The power system of the One Piece World was divided into martial arts, Haki, and Devil Fruits. Devil Fruits were hard to come by and had the fatal weakness of fearing seawater.
Martial arts and Haki were the foundation. Roger, Garp, Shanks—those powerhouses standing at the pinnacle of the ocean were all without exception masters of martial arts and Haki.
Kahn closed his eyes and tried to sense his own body. An infant's meridians were fragile and muscles slack, making it fundamentally impossible to perform any substantive training.
Yet he could breathe.
In his previous life, he had read some theories about breathing techniques. Through a specific breathing rhythm, one could increase lung capacity, promote blood circulation, and even stimulate the body's potential.
Kahn began to adjust his breathing. Inhale, pause, exhale.
At first, this deliberate control made him feel chest tightness and shortness of breath, nearly causing him to suffocate. But he did not give up, constantly adjusting the rhythm to find the frequency best suited for his current body.
Hours later, Kahn finally found a smooth and protracted way of breathing. With every breath, he could feel a faint warm current wandering within his body.
This was perhaps the unique energy of this world or the foundation of Life Return.
The next morning, the storm ceased.
On the deck of the merchant ship, Bogart pulled the brim of his hat down low, watching a ship bearing the flag of the World Government appear on the horizon.
"Vice Admiral, it's a CP search ship." Bogart pushed open the door of the hold and reported to Garp.
Garp sat on a wooden crate, holding a baby bottle in his hand. "Let them scram. Just say this is a secret merchant ship transporting Marine supplies."
A troubled look appeared on Bogart's face. "The other party belongs to CP0, and the one leading is a guy wearing a mask. They're demanding to board and inspect, and their attitude is very tough. If you don't show your face, they're likely to board by force."
Garp stood up and placed the baby bottle on the table. "Old man cannot show his face right now. Once CP0 sees me here, the secret of Roger's child cannot be kept."
"Leave it to me." Bogart pressed the hilt of the sword at his waist and turned to walk onto the deck.
Inside the hold, Kahn heard the conversation between the two. CP0? The highest-level secret intelligence agency of the World Government. If discovered by them, he and Ace would undoubtedly die.
Right at that moment, Ace next to him seemed hungry and opened his mouth, preparing to wail loudly.
Shock gripped Kahn's heart. If a sound were made at this time, it would definitely attract CP0's attention.
An infant's body could not make complex movements, so Kahn could only frantically wave his short arms, roll over, and crawl close to Ace's side.
He covered Ace's mouth with his own small hand.
Ace struggled, making muffled noises.
Kahn concentrated his mind, channeling that tiny bit of faint energy he had just figured out through his palm. He was not quite sure if this would work, but he had to try.
Miraculously, Ace quieted down. That faint warm current seemed to soothe his emotions; he blinked his eyes, closed them again, and fell into a deep sleep.
On the deck, Bogart confronted the CP0 agent.
"This ship belongs to Marine secrets; no one is permitted to search it." Bogart drew his long sword, the blade flashing with cold light in the sunlight.
The CP0 agent wearing a white mask sneered. "The orders of the World Government are above all else. Even if it were filled with Heavenly Tribute inside, we must still inspect. Step aside, or else you will be treated as traitors."
The agent took a step forward, and the several men in black behind him also drew their weapons.
Bogart did not flinch, the tip of his sword pointing straight at the masked agent's throat. "You can try."
The atmosphere was tense as a bowstring.
In the hold, Garp clenched his fists. If Bogart could not hold them off, he could only step out and sink this entire CP0 ship to the bottom of the sea. That would draw even greater trouble.
Just as both sides were about to make a move, the Den Den Mushi inside the CP0 agent's coat rang.
Belo, belo, belo...
The agent answered the Den Den Mushi, and a deep voice came from inside: "The target has appeared in North Blue. Proceed immediately to provide support."
The agent hung up the Den Den Mushi and glanced at Bogart. "Consider yourselves lucky. Fall back."
The CP0 ship changed direction and quickly disappeared on the horizon.
The crisis was averted.
In the hold, Garp relaxed his fists. He walked over to the cradle and saw an astonishing sight.
Kahn's small hand rested over Ace's mouth, and both infants were sleeping soundly.
Garp scratched his head, his gaze turning profound. He always felt that this child Kahn was somewhat unusual. He turned his head and looked at Bogart, who was pushing the door open and entering.
"Full speed ahead," Garp issued the order. "Leave this sea area as early as possible."
The voyage lasted for a full two months.
During these two months, Kahn practiced the breathing technique every day in the cradle in the hold. The turbulence of the waves outside did not affect his concentration in the slightest.
His appetite was extremely large, nearly twice that of Ace. The goat's milk Garp had brought was soon completely exhausted. To ensure the nutrition of the two infants, Garp had to have the crew go down into the sea every day to catch fresh deep-sea fish, boiling them into a thick fish soup to feed them.
Kahn's bodily development speed far exceeded common sense. For a two-month-old infant, his bones were already unusually sturdy, and the muscle contours of his arms and legs were vaguely visible. His gaze was no longer the ignorance of birth, but instead revealed the sharpness and scrutiny of an adult.
The merchant ship finally sailed into the waters of the East Blue, docking at the edge of the Goa Kingdom. This was Foosha Village, a peaceful and tranquil small village without the hustle and bustle and slaughter of the Grand Line; the air was permeated with the fragrance of grass and earth.
Garp wrapped the two children in his wide cloak and strode down the gangplank.
Village Chief Slap wore that iconic striped hat and leaned on a wooden cane as he hurried up to meet them.
"Garp! You old bastard still know how to come back!" The village chief raised his cane and struck Garp's lower leg unceremoniously.
Garp laughed heartily, completely unconcerned about this level of striking. "Slap, this old man has brought you a gift upon his return."
He lifted the cloak, revealing the two infants in his arms.
The village chief was so startled that his cane dropped to the ground, his eyes wide round. "You... where did you kidnap these children from? And there are two!"
"These are my grandsons!" Garp declared brazenly, his voice shaking the birds on the tree so that they fluttered their wings and fled.
Kahn rolled his eyes in his heart. Who is your grandson.
The village chief leaned in to look, his face full of suspicion. "Grandsons? That brat Dragon got married?"
Garp coughed twice and did not answer directly, crudely changing the subject. "Anyway, these two brats will live in Foosha Village from now on. Find someone to take care of them."
The village chief sighed, bending down to pick up his cane. "You jerk, you always push trouble onto others. Margaret at the east end of the village just gave birth to a child, and her milk is plentiful; you can have her help nurse them."
Garp nodded in agreement and strode toward the east end of the village.
Thus, Kahn and Ace settled down in Foosha Village.
Margaret was a simple countrywoman whose husband had accidentally died while out fishing, and she raised her own child alone.
As for the two infants sent by Garp, she treated them as her own and cared for them meticulously.
Kahn's daily life was extremely regular: eating, sleeping, and practicing the breathing technique.
He discovered that the air in Foosha Village contained a certain peculiar energy. Every time he took a deep breath and the airflow circulated within his body, he could feel his bones and muscles slowly transforming.
He was no longer satisfied with lying in the cradle, starting to try rolling over, crawling, and even standing by holding onto the wall.
Ace was entirely different. He wailed and made a fuss all day long, possessing an energy so vibrant it gave people a headache.
Whenever things did not go his way, he would smash the wooden bowls or toys within reach to pieces. Margaret was often worn to exhaustion by him.
Kahn frequently sat on the wooden floor, watching coldly. He knew clearly that Roger's blood flowed in Ace's veins, and that restless gene began to manifest from infancy.
Time passed day by day. In the blink of an eye, Kahn and Ace were one year old.
One-year-old Kahn could already walk independently with a steady stride, and could even run around the courtyard.
His muscle lines displayed an astonishing compactness in the sunlight, not looking at all like a one-year-old toddler.
He began simple physical training around the village.
In the early morning, just as dawn was breaking, a thin layer of mist still drifted over the sea surface. Kahn wore coarse cloth shorts and went barefoot, running along the dirt road of the village.
The villagers had long since grown accustomed to this bizarre child.
"This kid Kahn is truly a monster." The village chief sat at the entrance of the tavern holding a cup of morning tea, watching Kahn's running back, and could not help exclaiming.
The young Makino walked out holding a tray of freshly baked pastries, a gentle smile on her face. "Kahn is very well-behaved and never causes trouble. Unlike Ace, who pulled the village chief's beard again yesterday."
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