Noah had just returned from the training grounds.
Lilith entered his study holding a document.
"Brother Noah, this is Mary's interrogation report," she said.
Taking a sip of milk tea, Noah opened the file, a hint of surprise flashing across his face.
"It's actually him!"
Previously, Noah hadn't paid much attention to the bespectacled man that Ari had thrown back; Lilith and Mary had been handling his reception and interrogation.
The person in this report was none other than Kuro the Black Cat, who would later make a big name in the East Blue before making a swift exit.
At just fifteen years old, he was born in Machi Port of the Oykot Kingdom. His father was a small merchant, and both his parents had died two years ago in a pirate attack. This led to the decline of the Kuro family, forcing them to move to the slums.
After reading the report, Noah found that although Kuro had engaged in some underhanded dealings, he hadn't yet developed the ruthless and cold-blooded nature he would have as a pirate. He decided to give the young man a chance.
"There aren't any major issues. We can arrange for his rehabilitation," Noah said.
"What level should we assign?" Lilith asked.
"His potential is A-level. For now, give him B-level treatment and training. Observe his changes carefully. Don't let him access the family's core secrets. If he refuses to change, then we'll have to deal with him." Although Noah saw potential in Kuro, he wouldn't tolerate him acting recklessly. If Kuro couldn't be reformed, Noah wouldn't hesitate to eliminate him.
Lilith nodded. "Understood."
Noah thought of something else. "By the way, Lilith, how is our secret recruitment of scientists progressing?"
"It's not going too well. There are indeed some well-known scientists in the East Blue, but they are prominent figures in various kingdoms. So far, we've only recruited a dozen or so second-rate researchers."
Noah wasn't surprised. Those renowned scientists either had national backing or were arrogant about their talents. The Noah family, operating in the shadows, didn't have much appeal to them.
"No matter. Second-rate researchers are fine. At worst, they can serve as basic science teachers to cultivate our own scientists."
"Actually, we could secretly kidnap—"
Noah waved his hand dismissively. "That's enough, Lilith. Even though we're operating in the shadows now, we'll stand in the sunlight one day. Some lines shouldn't be crossed."
"Alright," Lilith conceded. She didn't think Noah was being stubborn; some things indeed required a bottom line. This was the man worthy of her lifelong loyalty.
In fact, the reason Noah didn't want to resort to such methods was that the essence of Conqueror's Haki lies in a person's spirit.
Although the Noah family is currently developing in secret, it doesn't mean they can act without principles.
For example, Moria and Crocodile, both of whom had the potential for Conqueror's Haki, operated in darkness for too long. Their styles became unscrupulous and deviated from their original intentions. Not only did their Conqueror's Haki fail to awaken, but even their Armament and Observation Haki regressed.
If a person strays from their original path, their will becomes shaken. Their Haki stagnates or even regresses and disappears.
Noah never considered himself a person of the underworld. His goal has always been to overthrow the World Government and change this sad and desperate world.
________________________________________
In Rapidflow Bay on the northern side of Blue Mackerel Town in the Rum Kingdom.
Here stood one of the secret training camps established by the Noah family.
Kuro, who had just been released from the secret base's prison, was sent here after changing into a new set of clothes.
The person in charge of the Rapidflow Bay training camp was Noah's Apostle—Cat Claw Brian. This training camp was specifically designed to evaluate certain pending personnel.
After reading Kuro's file, Brian had no intention of targeting him but planned to observe him secretly. After all, Noah's instructions included evaluations about this person.
For smart people like Kuro, there's no need for other methods; just observe them quietly. After all, Kuro didn't know about the existence of Observation Haki. If he had any dangerous thoughts, he couldn't escape Brian's notice.
In the camp's dormitory, Kuro, who had initially thought he was in for a grim fate, realized after listening to his roommates' explanations that this was a secret training camp specifically for cultivating talent.
Kuro adjusted his glasses with the inside of his wrist, thoughts racing through his mind, but he ultimately decided to stay put for now.
After all, the psychological shadow that Anthony had cast over him was too severe.
That kind of overwhelming defeat, without any ability to fight back, along with those bizarre Devil Fruit abilities, made Kuro feel powerless. Being able to keep his life now was already a blessing in misfortune.
The next day, just as dawn broke.
A sharp whistle sounded in the dormitory.
"Get up! Assemble!"
"Hurry up..."
Kuro was bewildered but hurriedly got dressed and followed his roommates to the training ground.
By this time, more than fifty people had already assembled on the field.
Brian looked at everyone's performance with a smile. "Run twenty laps around the field to warm up. Let's start!"
Everyone was already used to this routine and started running.
Kuro had no choice but to go with the flow and run with the crowd.
However, as he ran, he observed the entire training ground. Soon, his face turned uneasy because this field was quite large; one lap was about two kilometers.
In other words, running twenty laps meant covering forty kilometers.
Combined with Brian's earlier words about warming up, Kuro broke into a cold sweat.
After a full day, Kuro was completely exhausted, while his roommates were full of energy.
One roommate was wolfing down food and reminded him, "Kuro, eat more meat. Go to the pharmacy later to get some ointment to apply; otherwise, you won't be able to get up tomorrow."
"Thanks," Kuro replied weakly. Enduring the pain in his body, he took a big bite of meat. As the sea beast meat entered his stomach, he felt warmth spreading through his body.
The sea beasts they were eating were small Sea Kings, which were very beneficial to the body.
After a hearty meal, Kuro, led by his roommates, went to the camp's pharmacy to get ointment that could alleviate muscle fatigue and damage.
This ointment was made from sea deer beasts infused with life energy by Barton. It contained a lot of life force. Although it wasn't as effective as Barton's direct infusion, the advantage was that Barton didn't have to inject life energy every few days, and it wouldn't expose Barton's abilities.
After applying the ointment, Kuro felt his body gradually recovering, as if he were soaking in a hot spring.
However, it wasn't time to rest yet.
The trainees still had to attend cultural and science classes.
Attending the culture class for the first time, Kuro looked at the "Book of Dragon Slaying" in his hand, and his heart surged with waves, cold sweat breaking out on his back.
A roommate next to him noticed his panic.
He smiled and comforted, "Don't worry. If you don't go around blabbing, who will know what you're learning? Besides, many things in this book are the realities of this world!"
"..." Kuro felt like crying but had no tears. He felt like he had boarded a pirate ship and couldn't get off.
After all, if people knew he had studied such a book here, the World Government would never let him go.
But being weak and helpless, what could he do now? He could only accept reality and warn himself never to casually mention what he learned here.
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