Celestial Dragons, Here I Come

[Host: Rono]

[Age: 17]

[Strength: 245 (Lieutenant Commander level)]

[Speed: 185 (Lieutenant Commander level)]

[Stamina: 223 (Lieutenant Commander level)]

[Haki: Conqueror's Haki (Intermediate)]

"Not bad. I should be a little stronger than an ordinary lieutenant commander now. After all, I also have Conqueror's Haki."

As Rono looked at the system panel, he could feel that his body was worlds apart from how it had been before.

Besides that, Rono had also picked up quite a few interesting abilities.

[Ding~ Congratulations, Host, you picked up the Cooking skill! (Beginner)]

[Ding~ Congratulations, Host, you picked up the Shipbuilding skill! (Intermediate)]

[Ding~ Congratulations, Host, you picked up the Navigation skill! (Intermediate)]

[Ding~ Congratulations, Host, you picked up the Medical skill! (Beginner)]

[Ding~ Congratulations, Host, you picked up the Brewing skill! (Top-Level)]

This was an unexpected bonus, and it would be a huge help to Rono as he prepared to set sail.

He had picked up these abilities from the island's residents. Although they were all beginner- or intermediate-level skills, for Rono, who was about to go to sea, they could be bad, but he couldn't do without them.

Navigation in particular-without it, it would probably take years just to reach the Grand Line.

Rono didn't have that much time.

Perhaps when his parents were still alive, Rono hadn't cared about the timeline of the Pirate World, but now he had to.

It was currently the year 1483 of the Sea Circle Calendar, 37 years before Luffy set sail in the original story in 1520.

Thirty-seven years was far too long. There was no way he could wait that long to avenge his parents!

So Rono set his sights on a particular moment: the Battle of God Valley, one year from now!

This was the great battle in which the legendary Great Pirate Rocks led an assault to slaughter the Celestial Dragons!

The battle was extremely brutal. Although the original story never said so outright, it was certain that God Valley had been wiped off the map because of the battle.

If Garp and the future Pirate King Roger hadn't joined forces, the Celestial Dragons might already have become history.

This battle was also Rono's best chance for revenge.

After all, the Rocks Pirates were packed with talented people.

Whitebeard, Golden Lion, Charlotte Linlin, Wang Zhi, Silver Axe, John, and other Great Pirates of the future were all Rocks's crew at this time.

If Rono joined the Rocks Pirates, he would surely grow stronger at an astonishing pace!

He could also pick up plenty of terrifying abilities from those monsters!

So Rono's current goal was to join the Rocks Pirates first, then take part in the Battle of God Valley a year later alongside them!

But Rocks had high standards for his crew: they had to be powerful!

Therefore, before heading to the Rocks Pirates' lair on Hachinosu, Rono had to train until he was strong enough to impress Rocks.

When night had fallen, Rono went alone to an uninhabited place to test how much he had grown that day.

Standing before a granite boulder about as tall as a person, Rono clenched his fist and smashed it hard into the rock!

Crash!

The granite couldn't withstand Rono's powerful strike at all and shattered into pieces.

His knuckles throbbed with pain from the recoil.

But none of that mattered anymore. Remembering the sight of his parents' tragic deaths, Rono felt nothing but rage!

Just now, Rono had imagined that this piece of granite was a Celestial Dragon.

Good. Very good!

His strength was worlds apart from before!

If he'd had this kind of strength back then, he could probably have avenged his parents on the spot and killed that less-than-human Celestial Dragon!

Of course, what would have awaited him afterward was the World Government and the Navy hunting him down without end.

Next, Rono tested his speed.

He could run 100 meters in about six seconds. He was incredibly fast, nearly approaching Soru, one of the Six Powers!

After all, Soru could cover 100 meters in only about four seconds. He was sure he would soon master "Soru," one of the Six Powers.

The next day, when he woke up, Rono went around the island again. This time, his gains were clearly smaller than on the first day.

Maybe because Rono's strength had reached lieutenant commander level, it wasn't so easy to gain attributes from ordinary people anymore.

A week passed in the blink of an eye.

He opened the system panel again.

Rono was delighted to discover that his strength, speed, and stamina had each reached colonel level.

Now Rono could no longer pick up any attributes from the island's residents, and he had naturally mastered Soru as well.

Even an ordinary colonel would probably lose to Rono immediately when faced with his Conqueror's Haki and Soru.

Since there was nothing more he could gain here, Rono began preparing to set sail.

The most important thing was to get a sailboat that could go to sea.

Fortunately, Rono had also picked up intermediate shipbuilding. The quality of the boat he built certainly couldn't compare to the work of a professional shipwright like Franky, but building a sailboat that could go to sea would be no problem.

He spent three days gathering materials for the sailboat, including wood, screws, canvas, and thick rope.

He also found tools like a hammer, mallet, and screwdriver.

Thump, thump, thump!

Thump, thump, thump!

After spending a whole day at it, Rono built the sailboat overnight.

Looking at the sailboat, about the same size as the Going Merry in the original story, Rono was exhausted, but his heart stirred.

Celestial Dragons, I'm coming!