After Luo Ya had finally fully absorbed the sword intent Scorching Cloud had imparted, he had also made decent progress in Dragon Claw Fist. By then, he had been training on Oswaldo Island for three months.
That day, Luo Ya rarely stepped out of the training ground, much to Vitt's surprise.
"Vitt, I'm planning to head for the next island tomorrow, so I'm taking the day off. Let's throw a party and have some fun before I go."
"No problem, Lord Luo Ya." Vitt gave him a knowing grin.
"Ahem, don't make it an all-girls party. Just a normal get-together with some drinks." Luo Ya hurriedly coughed and explained, afraid Vitt would get the wrong idea.
That night.
The dining hall of Oswaldo Island's biggest restaurant was packed with people. They were all Vitt's trusted men and underlings.
Luo Ya sat in the middle, with the pink-haired twins from last time on either side of him. They wore fitted white dresses, their ample chests threatening to spill out.
Vitt sat on the right side of the table, with an unfamiliar blonde woman in his arms.
"Come on, boys! Let's get this party started!" At Vitt's words, a crowd of men immediately erupted in cheers.
"To Lord Luo Ya!" Everyone raised their glasses in unison.
Luo Ya picked up the wooden cup in front of him. "Cheers!" Clink! Glasses clashed all around the room.
After Vitt had forced who knew how many beers on him, everyone except Luo Ya had finally passed out.
"My drinking capacity's improving way too fast! Hahaha!" Luo Ya laughed, putting an arm around the twins as he headed for his room.
Behind him, a bunch of men lay sprawled across the floor.
Truthfully, Luo Ya wasn't a bad drinker. He just couldn't compare to an old hand like Maynard, who had spent years sailing the seas.
Then came the two thousand words of omitted aerobic exercise. Why were there an extra thousand words? Ten thousand for each person!
Luo Ya groggily crawled out from between four mountains, took a shower, and headed for the port.
Once aboard the Black Pearl, Luo Ya saw that the lowest deck was packed to the brim with food and liquor.
The training equipment on the third deck had also been replaced with heavier, better-quality gear.
He couldn't help admiring how thoughtful Vitt was. No wonder he could manage an entire island despite being so weak.
PS Vitt: I'm only weak compared to monsters like you!
Taking out the fully updated Log Pose, Luo Ya set his course, filled the Black Pearl with energy, and headed for the next island.
According to Vitt, the voyage to the next island would take at least a month.
Luo Ya kept busy during that time. Dragon had certainly earned his reputation as a young Admiral candidate.
After defecting from the Marines, it hadn't taken him long to gather a crew.
The Dragon Claw Fist manual was exceptionally detailed and included plenty of other knowledge about martial arts.
Every day, aside from practicing martial arts and Dragon Claw Fist according to the manual, Luo Ya spent his time meditating with Ryujin Jakka in hand.
According to Maynard, a swordsman's true strength only showed once he reached the third stage.
Otherwise, why would their defense and endurance be inferior to martial arts experts, and their flexibility and range of attacks fall short of Devil Fruit Users?
Why were there still so many Great Swordsmen among the top fighters? It was because of sword intent.
Swordsmen with sword intent might be inferior to others in every other respect, but their tremendous offensive power was beyond anyone else's reach.
Fights involving swordsmen at this level usually ended quickly. Either a few strikes landed and killed the opponent,
or they missed and got killed themselves. A swordsman's attacks could even surpass the damage inflicted by a Logia Devil Fruit User of the same level.
Of course, they were nowhere near as effective at dealing with crowds. The stronger a swordsman's sword intent, the stronger the swordsman.
The way to strengthen sword intent was through meditation. Luo Ya didn't know how other people meditated.
The method Maynard had taught him focused more on clearing his mind and concentrating on the blade in his hand. It was similar to listening to the breath of all things, except he listened only to the sword he held.
According to Maynard, this was how orthodox swordsmen meditated. Since Luo Ya had already learned to sense the breath of steel, meditation came much more easily to him.
Luo Ya's chosen method of meditation was to burn Kikuichimonji and Odenta Mitsuyo in Soul Space. As the two Black Blades dissolved, the sword intent and Armament Haki stored within them continually strengthened Luo Ya.
Time passed. People always said the Grand Line's weather was unpredictable, but Luo Ya had rarely encountered anything unusual. At worst, it rained, which didn't affect him at all.
The Sea Kings, too, seemed to have lost all interest in him. Luo Ya began to wonder if he'd awakened some kind of kingly aura.
In truth, the Grand Line's seven routes had all been explored for years. Sea Kings with any sense knew better than to attack people traveling along them.
What? You're asking about the ones without any sense? They'd all been wiped out ages ago.
After an uneventful journey, he finally spotted an island ahead. Excited, Luo Ya activated the Black Pearl's Jet Propeller and raced toward the island's dock at top speed.
The Jet Propeller didn't disappoint on its first use, sending the ship hurtling toward the island at incredible speed.
If Luo Ya had been even a little slower to cut the power, the Black Pearl would have been smashed to pieces.
After mooring and locking up the Black Pearl, Luo Ya carried a box of Beli ashore.