"Sensei, with my current strength, do I stand any chance of escaping if I come up against an Admiral?" Ryu asked as he returned to his residence, where Lena had already cleaned his small villa.
"Hmph, what are you thinking? With your current abilities, you have no chance of victory against an Admiral. Even escaping would depend on their mood!" Garp scoffed.
"In that case, please continue to guide me, Sensei!" Ryu nodded in response.
"I can't help you with that strange inner energy of yours, but since your physical capabilities have significantly improved lately, you're ready to enhance your body technique training. Before, I avoided pushing you because your constitution was too weak, but now that you're physically stronger, you can further develop your Haki, body techniques, and the Navy's Rokushiki," Garp said, unusually serious.
"Yes, Sensei!" Ryu replied with a nod.
After Garp left, Ryu took a shower, changed into his sleepwear, and then opened up his system interface.
Having captured Crocodile, he had earned some experience and diamonds, along with a chance at the roulette. He hadn't used it yet, so he decided now was the perfect time to give it a spin.
"You used the random roulette spin and received an equipment roulette spin."
"You used the equipment roulette spin and obtained Soft-Soled Boots x1."
Looking at the boots in his inventory, Ryu was intrigued and decided to equip them.
Initially, he had starter gear, including a basic weapon, and at one point, he had obtained a standard-grade white longsword. However, Ryu preferred to fight barehanded, so he rarely used weapons. Plus, the starter outfit didn't suit his style at all, so he'd stashed it deep in his inventory.
"Soft-Soled Boots (Green): A common type of footwear in the martial world. Soft-soled, making them very comfortable. Speed +5."
Once Ryu equipped the boots, he felt they weren't bad. With a small speed boost of +5, he decided to keep them on. Just as he was about to close the equipment interface, he noticed a red item located in the dantian area on his character.
"Blood Dragon Pearl (Red Treasure): Originally a prized Dragon Orb, mutated into a Blood Dragon Pearl, currently in a sealed state. Vitality +200, Recovery Speed +10%."
In addition to the displayed stats, there were four lines marked with "???"—likely indicating sealed attributes as mentioned in the description.
"So that's what's going on. No wonder my physical stamina has improved so much; it's due to this boost in recovery rate! But how do I break the seal? Do I need dragon's blood?" Ryu murmured to himself, stroking his chin.
For now, he had no clues on how to unseal the Blood Dragon Pearl. The only idea he had was dragon's blood, but he wasn't sure if any dragons even existed in this world. Then again, Kaido of the Four Emperors possessed a dragon-type Zoan Devil Fruit—maybe his blood could unlock the seal.
(TL: Yeah goodluck with that lmao.)
Ryu couldn't resist the urge to try the treasure roulette when he saw the Blood Dragon Pearl, but after glancing at his remaining thirty thousand diamonds, he forced himself to hold back.
A few days later, Ryu, under Garp's training, had fully adapted to the enhancements brought about by his improved recovery ability. He managed to unearth more of his body's potential and even made significant progress with his newly acquired skill, "Traceless Steps." However, the proficiency for the first level alone required a daunting 7,000 points, which made Ryu abandon the thought of leveling it up further for now.
"A bounty of 100 million? Seems like another up-and-coming pirate star has appeared!" One day, while Ryu was eating in the cafeteria, he overheard some nearby marines discussing something intriguing.
Finishing his meal, Ryu walked over and saw a Marine captain holding a wanted poster for Luffy.
"'Straw Hat,' Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, Monkey D. Luffy, bounty of 100 million berries, dead or alive!"
"Hm, that bounty escalated quickly. Next time I see him, I might just feel the itch to cash in!" Ryu thought with a sly grin.
"Ah! Captain Shiryu!" The Marine captain holding the poster immediately greeted Ryu upon seeing him.
(TL: Im just gonna automatically rank marine officers that Im not sure of as Captain. Feel free to correct me ^^.)
"No need to mind me, just checking it out," Ryu replied, smiling as he waved it off.
"Yes, sir! This is a recently emerged pirate. He sailed from East Blue to the Grand Line, defeated East Blue's ruler Don Krieg, as well as the fish-man Arlong. After arriving in the Grand Line, he caused quite a stir in the desert kingdom of Alabasta, so the headquarters placed a 100-million bounty on him!" the captain explained to Ryu, seeing his interest in Luffy.
"Alabasta, huh... Why does that place make me feel like I'm forgetting something?" Ryu muttered, rubbing his chin. Something felt naggingly familiar.
"Oh, shoot! Ace!" A flash of realization hit Ryu. He had forgotten about Ace! If Ace encountered Blackbeard and got captured, then Marineford War would unfold as expected.
"That reckless idiot! If he's going to be caught, it should be by me!" Ryu muttered irritably, rushing out of the cafeteria. He needed to contact Lena right away and set sail to find Ace.
"Hmm? What's going on today? Why all the fuss?" Ryu asked a Marine officer as he reached the port, noticing the preparations to welcome someone.
"Reporting, Captain Shiryu! Today is the day the Navy summons the Seven Warlords of the Sea," the Marine replied.
"Ah, I see. Who's arrived so far?" Ryu nodded, recalling that Blackbeard had sent his crew to try to secure a Warlord position.
"Reporting, sir! So far, Heavenly Yaksha Donquixote Doflamingo and Bartholomew Kuma have arrived!" the Marine answered with a salute.
Ryu nodded. It seemed even Mihawk, the man known as Hawk-Eyes, was expected to attend this meeting. However, since the meeting was being held at the Holy Land, Mary Geoise, Ryu wasn't interested in attending himself. Instead, he went to gather Lena and some soldiers, preparing to set sail in search of Ace.
"Sir, where are we heading?" Lena asked Ryu as the Huaxia set sail.
"First to Jaya! I remember Blackbeard making an appearance there. Start by asking around for any news on Blackbeard or Ace's whereabouts… or even Straw Hat Luffy's," Ryu replied. While he wasn't sure where Luffy was now, he recalled that Luffy had encountered Blackbeard on Jaya before heading to Skypiea, and that Blackbeard soon after crossed paths with Ace.
Since Blackbeard's crew was now aiming for a Warlord seat, it meant they likely had plans to go after Ace. Ryu had to intercept Blackbeard as soon as possible.
"Yes, sir!" Lena saluted but hesitated, as if wanting to say something more to Ryu.