Afterward, Luo Chen slowly told Hogg what had happened after he met Enel, including how they had destroyed Birka together and come here to rule over and enslave its people.
"Damn it, how could anyone be so evil? He doesn't even treat the people of Sky Island as human beings! Not only did he kill his own teacher, he didn't even spare his hometown. No, I have to defeat him and free the people here."
As a Marine, he was furious after hearing the story. He got up, intending to find Enel, defeat him, and free the people here.
But when he sprang to his feet in agitation, his wounds split open again, staining the bandages red with blood.
"You'd better lie down and recover first. If Enel were really that easy to defeat, someone would have done it long ago. You wouldn't have to be the one to deal with him."
Seeing Hogg leap to his feet in agitation upon hearing of Enel's crimes, only to reopen his wounds, Luo Chen shook his head and spoke to him.
"Uh..."
Hogg hurriedly lay back down to stop his wounds from bleeding, then turned to Luo Chen and spoke.
"What about you, then? Since you already know about his crimes, why do you keep staying by his side? You were willing to save both that little girl and me, even though you didn't know who I was. That shows you can't be bad by nature. Why don't you fight back against him? You're strong too, aren't you?"
When Hogg thought about how Luo Chen had saved even him, someone whose allegiance he didn't know, he realized Luo Chen wasn't bad by nature. His Observation Haki also told him that Luo Chen was no weaker than he was, leaving him puzzled.
"Heh! It's not as simple as you think. Enel ate the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. After developing its powers for several years, his strength has become terrifying. If we judged him by the pirate bounties in the Blue Sea below, his strength should be worth..."
Luo Chen paused, then continued.
"...around 500 million. He's not someone I can handle as I am now."
Although he was very satisfied with the progress he had made in more than two years of training, and was now at least strong enough to rank among the middle tier of the pirate Supernovas two years from now, he was still no match for Enel's current power.
Enel was now almost as strong as he would be two years later, when the story began. What he lacked was probably quantity rather than quality.
Two years from now, he could unleash a great many powerful attacks, each containing an enormous amount of energy, with little exertion. Now, aside from being unable to fire off so many such high-energy attacks at will, his strength was much the same.
That was why Luo Chen was still unwilling to make a move against him. Although his own strength had improved rapidly, he wasn't so arrogant as to look down on everyone. The Long Aotian protagonist mode, where an overwhelming kingly aura made enemies instantly fall to their knees, was just something to enjoy in novels. It shouldn't be taken too seriously.
When the protagonist, Luffy, defeated Enel two years later, despite Enel's strength being worth a bounty of at least 500 million Beli, his protagonist halo had played a substantial part alongside his fruit's advantage. Otherwise, how could a powerhouse worth at least 500 million have lost to a greenhorn like Luffy, who had only just set out to sea?
"Crack!"
"Here, eat. You need a full stomach to have the strength to think about how to deal with Enel."
With a casual wave, Luo Chen cut off an elk's hind leg and handed it to him.
"Chomp!"
"Damn it, I've got to recover quickly. The people here are still waiting for me to save them."
Hogg took the leg and opened wide to bite into it, speaking indistinctly through a mouthful of meat.
"Heh! What a kindhearted and thickheaded Marine!"
Watching him eat without a care for appearances while still remembering his mission as a Marine, Luo Chen shook his head helplessly as he spoke. He also picked up a hind leg and began eating.
Before long, an entire elk had disappeared into the stomachs of the two big eaters.
"Ah!! I'm stuffed, I'm stuffed. Thanks for the meal."
Hogg lay happily on the ground as he spoke, savoring the memory of the food he had just eaten.
"Now that you've eaten, hurry up and recover so you can leave. Give up that unrealistic idea of yours and go back to the Blue Sea below. Your position should be fairly high, so there's no need for you to stay here and deal with him."
Luo Chen, also full, leaned against a large tree and urged him to give up the idea.
Although they had only spent a short time together, Luo Chen had come to understand the Marine Hogg's character. He was kind and had a strong sense of justice. That was good for an ordinary person, but it was precisely this character that would ultimately harm him. Luo Chen didn't want to lose a Marine like him, who genuinely did good for the people, so he again tried to persuade him to give up.
"No, how would I know without trying? Giving up so easily isn't in my nature. I'm the man who's going to become Fleet Admiral! I promised her that too."
Hearing Luo Chen try to dissuade him again, Hogg refused without thinking. At the same time, he took a pocket watch from his person and opened it. Inside was a photograph of him with a lively, beautiful blond girl. He gazed tenderly at the girl in the photograph as he spoke.
"Her? Who?"
Luo Chen asked as he walked toward him.
Then he came to his side and looked at the beautiful girl in the photograph inside the pocket watch Hogg held, and asked:
"Who is she to you? Did you two make a promise like that?"
"She's my little sister. After our parents died, I took her with me when I joined the Marines. From then on, I swore to her that I would become Fleet Admiral and wipe out all the scum on the seas, so no one else would have their parents and loved ones killed by pirates like we did."
Remembering his childhood, Hogg explained why he was so determined to defeat Enel and free the people of Sky Island.
"Is that so? Then I won't say any more. I can't talk you out of it anyway. But before that, you have to let your wounds heal. Only then can you deal with him. Otherwise, even one of his priests will be enough to give you trouble."
Knowing he couldn't persuade him any further, Luo Chen gave up, but insisted that Hogg recover from his injuries before going after Enel.
"By the way, I still don't know your name. What's your rank in the Marines? How did you end up chasing those pirates here?"
Luo Chen suddenly remembered that he still didn't know his name, so he questioned Hogg again. His string of questions nearly left him confused.
"Wait! Wait! Ask them one at a time."
Hogg hurriedly waved his hands, then gathered his thoughts and answered Luo Chen.
"First, my name is Hogg. As for my family name, I've abandoned it, so I won't mention it."
"Second, I'm a Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral. I was about to return to headquarters to take up the position of Vice Admiral."
"I didn't expect to run into the Green Vine Pirates, who had fled the New World after being defeated by Katakuri, the strongest fighter under Big Mom. So I chased them through a special passage in the New World and came here. But I got separated from my subordinates on the way and pursued them alone."
"You know what happened after that."
Hogg told Luo Chen everything that had happened to him before he came to Sky Island.
"I see. By the way, since you're a Marine Rear Admiral and are about to become a Vice Admiral, you must be strong. Could we spar?"
After hearing his explanation, Luo Chen nodded to show he understood. Then, thinking of his rank in the Marines, his eyes lit up and he challenged him, his fighting spirit burning.
"Huh?!"
"Wait, are you sure you want to challenge me when I'm like this?"
Hogg hadn't expected Luo Chen to suddenly challenge him. He hurriedly waved his hands as he spoke.
"Mm, fair point. Then we'll do it after your wounds have healed."
"Is that so? All right, I agree. I'll accept your challenge once my injuries have healed. Will that do?"
Faced with a battle maniac like Luo Chen, Hogg could only agree helplessly.