"You know the path I intend to take. I don't have time to waste. Keep going-"
Since someone was willing to demonstrate the finer applications of Armament Haki, Rossi naturally wouldn't let the opportunity slip away.
He observed and imitated as they fought, turning every beating into practice.
To the onlookers, however, things looked rather different:
Ever since his private conversation with Garp, the Marine hero had used "gauging his strength"
as an excuse to drag him into the training ground day after day, beating him until dust flew everywhere.
Crocodile muttered in private, wondering whether Rossi had run off with some girl from Garp's family.
The days passed one after another.
Rossi's life consisted of nothing but eating, training, sleeping, and eating again... His routine was almost rigid, his diligence enough to make others look twice.
Anyone who didn't know the circumstances would probably have mistaken him for a promising Marine selected from some branch and sent to Headquarters for special training.
Word had long since spread across the seas that the "Pirate King"
Roger would soon be escorted to the East Blue for execution, stirring up a storm, but none of that had anything to do with Rossi.
Every day, he traveled only between the training ground and his lodgings, following a route so straight it had no bends.
"There's no reason to stay here any longer!"
When he returned to his room covered in bruises once again, Trebol came to meet him, barely suppressing the anger in his voice.
"This is going too far! Leaving you like this every day..."
"Dragon chose his own path. How can he blame us?"
As Trebol saw it, Garp was clearly taking his frustration over his son's departure out on Rossi-after all, Dragon had been close to the Family before, hadn't