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Chapter 42
Red Line, inside a secret CP0 training facility.
A green-haired young man stared darkly at the newspaper in his hand before tearing it to shreds.
"So this is the guy who stole my Devil Fruit?"
"That bastard deserves to die! That fruit was mine!"
"Why?!"
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. With a furious punch, he smashed the table in front of him into splinters.
Aramaki's body began to swell uncontrollably.
Soon, angry beastly roars echoed through the room.
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Fleet Admiral Kong had just received the news that Vilin had once again escaped from Garp.
When he saw the massive compensation figure, his good mood evaporated instantly.
But on his desk lay another bounty poster.
On it, a man wearing a straw hat and laughing heartily stared back at Kong.
Roger Pirates Captain Gol D. Roger – Bounty 150,000,000 Berries – Extremely Dangerous, Dead or Alive.
Beside it was another poster.
Roger Pirates Vice-Captain Silvers Rayleigh – Bounty 120,000,000 Berries – Extremely Dangerous, Dead or Alive.
The Roger Pirates were a new crew that had recently entered the Grand Line from East Blue and already possessed terrifying strength.
Kong had sent numerous elite Headquarters forces to suppress them.
All of them were killed.
This made Kong recognize Roger's enormous potential.
The appearance of the Roger Pirates was like salt in the wound for an already understaffed Navy.
It was no exaggeration to say that the Roger Pirates' rise was beginning to disrupt the balance of power on the seas.
Kong rubbed his temples in frustration.
"Why do all the talented ones become pirates?!"
He sighed heavily.
Still, he felt some comfort: recently he had discovered another body-skill genius in the Navy—second only to Garp in talent.
Kong was confident this 23-year-old would very likely become a future Admiral.
It was time to talk to the Five Elders about expanding the Navy's forces.
The Rocks Pirates seemed intent on challenging the three old sea emperors.
The Navy's current military strength was already insufficient.
Kong had a feeling the seas were about to descend into chaos.
"Kape, go call Sengoku here."
After thinking for a moment, Kong instructed his secretary.
"Yes, Fleet Admiral."
After Kape left the Admiral's office,
a young man with a mushroom-shaped head soon entered.
"Sengoku, another troublesome pirate crew has appeared in East Blue. Many of the elite forces I sent were killed by them."
"This guy has incredible talent. In the future he will become a major threat to the Navy—more dangerous than Vilin."
"I'm entrusting this one to you."
"Select a few powerful Rear Admirals from the Navy to go with you. If necessary, you can have Garp assist."
"Yes, Fleet Admiral Kong."
Seeing that Kong had entrusted him with such an important mission, Sengoku became visibly excited.
He saluted Kong and left with enthusiasm.
"Sengoku is a good kid—just lacks a bit of innate talent."
Watching Sengoku's departing back, Kong sighed softly.
Speaking of talent, thinking of Garp's face made Kong's head hurt even more.
"Never mind. I'll find Sengoku a top-tier Devil Fruit."
"That boy has great wisdom. He might even take my place in the future."
Alabasta, Alubarna.
Inside the royal castle, Vivi (Titi) was staring blankly at Vilin's newest bounty poster.
She never imagined that handsome man was actually a pirate.
This left her feeling troubled.
If she dared tell her mother she had fallen for a pirate,
she'd probably be grounded for life.
"Sigh… why does he have to be a pirate?!"
"Oh right—the people I sent to investigate him should be back soon. I really want to know what kind of man you are!"
Aboard the Flying Bird,
after finishing his physical training, Vilin took a quick shower to wash off the sweat.
He then headed toward the deck.
He planned to find a cute little maid to give him a massage and relieve his tense muscles.
While Vilin was lying comfortably on a soft bed, enjoying Lilith easing his overworked muscles,
a News Coo flew past the bow.
Vilin was always very interested in the latest news.
He waved at the bird.
Seeing someone wanted a newspaper, the News Coo turned and flew straight toward him.
Vilin took a paper and opened it.
He immediately saw news about Roger and Rayleigh.
"Heh, so it's that guy Roger?"
"He showed up at just the right time."
"He should help take some of the pressure off me from the Navy."
"Two more months and my precious child will be born."
"What should I name him?"
"How about Naz? That way he can borrow a bit of that guy's luck."
"Alright then—Naz. Aitrias Naz?"
"Sounds pretty good."
"If it's a girl, let's call her Esdeath. Then give her the Ice-Ice Fruit—she'd be invincible."
Holding the newspaper, Vilin was already fantasizing about his child's name.
"It's time to help the crew get stronger!"
After relaxing his body, Vilin gathered all the crew members.
He planned to spend two hours every day helping them temper their bodies.
This way, his female crew members would have more self-protection power in the New World.
Hearing that Vilin was going to help them become stronger,
every female member of the Aitrias Pirates looked excited.
Because through daily training,
the ordinary crew members had already discovered their potential limits.
They could no longer improve through normal training.
When they learned Vilin could help them increase their potential,
desire shone in their eyes.
Seeing their reaction, Vilin nodded in satisfaction.
"Aurora, make a schedule."
"From now on, everyone takes turns finding me according to the order on the list."
"Yes, Captain."
With Aurora's agreement,
Vilin became much busier than before.
Lately,
he had to set aside time every day to help two crew members temper their bodies.
A day later,
some crew members finally understood just how brutal Vilin's method of improving physical strength really was.
Every time after Vilin finished tempering their bodies,
they felt an indescribable sensation of ecstasy and near-death exhaustion.
Every day when they walked out of the training room,
their whole bodies were limp, as if completely drained.
This made many crew members somewhat afraid of Vilin's body-tempering sessions.
But when they discovered their strength had actually improved,
everyone looked at Vilin with burning enthusiasm.
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