Chapter 79: Mastering Ryou! Garp is in the East Blue?
Five days later.
Marine Headquarters, Marineford. Detention Unit Dormitory.
Inside the pocket dimension, Roy watched as the clone 'Nezumi' faded away after delivering the 'goods.'
Ensuring no one was around, Roy left the dimension, holding the box. He opened it eagerly.
Inside lay the pitch-black 'Enma Iron'. Koushirou, having successfully shown his disciple the vastness of the sea, had kept his promise.
"I do not know what you intend to do with it, whether to forge a weapon or for research... But please, do not disgrace my father's legacy."
After saying this, the secluded Great Swordsman of the East Blue had handed the Enma Iron to Inoshishi without hesitation.
Inoshishi then immediately passed it to Nezumi, who had been hiding nearby the entire time.
Yes.
Even though Inoshishi was just a clone and Roy had a basic understanding of the Revolutionary Army, his cautious nature wouldn't allow him to let Inoshishi go alone without backup.
In Shimotsuki Village, Nezumi had been with Inoshishi the whole time, hidden in the pocket dimension.
If the Revolutionaries made a move, Nezumi could extract Inoshishi instantly.
Furthermore, Roy didn't even care if the Revolutionaries stole the 'Pluto Alloy'—because if they were hostile, the alloy made by Inoshishi could double as a bomb.
"I really am a scheming bastard."
Roy sighed, then refocused on the box.
[Fruit Loadout: Dice-Dice Fruit -> Munch-Munch Fruit]
Without hesitation, he switched fruits and swallowed the Enma Iron, box and all.
Then...
Thump! Thump!
Roy heard his own heartbeat, loud as a war drum.
As a practitioner of the Black Body Style, he could sense the subtle changes in his body.
The Munch-Munch Fruit activated, rapidly transforming his body into 'Enma Iron.'
But simultaneously, the Human-Human Fruit worked to maintain his flesh-and-blood form.
Yet, power surged from within him.
Not from muscle or bone, but from the deepest part of his being—the power he had felt in the deep sea.
The power that usually required constant guidance to unearth was now being forcibly drawn out.
And then...
VMMM!
Roy watched as his arms changed.
Black Haki, tinged with dark red, coiled around his arms and torso.
It flowed constantly, like a living thing.
Roy felt that a single punch right now could level the dormitory building.
This was...
"Ryou."
Roy grinned.
As expected—the power flowing around him was Ryou.
And...
"Enma Iron absorbs the host's Haki uncontrollably... but thanks to the Munch-Munch Fruit, I can perfectly control the intensity of the release."
Roy analyzed.
"The only problem is my own mastery of Haki is still rough... there's a big gap between me and the top-tier masters."
Naturally.
Masters like Garp and Zephyr could command every strand of their Haki with perfect precision. Roy was far from that level.
But he wasn't anxious.
Because...
"It's enough."
He clenched his fist, feeling the surging power. "As long as I continue training in the Black Body Style, I'll eventually master Haki to a high level."
"And even though I used the Enma Iron to draw it out, I've breached the dam."
Like using a tool to break a hard barrier instead of digging by hand—he had cheated, but the hole was open, and his body was adapting to his Haki.
"Teacher estimated it would take ten years to reach peak Haki mastery."
"But with the Munch-Munch Fruit's aid, maybe three years at most—by then, even without equipping the fruit, I should be able to master my own Haki fully."
Muttering to himself, Roy stood up.
"In that case, time to go surprise Teacher Zephyr."
He grinned.
Sure, he 'accidentally' mastered Haki thanks to his 'talent,' but he had to run it by Zephyr to make it official.
Roy downed the remaining half-glass of cola, left the dorm, and headed for the Zephyr Training Camp.
On the way, he noticed changes at Marineford—most notably a massive dome rising on the southern coast, labeled 'SSG'.
"So mysterious."
Roy wasn't surprised.
He heard the Special Science Group had sealed off the arena for the Tri-Force Demonstration to prevent leaks.
Incidentally, Fal and the other Detention Unit members had volunteered to gather intel on the other participants.
Why wasn't Hans helping?
"Captain, you're the boss of the great Hans! Don't embarrass us!"
"Sky Guards? CP9? You gotta take 'em all down!"
Because of Sergeant Major Hans's inflated ego after eating his fruit, Roy had kindly 'sparred' with him. The man was currently in the infirmary on an IV drip.
"Hopefully he doesn't recover before the Demonstration..."
Roy muttered.
Unknowingly, he arrived at the camp.
Entering with the code, he went straight to Zephyr's office.
"Roy, kid?"
Zephyr, having just hung up a snail call, looked surprised.
"Teacher. Where's Binz?"
"Ain returned from her mission today. He went to pick her up."
"Senior Sister Ain?"
Roy was surprised.
Ain. The only other survivor of the attack four years ago.
She had been on a mission for the past two months.
Hearing she was back, Roy was happy. He knew she was the user of the rare 'Return-Return Fruit', a time-based ability.
"I definitely need to get to know her later."
He planned internally.
But then, Zephyr spoke up loudly. "You came at the right time—I was just looking for you."
"Hm?"
Roy was surprised. "What is it?"
With the Demonstration approaching, Zephyr had even paused the Black Body training to let Roy prepare. He rarely called for him now.
"It's about Viroth and Garp... No, mainly that old bastard Garp."
"Vice Admiral Garp?"
Roy was even more surprised.
"Yeah, ever since you fought Hanafuda..."
Zephyr didn't hide anything.
Previously, when Roy defeated Hanafuda, Zephyr, Garp, and Viroth were in Sengoku's office.
At the time, Viroth and Garp jokingly asked Zephyr to train their grandsons. After Zephyr refused, they shifted their target to Roy.
Viroth wasn't in a hurry—he planned to ask Roy himself when he retired.
But Garp was different.
"That old geezer ran off to the East Blue a few days ago, saying he was going to bring his grandson to Headquarters."
Zephyr facepalmed, Garp's annoying laughter still echoing in his mind.
"Bwahahaha! Since your disciple is participating in the Tri-Force Demonstration, it's the perfect chance for Luffy to see the world! Maybe he'll stop yapping about being a pirate!"
As soon as he finished, Zephyr saw Roy's expression stiffen.
"Teacher, you mean... Vice Admiral Garp already left?"
"He left days ago. He should be on his way back now—Sengoku gave him a strict order to return before the Demonstration."
Seeing Roy's stiffness, Zephyr thought he was nervous or annoyed, so he added, "Don't worry too much. I heard Garp's grandson is stubborn like him. He might not agree to come."
Zephyr smiled slightly.
Garp's son became a Revolutionary. His grandson wanted to be a pirate.
Unlike his own disciple—a Marine Supernova, the Symbol of Justice.
No, that's not the problem.
Roy's heart was in turmoil.
Although Garp wanting him to train Luffy was shocking, it was a minor issue—he actually wanted to meet the reincarnation of Nika.
The problem was...
In his estimation, all Marine powerhouses would be gathered at Headquarters for the Demonstration.
So recently, after collecting the materials and money from the Revolutionary Army, Inoshishi had set off for Windmill Village.
Roy wanted to get the Nika fruit if possible.
But now, Zephyr was telling him...
"Garp is in the East Blue right now, and just left Windmill Village!?"
A bad feeling rose in Roy's gut.
"It can't be that coincident... right?"
☆☆☆
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