"Come with me. There is a sheltered harbor on a distant island. From now on, your fates will be left to the will of the heavens."
The sudden turn of events left Ethan a little dazed, but the fact that they were still alive was undoubtedly a tremendous blessing.
"I do not know why you chose to help us, but we will remember this favor for the rest of our lives. You have our deepest gratitude."
"There is no need for thanks. But if I ever learn that you have gone astray, I will personally bring you to justice. My eyes will always be on you."
With that, Aokiji grabbed one child in each hand and leapt into the air.
By combining the power of the Ice-Ice Fruit with the Navy technique Shave, he could move over the surface of the sea as if walking on solid ground. High speed movement across the ocean was nothing to him. The scenery blurred before Ethan's eyes, and in the blink of an eye they were standing on a small island.
This man, who would one day become a Marine admiral, truly was extraordinary.
After settling them on the island, Aokiji turned to leave. During a Buster Call, it was not appropriate for a Marine Headquarters vice admiral to vanish for too long without explanation.
"Hey, I will repay this life saving favor one day."
"There is no need."
"Hey…"
"What now?"
"Well… could you give us a bit of money? We do not have a single coin on us right now. Think of it as an investment in my future, how about that?"
A vein practically popped on the future admiral's forehead. He hurriedly pulled out what little cash he had left and shoved it into Ethan's hands, then left at high speed, afraid the boy would come up with some new outrageous request. This brat was far too cheeky; it made him want to teach him a lesson.
Once Aokiji was gone, Ethan let out a long breath and collapsed onto the ground. The unconscious Robin leaned against his shoulder.
He was utterly exhausted.
He had sprinted from the Tree of Knowledge to the shore, staked his life confronting a vice admiral and then awakened Conqueror's Haki. Both his body and mind had been pushed to the very limit.
Looking in the direction of Ohara, two trails of tears silently traced down his smoke darkened cheeks.
Everyone… I will change this world. I swear it.
Because he had finally found a miracle of his own.
Ethan had discovered his cheat ability, the Power of Analysis.
Half of this power came as a gift from the soul of another world. The other half came from the Tree of Knowledge. As a massive repository of human knowledge, history and culture, the Tree of Knowledge contained a unique and mysterious conceptual force.
This concept was somewhat similar to the state of a ship's spirit. Once it burned and its vessel was lost, it would gradually disperse into the world. However, the soul from another world was something outside this world's system and could just barely serve as a vessel for that power.
Thus, when a portion of the Tree's all knowing power fused with the miraculous power of the outsider's soul, a new ability was born, the Power of Analysis. Through contact, observation and other means, it allowed Ethan to learn the skills of others. After reaching the beginner level, he could even analyze on his own, although the process would be slow and very draining.
Of course, this ability was not omnipotent. Special powers such as Devil Fruits, or godlike abilities on the level of Sea Kings, could not be learned. The true value of the Power of Analysis lay in its ability to analyze his own physical stats and learning progress. Combined with the imagination of a modern mind, it naturally formed a standard cheat system.
The moment the Power of Analysis awakened, Ethan instinctively understood how to use it. After all, his own soul had participated in its birth. Inside his mind, he built a simple virtual interface that clearly listed his stats, skill names and analysis progress.
For example:
Physique: 5 (10)
Strength: 4 (10)
Speed: 6 (10)
Skills:
Shave: Beginner 10% (Physical condition insufficient, temporarily unusable)
Conqueror's Haki: 1% to 3%
In the world of One Piece, a value of 10 represented the average adult human. Ethan's body was only fourteen in bone age, so his stats being below average was normal. Considering he had somehow survived two years bouncing between pirate ships and slave ships, it was a miracle he was alive at all. His foundation was bound to be weak.
Skills were divided into five tiers: Beginner, Proficient, Master, Perfect and Transcendent. It was safe to say the future Four Emperors all possessed skills at the Transcendent level.
The skill Shave was something he had passively analyzed when Aokiji carried him using the technique. It could be considered a pleasant surprise.
In truth, even reaching Beginner was incredibly difficult. The only reason he had 10 percent in Shave was because someone on Aokiji's level had used it right in front of him while completely off guard.
As for Conqueror's Haki, Ethan had not expected that at all. Yet thinking about it, it was not so strange. The resolve to overturn the heavens and earth that he had displayed was something even the Four Emperors might not surpass.
For the moment, the situation had calmed down. After resting a while, Ethan hoisted Robin onto his back and climbed over a wall into an abandoned house.
Before entering the village, he had watched from the shadows for a while. The place looked rather desolate, with many homes left empty.
In fact, this was a true picture of life at the dawn of the Great Age of Pirates. For ordinary people, it was impossible to know whether tomorrow or disaster would arrive first.
Ethan laid Robin on the bed, washed his face with some water he found in the house and then finally succumbed to exhaustion, collapsing on the floor and falling into a deep sleep.
The next morning, after waking up, Ethan used some simple tools he found in the house to disguise himself. Then he went out, bought some bread and returned.
The villagers naturally noticed the sudden appearance of a stranger on their island. Yet long years of survival had taught them that sometimes it was wiser to pretend they had not seen anything.
That very indifference, in a way, protected the village.
When Ethan came back, Robin had just woken up. He gently comforted her for a while and then began preparing for their departure.
After all, they were still in the West Blue. They could not naively assume the Navy would not track them down. To many people, survivors from Ohara were a highly tempting kind of treasure.
(End of Chapter)
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