New Beginnings

Gato's recovery ability was no joke. With Crocus's superb medical skills, his injuries had healed seven or eight tenths in just two days.

He tightened the bandages around his waist and felt that he could move normally again.

"How about it, old man? Send me out."

"Sigh, you just barely got your life back, and now you're in such a hurry to throw it away again?"

Gato's eyelids twitched wildly, and the muscles in his face nearly cramped. Everything about this old man was fine except that his so-called sense of humor could really make someone furious sometimes.

However, after spending so much time together, he had gotten somewhat used to it. He quickly calmed himself down and retaliated.

"I definitely won't die... Forget that. Old man, do you have any unfulfilled wishes?"

"Why are you talking as if I'm about to die... I really do have one wish. As a doctor, all I want now is to completely cure Laboon. Can you do that?"

"I knew it'd be this. Fine, it'll be easy!"

Over the past two days, Gato had also heard Crocus's story about Laboon, awakening some old memories. This matter really would not be difficult for him.

Brook, lost within the Florian Triangle, was Laboon's miracle cure.

Gato was also considering whether he should invite Brook aboard. Brook was an artist, after all. If he told him about Laboon, he would definitely follow him.

After thinking it over, he dismissed the idea. He should find the man first; it was still too early to think about such things.

This time, Crocus did not tease Gato. Perhaps because Gato had spoken so casually, as though he really was confident, Crocus could not help but believe him somewhat.

Seeing the blue sky and white clouds again, Gato felt overjoyed. There was open space inside Laboon's stomach too, but it was only painted by Crocus. Looking at it for too long still felt oppressive.

It looked as though Gato had returned to having nothing at all, as if all his hard work in the East Blue had been for nothing. In truth, though, all he had lost was some Beli.

When he left, Crocus not only returned Bright Light and the Treasure Tree Adam to him, but also gave him several chunks of metal—the very pieces he had thrown down from the sky.

Crocus said that Laboon had suddenly been struck by those things a few days ago and gone mad from the pain. Without caring about anything else, Laboon had swallowed the things that attacked it, and Crocus later found them.

After hearing that, Gato felt a little guilty. He did not say that the iron chunks were his, instead happily accepting Crocus's "gift."

His pirate flag was still lost on that deserted island. Gato had to retrieve it before setting out. A pirate flag was the face of a pirate crew and could not be casually abandoned.

Running on the water was much faster than swimming. He quickly reached the deserted island and found the neatly folded pirate flag beneath a rock.

Unfolding it, Gato could not help but smile.

"Great, everything's still here. We can continue sailing soon."

After the Great Pirate Era began, countless pirate ships successfully entered the Grand Line through Reverse Mountain every year. As long as Gato waited here, he would eventually find a ship.

After waiting for less than half a day, Gato saw a completely intact ship rush down from Reverse Mountain.

"Gah hahahaha, isn't this perfect?"

Gato eagerly ran over and jumped aboard the lucky pirate ship.

These pirates had just experienced a roller coaster ride and had yet to recover from the thrill when they suddenly discovered an uninvited guest aboard their ship.

Gato looked around and silently assessed it.

"It's still not as good as my previous ship. Oh well, it'll do."

The pirates immediately flew into a rage. There was only so much one could tolerate. It was bad enough that he had boarded their ship uninvited—he was even looking down on them. They had never seen anyone so arrogant.

"Beat him senseless and throw him off the ship!"

The pirate captain gave the order.

"Got it!"

A group of pirates surged forward, lunging at Gato with vicious grins.

Gato raised an eyebrow. They had not ordered his death. It seemed these pirates were more like adventurers such as Luffy than brutal slaughterers.

Since that was the case, he decided to spare their lives. His battle with Garp—even though he had only intercepted several cannonballs Garp had thrown from afar—had given him a deeper understanding of the power he possessed at his current level.

He felt that further training could bring another breakthrough, so he needed a group of people to serve him. At first, the prey he caught himself had been enough for his daily training, but now that the Lightning Living Body Technique consumed more energy, it was no longer sufficient.

With a swish, Bright Light left its sheath. Gato pointed the back of the blade at them, slightly exerted force with his legs, and vanished from where he stood.

A string of pained cries rose and fell from the crowd. Some pirates were even sent flying by Gato, crashing heavily onto the deck and losing consciousness.

Buzz!

Before the captain could react, a tearing sound cut into his ears.

To his horror, Gato had already placed his blade against his neck, while the other pirates had long since been completely defeated.

"Damn it! What did you do to my companions?!"

Seeing his companions lying unconscious, he ignored the blade at his neck and wanted to fight Gato to the death. However, Gato merely pressed the blade a little harder against his neck, and the stabbing pain made him understand the cruelty of reality.

If they fought to the death, he would be the only one dying.

"Hey, calm down, man. They're fine. I just knocked them out. Now I'm requisitioning your ship. Arrange a room for me. You don't have any objections, right?"

The captain really wanted to complain. So he only wanted to hitch a ride? Then why had things ended up like this?

Did he have any choice besides agreeing? They had no ability to resist at all.

He fell silent for a moment, then said in a somewhat subdued voice:

"Fine, have it your way. Are there all... monsters like you on the Grand Line?"

Gato grinned. "Of course not. You're just unlucky."

And so, Gato happily boarded a ship with a favorable wind, gained a group of temporary "subordinates," and entered a period of peaceful training.

He had not actually intended to hit them that hard just now, but after using Lightning Enhancement, uncontrollable currents had begun spilling from his body and electrocuted the group unconscious.

When he had used this technique before, electricity had flickered around his body as well, but it had never produced such an effect. Only when Bright Light pierced into an opponent's body could it inflict enough electrical damage.

Once the leaking currents could barely form a layer of armor around his body, the training of Roaring Thunder Armor would be considered complete.

Moreover, when he used Lightning Enhancement now, the improvement to his physical abilities no longer felt as noticeable as before. This showed that his body was gradually adapting to the stimulation of lightning-nature chakra, which was also a sign that Roaring Thunder Armor was close to completion.