In the following days, Rorschach used the 100 billion Berries he received from Jonathan to commission the Franky Family to go on a massive purchasing spree across Paradise, acquiring large quantities of Adam Wood.
Since money was no longer an issue, there was no need to dismantle the existing warship for materials to use in the new ship.
Not only were the warship's materials unnecessary, but even the steam engine room—Iceburg and Franky planned to install an even more powerful engine on Rorschach's new ship.
With their extensive experience building the steam-powered Sea Train, they had an exceptional understanding of steam propulsion.
So during the days waiting for the warship's construction to be completed, Rorschach, apart from conducting hellish electro-body training with his warriors, spent his time wandering around Water 7 and nearby island cities, taking down minor pirates and training his troops.
Life had never been this leisurely.
What he didn't know, however, was that the great battle at Spring Queen City had, after a few days of public exposure, caused a huge sensation throughout the world.
And the name "Rorschach" had now officially entered the sights of nearly all top-tier powers.
New World – Marine Branch G1
On the wide training grounds before a towering fortress, rows of intimidating and sharp-eyed Marine soldiers were drenched in sweat as they trained rigorously.
Under the parasols at the military port, three tall, slender men sat in a row on recliners, each with expressions ranging from indifferent, bored, or dozing off.
In the distance on the training field, a short, shifty-looking middle-aged man chewing on a grass stem was cheerfully instructing the soldiers.
A shirtless man, his body covered in burn scars, was expressionlessly performing squats while carrying a damaged warship on his back—again and again.
A blood-red longsword was stabbed into the ground not far from him.
"Hurry up, Shiryu! You've only done 632 squats. You still have 2,368 to go before you can eat. If you don't finish today's training, you'll be soaking in a magma bath. Admiral Sakazuki said if you lose to another swordsman who isn't Mihawk, he's confiscating your weapon. With that weak strength, and you still dream of killing Mihawk to become the world's strongest swordsman? What a joke!"
Vice Admiral Gion, codename "Tea Pig" (Cha Tōn), taunted the man doing squats.
This burn-covered man was none other than Shiryu of the Rain, the former chief warden of Impel Down, now drafted by Akainu as his adjutant.
Cha Tōn still remembered how arrogant Shiryu had been when he first arrived at G1.
Nose in the air, puffing cigars all day, wanting to cut anyone he saw.
Then, after being successively beaten by Akainu, him, and Gion, this proud man went into a deep slump.
Afterward, Shiryu picked a fight with King the Wildfire—one of the three All-Stars of the Beasts Pirates—and was nearly killed at sea.
Upon returning, Akainu gave him a literal magma bath—almost fatal.
Now, Shiryu was completely subdued.
Just as Cha Tōn was mocking Shiryu, he suddenly raised an eyebrow. His squinty, crafty eyes locked onto a tall, long-legged woman wearing hot pants and a snow-white cape. He instinctively let out a whistle.
"Phew! Gion, you're looking fine today! Wanna grab—"
"Shut up. One more word and I'll slice you."
The woman, Gion, also known as Momousagi (Peach Rabbit), a candidate for Admiral, gave him a fierce glare and walked over, holding a newspaper, toward the three men under the parasol.
"What's up? Is there something interesting in today's paper?"
Cha Tōn shamelessly scooted up and peeked at the paper.
The front-page headlines read:
"20,000 Pirate Fleet Invades Saint Poplar, Crushed by One Man!"
"Marine's New Supernova: The Youngest Rear Admiral in History!"
"Mythical Zoan Kirin Fruit Reappears! Young Marine Slays Legendary Pirate!"
"Shocking! Shichibukai and Allied Kingdom's Trusted Forces Annihilated—Heartwarming Truth Revealed!"
"What the hell is this? That damn bird Morgans and his World News just love writing this kind of nonsense. Who's this 'young marine'? Can't they just name names?!"
Cha Tōn fumed.
"Read it yourself."
Gion impatiently yanked a copy of the newspaper and shoved it into Cha Tōn's hands before handing the rest to the three men under the parasol.
"Hm? What's the scoop?"
Kizaru scratched his head, put down his nail clipper, and took a paper.
Aokiji lifted his eye mask and sat up.
Akainu glanced at the headline, showing no visible reaction.
"Scary stuff. That Rorschach kid really wiped out a lot of people. Starting to remind me of you, Sakazuki."
Kizaru lowered his sunglasses, looking surprised as he glanced toward Akainu.
"Hmph! He only killed two washed-up relics of the past. Nothing worth praising."
Akainu's hand ignited, burning the newspaper to ashes. He crossed his arms again, staring into the distant sea.
"Oh, so harsh, Sakazuki. Not even that's enough for you? Do you want him to take out Whitebeard and Kaido while he's at it?"
Kizaru shrugged and laid back on the recliner, skimming the paper with interest.
Aokiji's eyes flickered, brow slightly furrowed.
"Ah la la… That Rorschach kid really racked up a body count. Let's hope he doesn't get too addicted to killing."
He shook his head, sighed, and lowered the eye mask, laying back down.
Gion's beautiful eyes sparkled as she looked at the newspaper photo of Rorschach.
"So this is the North Blue youth that Sister Tsuru spoke of. Quite capable... and rather handsome too. I'd love to meet him sometime."
"Hmph! That's what you call handsome? Just a baby-faced brat. He hasn't weathered any storms or been through the tides of time. How could he compare to a mature, refined man like me?"
Cha Tōn slicked back his shiny hair, took out a pocket mirror, and admired himself with satisfaction.
Too dashing.
Surely, his side profile had already charmed Gion.
At that moment, Shiryu, still doing squats with the warship on his back, caught a glimpse of the newspaper cover that Cha Tōn had casually tossed aside.
The bold headline froze his expression instantly.
He heavily dropped the battleship off his back, reached down to pick up the newspaper on the ground, and glanced over it.
Then, without a change in expression, Shiryu grabbed the longsword embedded in the ground and pointed it at Kaji.
"I challenge you."
"Huh? Are you asking for a beating?" Kaji raised an eyebrow.
Before he could respond, Shiryu had already gripped his sword tightly and charged toward him.
"Looks like he's been provoked. Fine, I'll let you lie down for a few days and reflect."
Kaji spat out the grass stem in his mouth. His figure vanished in a flash as black Haki coated his fists, striking toward the charging Shiryu.
500 li (roughly 250 km) away from G1 Base, in a vast stretch of ocean...
Dozens of large and small islands were scattered across the expansive sea.
At the moment, these uninhabited deserted islands had been split between two factions, who were locked in relentless battle, fighting day and night.
The roar of cannon fire echoed ceaselessly, shaking the sea for hundreds of miles around.
In front of a large central island, two equally massive pirate ships floated motionless, facing off on the water.
One was the Moby Dick, shaped like a white whale.
The other was a dragon-headed ship with a skull design bearing double horns.
On the decks of the two opposing ships stood groups of towering, burly men, glaring fiercely across the several hundred meters of ocean between them.
The atmosphere was so tense it felt as if even the air had stopped moving.
The sea was still, dark clouds loomed in the sky, motionless like a towering fortress wall.
This suffocating pressure, like a moment before detonation, was suddenly broken by a few news-delivering seagulls flying overhead.
Pirates on both ships waved for the birds and paid to retrieve newspapers.
On the Moby Dick, Marco's eyes flickered as he read the headlines. He quickly walked over to Whitebeard, who was sitting on a bench with a grand posture.
"Pops! Take a look at this. Do you remember this Marine named Rorschach?"
He pointed to Rorschach's photo in the paper and smiled at Whitebeard.
Whitebeard scanned the newspaper and shook his head."Don't remember."
As he kept reading, his expression suddenly shifted.
"Gulliver… that name, it sounds familiar. Hmm…"
Whitebeard stroked his beard, falling into thought.
Suddenly, his brows relaxed and he said in surprise, "Isn't that the little brother of that guy Silver Axe? He only just died now? And by the hands of a Marine Rear Admiral no less."
"Pops!"
Marco gave a wry smile and pointed to Rorschach. "Remember half a year ago on Sphinx Island, we got that newspaper about the incident with the Celestial Dragons in Sabaody?"
Whitebeard nodded.
"This Marine is the one who defeated four of last year's pirate Supernovas. I even said back then, this guy's a monster. And now—just look. In such a short time, he's gone from Major to Rear Admiral, and killed pirates with bounties of 700 million and 500 million."
"Fourteen years old. This freak really reminds me of that battle maniac from the Roger Pirates."
"Gurararara... To have such strength at 14, that truly is monstrous. Rorschach… Hmph, looks like Sengoku found himself another promising seedling."
Whitebeard handed the newspaper back to Marco. "Keep an eye on this kid. Track his movements. I've got a feeling—this young Marine is going to become a real headache in the future."
Marco was a little surprised by Whitebeard's evaluation.
Among the others nearby, Blackbeard's eyes flickered as he read his own copy of the newspaper.
"A terrifying Marine... a Mythical Zoan-type Kirin fruit, with the power to control wind and thunder. What tremendous strength. But that's not my goal. Once I obtain that power, every other ability in this world will be at my fingertips."
"I just don't know how much longer I'll have to wait..."
"Oh, Pops, I also heard there's a promising new pirate in Paradise—a rare Logia-type. If he makes it to the New World, maybe we should try recruiting him. Let's hope he's careful and doesn't run into this newly risen Marine star." Marco said with a chuckle.
"A Logia user? What's his name?"
"Something like Portgas D. Ace."
"D?"
On the opposing ship, the Azure Dragon vessel...
Kaido was gulping down a massive jug of liquor, his gaze flicking toward a subordinate holding a newspaper high in the air.
Gulp gulp.
Gulp gulp.
In one go, Kaido drained the entire jug.
He exhaled a thick breath of alcohol and set the jug down.
Then—
BOOM!
A dull, explosive crack rang out. The subordinate holding the paper didn't even have time to scream before Kaido's punch sent him flying who-knows-where.
The newspaper disintegrated into a cloud of confetti, scattering across the deck.
Kaido's face was thunderous as he roared,"We didn't even catch the guy, and Jack got turned into that! You useless trash—what the hell have you been doing?!"
"King!"
"Big bro."
King appeared at the call, cloaked entirely in black armor.
"Send out the order! Retreat! Head back to Wano! Have the intelligence agents in Paradise begin their operation—track down that Mythical Zoan brat's location. Then..."
Kaido stood up with a menacing grin, cracking his enormous knuckles with a snap snap snap sound.
"I'll go take care of it personally!"
(End of Chapter)
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