With his mouth still slick with blood and lined with sharp fangs, Tengetsu Ares opened wide and inhaled hard, swallowing an entire massive slab of dinosaur meat almost whole.
The half-cooked food dropped into his stomach and was instantly devoured, as if he had been starving for three days and three nights. The energy it produced was immediately redirected by Ares to heal his injuries. Flesh and tissue began regenerating at a speed visible to the naked eye, but the energy from the food was consumed just as quickly.
He spoke at once.
"Brogy, Dorry, I need more food."
"You brat, are you really ordering us around like subordinates now?" Dorry got to his feet. Then he glanced at the sword in Ares's hand. "You seem to like it, so keep it for now. But afterward, you've got to give it back."
"Fine." Ares nodded. He truly did want to experience what real sword combat felt like.
He wanted to understand the difference between a sword and his own body.
This sensation of holding a blade was different from using himself as a weapon, yet there was a similarity to it as well. After all, a sword was an extension of one's limbs.
That made him think of a particularly pretentious line from some novel:
From the moment I first gripped a sword in childhood, I knew I would stand at the peak of the sword path, the unrivaled number one beneath the heavens.
Naturally, Ares answered just as grandly in his heart:
The moment I forge my body into an invincible sword, I will become the sovereign of the blade above the seas.
The strongest in the world, the true number one swordsman, forever beyond the reach of those who come after me!
Soon enough, Brogy and Dorry went off hunting dinosaurs again. Seeing Ares's wounds closing at a rapid pace, Crocus clicked his tongue.
"This regenerative ability is terrifying. It's like watching an immortal monster."
"Not even close..." Ares was completely unmoved by Crocus's praise. "I'm still a long way from a true immortal body..."
He looked toward Crocus and Dr. Kureha with some expectation.
"Do either of you have any ideas or methods for increasing recovery ability?"
After all, both Crocus and Dr. Kureha were among the top-tier doctors on the seas.
Maybe they actually had an answer.
Dr. Kureha gave Ares an up-and-down look and clicked her tongue.
"Your natural recovery is already more terrifying than plenty of specialized medicines. Just how did you even manage this? If it could be applied to medicine..."
"The amount of money it could bring in would be unimaginable."
"I pour my consciousness into my flesh cells and force them to grow faster," Ares explained. "Not just flesh. Hair and even body hair can be manipulated the same way."
"Consciousness..." Crocus curled his lip. "Ordinary people can't control their own consciousness at will. Doing that is incredibly difficult."
That much was certain. Ares's spiritual power was already abnormally strong to begin with, and after awakening Conqueror's Haki, his mental force stood apart from nearly everyone else on the seas.
If someone like Kumadori from CP9 could do it, then with Ares's monstrous learning ability, it was hardly difficult for him.
But for everyone else, that was another matter entirely.
It was a skill mastered by only a tiny number of people.
And yet, it was incredibly useful.
Very often, it could produce effects no one expected and greatly improve one's endurance in drawn-out battles.
After a pause, Crocus said, "In your case, improving your recovery any further is extremely difficult. The only real answer is for your body to become stronger. Once your physique grows stronger, your recovery ability will naturally improve too."
Hearing that, Ares's expression darkened slightly. He was disappointed. That was not the answer he had wanted.
"It's not like there are no other methods..." Dr. Kureha said. "A lot of herbs contain special factors that can stimulate or enhance recovery. If you could gather large quantities of them and extract those compounds, then use them long-term, it might help."
"Of course, it might also come with side effects."
Ares's eyes lit up.
"It may not be the most effective method, but during regular training, that kind of thing could still be used as auxiliary support."
"It could make my cells grow faster."
While they were talking, Brogy and Dorry returned with two or three dinosaurs each, skinned them, and tossed them straight over the fire.
Brogy grumbled, "Ares, after fighting you, half the island's ecosystem is wrecked. We can't stay on Little Garden anymore."
"The food here probably won't last much longer either. We've been on this island for decades. It's about time we left," Dorry said.
The moment he heard they were planning to leave, a thought rose in Ares's mind.
"Then are either of you interested in joining my pirate crew?"
"..."
"..."
Dorry and Brogy both turned to stare at him. Neither had expected this brat's ambitions to be so big. He was actually trying to recruit them.
"We're the captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates ourselves. We've got no interest in joining anybody else's pirate crew," Brogy refused on the spot.
Ares was not the least bit surprised by the refusal. Instead, he smoothly followed up:
"Then what about this? A lot of giants want to go out to sea, right? If there are giant youngsters who want to temper themselves, why not send them to Wano to try?"
"I'm the Shogun of Wano now."
That was Ares's real objective.
Everyone knew the power of the giants was something every major force coveted.
The real question was how to make that power serve him.
The older giants were out of the question. Men like Brogy and Dorry had iron wills and firm convictions. But the giant kids were different. If they came to Wano for training, then if he could win them over and bring them under his banner...
That would be much easier, and the chances would be much higher.
And once that connection existed, dragging the Giant Tribe onto his war chariot in the future would become a real possibility.
"?"
"?"
"?"
The two giants, along with Crocus and Dr. Kureha, were all stunned. After all, Ares had never mentioned this identity before.
Dr. Kureha swallowed hard, her eyes shining like she had just seen treasure.
"You're actually the Shogun of Wano? Then that means you must be rich, right???"
She had thought following Ares meant joining the War God Pirates as the ship's doctor. She had never imagined he was the ruler of a nation.
And not just any nation, but Wano, the land famed for producing samurai.
A near-centenarian old witch like her naturally knew exactly what Wano was. She had eaten more salt than most people had eaten rice.
"I wouldn't say I'm wealthy, but money isn't currently a problem," Ares replied.
That immediately made Dr. Kureha break into laughter.
"Hahaha, then you'd better pay me a lot for my treatment fees. And of course, my待遇 can't be low either."
"As long as Wano's medicine becomes a world-class medical power, there'll be more money waiting for you than you could spend in a lifetime. And your dream will come true as well," Ares said.
As for that dream, it was obviously eternal youth for Dr. Kureha.
Otherwise, there was no way she would trouble herself to this degree, at her age, following Ares out onto the seas.
Dorry and Brogy were also looking at Ares in a whole new light. They found it almost unbelievable.
Brogy stared at him in disbelief.
"Hey, hey, and you're actually the Shogun of Wano? A lunatic like you? They were willing to make you the Shogun?"
"You're like some kind of madman. Wano's been closed off from the world forever, but the samurai there are all strong. And you still became their ruler? You didn't turn the whole place into chaos, did you?" Dorry looked at this so-called madman with astonishment.
Only now did Crocus suddenly understand. He looked toward Ares.
"So that's why you brought Olvia with you? You want her to help govern Wano?"
"That's only one of the reasons," Ares replied, giving away nothing more.
As for Olvia, while she was full of knowledge, she lacked experience. So after drawing out the knowledge treasure trove of Ohara from her, he would still need to have her learn and accumulate administrative experience first.
And if that failed, then tossing her into the role of headmaster or teacher at a school would still be a solid option.
As long as someone was talented...
Ares welcomed them all.
And since he knew the story, he knew very well which people were genuinely talented and which ones were unreliable.
For example... Jack the "Ship Crasher."
That kid's strengths were obvious. He was loyal. But as for his flaws...
If Ares ever recruited Jack, he would definitely discipline him properly. Even if he became a "Ship Crasher," he'd be the kind of Ship Crasher who won battles and defeated powerful enemies.