Facing the salty sea breeze, Lucien began his daily training routine.
This time, however, he added something new—Soru.
Push-ups, sit-ups, frog jumps, and a hundred laps around the pirate ship came first. After completing the basics of close combat, he followed with a set of military boxing forms. By the time he was done, Lucien was already half-dead from exhaustion.
He collapsed onto the deck, feeling as if his body had been completely drained.
After resting for half an hour, he forced himself to stand and continued. Compared to standard combat drills, Soru seemed deceptively simple—but in truth, it was extremely demanding.
Soru required explosive speed and perfect control over one's legs. A wrong move or improper method could cripple the user permanently.
"Ten steps or more in 0.36 seconds," he muttered to himself.
Balancing on one leg, Lucien rapidly stomped with his right foot several times, but the result was disappointing—it took almost a full second for a single step.
Mastering Soru was going to be a long and painful process.
Still, Lucien didn't give up. Following the instructions and techniques etched in his mind, he continued his relentless practice. When his right leg went numb, he switched to his left. He was determined to master Soru, no matter what.
The next morning, Lucien could barely get out of bed. His legs were stiff and numb, taking several minutes of stretching before he could even stand. Yet despite the pain, he pushed himself to resume training.
Fifty push-ups, sit-ups, and squats came first, then more Soru practice. Sweat poured down endlessly.
Two days passed like this. During that time, they encountered a merchant ship, but neither side interacted.
On the fourth day, a large structure appeared in the distance—the Sea Restaurant Baratie.
Lucien stood shirtless on the deck, his body drenched in sweat, staring at the massive ship where countless merchant and pirate vessels were docked.
"The Sea Restaurant Baratie… have I already missed Zoro and Nami?" he murmured.
According to the Straw Hat crew's timeline, Luffy met Zoro first, then Nami, followed by Usopp, and finally Sanji.
Zoro was probably still training in swordsmanship at Genzo's dojo, and trying to kill him there would be suicide. Someone like Bartholomew Kuma could appear at any moment—and if Kuma already knew Lucien was the one who nearly killed Luffy, stepping into that dojo would be walking straight into a tiger's den.
So, killing Zoro was the hardest.
Sanji wouldn't be easy either. The man had Red-Leg Zeff protecting him—someone Lucien couldn't possibly provoke. Considering Zeff's ability to kick through solid steel, Lucien doubted he could withstand even a single blow.
That left Nami and Usopp as the easiest targets.
Usopp was already dead by his hand, and Nami... she was likely out of reach for now.
He wasn't entirely sure where the timeline stood in this world. His memory of One Piece's chronology was hazy at best.
Still, since he had reached the Sea Restaurant, there was no reason to pass it by. His current strength was too low; continuing to drift across the open sea was suicide. He was lucky enough not to have met another pirate crew so far.
Perhaps he should stay here for a while—at least until he fully mastered Soru. Once he gained that speed, he could better protect himself, and his odds of success against Zoro or Nami would increase dramatically.
The only uncertainty was his terminal illness. He didn't know when it would claim his life, but by instinct, he felt he still had at least three or four months.
If it had been an ordinary disease, it would've been impossible to keep training like this. If not for the occasional pain twisting through his body, Lucien might've doubted he was even sick at all.
Lucien wasn't one to hesitate. Once he made up his mind, he acted.
But to be safe, there was still one more thing he needed to do.
He turned to look at Raphael, the man beside him.
Since Lucien planned to stay at the Sea Restaurant, Raphael had become a liability. The man knew everything about the Goa Kingdom incident. If word ever got out, Lucien's identity could be exposed—and that would only bring trouble.
Even if nothing happened, being cautious in this world was the only way to stay alive.
"Raphael, help me move the alcohol and combustibles from the storage room," Lucien said calmly.
"What do you need all that for?" Raphael asked, confused.
"To burn this ship," Lucien replied coldly.
After thinking it through, he decided burning the ship was the best option. The Revolutionary Army might trace it otherwise.
"Huh?" Raphael blinked, taken aback.
"Just do it," Lucien said, his tone sharp.
Raphael said nothing more and helped him spread the alcohol and fuel all over the deck and corridors.
When they were done, both men stood breathing heavily in the hallway. Two heavy bundles lay at their feet, stuffed with gold, silver, jewels, and Berries—the former fortune of the Bluejam Pirates.
Now, it all belonged to Lucien. It was enough to live comfortably at Baratie for a year.
"Are you really going to burn it?" Raphael asked nervously, unaware that Death was standing right behind him.
Bang!
A pistol appeared in Lucien's hand. The gunshot echoed, and Raphael's body fell lifelessly to the floor, his head shattered.
Lucien kicked the corpse down the hallway, pulled out a lighter, and flicked it. Without looking back, he tossed it behind him and walked away carrying the two bundles.
Flames roared as he boarded a small wooden boat and rowed toward the Sea Restaurant. The burning pirate ship grew smaller in the distance.
A real man never looks back.
"There's a ship on fire out there!" someone shouted from Baratie.
Naturally, they also noticed a lone man rowing toward them.
After ten minutes, Lucien reached the restaurant. Baratie resembled a massive ship itself, adorned with fish-shaped figureheads at both ends. It was one of the most famous establishments in all of East Blue.
Known for its "no food waste" rule, Baratie was also guarded by a group of combat-trained chefs. In the East Blue, few pirates dared to cause trouble here.
"Welcome to the Sea Restaurant Baratie!"
As soon as Lucien's boat docked, a waiter dressed in a chef's outfit approached him. Every waiter here was both a chef and a fighter—former pirates who had been subdued by Zeff himself.
"Help me carry these two bundles," Lucien said, handing over a roll of ten thousand Berries as a tip.
"No problem, sir," the man said with a grin. "Would you like to dine or stay the night?"
"Arrange the best room you have," Lucien replied.
The waiter nodded and led the way up the stairs to the main deck, carrying the bundles effortlessly. His experienced eyes recognized the weight of treasure when he saw it—this guest was a big spender.
They arrived at the top floor, where Lucien's suite included a private bathroom and a balcony overlooking the sea.
The waiter informed him that the room cost fifty thousand Berries per day, not including meals.
Lucien didn't care. He had enough money now to rest comfortably.
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