Chapter 44 Ice Continent
In the early morning, the sea breeze rolled in, light and shadow intertwined in the combat tower, and the tactical sand table projected the large glacier terrain at the northernmost end of the New World.
Rogge's cloak fell, his eyes were steady, and his knuckles tapped lightly on the edge of the strategic terminal, making a regular low hum.
The door opened and Ian entered first, followed by Rhett, Trafalgar Law, Enel and Binz. The representative of the Dontata tribe, Leo, was also dressed in simple clothes and saluted with a serious expression.
"The training team has assembled." Ian reported calmly as usual.
Rogge nodded and said concisely:
"This time the target is the Great Glacier."
"Leite, Luo, follow me to the battle."
"Enel, Binz, and the Dontata tribe will remain at G-5 to maintain security in the defense zone and assist with the upgrade of the military depot."
As soon as the words fell, Enel's face immediately fell, and he put his hands on his hips: "Hey, hey, hey! Boss, you don't want to play with me again..."
Rogge raised an eyebrow and said, "If you can find a way to get 500 people from the Dongtata tribe to follow me, I can also consider taking you."
"I refuse!"
Leo's face turned pale, and he hugged Enel's thigh in fear, "Lord Lando, we are flesh and blood!"
Enel retreated in a second: "...Okay, then I'll stay behind reluctantly."
Lei Te in the corner chuckled: "I'm afraid your earlobes will get frozen going up the mountain."
Enel angrily pointed at him, "What did you say?! If you keep saying that, I'll shock you on the forehead, believe it or not?!"
Binz tried to smooth things over: "Okay, Master Leiter, Master Enel, Master Rogge is still here."
Rogge said calmly: "After all, many people still covet the healing fruit. I feel at ease with you around."
Enel turned his head proudly and snorted softly.
Seeing everyone's lively mood, Ai En opened the information board and continued to add:
"Also: Doflamingo submitted another complaint to the World Government yesterday, stating that the expansion of the G-5 annihilation front has significantly damaged the 'Dressrosa underground trade order.'"
Lei Te tsked. "Those underground traffickers of smuggling, arms, and drugs, right? You put it so elegantly."
Rogge calmly placed the document in his hand on the table, his tone unchanged:
"Don't worry about it, CP0 will take care of it."
This sentence was like an ice-cold military order, directly cutting off the root of the complaint.
Everyone was solemn.
"Arrange for departure."
Lei Te suddenly perked up, rubbing his hands together and jumping up. "Oh yeah! But seriously, Boss, our crappy boat is faster than Leo running. Yesterday I saw CP0's boat floating right on the waves... that was so cool!"
Enel chimed in, not wanting to be outdone. "And with turbine propulsion, it surges like a thundercloud! I'm applying to get one!"
Rogge's eyes moved when he heard this, and he suddenly frowned and thought:
"...Speaking of which, I still haven't received a clear answer regarding the Munch-Munch Fruit recall."
He calmly picked up the special communication bug on the corner of the table and dialed the encrypted number.
[Click—beep beep beep—]
"CP0's seventh liaison officer is here. Please give instructions."
Rogge's tone was as calm as water: "I'll arrange for your ship to dock within half an hour to pick us up and set off."
"Yes...understood. We'll arrange it immediately."
As soon as the insect finished speaking, Rogge hung up.
Lei Te's eyes lit up: "This time I can finally experience high-end official transportation!"
The waves rolled outside the window, and the iron ship came rushing like a shark through the waves.
[On the way to departure · CP0 ship]
The sea was surging like silver scales, the bow of the ship was rushing through the waves, and its trail was like a pale sharp blade slashing straight at the sea surface.
The sky was covered with low clouds, the air was getting colder, and in the distant icy fog, the outlines of icebergs were already looming.
At this moment, Rogge stood in front of the bridge railing with his hands behind his back, his cloak fluttering in the wind.
He calmly scanned the sea and said, "This ship has quite a speed."
The CP0 agent next to him immediately stepped forward, bowing slightly. "Your Excellency, this ship is the new [Magnetic Propulsion Experimental Ship] submitted by Vegapunk last month. It's one of six trial ships, specially approved by the Five Elders and allocated exclusively for your use."
Rogge nodded slightly, but then his tone changed, his gaze sharp: "Then - what about Munch-Munch Fruit?"
CP0's body suddenly tensed up, and his expression changed slightly.
"...At present, the exact location has not been determined yet."
He lowered his head and quickly replied, "According to the lack of fruit fluctuations within three nautical miles of Drum Island, we have mobilized our direct intelligence branch to conduct searches at four ports and fifteen fruit trading bases in New World, but have yet to find anything..."
Before he could finish his words, Rogge slowly turned around and fixed his gaze on him. His eyes at that moment were as cold as the gleam of a blade on the edge of a battlefield.
"Do you want a promotion?"
CP0 was stunned, his brain not reacting for a moment.
Rogge's tone remained calm, but every word was decisive: "It was you who contacted us last time, right?"
"Yes, yes! Your Excellency, please remember me... I am honored!" CP0's forehead was covered with sweat and his speech slowed down.
Rogge took a step forward and calmly stated a task: "If you can get that fruit within seven days——"
"I'll give you a little tidbit, enough to report to the CP0 center. Promotion, change of position...it won't be difficult."
CP0 stood up straight, his eyes blazing with enthusiasm. "I will immediately activate the Level 1 search network and mobilize all of my direct informants! I will complete the recovery mission in the shortest possible time!"
"I don't need a reason."
Rogge turned his back to him and looked towards the ice field they were about to reach. "I don't care about the process either."
"Hand over the fruit within seven days."
"Don't make me speak a second time."
CP0 didn't dare to breathe, and replied through gritted teeth: "Understood!!"
The ship continued to pass through the ice rapids, the cold wind blew sideways, and the fog in the distance was like an inverted whale's back, vaguely revealing large areas of frozen soil and cracked cliffs.
The ice sheet is near.
New World: Extremely Cold Seas and Ice Continent
The pale sea breeze whistled across the vast snowfield, and the snowflakes were like knives, hitting the deck with a loud sound.
The bow of the ship slowly broke through the ice, and in the distance a huge ice archipelago suddenly emerged - like the back of a white whale, with layer upon layer of peaks, stretching for thousands of miles.
It is the extremely cold restricted area in the North Blue area east of New World: the "Ice Continent" - commonly known as the "Great Glacier".
The ship docked, and Rogge, Leiter, Luo and CP0 agent walked on the snow.
Looking at the glacial rift valley before him, which looked like a mountain-to-sea chasm, Lei Te took a deep breath and couldn't help but exclaim, "This is too big... The cold here even makes me feel numb."
Luo Ze hugged his cloak tightly, his teeth chattering: "Why is there a treasure in this kind of place... Wuwu... I'm going to freeze to death..."
Rogge stepped onto the ice slope ahead and said in a low voice:
"I brought you here not just for the treasure, but mainly to hone your armament."
He stopped and pointed to a huge ice ridge in front of him, saying lightly:
"It's rumored that when Qing Jiao of the Babao Navy was young, he hid all his loot in a deep ice cave here. No one can easily open this place."
"If we can find and clean up that treasure, it will be enough to supplement G-5's operational budget for the next two years."
Black mist emerged from Rhett's fists, and the armed color covered the fists. Without saying a word, he punched the iceberg!
"Bang!!"
The dull sound of impact echoed through the valley, and broken ice splashed everywhere.
But the iceberg didn't move at all, only his fist was sunk half an inch.
Lei Te was confused: "...Huh? No way, I used to be able to directly destroy the frontline bunkers."
Luo's face turned even greener: "Boss, do I need to practice too? I don't seem to be the type to handle violence..."
"Watch carefully."
Rogge slowly walked up to the ice wall, slowly raised his right hand, and covered it with a layer of dark luster - Armament Haki·Flow Cover.
I saw the black color flowing from the elbow to the fingertips like water, showing an extremely delicate oscillating texture.
He pressed his palm against the ice wall, and the next moment, the edge of his palm penetrated the ice layer as easily as a sharp blade - as if cutting into tofu.
Rogge withdrew his palm that was inserted into the ice wall. There was no frost on the edge of his palm, and the lines on the palm were as clear as before.
"This is the Armament Haki in the 'Flow' state."
He glanced at Rhett and Luo, his tone steady but full of oppression.
"Haki is not a coating that is put on."
"It's an extension of your will—it must be under your control, flowing through your body and surging across its surface, rather than just sitting there motionless on your fist."
Lei Te's face was solemn. Luo Ze couldn't help but raise his hand to observe his wrist and whispered, "So there really is such a big gap..."
Even the experienced CP0 agents were shocked.
Rogge continued to explain slowly:
"You must begin to experience the three core functions of Armament Haki and Flow today—"
"The first is internal sabotage."
He raised his left fist and lightly hit the icicle beside him.
No explosion, no shattering.
The next second, the entire icicle collapsed from the inside, breaking into countless fragments.
"Haki penetrates the target's body and directly attacks its internal structures."
He spoke in a low voice, "This is a nemesis for enemies with high defense or Zoan ability users."
"The second type is an outward impact."
The Haki under his feet shook, and a circle of black ripples spread out like lightning striking the ground, shaking the ice and snow several feet up.
"Release Haki, creating a short-range shockwave that can strike the enemy without contact."
"It's fast and has a wide range of judgments, but it consumes more energy and requires extremely high core control."
"The third type is weapon penetration enhancement."
He drew the short blade from his waist, covered it with Armament Haki, and slashed the ice diagonally—
The blade did not touch the ice, but the ice was cut at an angle, and the edge was as smooth as a mirror.
"This type of application will enable you to penetrate vital points when facing special materials, defensive shells, and even seastone armor in the future."
Lei Te's eyes were full of fire: "Boss, I will definitely learn it!!"
Luo's face was tense. "Then, can my Op-Op Fruit also be strengthened?"
Rogge said calmly, "The Op-Op Fruit is powerful, but extremely draining. Your limited attack methods are your biggest weakness."
"You must use the flow of Armament Haki to allow the fruit's 'ROOM' blade to have penetrating power, or even achieve a double blow of internal destruction and surgical penetration."
"...Otherwise, you'll just be a helping hand in front of the strong."
Luo lowered his head in thought, and after a while he slowly clenched his fist.
"I understand. I'll practice Haki."
Rogge looked at him, nodded, and then turned to look at the ice field stretching to the horizon.
"The ice walls here are compressed layer by layer and have not melted for thousands of years."
"It's no use punching through a wall—you have to learn how to penetrate it, how to penetrate it, how to disintegrate it."
"This is training, but also - screening."
Lei Te tightened his brass knuckles with a "click" sound: "Boss, let me give it a try!"
"You didn't use Haki properly just now, right? I can penetrate it!"
"You'll be able to feel it after trying a few more times!" Luo gritted his teeth and followed Rhett to another layer of ice, his fist also covered with a layer of trembling black current.
"Don't play for fun, practice seriously." Rogge stood there with his hands behind his back and said coldly.
"There's more than just treasure buried in this great glacier."
"Also... whether you can gain a foothold in the future New World."
His tone was light, but it struck like a nail into their nerves.
The sky is filled with ice and snow, and the cold penetrates the bones.
Rhett and Luo looked at each other, raised their fists, and suddenly rushed towards the ice ridge!
"Bang--!"
The broken ice vibrated, the black current surged, and the armed color flowed like life.
And in the depths of the ice, far away and unnoticed, a subtle magnetic wave is quietly floating...
seem--
There's more than just gold treasure buried there.