In Loguetown, Rodney, two cigars dangling from the corners of his mouth, watched Smoker, who, like a lion, had cornered Buggy's pirate pack. Although Smoker managed to subdue Buggy, the cunning man managed to trick Smoker into handing over the valuable Seastone Handcuffs.
"What's with that look, Captain Smoker? I'm not a beauty," Rodney chuckled, feeling Smoker's gaze on him. "It's embarrassing when you look at me like that. Besides, I like women." He stepped back, crossing his arms over his chest.
Smoker clenched his fists and growled:
— You bastard! If you talk nonsense again, I'll finish you off!
"Brave enough to arrest me?" Rodney sneered.
"What?! You took our seastones, and I haven't dealt with you yet!" Smoker roared.
"Oh, they've already been returned to Vice Admiral Garp," Rodney said indifferently.
Ha! As if the strategic resource of seastone would be returned to this old man. In East Blue, such things are worth their weight in gold.
"You took them for yourself, boy?" Smoker hissed.
"How can I be such a person? Don't underestimate me. I strive to be a partner in justice!" Rodney declared confidently.
Smoker snorted in disbelief:
— Just you? A partner in justice?
- What? You don't believe me?
- No.
"Oh, Mr. Smoker and Mr. Rodney seem to be on good terms," Tashigi smiled, ignoring the tense atmosphere.
"Heh-heh," Rodney chuckled. Then, remembering something, he turned to Tashigi: "Senior Tashigi, what about my reward?"
The bounty on Buggy was over 10 million Belly, enough to buy an entire island.
"Here, please take it," Tashigi replied, taking the reward package from her subordinates and handing it to Rodney.
They didn't bother counting the money. Smoker and Tashigi wouldn't be greedy enough to pocket the reward.
"Okay, since Buggy is now under your care, my business here is finished." Rodney took the money and turned to leave. There was nothing else worthy of his attention here. But then he remembered something and asked, "Did you rebuild the houses that were destroyed when I captured Ace last time?"
"Yes, they're almost repaired. We'll be back up and running soon," Tashigi replied.
"That's good." Rodney, after a moment's thought, pulled a handful of beli from his bag and tossed it to Tashigi. "Consider this an apology for last time. It may not be much, but let it cover some of the expenses. Let everyone have good food."
- Oh? But the sentries have already paid us compensation.
- No, this is my personal apology.
While they were discussing this, Smoker intervened:
— Why did the Ace of the Fire Fist end up on the Grand Line? Rodney, maybe you could explain?
Ace became the most prominent figure in the Grand Line, and pirates of his caliber were few and far between. With his exceptional physical prowess, incredible Devil Fruit power, and a powerful crew, he was virtually unrivaled during the first half of the Grand Line.
"Oh? That's... Don't ask me. You can ask Vice Admiral Garp," Rodney quickly shifted the blame to Garp.
— Didn't you promise that nothing would happen?
- Oh? You promised?
"Looks like you guys need a reminder of what happened back then," Smoker said, folding his hands behind his back.
"Heh-heh, I've already said it all. I have nothing to do with it. If you keep this up, be careful—I might sue you for slander and disturbing the peace," Rodney warned with a smirk. "Hmph, I'm part of the patrol!"
Smoker exhaled a puff of white smoke.
Those who knew him might have mistaken him for a pirate.
"Forget it, let's not dwell on it. The matter with Firefist Ace has nothing to do with me. Maybe the old man just loves his grandson," Rodney shrugged, completely disconnected from the conversation.
I don't care about their melons in the rain!
{Ding!}
A new task has arrived.
"Excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom. Please excuse me," Rodney smiled mischievously and, turning around, left.
The Chunin Exam is open! Will you accept the challenge? If you do, the exam will begin immediately. If you refuse, you'll have to wait a year before trying again!
'Oh? The Chunin Exams? Is this the start of the Chunin Exams? Isn't it a bit sudden? This caught me off guard. It's been almost a year since I became a genin, and becoming a chunin in just one year seems a bit rushed. Wait, I don't want to leave this realm of invincibility just yet.'
If you think about ninja battles in Konoha, they're just a bunch of bullies wreaking havoc. And high-level ninja battles in Konoha are just a clown-like clatter of pots and pans. I don't want to get promoted yet.
The Chunin Exams may have caught me off guard, but when the time comes, promotion will happen naturally. I'll definitely take the Chunin Exams on the system panel.
{Ding!}
[The host accepted the Chunin exam].
The task will begin immediately!
Chunin Exam Task: Hunt the Arlong Pirates.
Task level: C+
[Quest Reward: Obtain (Fragmented) Katsuyu, Hundred Seal Power, Creation Revival, Chakra Control, 1000 Mission Points].
Hiss!
Rodney sighed when he saw the generous reward.
Katsuyu is Hokage Tsunade's personal enforcer and one of Konoha's legendary gamers. While his combat abilities are average, he possesses powerful healing abilities. He can heal wounds by absorbing enough chakra from the user.
Moreover, the slug is quite large. Unlike the toads of Mount Myōboku and the snakes of Ryūchi Cave, which live in colonies, the slug is a single entity. All the slugs that appear are its avatars, and it's rare for anyone to be able to summon them all.
The power of the Hundred Seals involves infusing a large amount of chakra into the Yin seal on the forehead. When needed, the seal is released, allowing the accumulated chakra to be freely used.
This allows the user to perform ninjutsu and forbidden techniques that require significant amounts of chakra. Furthermore, when combined with the slimes, it can enhance physical skills and serve as a group therapy. This allows for continuous healing during battle, improving the user's overall abilities.
Essentially, it serves as a hidden energy reserve, accumulating over time and releasing it when needed to achieve a surge of immense strength and comprehensive enhancement. Furthermore, this technique can grant beauty and eternal youth—the dream of many girls. Tsunade truly lives up to her name.
As for Creation and Regeneration... To be honest, Rodney wasn't too keen on getting it.
It was an exceptional medical ninjutsu, granting rapid healing of wounds and even internal injuries. But the price was high—a shortened lifespan.
Creation and Regeneration—that's what these techniques were called. They used chakra to stimulate the body's cells, accelerating their division and promoting rapid recovery. But cells had a limit, and accelerated division meant a shorter lifespan.
Chakra control was a skill essential to this art. The user had to be able to precisely channel energy, concentrating it within the body and releasing incredible power. Legends such as the First and Second Hokage, Tsunade, and Sakura mastered this skill.
"Yes, it is indeed a practical skill," Rodney mused. "With this ability, I can greatly enhance my strength. But in a world full of formidable opponents, strength alone is not enough."
"I want to become a strong shield," he firmly told himself.
In a world of pirates, it's better to have some meat on your bones. Not everyone can be like Gandalf, relying solely on magic. If you lack melee combat skills, just add a lightning spell.
The neighboring world of Fate offers excellent examples. Merlin, the swordmaster of Avalon, surpassed even the Knights of the Round Table in fencing, but was also a powerful mage. Siegfried, wielding a magic wand, did not shy away from brute force, cutting down enemies with an axe. Iskander, the king of conquerors; Gilles de Rais, a master of majestic magic; Solomon, who enhanced his power with ten rings, making him invincible...
"These wonderful role models are right in front of me," Rodney said, his thirst boiling. "How can I not learn from them? Enhance my melee abilities, restore health, replenish mana, apply various buffs, and then engage in melee combat. A man's true romance is fighting with his fists, because a fragile character with high damage has no future."
"In my short time as a ninja, I've learned a valuable lesson," Rodney said, addressing the system. "The more one learns about ninjutsu, the more one understands its limitations. Ninjutsu has its limits!"
"What do you mean?" the system asked.
"I don't want to be just a ninja anymore," Rodney declared. "I want to transcend the boundaries of ninja! I want to become a meat shield!"