Training Equipment

"Of course!"

Powell hurriedly asked Rubick, "So, little brother, what do you want? As long as I can provide it, it's yours. No questions asked."

"Then let's start with a late-night snack. Enough for ten people."

Merry bowed and said, "Mr. Rubick, I'll arrange it right away. Will one roast suckling pig be enough?"

"Sure. I shouldn't eat too much this late, or I won't sleep comfortably."

Usopp and the others' jaws nearly dropped to their chests. He said he shouldn't eat too much, but apparently an entire roast suckling pig didn't count as much?

Merry quickly left to make the arrangements. Powell asked his wife to take Kaya back to her room, then invited Usopp to sit with them.

Powell asked, "Little brother, what are your plans from here?"

Rubick thought for a moment and said, "I was planning to go to Cocoyasi Village and kill a bunch of Fish-Man pirates, but now I think that can wait."

Powell was startled. "I've heard of those Fish-Men too. Their leader is called Arlong, I believe. Little brother, unless you're absolutely certain you can win, you should steer clear of them for now. Fish-Men are naturally ten times stronger than humans, so it's best to be careful."

"What? Ten times?"

Usopp gaped. In all his life, the only powerful fighters he had ever seen were Rubick and Kuro. He couldn't even imagine how strong Fish-Men were.

Rubick said casually, "I've already gathered information on them. Dealing with them won't be a problem. But the main reason I planned to kill them was to get a place where I could train."

Powell understood at once. "You don't necessarily have to go there. The Anderson Family can provide you with a place to train. Space, training equipment, food—we can supply it all."

Rubick pointed both index fingers at Powell. "Big brother, that's exactly what I meant. I'm planning to get a little stronger before I go deal with those fish bastards."

Powell wholeheartedly agreed. "Yes, it's good to be cautious. Caution is one of the reasons our family has grown so successful."

It seemed Rubick and Powell had reached an agreement, so Rubick added, "One last thing. Kuro destroyed my friend Usopp's house earlier. I hope you can lend him a hand."

"That's a small matter. We can have it done in a week."

Although Powell didn't understand why Rubick liked being friends with Usopp, that didn't affect what he needed to do. "What kind of house would you like, Usopp? I'll have it built for you."

Usopp said sheepishly, "Well, one like my old house would be fine. There's no need to spend too much."

Usopp knew better than to push his luck. The island's wealthy master was surely offering to rebuild his house as a favor to Rubick. He couldn't let it go to his head and take unlimited advantage of Rubick's standing.

Rubick patted Usopp's shoulder. "Big brother, don't let Usopp's appearance fool you. His father is actually a core member of the Red Hair Pirates. I suggest you build two docks on the island and fly Red Hair's pirate flag."

Powell was surprised to hear about Usopp's background. He didn't doubt Rubick's words, though he couldn't explain why he was so willing to trust him.

Powell said, "If that's the case, our Anderson Family won't have to worry about our safety in the East Blue anymore. Everyone will show Red Hair some respect."

Rubick nodded. After all, Red Hair was the Respect-Respect Devil Fruit user.

Powell turned warmly to Usopp. "Little brother Usopp, you've been Kaya's only friend since she was little. Come visit her often, or she'll be terribly lonely."

Powell was already calling Usopp his little brother. Clearly, he intended to get close to him and become an angel investor.

Usopp was overwhelmed by the favor. "Um, I will. Kaya and I are good friends, after all."

The three chatted amiably, and before long, the roast suckling pig arrived at the table.

Rubick immediately tore off a pig's trotter, put it on a plate, and handed it to Usopp.

"Mister, isn't this a little rude?"

Powell smiled. "It's fine. I'm not hungry. You two go ahead."

Rubick ignored them, pulled the entire roast suckling pig in front of himself, and started eating. At that rate, he could devour a pig in three bites!

Usopp glanced at the trotter in front of him and finally understood why Rubick had served him right away. Otherwise, he wouldn't have gotten anything to eat. Rubick was already digging in with his bare hands!

The Anderson household's cook was far more skilled than Rubick. The suckling pig was crisp outside and tender inside, fragrant and delicious. There was no need for a knife; the meat tore away easily by hand.

Rubick drained a glass of red wine in one gulp, belched, and kept eating. Merry hurried over to refill his glass, afraid he might choke.

And so Rubick settled into the Anderson household.

A week later, a piece of training equipment had been erected beside the cliff in Anderson's backyard.

It was a T-shaped frame made entirely of steel. There were four holes in it, each threaded with a thick iron chain connected at the end to a steel ingot weighing one ton. This was the equipment Rubick had requested. Even with the Anderson Family's wealth, it had taken a week to complete.

Rubick walked up to the frame, slipped his legs into the iron rings, and gripped the other two rings with his hands.

He took a deep breath and threw his right fist forward with all his strength, lifting the one-ton steel ingot. But before it rose thirty centimeters off the ground, Rubick released the force, and the ingot slammed down with a deafening crash.

"Wow, mister, you're amazing!"

Kaya, Usopp, and the others stood far away, watching Rubick train. Their minds held nothing but the thought of how terrifying it was.

Kaya said to Usopp, "Usopp, you should train too. If you want to be a brave warrior of the sea, you can't stay this skinny and weak."

Kaya had watched Usopp's entire fight against the pirates earlier.

Usopp's legs trembled involuntarily. "Well... I fight with my brains! I'm what he calls an intelligence-type hero! Every battle I fight is meticulously arranged. I always have a plan!"

Usopp had merely blurted it out, but Kaya clearly believed him. She looked back at Rubick, only to see that his whole body had turned pink and was giving off faint wisps of steam.

"Huh? Why has his whole body turned red?"

Usopp explained, "I think it's some kind of ultimate move. Gear Second or something."

Rubick took deep breaths, steadied himself, then thrust his right fist forward again. This time, the steel ingot slammed straight into the frame with a metallic clang.

Rubick didn't stop. Instead, he kept punching and kicking, burning through his stamina at a tremendous rate. In less than three minutes, he dropped out of Gear Second. He collapsed to the ground, completely drained of strength.