Rayleigh stared at Tony in shock. The words Tony had spoken were the same as those once said by his captain, Pirate King Roger.
Then, with a deep breath, Rayleigh chuckled and shook his head.
"That really is a grand dream," Rayleigh mused, recalling a conversation from many years ago with Roger.
"I'm not going to die, brother..."
Back then, Rayleigh had understood the meaning of those words. The World Government and the Marines had expected to send a warning to other pirates with Roger's public execution. But Roger's final words had unexpectedly turned that moment into the opening ceremony of the Great Pirate Era. In an instant, the small flame of his life had ignited a blaze that would burn across the world, a fire that still raged today.
Eighteen years later, countless people were still searching for Roger's treasure, the legendary ONE PIECE.
And the man Roger had waited for—the heir of the Will of D—Rayleigh couldn't shake the feeling that this boy, this very Tony, was the one.
A man who could overturn the world.
Fate was a strange thing, sometimes inexplicable. It was as though nothing was random, and everything was predestined.
At that moment, Rayleigh felt even more compelled to nurture Tony.
Tony, however, was internally panicking. He didn't really have such grand dreams. He was merely recalling the words Luffy had once said. His true goal was to learn Rayleigh's Haki and swordsmanship. In the world of pirates, Haki was an essential skill.
If he were to be honest about his real dream, in the pirate world, wouldn't it be better to have a harem of beautiful women, travel the seas, and enjoy life? Starting a grand journey of happiness with a whole harem—wasn't that the real goal?
At that moment, Tony was imagining women like Boa Hancock, Nami, Robin, and Tashigi...
But of course, he didn't dare to reveal his true intentions in front of Rayleigh, or else he might just make Rayleigh spit blood in anger.
As Tony thought about his abilities, he checked his skill progression panel.
"Devil Fruit Ability: Flame-Flame Fruit current progress 5%"
"Abilities: [Double Mangekyō Sharingan] current progress 5%, [Kido Techniques] current progress 3%"
"Swordsmanship: [Ryūjin Jakka] current progress 2%"
Tony's lips curled into a satisfied smile. Although the progression wasn't much, it was growing, and he was content.
Tony had confidence that he would max out all of these skills.
Meanwhile, Rayleigh, sitting nearby and fiddling with his wine glass, couldn't help but ask Tony about the power he'd used earlier—the one that wasn't Observation Haki.
Tony didn't shy away from the topic. He had no reason to hide it from his teacher.
"Rayleigh-san, the power that restricted your movements earlier is called Kido Techniques. It's a binding ability, and it can also be used offensively, with a certain amount of lethality. However, my current strength isn't enough to fully unleash its potential."
"As for what you thought was Observation Haki, that's actually my Sharingan," Tony said, pointing at his crimson eyes, sending a chill down Rayleigh's spine.
The Sharingan granted extraordinary insight, allowing its user to perceive the trajectory of an opponent's attacks and predict their next moves—similar to Observation Haki. That was why Rayleigh had been fooled earlier. But as the Sharingan evolved, its uses would far surpass Observation Haki.
"I see. That's a very unique ability," Rayleigh said, his curiosity satisfied for the moment.
He then took a sip from his glass and didn't press further.
Currently, Tony's Kido Techniques could only use the first ten low-level spells. Every time the Kido Techniques advanced by 10%, it would unlock the next set of 20 Kido Techniques.
There were two types of Kido: Hadō (Destruction) and Bakudō (Binding), each with 99 spells. Once Tony's progress reached 50%, he would be able to use nearly all of the Kido techniques. The power of the release would depend on both the Kido itself and Tony's own strength, as well as the chant used to enhance the lethality or binding force of the attack.
....
The next morning.
Tony, dressed in a black hoodie and black shorts, went for an early morning run.
For him, physical training had become even more important. Only by having a strong body could he better utilize his abilities.
He set a small goal for himself every day—running 20 kilometers. However, he only ran in the loop near Shakky's bar.
After all, Sabaody Archipelago was ruled by the Celestial Dragons—those so-called world nobles, high-class individuals who viewed other races as mere slaves. If they were displeased, they would kill without hesitation, seeing the lives of regular people as expendable.
Tony could not stand people like that.
Although Tony, with his current strength, wasn't afraid of these weaklings, it would still be a hassle to get involved with them. It would invite the pursuit of high-ranking Marines officers and secret agents of the World Government. Unless he had truly bad luck and encountered those idiots looking for trouble, he would have no choice but to stir up some issues.
Looking at his current strength, Tony's combat power stood at the level of a Colonel, comparable to Smoker, the "Smoker" from Loguetown.
Tony had the capital to easily kill them and join one of the most famous pirate crews in the world. But that was the worst-case scenario.
Right now, he hadn't learned Rayleigh's Haki or swordsmanship, so he couldn't rashly set sail to become a pirate.
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T/N:
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