"And with the growth of my talent attributes, the strength gained from concentrating those talents has also increased."
Kaito Arisawa silently adjusted the attributes on the talent panel in his mind. Soon, the panel refreshed with a new status.
Constitution: 8.2 (1.6)
Talent: 0.1 (1.3)
Weapon Talent: 0.1 (1.8)
Armament Haki: 0.1 (1.4)
Observation Haki: 0.1 (1.5)
Conqueror's Haki: 0.1 (1.1)
The talent concentration was currently focused on Constitution. Just as the natural attributes of Constitution and Armament Haki had increased by a total of 0.3, the concentrated attribute had also risen from 7.9 to 8.2.
Compared to the improvement of lower attributes, the increase gained from higher attributes was far more significant.
Kaito could clearly feel a surge of power continuously flowing through his body.
Although the increase in talent attributes was only 0.3, once the base value reached a high level, even a small improvement produced enormous effects.
The jump from 7.9 to 8.2 might only appear to be a difference of 0.3.
But in reality, the power increase could easily exceed the difference between an attribute rising from 1 to 2.
"I wonder how my current Constitution compares to Charlotte Linlin's," Kaito thought quietly.
"But even if I'm not at her level yet, I'll catch up sooner or later… No. I'll surpass her eventually."
"And if this trend continues, one day even without entering the talent concentration state, my natural attributes in every category may reach an astonishing level."
Kaito felt deeply moved by the realization.
At the same time, he was filled with anticipation for his future.
Just as he finished examining the talent panel and was about to resume training, Robin suddenly came rushing into the training room.
"According to the newspapers we collected yesterday while resupplying, quite a few things have happened in the outside world during this month of our secluded training… including news about our pirate crew."
"In other words," Kaito said thoughtfully after hearing Robin's explanation, "after the battle at the capital of the San Lorenzo Kingdom, the Marines not only raised our bounties but also dispatched a Marine Admiral?"
"To be precise," Robin replied with a pale expression, "the Marines had already formed a special crusade force against our pirate crew before we attacked the capital of the San Lorenzo Kingdom. And the person leading that force is one of the Marine Admirals… Aokiji."
Robin hadn't even realized it herself, but the knuckles of the hand holding the stack of bounty posters had turned pale.
Aokiji.
Kuzan.
For Robin, that name represented a shadow from her childhood.
That was why she had briefly lost her composure when mentioning him.
Kaito, who had always been extremely perceptive, naturally noticed the change in her behavior.
But knowing Robin's past, he wasn't surprised.
Instead, he calmly thought about the information she had just reported.
Before traveling to the deserted island for training, Kaito had prepared abundant supplies.
But after a month of consumption, those supplies had almost run out.
Because of that, immediately after leaving the island and setting sail again, he had sent members of the pirate crew to the nearest city to restock provisions.
At the same time, he had asked Robin to collect all the newspapers published during the previous month so they could understand what had happened in the outside world while they were training.
And as it turned out, many things had indeed occurred.
The biggest event was directly related to their pirate crew.
Morgans, the president of the World Economic News Agency, had truly proven himself worthy of being one of the kings of the underground world.
Not only had he resisted pressure from the World Government, but he had also published the news that the capital of the San Lorenzo Kingdom had been captured by the War Pirates.
At the same time, the newspaper had also revealed that Marine Admiral Kuzan had entered West Blue to hunt them down.
This was the situation Robin had discovered while reviewing the newspapers.
That was why she had rushed here immediately to inform Kaito.
"Can I see the bounty posters, meow?"
At that moment, Neferpitou, who had also been inside the training room, stared at the stack of posters in Robin's hand for a while before walking over.
Robin, who had been lost in her memories, snapped out of it when she heard Neferpitou speak.
"Oh… sure. Here."
Robin forced a small smile and handed the posters over.
Neferpitou immediately grabbed the stack and sat cross-legged on the floor, eagerly flipping through them one by one.
Soon, her eyes suddenly lit up.
"One… two… three… eight!"
"Captain! I'm on the bounty list too! And it's 100 million berries, meow!"
She carefully counted the zeros on the number printed on the poster.
When she finished, her face broke into an excited smile.
She jumped up and waved the bounty poster toward Kaito.
When Neferpitou had first appeared, she had seemed like a darkened and dangerous girl.
Her eyes had been cold and lifeless, and her demeanor had been extremely fierce.
But after being subdued by Kaito's Conqueror's Haki, not only had she become absolutely loyal to him, but she had gradually opened her heart toward familiar companions like Kaito and Robin.
She had begun to show the emotions of an ordinary girl.
Under Kaito's guidance, Neferpitou had not only grown rapidly in strength but had also been influenced by his outlook and fully embraced the pirate lifestyle.
Among pirates, a bounty was something to be proud of.
Discovering that she had received a bounty—and that it was as high as 100 million berries—made her incredibly excited.
"Really? Let me see."
Kaito accepted the poster from her and examined it carefully.
When he confirmed the number, he smiled and gently patted her head.
"It really is 100 million berries. Kitty, you're officially a famous pirate now."
After praising Neferpitou, Kaito glanced at Robin again.
She still seemed slightly distracted.
"Robin, don't overthink things," he said with a calm smile.
"Being targeted by a Marine Admiral simply proves how powerful our pirate crew has become. This was bound to happen sooner or later. There's no need to worry too much."
Robin stared quietly at Kaito's face.
After a moment, she took a deep breath.
"…Captain, can I tell you about my childhood?"
Kaito nodded gently.
"Of course. Come here—sit down and take your time."
As he spoke, he extended his right hand toward her.
Robin hesitated for a brief moment before taking his hand.
Then, guided by Kaito, she sat down in his arms, leaning back against him as she prepared to reveal the shadows she had carried in her heart for so many years.
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