As dawn approached, Hawk Eyes drew his Black Blade and turned to walk towards the central hall.
Give me three fruits.
Roy was drinking coffee when he heard this and looked up at him.
Hawk Eyes's expression was calm, as calm as ever, but Roy could tell that he had made his decision after a day and a night of contemplation.
"Have you thought it through?" Roy asked.
I've thought it through.
Roy didn't ask any more questions. He took out three fruits from his storage bag and placed them on the table.
Glint-Glint Fruit, More-More Fruit, Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon.
Hawk Eyes didn't look at them, and asked directly, "Eat now or go back to eat?"
"Suit yourself. The training ground is empty."
Hawk Eyes picked up the three fruits and ate them on the spot.
With the first bite, his body transformed into a ball of light particles, flickered a few times in place, and then returned to its original state.
With his second strike, he lightly twitched the Black Blade Yoru in his hand, and tiny white specks of light condensed at the tip of the blade. This was the amplifying power of the More-More Fruit tentatively incorporating into his slash.
With the third bite, the azure dragon's scales appeared on the side of his neck, then quickly disappeared.
The power of the three fruits circulated within him simultaneously, like three rivers flowing into his swordsmanship.
He raised his Black Blade Yoru, and swung it into the distance.
A slash combining golden light and the power of a blue dragon was unleashed. Amplified by the More-More Fruit, the green slash left a trail of light thousands of meters long in the air.
Wherever the strike passed, the sea surged, and the clouds in the sky were split in the middle, revealing a sliver of azure.
Roy stared at the lingering trail of light and mentally re-ranked Hawk Eyes.
"Congratulations."
Hawk Eyes sheathed his sword, turned around, and for the first time, something beyond fighting spirit appeared in his eyes.
A desire for something stronger, just like everyone else's during the past six months.
"How much more is needed?" Hawk Eyes asked.
"It depends on who you're comparing yourself to."
"You."
Roy put down his coffee cup and smiled. "Then you'll need to practice for a few more months."
Hawk Eyes wasn't angry. He simply and slowly sheathed his Black Blade, saying:
"I can wait."
Meanwhile, the navy sent people again.
The patrol fleet surrounding Hachinosu established a complete intelligence network three months ago.
Users with Observation Haki were assigned to various patrol ships. Seastone were scattered along several main shipping routes, and any vessel approaching the waters around Hachinosu would be detected immediately.
In the past six months, the navy has sent six groups of people to infiltrate the waters around Hachinosu.
The first wave consisted of ordinary agents, who ran aground and sank in the reef area.
The second wave had their weapons confiscated by Tesoro's Golden Domain and were dismantled like scrap metal.
The third wave was led by several Vice Admiral, but they were intercepted by Savi before they even reached the shore. In a one-against-three battle, all the Vice Admiral perished at sea.
The fourth wave was the worst; Hawk Eyes had just eaten the fruit and was immediately sliced into pieces by the slash.
The fifth and sixth waves were similar; they didn't even get to touch the beach on Hachinosu.
After the navy's repeated failures, Garp, an old friend of Sengoku, could no longer sit idly by and repeatedly ventured alone into the waters around Hachinosu.
However, it was quickly discovered by the monitoring personnel on Hachinosu.
He ran right into Bullet as he dived into the sea outside the harbor.
The two fought their way from the sea to the nearest deserted island, and then fought their way back to the sea.
Garp's iron fist shattered Bullet's White Tiger Armor, and Bullet also left several claw marks on Garp's body.
In the end, Garp was worn down by his own physical strength. His age was a factor, and even the strongest Haki couldn't withstand a perpetual motion machine-like monster like Bullet.
Bullet dusted himself off and laughed heartily.
"Naval heroes are nothing more than this!"
Garp snorted coldly, turned around, and left.
On his second visit, he ran into Hawk Eyes.
Black Blade Yoru was drawn, and a lightning-fast slash broke through Garp's Armament Haki defense, tearing through his Navy uniform at the chest.
Garp looked down at the bloody gash on his chest, remained silent for a moment, and was filled with horror.
"What kind of monsters live on this Hachinosu!?"
"Each of them is so incredibly powerful!"
Garp wiped the blood from his chest, realizing there was no hope of infiltrating, and turned to leave.
On his third visit, Roy happened to be on the shore.
He watched the figure getting closer and closer on the distant sea, then put down his coffee cup.
"Old man Garp!" Roy said, "Stop making pointless moves; your infiltration skills are simply appalling."
"Snort!"
"I just came to see how you bunch of bastards are doing."
He waved to Roy, turned quickly, and soon disappeared into the mist.
Several days Stella stood behind Roy and reported in a low voice:
" Garp is here again."
"I know."
Roy nodded, watching the figure disappear into the sea fog.
"Let him come. This old man will be a perfect whetstone for Hachinosu."
" Garp's strength is just right to put pressure on Savi, Yamato, Enel, and the others."
A night breeze blew in from the sea, carrying a salty, fishy smell, making Roy's black trench coat flutter loudly.
He looked up at the moon, half-hidden by the fog, and remained silent for a long time.
As the tide recedes, the lights of the harbor are reflected on the water like swimming snakes.
Roy finished the last sip of his coffee and casually tossed it into the sea.
The bottom of the cup skimmed across the water's surface, creating a series of skips before finally sinking into the dark seawater.
He turned and walked towards the top of the cliff; he still had a training class to complete that night.
Behind us, the roaring sounds from the training island rose and fell, like the howls of beasts or the prelude to war drums.
·······
Our Straw Hat Pirates, during the six months we were away from Wano Country, were, in Sanji's words, constantly on the move.
From the time they and Garp separated, they suffered a total of thirty-seven attacks in just six months.
On average, a group of people come to our door every five days.
Ships flying pirate flags surrounded them from all directions, bombarding them, boarding them, and jumping over them, looking no different from ordinary pirates.
But once they actually started fighting, the Straw Hat Pirates crew realized something was wrong.
These "pirates" have such perfect physical skills.
The Six Powers: Shigan, Shave, Rankyaku, and those well-trained coordinated combat techniques.
They shouted that they wanted to seize the ship and its treasure, but every move they made was a deadly attack.
At first, the sudden attacks caught me off guard and I was a bit flustered, but after the next ten rounds, I started to get bored.
By the thirtieth time, Luffy didn't even bother with Gear Fifth anymore; Gear Second and Gear Third were enough.
"Too weak, can we get one stronger?"
Luffy sat cross-legged on the wrecked deck of the enemy ship, eating meat he had stolen from the enemy's kitchen while complaining.
Zoro leaned against the broken mast, closed his eyes to rest, and didn't even bother to put away his three swords.
Sanji served Nami and Robin the meat grilled by the enemy cook, then squatted on the ship's railing and smoked.
After six months of training, Luffy's Nika Form has become much more stable.
When first Awakening, the Gear Fifth state could only be maintained for a few minutes, but now it can be switched freely, and the duration has been greatly extended.
Instead of relying on the power of the Awakening Fruit, he placed greater emphasis on training in basic physical skills and Haki under Garp's guidance.
Ryuo has become a standard weapon, and Conqueror's Haki Coating is no longer a matter of luck; it can now be truly integrated into attacks.
Zoro honed his swordsmanship to a higher level in actual combat, and his Conqueror's Haki also Awakening unconsciously during one battle. Combined with his Demonic Aura, he could occasionally unleash it unintentionally, striking fear into the hearts of his enemies.
Sanji's kicking skills and Haki have both improved simultaneously. The effect of his Diable Ryuo Diable Jambe now on a completely different level compared to half a year ago.
Nami, Usopp, and Chopper have all made significant progress.
Chopper, in particular, can reliably use his Giant Form even without consuming Rumble Ball, and his explosive power can even briefly surpass Sanji's.
Robin watched all of this without saying a word.
But she knew in her heart that it was no coincidence that the attacking "pirate crews" could always pinpoint their location so precisely.
The World Government has its sights firmly set on Luffy.
After several months of adventure, Luffy and Thousand Sunny crew sailed directly into the waters controlled by the Whitebeard Pirates.