In One Piece As a Pirate
Chapter 35
"So, you guys are here to invite me to be your partner?" Abu looked a little angry as he faced Rood because he knew that the captain of this pirate group was Rood.
"Yes! It took us half an hour to explain. Oh god, I have never seen such a dull-headed person before. And what's the use of having two sisters acting like mummies? They don't even talk." Zamp was angry from the moment he saw Abu and his two sisters.
"That's not my fault. My sisters have been like that for as long as I can remember." Abu looked at Zamp without any expression and then turned toward Rood. "As for my reply, I don't want to be a pirate. Do you hear me?"
For a moment, everyone in the shop remained frozen for 30 seconds. Nobody made a noise. For some unknown reason, they didn't know how to react.
"Well, well, it looks like I don't have that charm. Boys, let's go." Rood got up from his seat, stretched a little, and looked at Abu. "Abu, it's good that you've listened to your heart."
Saying this, Rood and his crew left the shop. A lot of people were watching them. After walking all the way to the ship, they wasted no time and jumped aboard.
"Rood, don't worry. We will find the best gunmaker." Duke said to Rood, who had a gloomy smile on his face.
"Do you think I'm crying?" Rood looked at his friend Duke and then at the night sky. "I'm just thinking about the path we are walking. I don't know if we will survive long enough to become the strongest."
"Haha, Rood, you are overthinking. Trust me, we're already on the right track. All we need is a little pressure." Duke, with his lazy eyes, looked at Rood and told him not to worry about it.
"Do you mean some life-and-death battles?" Rood's eyes suddenly became sharper as he looked at Duke with a confused expression. "Do you think they can handle a battle? What if something happens?"
Duke, who had been smiling, suddenly looked at Rood with a poker face. "Look, I know, as a captain, you should be responsible for our lives. But that's not how things work. We're not in a boss-and-worker relationship. Our bond is much greater than that. So you need to trust us."
"You've given me this same lecture every day. Why do I feel like you want to fight? Do you think you're stronger now?" Rood caught the meaning of Duke's words, and he also knew what Duke needed right now.
"Yes, let's have a battle. And also, we need to build a huge base in the first half of the Grand Line." Duke was thinking about their future plans as he spoke to Rood.
"Do you think the Grand Line is peaceful? The first half of the Grand Line is called the Navy's playground. Don't be foolish. When we go there, our target will be the New World. Right now, we'll just use Mount Crocodile to enter the Grand Line and have some fun." Rood explained his plan to Duke.
"Yeah, whatever." Duke walked away without saying anything else.
After Duke left, Rood murmured to himself, "Put your trust..."
As the ship sailed away from the island, nobody knew when or where the Rood Pirates had gone.
More than a month passed, making it over a year since Rood arrived in this world. They had now reached their destination—Orge, the weapon expert. They had come to bring Orge to Ring Island to show him what they had found.
After searching back and forth, they found Orge sitting by the coastal area, seemingly fishing.
"Master Orge, how are you?" Rood shouted from behind.
"Yo, kid, what are you doing here again? Don't tell me you need another weapon." Orge, though old, still had a muscular build, giving him both a dominating and frail look.
"Well, we found an ore that may have fallen from the sky. We want to show it to you." Rood sat beside the old man with a relaxed expression and explained everything.
"Oh, so I have to go with you? But I'm old now. It's really hard for me to travel back and forth. Where is this Ring Island? I've never heard of it," Orge asked Rood.
"I just discovered this island before the Grand Line in the Windless Belt with the help of my partner, and I named it myself. Okay, no more delays. I think you'll also be surprised by its texture." Rood tried to lure Orge in with curiosity, and it worked—Orge agreed to go with them.
After resting for a day, the entire crew was present on the ship, waiting for Rood to arrive. After some delay, Rood finally arrived with Orge. But to everyone's surprise, another little man was with him. His name was Naoza, an apprentice of Orge.
Without further delay, they set sail again. The journey took more than five weeks due to bad weather, and they need to buy supplies for the old man. They reached the island at night. After disembarking, they went straight to the big round blue stone.
"Well, this is a big surprise for me. Even I don't know what this thing is. It's hard, and swords can't pierce it easily. What do you want me to do?" Orge inspected the stone with his tools and then asked Rood.
"We need large boulders to practice sword techniques and punching, etc. After that, if anything remains, we'll use it to make weapons. But I still have some doubts—how do we break this massive stone?" Rood explained his request to Orge.
"It will take a lot of time. First, build a house for me. We will stay here for a while." Orge ordered Rood and his crew.
Without hesitation, Rood and his partners started making a base camp. As they worked, an unknown thought kept lingering in Rood's mind—why hadn't the old man mentioned his share of the hard work? It was impossible to forget something like that.
After settling on this cold island, Rood realized they would have to stay there for more than six months. He decided to create a new training plan for himself.
Rood's Daily Training List:
Speed Training: Throw objects with full strength. Before they hit the ground, dash to their location and cut them. Initially, he started with one object, but now he could handle three.
Sword/Sabre Training: Currently, he could cut iron easily, but he lacked long-range and destructive moves. He was trying to develop those techniques. After days of thinking, he came up with some interesting moves.
To master these movements proficiently, Rood created a long-term plan.
Key Focus Areas: Footwork with high speed Reaction and Reflexes Misdirection Stealth Precision.
Rood wasn't learning sneak attacks out of fear—this training was purely for survival. One never knows what they might achieve or how far they can push themselves.
Phase One Training:
Shadow Dash Training: Sprint at maximum speed for 20m, stop instantly, then change direction unpredictably. Focus on soft and silent footwork.
Ghost Blade Drill: Perform 200 fast slashes in a single motion. Try combining the Ghost Blade Drill with Shadow Dash Training.
Precision Speed Cut: Strike a large tree. Cut every falling leaf in half before they touch the ground. This may take time to perfect.
This training was planned for two months. While making his plans, Rood wasn't idle—he visualized the training and scouted the island for a good location.