Why Become an Admiral If You Won't Grind?

In the early morning, a thin mist shrouded Loguetown.

Though dawn had yet to break, the harbor was already packed with townspeople, waving constantly at the sea as they said goodbye to their beloved Colonel White Dove.

Sure enough, the exceptional Colonel White Dove had left Loguetown to take up a post at Marine Headquarters.

Amid the cries of farewell, two Marine warships cut through the morning mist and slowly sailed out of the harbor.

The one on the left was Garp's Dog-Head Warship.

The one on the right had three tangerine trees growing on its upper deck. It was the Orange, renamed by Nami the day before yesterday.

Ivan wasn't aboard the Orange. He was traveling with Garp instead.

At the moment, he sat cross-legged on the deck, blindfolded and surrounded by several Marine soldiers.

The soldiers wielded iron rods, striking at every part of his body.

Not far away, Garp lounged lazily in a deck chair and downed a cup of coconut juice.

He glanced at Ivan and instructed him:

"Kid, once their physique and will reach a certain level, anyone can awaken the two types of Haki.

"You met those requirements a long time ago, but you're too strong for the East Blue. You haven't experienced enough stimulation, so you still haven't awakened Haki.

"So, from now on, you need to do everything you can to block these attacks without moving from your spot.

"While you're at it, I'll add a little something to put you in enough danger to meet the prerequisite for awakening Haki."

"Yes, Vice Admiral Garp!" Ivan nodded earnestly, his expression serious.

This was a chance to receive instruction from Garp the Hero himself. If word got out, who knew how many people would envy him? He had to take it seriously.

Just then, Ivan's ears twitched as he heard a faint swish through the air. It wasn't fast, and it lacked force.

"Ugh..."

But when the attack struck Ivan's abdomen, it felt as though a cannonball had hit him. His whole body instantly doubled over, and intense pain engulfed him.

Now Ivan finally understood why Luffy had said his grandpa's fists hurt the most.

Garp saw Ivan's reaction and burst out laughing. "Hahaha, that's the little something I added. You'd better take the rest of your training seriously, or I might beat you to death."

Ivan had no doubt he meant it. After all, when Luffy was a child, Garp had dared to make him survive in the mountains and fight wild beasts.

Even his own grandson had to endure hellish training, to say nothing of an outsider like Ivan.

But though Ivan knew the training would be grueling, he wasn't afraid in the slightest.

Train! As long as it doesn't kill me, I'll train like hell!

Why become an Admiral if you won't grind?!

But even at a time like this, Ivan couldn't help sparing a thought for where his Wood Clone had gotten to.

After learning that he would be leaving the East Blue for Headquarters, Ivan had used up most of his stamina the previous night to create a Wood Clone, which had left Loguetown on its own.

Since he was leaving, he would burn away every last trace of filth in the East Blue.

The filth on the surface had already been burned away, but the filth buried deeper required an even hotter flame to burn.

He would purge the corrupt elements within the Marines, reducing the stubborn residue inside the flame to dust!

Elsewhere at sea, a small wooden boat floated on the water.

The boat looked crude, but it held a hidden marvel.

At the stern, a wooden propeller spun rapidly, propelling the boat through the waves at an astonishing speed.

This was the Wood Clone's Wood Release.

In Ivan's original plan, the Wood Clone was supposed to find a merchant ship and travel to his destination aboard it, reducing his stamina consumption.

After all, because he was a clone, every bit of stamina he used was gone for good. Though the Wood Clone contained a large amount of stamina, even that couldn't withstand the drain of a long journey.

But after leaving Loguetown, the Wood Clone was astonished to discover something.

Even the Wood Clone could continuously recover stamina as long as he maintained Water Breathing.

Though his stamina recovered extremely slowly—the original could recover in an hour with replenishment, while the clone needed a full week!

But even at his current recovery speed, he was far beyond an ordinary person!

Just like now, the stamina the Wood Clone used to accelerate the boat with Wood Release was almost equal to the amount he recovered.

This also greatly accelerated Ivan's plans. Perhaps he could clean out the Marines at every branch before Garp got word, and kill a few pirates along the way.

Ivan picked up a map and checked his first destination: Syrup Village in the Gecko Islands.

A day later, Ivan arrived at a beautiful little island.

After setting foot on the island, he followed a muddy path toward the grand estate on the hill behind the village.

But before he reached the estate, a tanned, long-nosed boy stopped him.

Ivan recognized him and smiled. "What is it, kid?"

Usopp studied Ivan quizzically. After a pause, he pointed his thumb at himself and shouted in a booming voice:

"Listen up! I'm the hero of Syrup Village, Captain Usopp! I have 8,000 pirates under my command, and I'm the great pirate who rules these waters!

"Now come clean! Tell me exactly who you are and why you're going to that estate!"

As Usopp studied Ivan, Ivan was also observing the legendary God Usopp.

Who could have imagined that this ordinary boy before him would one day go from a king of braggarts to a true warrior, earning the proud saying, "When all seems lost, count on Usopp"?

Ivan pointed at the estate in the distance and teased:

"So you're Captain Usopp. My apologies for the disrespect. But why would you allow a pirate with a bounty of 16 million Beli to hide in your territory?"

At first, Usopp was happy that Ivan had called him captain, but the second half of the sentence left him dumbstruck:

"What did you say? There's a pirate with a 16 million Beli bounty in Kaya's house?"

Seeing his reaction, the smile on Ivan's face widened. "That's right. Isn't that butler, Klahadore, really the captain of the Black Cat Pirates, Kuro of a Hundred Plans?"

In stark contrast to Ivan's calm demeanor, Usopp completely lost his composure. He no longer had any thought of keeping up his captain's act.

Kuro's wanted poster and the way Klahadore had looked when he first appeared at Kaya's mansion flashed through Usopp's mind, making him increasingly panicked.

What this guy said could very well be true!

Without a moment's hesitation, Usopp left Ivan behind and spun around, sprinting toward the estate on the hill as he roared:

"Ahhh! This is bad! Kaya's in danger!"

Ivan instinctively tried to push down his sunglasses, but his hand found only a fox mask. Shaking his head with a quiet chuckle, he picked up his pace slightly and followed Usopp.

A moment later, just as Usopp crossed the lawn and slipped into the estate, Kaya and Kuro happened to spot him.

Sitting in a chair, Kaya looked at Usopp in surprise. "Usopp, why are you here?"

Usopp ran toward Kaya, shouting anxiously, "Kaya, it's bad! Something terrible's happened!"

Kaya was a little confused.

Even more puzzled, Kaya was just about to ask what he meant when a tall figure suddenly stepped in front of Usopp, blocking his path.

Kuro pushed his glasses into place with his palm and looked down at Usopp with contempt. "Liar, what are you trying to do to Miss Kaya this time?"

As he spoke, Kuro fixed his gaze on Ivan behind Usopp out of the corner of his eye.

The instincts he had honed through years of fighting told him, and his nerves instantly went taut.

This masked man is definitely a troublesome opponent!

Recalling how Usopp had looked just now, Kuro felt his heart sink, and a strong sense of foreboding spread through him.

PS: Fox