Meeting the King

It was early morning, and the sky had yet to brighten.

Bartholomew Kuma, Ginny, and Shanks appeared at the island's training ground right on time.

Jin An glanced at the three of them with some amusement. Though none of them had eaten breakfast and they were all listless after just waking up, they at least had the right attitude toward training.

Shanks especially seemed unused to getting up early. He looked like an eggplant wilted by frost, utterly limp.

Jin An had risen earlier than all three of them. After running several laps around the island and preparing breakfast, he finally arrived at the training ground.

He knew none of them had the habit of eating breakfast, but they would definitely be hungry after training, so he had prepared a serving for each of them anyway.

When the three saw Jin An approaching, they were all excited. Each of them had their own reasons for wanting to grow stronger. Back when Jin An had refused to teach them, they had even considered secretly learning from him. Now that they had the chance to learn openly, they were thrilled beyond words.

A hint of a smile appeared in Jin An's eyes. Without further ado, he walked straight up to the three of them.

"You've all heard of the Navy's Six Powers, right?"

The three nodded together. The Six Powers were techniques passed down within the Navy, allowing ordinary people to contend with typical Devil Fruit users after training.

However, these techniques were highly dependent on talent. Some people could learn them after being taught once, while others needed long periods of practice.

"Big brother, are you going to teach us the Six Powers?" Shanks asked.

Jin An nodded first, then shook his head. "I'll teach you the Six Powers later. Right now, your bodies aren't ready for the conditions required to train in them."

"Do you know the daily training routine of Marine Headquarters soldiers?"

Ginny and the others exchanged looks, then slowly shook their heads.

"Two thousand push-ups, one hundred round trips up a rope, two hundred laps of long-distance running, followed by combat training." Jin An delivered the most terrifying words in the calmest tone.

Even Bartholomew Kuma, who had the strongest body among them, unconsciously swallowed at those training items.

"I know your bodies can't handle that kind of training yet, so every morning, train according to your own condition and do exercises suited to yourselves."

"I left breakfast here for you. Eat it once you're done training."

"What about you, big brother?"

Shanks was a little curious. Their training assignments had all been arranged, so what was Jin An going to do?

Jin An grinned. "Those exercises don't do much for me anymore. I'll just watch you train."

"Don't mind me. Just pretend I'm not here."

"Don't you need to go to work?" Ginny asked the question all three of them cared about most.

Jin An replied righteously, "I'm the biggest authority in the entire South Blue. Who can make me go to work?"

Ginny and the other two were momentarily speechless. Being high-ranking really was something else...

"Alright, start training. I'll cheer you on from the side."

"..."

Shanks discovered that this training was rather different from what he had imagined.

He had thought Jin An would give each of them a wooden sword and teach them hand in hand. Since childhood, he had wanted to become a great swordsman, imagining himself someday wielding a sword and coming and going like the wind.

He had not expected reality to slap him in the face. The training was actually so dull and repetitive.

"Keep breathing. Don't lose your rhythm." Jin An would remind them at the right moments from the side.

He was still very strict during training. He firmly believed that every drop of sweat spared in training would become blood spilled in battle.

After mastering their breathing rhythms, the three felt the pressure ease somewhat, and their training gradually fell into place.

"..."

Just as Jin An was becoming absorbed in watching them.

"Colonel Jin An, the king requests your presence. Please come with us." A soldier clad in heavy armor spoke in a cold, stiff voice.

"You kingdom guards are getting worse and worse in terms of manners." Jin An shook his head. "You won't even show your face. Is that how you invite someone?"

The armored man continued, "Does Colonel Jin An mean that he does not intend to come with me?"

"I never said that. Don't falsely accuse me. I happen to have nothing to do right now, so I'll go with you."

Jin An smiled as he patted the armor. It looked rather imposing, he had to admit.

He had visited the royal palace several times before, all at the old king's invitation.

Although entering the palace was as easy as eating or drinking given his identity and status, he was not so idle that he would drop by whenever he had nothing to do.

Before the armored man could move, Jin An headed toward the palace first.

"Didn't you eat? Why are you walking so slowly..." Jin An complained about the armored man following behind him. He had deliberately slowed down, yet the man was still so slow.

You think I don't want to walk faster? This armor is really heavy...

He was even having trouble breathing and truly did not want to pay Jin An any attention...

Before long, Jin An stood at the entrance to the royal palace.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, Jin An has arrived."

Bekori had been resting with his eyes half-closed. Upon hearing the report, he slowly opened them.

"Let him in."

Escorted by the guards, Jin An entered the palace.

Being summoned by the king was within Jin An's expectations. He had thought the king would wait a few more days, but he had not expected him to be so impatient.

Did he have something to discuss, or was he plotting something else...

Seeing King Bekori reclining in a rocking chair, Jin An revealed a faint smile, as though he were meeting an old friend.

"Your Majesty, what did you summon me for?"

"Sigh... Isn't it because we haven't seen each other in so long? You've been busy catching pirates all this time. It truly hasn't been easy for these old bones of mine to see you even once."

Jin An shook his head. "I don't like hearing that, Your Majesty. I'm only doing it to maintain peace and stability."

"Look, didn't I come right away the moment you summoned me? I even put aside other matters just to see you."

Bekori glanced at Jin An, who was standing not too far away. "That mouth of yours is still as eloquent as ever."

He suddenly raised a hand and said to the attendant beside him, "Help me up for a walk. These old bones of mine are becoming more and more useless."

He glanced at Jin An. "Come walk with me as well."

Jin An had no objection. He lifted his feet lightly and followed behind the old king.

From Jin An's perception, the king was perfectly healthy and did not need anyone to support him at all. Was he doing this to make Jin An lower his guard?

Unfortunately, whether the king was truly ill or merely pretending, it made no difference to Jin An.

"If you called me here for something, just say it."

Bekori frowned slightly, clearly dissatisfied with Jin An's reaction. He was the king, and every year he offered enormous amounts of Celestial Tribute to the World Nobles.

It was one thing for a Marine to act so brazenly before the king, but now Jin An did not even show the most basic respect.

Yet when he thought of Jin An's terrifying strength, he still chose to endure it.

"It's nothing. I merely wanted to catch up."

Jin An smiled disdainfully. Not even a three-year-old would believe that.

"I heard you've already been promoted to colonel. Let me congratulate you first." Bekori suppressed his discomfort and offered insincere congratulations.

Jin An gave a simple response. "Thank you."

"I heard that the residence of every South Blue governor has been on Stewart Island. When do you plan to leave for it?"

The old fox had finally run out of patience.

"I told Vice Admiral Karp that I won't be going there for the time being. Moving back and forth is too troublesome, after all."

"I still like it here. The people here are good-looking, and they speak pleasantly too."

Jin An made his meaning perfectly clear. That old king was ugly, yet he dreamed beautifully.

The factories he had built here were not something he could simply relocate. The manpower and funds required would be immense.

Besides, he was now the head of the South Blue Marines. Wherever he was, that was headquarters!