Xiao Kaka's eyes narrowed. With Yasopp's casual confirmation, it was set in stone.
"No big deal—I was just checking if I'd heard right before," she said, drifting aside to watch chat.
The barrage was a tidal wave now—the Yasopp Punitive Army had assembled in spirit.
[So a senior crewman of a Yonko can't even go home when his wife is dying?]
[This is "romance of the sea"? Give me a break.]
[Form up! Once we can get into the game and get stronger, first raid target: Yasopp!]
[Kaka, please smack him for sparring practice when you're strong enough!]
Kaka glanced at Yasopp across the cabin and smiled. "That part's easy. I'll ask him to be my punching bag. But his strength is near the top on this ship. Gonna be a long grind to catch up."
[It's fine. We just wanted to hear you say it!]
Over the next two days, all the Great Voyage streams kept humming, pushing Haifeng's global popularity past 50,000,000.
Sword-Shadow Flowyear and Little Fisherman: still at sea, no new events yet.
Xiao Kaka: Red Force entered the Calm Belt. Not a marine battleship, so propulsion is slower—crossing takes time—but the massive Sea Kings were a spectacle that had chat howling.
Net-Addict Girl: stuck with Kōshirō, grinding basics… and hitting a very hard wall.
Kōshirō finally took off his glasses to be kinder with the truth.
"You don't have the talent for swordsmanship. I suggest you find a different path."
Cheeks puffed, she bowed anyway. Even off-stream extra practice hadn't moved the needle—she knew he was right.
"Then… okay, Master Kōshirō."
She pushed off in the same little skiff she'd arrived in, resuming her wandering route.
Chat flooded her feed with comfort and emojis. But her "defeat" face was mostly for show; off-stream, she was replaying Kōshirō's private words—and her Free Faction assignment—with a bright, secret fire.
"Hmph. Undercover in the Marines? No one's more perfect than me."
"Mr. Dragon wants me in Shells Town. Says the Hero of the Marines will be there. We'll see if that's true."
From the shore, Kōshirō watched her dwindling figure a long time.
A man in a dark green cloak stepped from the shade, square red tattoos on his face.
Kōshirō's expression tightened. "Is it really right to send her undercover? She's just a girl…"
Dragon watched the tiny skiff, voice quiet.
"She carries a breath of freedom. Most people don't.
And if the old man notices, he won't expose her.
Her background's spotless—no ties to us. That's exactly why it works."
Shimotsuki Village. Isshin Dōjo.
One of Dragon's most secret waypoints. Even many Revolutionary commanders had no idea.
By name, Kōshirō was not Revolutionary Army—just a sword teacher in a sleepy East Blue town.
"…All right," Kōshirō said at last. She'd been his student only days, but he was worried all the same.
Undercover next to that old man—even if discovered, the risk would be low.
Loguetown — Marine Base
Dasqi stood at the edge of the training yard, watching the figure who had not missed a single dawn or dusk.
[ID: White-Robed Drunk]
[Level: Lv9 (95%)]
[Faction: Marines — East Blue, Loguetown Branch]
[Rank: Recruit]
[Abilities: Body-tech (Untrained), Sword-tech (Entry 0/3)]
[Item: Great Grade Blade — Seishu]
[Achievements: First Marine Player]
[Points: 0]
He checked his panel, grinned, and kept going. Sweat poured. Push-ups, katas, breath drills—again, again. At last:
[Congrats! Reached Lv10]
[Body-tech advanced to Entry]
[Reward: Free Attribute Point ×1]
"Finally—Body-tech at Entry! Hahahaha!"
He collapsed on the tiles, panting, then shot a thumb at chat.
"Guys, after days with Dasqi's coaching, my sword-work's about to tick up. I'll save this free point until I hit Sword-tech 1/3, then spend it to jump 2/3. Big spike. Easy clap!"
Dasqi walked over, genuinely pleased.
"White-Robed, I've seen how hard you've worked. Once your physique climbs a bit higher, I'll petition Captain Smoker to pass you the Navy Six Styles."
"Navy Six Styles?" He blinked.
"It's an advanced Marine body-arts system—six forms, hence the name. Learn it, and your strength will leap."
"For real?" His eyes lit up. "Thank you, Dasqi!"
"No need for thanks. We're Marines." She nodded, then added, "There's a round-up. A crew slipped into Loguetown to enter the Grand Line. Captain already nabbed the captain—we just need to sweep the leftover grunts."
White-Robed bounced to his feet, buzzing.
"Say less—let's go!"
[Been raising troops for a thousand days—time to use them for one! Watch me pop off in front of Dasqi.]
[Keep flexing, old thief!]
[Yep, show off more so reality can combo you.]
[Laugh now, White-Robed. In ten minutes: fertilizer.]
"Look down on me all you want," he grinned, strapping on Seishu. "Get ready for the hardest whiplash."
And with that, he followed Dasqi out—toward his first real mission since hitting Lv10.
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