"Before I strike that self-blinding blow, I should go see what answer Koushirou has finally found."
The weathered man stood up, gripped his cane, and gave it a light tap. A purple halo bloomed, and his entire being disappeared into the horizon.
Shortly after, a small hexagonal boat slowly sailed past the island.
With the ghost lights flickering, Mihawk, who had come following the scent while sitting on his throne, had a flash of disappointment in his eyes.
Too late.
That powerful opponent had already left.
"What a pity. I thought I could kill some time."
Mihawk looked in the direction the other party had disappeared and, unwilling to give up, steered his small boat in pursuit.
He had been very bored lately.
...
Ffrom the time he set sail from the bombarded island until now, for several consecutive days, Hiroto was immersed in Haki training.
He also had a thick, pure steel sword like Zoro's, and he swung it again and again in his room. Sweat poured down, soaking his clothes but he was as tireless as a machine.
There are only two ways to improve Armament Haki.
High-quality combat, even life-and-death battles, to enhance and elevate the strength of one's conviction and will.
And persistent physical training to lay the foundation of Haki, making it an 'abundant' power rather than a fleeting trump card.
With the help of Nami, Carina, Joseph, Yosaku, and others, he also practiced blindfolded dodging, attempting to learn Observation Haki.
Sometimes, he would even head out onto the waves in front of the Going Merry. Using Shunpo to tread on the waves, he used slash after slash to forcibly cleave through the surging ocean billows.
But... as for the results, they could only be described as average.
If not for the effect of [Effort King], Hiroto could work himself to death and still wouldn't be able to improve his attributes and progress his Haki in such a short time.
Talent and sweat are never equal.
In his previous life, genius was 99% hard work and 1% talent, but that 1% was far more important than the 99% hard work. Without that 1%, relying solely on 99% hard work would only result in running around like a headless fly.
This held true in the One Piece World as well, and one could even say it was even more cruel.
For those with talent, they only need a little effort to reach a level that ordinary people cannot touch in their entire lifetime.
Unfortunately, Hiroto could only be considered a talented person within the East Blue.
For example, his current height, barely under 1.8 meters, was a reflection of this.
The Grand Line and even the New World were places where talented people gathered, each one more gifted than the last. There is always someone better. Beyond geniuses are monsters, and beyond monsters are even greater monstrosities.
Precisely because of this, Hiroto was unwilling to stop and just wait for the entry gains. Instead, he worked hard to get stronger. His own effort might only be a small amount, but at least it existed, and closing the gap even slightly was better than nothing.
That was why Steel-Severing Slash had appeared.
Moreover, he now had Effort King on top of everything else—one part effort, two hundred parts gain.
Combined with Genius Trader, he was now a cheater standing above even the most hardworking geniuses.
After another cycle of sun and moon, the time for the payout of [Genius Trader] had arrived and Hiroto welcomed a new boost!
Zoro's focus of effort during this period was swordsmanship and physical conditioning. He yearmed to learn Armament Haki and Flying Slashes to further close the distance between himself and Hiroto.
When [Genius Trader] kicked in, taking 50% of the gains, the results of the swordsmanship and physical training, were then multiplied by 200 due to [Effort King].
In the deep, dark sea, Hiroto, who had just finished his wave-cleaving training, sat cross-legged on the ram head figurehead of the Going Merry.
What was Luffy's exclusive seat had now become his habitual spot for meditation.
The sheathed Shigure rested on his knees. Dense images flooded his mind, followed by a surge of vigorous new strength erupting from within his body.
[Status Panel Updated]
[Strength: D+ → D++ (Level of nearly 100 million bounty)]
[Agility: D → D+ (Level of several tens of millions bounty)]
[Constitution: D → D+ (Level of several tens of millions bounty)]
[Perception: D- → D (You can vaguely sense obvious danger)]
The pop-up panel information highlighted another giant step forward for Hiroto.
Crack... Crack!
Hiroto's entire skeletal structure let out explosive pops. Surging power raced through his body, his muscle groups developed and grew, and then quickly became coordinated. He looked as if he had grown a size larger. His height crossed the 1.8-meter threshold and began developing toward 1.9 meters.
He opened his mouth and exhaled a long breath, which seemed as continuous as the sea breeze, with no end in sight.
Nami, who was at the helm conducting the adventurous night voyage, heard the sound and couldn't help but let her eyes fall on the silhouette atop the ram head figurehead.
An aura as steadfast as a mountain radiated from the silhouette.
Some of the trepidation she originally felt due to the night voyage settled into peace because of Hiroto's back.
If he's here, there definitely won't be any problems.
Unknowingly, only that tall and steadfast back remained in Nami's eyes, just as she had placed all her hope on him.
At the bow, on the ram head figurehead, Hiroto gave a lazy stretch, extending his body after the attribute surge. He constantly moved to adapt to his seemingly reborn body.
Hiroto stood up to face the wind, feeling the freedom and comfort as the sea breeze brushed against his face. After enjoying it for a while, he was about to head back to rest, but suddenly his brow furrowed, and his gaze turned toward the deep, dark sea.