El and the others naturally understood what Rocks' actions meant.
In short, Rocks had taken an interest in El — and was telling the two of them not to lay a hand on him.
Hearing the pirate's words, El immediately realized that Rocks had come to his aid.
So, instead of staying where he was, he followed the pirate whom Rocks had sent to escort him.
"This is your room, Lord El," one of the pirates said respectfully.
What appeared before El was a luxurious, extravagant cabin filled with all sorts of daily necessities.
"Not bad," El nodded in satisfaction as he looked around.
For most of the year, he had slept on the hard floor of a small boat.
Now, seeing such a large, soft bed, he naturally felt more than satisfied.
"Lord El, normally only officers are allowed to stay in rooms like this," the pirate whispered as a reminder.
As El had already learned, the Rocks Pirates operated on a merit-based system.
A person's worth determined how Rocks treated them.
Trainees slept in cramped, basic rooms. Regular crew members had slightly better quarters.
But the officers' rooms were the most luxurious of all.
By rank, El should have been nothing more than a trainee on his first day aboard the Rocks Pirates' ship.
His room should have been one of the most basic ones.
However, after his clash with the Golden Lion, everything changed.
That battle had caught Rocks' attention — and now El was valued enough to be promoted directly to a full-fledged crew member.
And that wasn't all. Rocks' appreciation for him went so far as to give him a room reserved for officers.
"Is that so?" El laughed softly.
As expected, in the Rocks Pirates, strength, talent, and potential decided everything.
El was very satisfied with the treatment Rocks had given him.
"Well then, I'll take my leave now, Lord El," the pirate said before departing.
Once alone, El stepped inside and lay down on the large bed.
The next second, a familiar voice echoed in his mind.
"Ding! Congratulations, host — you have gained 50 points of Sage Body progress."
"Ding! Congratulations, host! Your Sage Body progress has reached 1000. Your Sage Body has advanced to the mid-stage!"
"Tsk, I almost forgot about that," El muttered to himself.
His purpose in agreeing to fight Shiki had been twofold — to test the power of the Nine-Tails he had just obtained, and to use the battle to accelerate the progress of his Sage Body.
And the Golden Lion had not disappointed him.
In just a few minutes of fighting, El had gained 50 points of Sage Body progress!
With these 50 points, his Sage Body had advanced directly to the mid-stage.
As the system's announcement faded, a special energy began flowing through El's entire body.
It cleansed his flesh, bones, and meridians — his body undergoing a profound transformation.
Moments later, the energy dissipated.
El felt refreshed, his senses sharper, and his vitality surging stronger than ever.
His bones felt denser, his muscles firmer, his energy overflowing.
Clenching his fist, El could feel power coursing endlessly through his body.
"I wonder how strong I've become now that my Sage Body has reached the mid-stage," El murmured with curiosity.
He knew his physical strength and regeneration had both increased tremendously, though he wasn't sure just how much.
Thinking of this, El glanced down at the sword hanging at his waist.
Ching!
He drew the blade, its cold light flashing across the room.
Then, he extended his left hand and placed it beneath the edge.
Gripping the hilt tightly, El slashed downward at his own wrist.
Swish!
The blade struck cleanly—yet not even a faint mark appeared on his skin.
"Hmph... I guess I'll have to press a little harder," he muttered with a grin.
El coated his blade with Armament Haki and slashed at his left wrist with even greater force.
He wasn't doing it to harm himself—rather, he wanted to test the toughness of his body after his Sage Body had advanced to the mid-stage.
"Sizzle!!!"
The blade, now infused with Armament Haki, carried far more destructive power than before. With a single strike, a gash opened on El's wrist, and blood began to drip slowly from the wound.
El looked down at his wrist, but instead of bandaging it, he simply watched in silence.
A moment later, the bleeding stopped, and within seconds, the wound began to close at a speed visible to the naked eye.
In less than ten seconds, the injury had completely healed—smooth skin replacing the cut, leaving no trace or scar behind.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk… After reaching the mid-stage, the Sage Body's regeneration really is on another level," El muttered, clicking his tongue in satisfaction.
If the regenerative power of the beginner-stage Sage Body could be compared to that of an ancient Zoan-type user… then now, at the mid-stage, its recovery speed was second only to Marco—the First Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates—who possessed the Mythical Zoan-type Phoenix Fruit!
It's well-known that the Phoenix Fruit's greatest strength lies purely in its regeneration.
Yet El's Sage Body, still only at the mid-stage, was already close to that level.
That alone proved just how terrifying this ability truly was.
If the Sage Body ever reached the advanced stage, its regenerative power would undoubtedly surpass even Marco's Phoenix Fruit!
But regeneration wasn't its only strength—the Sage Body also drastically enhanced physical durability, as El had just demonstrated.
Even without wrapping Armament Haki around his wrist, a Haki-imbued blade had managed to leave only a shallow wound.
"Choosing the Sage Body really was the right decision," El said with a faint smile.
At times like this, he couldn't help but feel grateful for the choice he made upon transmigrating into the world of One Piece: selecting the terrifying ability of the Sage Body.
It wasn't that the Celestial Eyes were weak—far from it. But for El right now, the Sage Body was far more practical.
Just as he was marveling at his newfound power, the familiar voice of the system echoed in his mind.
"Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have reached the mid-stage of the Sage Body and have been granted one special lottery draw."
"A special lottery, huh? I can't wait to see what this one has in store," El said with a smirk.
The system hadn't offered any explanation about what could be obtained from this "special lottery."
But based on his past experiences, El was certain of one thi
ng—whatever he drew this time would be nothing short of extraordinary.
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