Those Two Guys

"Pluton, Rayleigh."

"Whitebeard, Edward Newgate."

"Kozuki Oden."

"Golden Lion, Shiki."

"Whenever I think of the names of these powerful figures, I get excited all over."

Kuzan said excitedly.

"If you encountered any of those powerful figures now, you'd only end up sacrificing yourself."

Xia Le said calmly.

"Hahaha, that's true."

"I'm still too weak! But Xia Le, one day, I'll become a powerful figure like them. I'll become a hero like Vice Admiral Garp."

Kuzan grinned, looking full of fighting spirit.

Xia Le smiled faintly and nodded. "Yes, you'll become an Admiral."

"Let's work hard together!"

Kuzan shouted.

At that moment, Bogard came over carrying a brand-new Marine uniform and placed it in front of Xia Le.

"This is your new uniform!"

"This is your rank."

Xia Le looked over and was instantly stunned.

The uniform was not much different from the one he was wearing, except that it looked brand-new. His rank, however, was clearly Major—the same rank as Kuzan.

"That's incredible! You should be the fastest-promoted person in the Marines after joining, Xia Le!"

Kuzan gave him a thumbs-up and praised him.

"Do I not need to go through the trainee period?"

Xia Le asked in confusion.

"You're my disciple and my subordinate. I know better than you what strength you have and what position you should hold."

Garp picked his nose and chuckled.

In reality, judging by the display of this kid's Conqueror's Haki, he would have had no problem taking on an officer-level position. But considering that his foundation was too weak, making him a Major was just right.

Xia Le paused slightly before changing out of his damaged clothes.

The officer-level uniform already came with the iconic white Justice Cloak. When the sea breeze blew over and the cloak billowed behind him, an invisible majesty and imposing aura spread out.

Immediately afterward, Garp personally pinned his rank insignia on him.

"From now on, you're a Marine Major!"

"It happened a little quickly, but wartime calls for expediency. My disciple deserves recognition!"

After a pause, Garp looked at the handsome face of the black-haired youth before him and patted his shoulder in satisfaction.

"Not bad! You've got quite the presence!"

"There's still some time before we reach the battlefield in the New World. I'll teach you Hand-to-Hand Combat."

"Bogard will teach you Swordsmanship."

"How much you can learn will depend on your ability!"

Those Two Guys

Xia Le remained silent, having somehow been taken in as Garp's disciple.

From beginning to end, this Hero Vice Admiral had not even asked for his opinion. It was much like how he had never respected his grandsons' wishes when raising them.

But deep down, Xia Le did not resist all that much.

When he had first arrived in this world, the man before him had saved his life. Although he could not be killed, being thrown into Impel Down and imprisoned for life—or enduring countless tortures—would have been unimaginably painful.

Being unable to die did not mean he was invincible.

Training began very quickly.

Although Garp had a broad and carefree personality, he had always been a decisive man.

"The Six Powers consists of six techniques, as the name implies."

"Among the Marines, any officer who has undergone systematic training will know or have mastered one or two of them to some extent."

"Those with strong talent and enough diligence will master all of them."

Xia Le listened attentively. He naturally knew about the Six Powers, especially Tekkai, which had been particularly famous in his previous life.

"Now, attack me."

"The prerequisite for learning the Six Powers is having a body that has reached a superhuman level."

Garp said.

Xia Le nodded and threw a punch at Garp.

The latter caught the punch with one large hand. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes before he said, "Use your leg. Give it everything you've got."

Xia Le raised his leg without hesitation and kicked toward the center of Garp's palm.

"Bang!"

A muffled sound rang out. Garp nodded. "That's enough!"

"Your physical foundation is already sufficient to learn the Six Powers."

He was actually extremely shocked. The strength surging from Xia Le's fists and feet had already surpassed the basic Doriki required to learn the Six Powers.

After making a rough judgment and calculation, Garp concluded that Xia Le's current Doriki should be around 850.

That was an absurdly high number. Some people had to undergo arduous trials and train for more than a decade before they could possibly reach it.

And this boy before him had only been training for how long?

One time surfing in the sea, and one close-quarters battle with a blade.

Garp could only attribute it to Xia Le's extraordinary talent.

"If this continues, this kid will probably surpass Kuzan in basic ability very soon."

He found it somewhat unbelievable.

Training in the Six Powers soon began.

What relieved Xia Le was that his ability to learn was not weak either. Otherwise, if his talent was too poor and he could not learn them, even his point-adding cheat would be useless.

Seven days later, the warship passed through the Red Line and entered the New World through the Marines' special passage.

During those seven days, he also mastered his first Six Powers technique.

"Tekkai!"

Xia Le shouted in a low voice.

The muscles and skin across his entire body instantly hardened, becoming as tough as steel.

Although Tekkai had been mocked by many friends in his previous life, Xia Le quickly realized after cultivating it that it was actually a highly practical defensive technique.

Besides Conqueror's Haki, another section appeared on his status panel.

"Six Powers, Tekkai LV1+."

This meant that Tekkai could also be enhanced with points, allowing its effects to improve at the fastest possible speed.

Conqueror's Haki was a trump card for critical moments and could not be used as a regular technique. The Six Powers, on the other hand, was clearly a basic attack method.

Xia Le set a goal for himself: master all the Six Powers in the shortest time possible.

In the afternoon, he picked up a standard Marine saber and followed Bogard to study Swordsmanship.

After an hour of instruction on stances and techniques for channeling strength, the weapon in his hands was replaced by a pair of two-ton Dumbbells.

"Ugh!"

As he swung them, the Dumbbells stirred up a Gale and let out a mournful whine. At the same time, beads of sweat flew from his body and splattered across the deck.

Powerful strength was always forged through inhuman effort and tempering.

"Hahahahaha!"

"I told you, Fleet Admiral Kong, I refuse your recommendation that I be promoted to Admiral!"

"I've only just arrived in the New World. Admirals don't have the same freedom as Vice Admirals!"

At that moment, Garp's booming laughter rang out.

"This is an order issued by the highest authorities of the World Government, Garp!"

"You can't be this willful!"

Kong's stern voice reached Xia Le's ears clearly.

"I don't care whether it's the World Government or those five old men. I refuse either way!"

"I have no interest in becoming an Admiral!"

Garp said casually.

"Think it over carefully, Garp. This is already your fifth refusal of a promotion."

Kong frowned.

"I still refuse. There's nothing to think about!"

"Also, I'm reporting to you that I've taken on a disciple named Xia Le. His potential and talent are both quite good."

Garp said with a laugh.

"As long as you're happy."

Kong sighed.

Afterward, the Den Den Mushi call ended.

Kuzan immediately came over, his face filled with excitement. "That was so cool, Vice Admiral Garp! How many times has this been now that you've refused a promotion to Admiral?"

"Young people, don't learn from me!"

"I'm just used to being lazy."

Garp chuckled.

Xia Le said nothing and continued swinging the heavy Dumbbells in his hands.

Three more days passed, and the warship arrived at a Fortress base in the New World called G-5.

There, he saw the other two pillars of the Marines for the first time.

Admiral, Sengoku the Buddha!

Admiral, Black Arm Zephyr!

The two Admirals walked out side by side, approaching them with stern-faced officers following behind.

Xia Le noticed that the ranks on the officers' shoulders were all officer-level. Their auras were extremely deep and steady, and their iron-blooded presence was immediately apparent.

Clearly, they were all battle-hardened powerhouses.

"Garp, we've been waiting for you for a long time."

"The situation in the New World isn't very good right now."

Zephyr said in a deep voice.

Garp laughed heartily. "I picked up a talented little fellow on the way, so we were delayed a little."

With that, he pulled Xia Le out.