healed my long-standing hidden injuries, but the prerequisite for obtaining these rewards was defeating the overlord of the seas, Rocks D. Xebec.

Even though Rocks was still just a kid.

But from this, one could also see how harsh the conditions were for obtaining system rewards.

How many overlords of the seas are there in the entire pirate world?

Not to mention that Rocks is not even twenty years old yet. The future Four Emperors Big Mom and Kaido probably wouldn't even cast a shadow.

Oh, Pirate King Roger is someone to look forward to.

Pirate King Roger and Rocks are from the same era, but Roger is younger. It's unknown if he's even set sail yet.

But it's impossible that he'd have the strength of a Pirate King as soon as he set sail, right?

There's also Whitebeard and Golden Lion.

Come to think of it, if the loophole in his mind's system continues to exist.

Then he still has quite a few opportunities to gain rewards.

However, the pirate world is so vast, whether he can meet them is another matter entirely.

What if he meets them in the future, and he's already too old to even lift a sword.

Magnus felt a bit regretful.

He wasn't afraid of encountering the overlords of the seas at their peak.

He just regretted that he couldn't have been born in the same era as them.

But, in the end, there's still a chance!

The regret in Magnus's eyes disappeared, and his gaze became sharp again.

If the system hadn't appeared, it would be one thing.

But since the system had come and healed his hidden injuries, increasing his cellular activity, he would crawl out of his coffin to struggle!

This was why Magnus eventually took in Rocks.

Knowing the future achievements Rocks would have, how could Magnus not know what a hot potato Rocks was?

One wrong move, and it's a backstab!

This was all too common in the world of pirates.

Yet, Rocks could grow to that extent. With Rocks grown, even Magnus at his peak had no confidence.

But Magnus still took him in.

"If I don't even dare to take in a kid who hasn't grown yet, how can I possibly make a comeback?"

Magnus had no intention of recalling the crew members he had previously disbanded.

Many of them were no longer young and were not suited for this precarious life. Even if Magnus no longer had hidden injuries, he would still have to run if he encountered those Marine Admirals.

Anyway, the money that should have been distributed had been distributed, enough for them to live the rest of their lives in peace.

He decided to train Rocks!

The sudden gaze made Rocks, who was about to get up from the ground, flinch.

He was afraid of being hit by Magnus again.

A casual slap had almost rendered him incapable of fighting.

Rocks had no intention of resisting at all.

"Hmph, you old geezer, once I learn everything you teach me and get stronger, I'll hit you back twice as hard for every hit you land on me now!"

Rocks was coveting this large ship beneath his feet. Otherwise, why would he have snuck onto the ship? Did he really think he wanted to be a crew member for someone?

His initial plan was to steal the ship!

Getting up from the ground, Rocks's heart became fiery as he thought about the move Magnus would teach him to split the sea.

He had never seen such powerful strength.

If he possessed such power, where in this vast world could he not go?

Wait a minute.

Rocks suddenly narrowed his eyes.

"Old man..."

"What did you call me?"

"Cap... Captain!"

His head was hit again, and Rocks forced a smile onto his face.

He pointed to the distance.

"Look, isn't that a ship?"

A ship?

Magnus looked up.

As expected, a sailboat was approaching not far from them.

Magnus immediately spotted the flag on the ship.

A pirate flag?

A playful smile instantly spread across Magnus's face.