Working with Anderson

Kaya hurried over, her face full of concern. "Are you all right, mister?"

Her brow was furrowed and her eyes glistened with tears. Rubick quickly reassured her. "I'm fine. I just overdid it a little. I'll recover once I've had something to eat."

Usopp came over too and gave one of the chains a hard tug. He couldn't even pull it taut.

He let go as if nothing had happened. "Mister, with strength like yours, you must be one of the best in the world, right? Those steel ingots weigh a ton each. You're ridiculously strong to be able to pull them."

"Not even close," Rubick said. "I'm decent by East Blue standards. On the Grand Line, I'd be at the bottom."

Usopp was already looking nervous, but Rubick went on. "So, Usopp, do you still want to go on an adventure?"

Usopp was about to say he had a disease that would kill him if he went to sea, but Kaya dealt him a crushing blow before he could.

"Don't underestimate Usopp, mister," Kaya said. "He's amazing. He's already gone on lots of sea adventures at his age, and he's fought giant Sea Kings more than once!"

Usopp gave an awkward smile. Those were just stories he'd made up to cheer Kaya up. Just stories!

But with Kaya right there, Usopp couldn't back down. He thumped his chest. "I'm Usopp, a future warrior of the sea! Going to sea? That's as easy as going home. I love adventure!"

Rubick knew Usopp was putting on a brave face, but he didn't call him out. Instead, he said, "Then, Usopp, once Kaya has my ship built, you can look after it. When the captain I have in mind arrives, hand it over to him."

"Huh?"

"You've already picked a captain, mister?" Usopp asked.

"Yeah. He wears a straw hat, and once you meet him, you'll never forget him."

The three of them chatted and laughed. Rubick soon regained his strength and resumed training. In his previous life, he'd never had the discipline to work out. In this world, fear for his life had made him so disciplined that even he found it frightening.

"Hey, buddy, I'm here!"

Powell's voice rang out from a distance. He pushed open the iron gate and led in a group of children aged around seven to twelve. There were boys and girls, and most of them were thin.

"Rest here for now. Merry will take care of you."

After settling the ten children, Powell came over to Rubick.

"I've brought them back, buddy. They're all orphans. Damn this world. The pirates are running wild."

This was another part of Rubick and Powell's deal. Rubick would stay here for half a year, training himself while also teaching the children to see whether one or two of them had talent.

After the crisis with Kuro, Powell wanted to train a group of fighters to protect the Anderson family. Hiring outsiders clearly wasn't very safe, so on Rubick's advice, Powell had brought back ten orphans.

Pirates had robbed these children of their families and homes. They had endured plenty of hardship, and their resolve was strong. If any of them had a talent for fighting, the Anderson family could raise them into people capable of protecting themselves.

"Bring them over," Rubick said.

Powell beckoned, and Merry brought the children over.

"Starting today, I'm your coach," Rubick said.

"Hello, Coach!"

The children were all so well-behaved that Rubick's heart ached for them. In his previous life, kids their age would have been watching anime or playing games. Some people were still treated like children well into their twenties.

But in the world of the Pirate King, these children had already lost their families and homes. No wonder every one of them was so withdrawn.

"Each of those steel ingots behind me weighs a ton," Rubick said. "Watch closely!"

With that, Rubick activated Gear Second and went through a few simple exercises. The children immediately looked at him with awe.

Rubick released the iron ring and asked them, "Do you hate pirates?"

"Yes!"

The oldest girl said, "If I were as strong as you, Coach, I'd find those pirates and avenge my family and friends!"

"Good!" Rubick called.

"Then from now on, you need to train hard. Once you're strong enough, taking revenge will be easy!"

"We will!"

Rubick looked over their faces one by one. "We'll start with the basics. Everyone, line up in front of me from tallest to shortest, left to right."

As soon as he said it, several children who couldn't tell left from right nearly burst into tears. The whole group fell into confusion.

Rubick knew this would take patience, so he stood back and waited.

Kaya, however, couldn't bear to watch. She hurried over and arranged the children as Rubick had instructed.

"Kaya," Powell called, a note of reproach in his voice.

Rubick ignored him and addressed the children. "If you want to become strong and get your revenge, you need determination first. Only someone with an iron will can become strong."

Rubick snapped to attention, demonstrating the stance he had learned during military training.

"All of you, stand like this. Come on, straighten up. No talking."

The oldest girl caught on quickly, and her posture was good. The others struggled more, especially the youngest boy. But there was no rushing this. Rubick had to be patient.

"Now, everyone, hold that position without moving. I'll only teach those who can last half an hour. If you can't, go back where you came from."

Rubick walked behind the children and beckoned the others over.

When they gathered around, Rubick said, "Now we'll see how determined these children are to get revenge. Once they clear this hurdle, the training that follows will be easier."

"But they're still children," Kaya said with concern. "Isn't this too hard for them?"

Rubick smiled. "Do you see any of them moving?"

"He moved," Usopp said, pointing at the youngest boy.

"But he straightened up again right away," Rubick said. "That's enough. We have to take their age into account. The fact that he corrected himself so quickly shows he's genuinely trying. We can't be too harsh."

Rubick turned to Kaya. "Kaya, check on them tonight. After that, they'll give you their complete loyalty."

Powell looked a little alarmed. "Buddy, what did you used to do?"

"Don't worry," Rubick said. "Where I come from, all children go through something like this. We call it military training."