Using life to exchange for power—in simpler terms, "burning life" to fight. Wood even felt that his divine heart's power was somewhat similar to the new ability Oda gave Luffy, the Human-Human Fruit: Nika form...
Of course, while both involved sacrificing life for power, Wood didn't have any other abilities to go with it.
However, there was an advantage—Wood's power didn't come from a Devil Fruit, so he wasn't a landlubber.
"Are you really human? Or are you some beast wearing human skin?"
The sea train had completely passed through the area where the Sea Kings had gathered. After a brief moment of shock, Franky and the others finally snapped out of it. The way they looked at Wood had changed; there was no longer the casualness or ease from before.
A pirate with a bounty of over a hundred million berries, while outstanding in the first half of the Grand Line, wasn't exactly rare. Franky had even met several in Water 7.
But Franky had to admit that the pirate supernova in front of him, with a bounty of over a hundred million, was clearly on a different level than the others.
Last night, when he saw Wood acting like a goofball in their workshop, and even being easily subdued by the young Robin, Franky thought Wood was just a lucky rookie pirate.
But after witnessing what had just happened, Franky's perception of Wood was completely overturned. This wasn't some rookie pirate—this was clearly a big shot in the pirate world!
What criteria did the Marines use to determine bounty amounts?
The guy who could slice through four giant Sea Kings with a single slash was only worth 120 million berries? This was clearly a trap for bounty hunters!
No, no, on second thought, before betraying the Marines, Wood was just a Marine major.
"So, does this mean that all pirates with a bounty over a hundred million are this strong? And what about that Demon Child Nico Robin from last night—could she also be some terrifyingly strong hidden figure?"
Thinking about how Robin had effortlessly subdued Wood the night before, Franky suddenly felt a bit uneasy.
Last night, he had recommended his weapons to Robin, but she had refused. He even mocked her for not recognizing quality when she saw it.
Now that he thought about it, did she hold a grudge?
"Idiot Franky, we've seen other pirates with bounties over a hundred million. Clearly, Wood's strength just far surpasses those other small-time pirates."
Unlike Franky, who was still confused about the situation, Iceburg had already figured things out. Seeing Wood's astonishing strength, he immediately changed how he addressed him, going from just "Wood" to "Brother Wood."
No wonder he would become the future mayor of Water 7, with a capable and beautiful secretary, while Franky would end up as a low-level thug in the junkyard.
"This time, we really owe you, Brother Wood. If you hadn't stepped in, the passengers on the Puffing Tom would have been in grave danger.
I, Tom, haven't admired many people in my life, but this time, I truly admire you.
With your strength, I believe you'll soon make a name for yourself on the seas, maybe even becoming someone like Roger."
Tom's words of gratitude were naturally a bit exaggerated, but he was genuinely surprised and impressed by Wood's display of power.
Unlike Franky and Iceburg, who hadn't seen much of the world, Tom had lived long enough to have encountered many pirates and Marines.
But among all the people Tom had met, in terms of sheer power, Wood might not rank at the top. However, judging solely by the slash Wood had just unleashed, it was definitely strong enough to rank among the top ten swordmasters in the world!
Of course, this ranking referred to the level of that particular slash, not Wood's overall strength.
Tom was also puzzled, though. With the strength Wood had just displayed, he would have been outstanding even in Marine Headquarters.
Although releasing prisoners from Impel Down was a grave crime, unless he had offended the World Government, there was no reason for Marine Headquarters to give up on a genius like Wood just for that.
After overcoming the Sea King obstacle, the sea train Puffing Tom finally managed to dock at a small island near Water 7.
Even though the brakes were damaged, as long as there was enough distance, they could successfully bring the sea train to a stop by reducing the amount of coal used.
All in all, despite the danger, the sea train's test ride was ultimately a success, with no casualties.
The passengers on the train were unaware of the brake failure, and as for the Sea Kings, they chalked it up to an unexpected event unrelated to the train's safety.
When the passengers returned to Water 7, they excitedly shared their experience with others, especially highlighting the train's speed and the encounter with the Sea Kings.
Most of the residents of Water 7 were thrilled and excited to hear about the benefits of the sea train.
However, not everyone was happy—one person in particular, a certain newly appointed officer at Enies Lobby, was quite displeased.
Spandam, who had been anxiously awaiting good news, was furious when he heard that the sea train had docked safely and that all the passengers were unharmed.
The success of the sea train meant that Tom would receive great credit, and the crime of building a ship for Pirate King Roger would naturally be offset.
Spandam had been using this crime to threaten Tom into handing over the blueprints for the Pluton, but now everything was ruined.
"According to reports from the passengers, a swordsman on the train actually killed all the Sea Kings blocking the way with a single slash, carving a path for the train!"
Upon hearing his subordinate's report, Spandam's first reaction was to think he was being tricked. But when he saw the CP9 agent's serious expression, Spandam still showed a face full of disbelief.
"A pirate with a bounty of 120 million berries? Just a former Marine major? And you're telling me he sliced through multiple giant Sea Kings with one slash?
Do you think he's the world's greatest swordsman or a Marine Admiral?"
Looking at the bounty poster CP9 handed him, and seeing Wood's young face in the photo, Spandam was utterly unconvinced.
"According to intelligence gathered by the World Government, this Wood is not an ordinary Marine major.
Our CP organization has information that this former Marine major once fought against and directly repelled the current Marine Rear Admiral Gion, also known as 'Momousagi,' in a one-on-one battle.
The Marine Headquarters chose to suppress this information to avoid damaging their reputation."
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P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 275+ at pat_reon.com/Betek.