Merchant Ships

After hearing that, Swain pondered for a while. Thinking about it, it really was true.

Roger had his signature move, "Divine Departure"; then there was the Four Emperors Kaido's "Thunder Bagua," and Admiral Kizaru's "Yasakani Sacred Jewel."

Aokiji's "Ice Age"...

The signature moves of many powerful figures could be etched deeply into one's mind—not because of how flashy they were, but because they could truly defeat the enemies they faced.

"I understand, old man. True powerhouses have their own understanding of battle."

"If you only rely on external things, you're nothing more than paper."

"That's right. It's pretty good that you've come to such a realization!"

Woli praised Swain a few times, believing that his comprehension was fairly good.

Woli's lessons for Swain were actually all about guiding him, mostly strengthening his comprehension.

This would be of tremendous help to Swain when he learned Haki in the future.

His understanding of the strong was not limited to their superficial power. It also included the true strength within their hearts.

Roger was an example of this. That was also why Woli had always admired him so much. It was not merely superficial power, but inner strength as well. Otherwise, how could he grow stronger with every setback when facing powerful opponents?

"Old man, have you ever been to Sky Island?" Swain suddenly asked from the side.

"Sky Island?"

At the mention of that place, a contemplative look appeared in Woli's eyes.

"That's a pretty good place!"

Woli gave him that answer.

Swain calculated inwardly, "Judging by what the old man said, he probably went there when he was young. At that time, Sky Island wasn't under Enel's rule yet."

The reason Swain had brought up that place was that, when he had watched the anime, he had been extremely fascinated by it. In his eyes, it was a place he absolutely had to visit for training.

Thinking of this, he wanted to grow up quickly so that he would have the ability to roam this vast sea.

In the days that followed, Swain devoted himself even more to training. He usually stopped attending the basic navigation lessons Woli taught him and instead went to the mountains to begin his devilish training. Often, he would train for three days straight without returning home.

Ten years later...

Swain was already thirteen years old. His features were no longer childish, and because of his years of training, his face looked more mature than those of his peers.

"Rankyaku!" Swain skillfully launched an attack at the Wing Bird before him.

However, he was the one left stunned. The Wing Bird was even faster than him.

"So fast! Soru!" With a flash, he dodged the Wing Bird's attack.

"Sea!" Swain shouted.

Dozens of "ropes" resembling tentacles instantly rose from the ground, though they were all made of seawater.

Thanks to Woli's teachings, Swain had already learned to cover things with Armament Haki. Covering the seawater with it could produce an effect similar to Seastone. However, the effect had always been poor. Once, when he sparred with Woli, Woli had broken through it in a single exchange.

He pressed his palms together, and the Wing Bird could no longer move.

"Perfect chance! Rankyaku!"

Boom! Boom!

He used it twice in succession, both strikes hitting the Wing Bird's head and making it stagger before collapsing.

"Looks like we have dinner tonight." Ever since Swain turned ten, Woli had rarely gone hunting himself. On one hand, he was gradually growing older; on the other, sending Swain out to hunt also served as training.

"Old man, come out and cook!" Swain grabbed the Wing Bird by the neck and flung it forward. A prey beast a hundred times larger than him was tossed aside just like that.

Woli had only just rested for a moment when he heard a loud boom. A cloud of dust rose in front of the door, and when he got up to look, Swain stood there like a blurry human silhouette.

"You brat! Why do you always like making such a huge commotion?"

"If the Marines don't catch me and execute me, I'm afraid you'll wear me to death first!" Woli scolded him with a laugh.

"Hehehe, old man, you'll definitely live to be a hundred!"

"At least you have some conscience!"

Still, Woli was slightly surprised when he saw the enormous creature before him. "Your strength has improved very quickly."

"You've reached the point where you can kill a Wing Bird."

"My strength is at that level?"

"Bottom-tier." Woli answered without hesitation.

Swain was deeply discouraged after hearing that.

"How could that be? I've clearly worked very hard."

Woli patiently comforted him as well.

"You have to understand that powerhouses in these waters are as common as oxen."

"They've all grown through life-and-death battles. Compared to them, you're still just a flower in a greenhouse."

"All right, old man, hurry up and cook."

Swain truly did not care. I've watched One Piece! How could the power levels be this high? Besides, the true powerhouses are only a small handful: the Four Emperors, the Admirals, and some hidden forces in Marineford.

There was one thing he found rather strange, though. Until now, Woli had never mentioned whether the island they were on was in the New World or the Grand Line.

But it did not matter much. After all, there really was no one around here. At the very least, in these ten years, aside from Woli, he had not seen anyone else!

Just as they were roasting meat, three merchant ships were sailing across the sea a hundred miles away from them.

"Boss! I think we took the wrong route!"

"Yeah, boss! I think we've entered the Dead Silence Sea!"

Two short sailors reported to the captain beside them.

"What! Damn it."

"How did you steer the ship? How did we end up in this place?" the captain demanded angrily.

"Our navigator caught a chill and died along the way. Neither of us knows how to navigate."

"Bastards! Don't give me excuses! We need to think about how to escape this place."

"Understood!" The two sailors then left.

Only the merchant ship's captain remained, gazing ahead with worry.

"I never thought we'd avoid the pirates but fail to escape disaster! May God protect us." The captain prayed silently.

"Since whether we can stay alive up ahead is still unknown, why don't we each take a ship and escape? There's enough treasure aboard to let us enjoy the rest of our lives," suggested one of the two sailors, a sharp-featured man with a beak-like face.

The other, whose face was shaped like an inverted triangle, pondered for a moment before saying, "All right! God will watch over our life and death. He'll protect us."

The captain did not notice at all that the two men were about to betray him.

A moment later, the three merchant ships began sailing in different directions. The other two were clearly heading away from the main ship.

"Hey! What the hell are you two doing?"

"Come back! Both of you, come back!" the captain shouted until his neck turned red.

"Hahaha, old man, goodbye!" The two men's expressions were clearly worlds apart from their earlier obsequious, groveling faces.

But none of them noticed that, in this place known as the "Dead Silence Sea," the thing they truly needed to guard against was not their direction, but... the Sea Kings!

Beneath the three merchant ships, a massive shadow was slowly rising!