When Ares finished his training, his massive muscles looked like glowing-hot iron.
Under the stunned gaze of dozens of pirates, he stepped out of the training hall.
As soon as he left, the entire room erupted in shocked uproar.
"What the hell?! Where did that freak co from?! That was insane!!"
"Is he even human?! A single swing from him could flatten one of us!!"
"With a body like that... no woman alive could satisfy him!"
"Satisfy?! Bro, you'd die trying! Do you know how many tis he hit himself?!"
"Over ten thousand!!!"
"Tch... The Rocks Pirates just got another monster. Bad news for other pirate crews and the Navy!"
A chorus of disbelief followed. No one could believe what they'd just witnessed.
It was pure madness like he didn't care about living or dying.
After refueling, Ares left the ss hall, ignoring the stunned pirates staring at him.
As an official crew mber, he was entitled to free food.
The unofficial mbers weren't so lucky.
They had to earn their als or beg for scraps.
Most rookies tried to align themselves with various captains. After all, this was a survival-of-the-fittest world. For newcors, life was brutal.
They were cannon fodder, grunt workers hauling cargo, scrubbing decks, cleaning Skull Castle.
Every single one of them was gambling with their lives for the hope of becoming an official mber of the Rocks Pirates.
Ares casually grabbed soone and asked where to find Shiki the Golden Lion, then headed off.
anwhile, inside Skull Castle…
"Captain, that guy eats way too much!!"
"Do you know how much he eats in one sitting?!"
"We can't keep him around!"
"He alone wiped out food for over a hundred n! The cooks are dropping like flies!"
Even the great Rocks D. Xebec couldn't help but twitch at the complaints.
He forced a smile. "Shakky, we've already recruited him."
"And Ares has limitless potential. He'll grow into soone as powerful as Newgate or Shiki."
"Sure, he eats a lot now... but later, he'll bring us massive returns."
"Just hire more cooks. If they collapse, who's going to feed the rest of the crew?"
Across from him stood a sharp-eyed woman with short black hair and a cigarette between her lips.
Shakky took a long drag and exhaled smoke. Her voice was cold. "Do you know how much his als cost?"
"Just the ingredients alone run over 100,000 Berries per al."
"That's per al. Three als a day ans ninety als a month."
"He'll burn through over a million Berries a month."
"Add in labor costs..."
"Feeding that one guy is like feeding a hundred!!"
Xebec chuckled. "A million Berries? Then so be it. I've got high hopes for that kid."
"Money spent on talent is money well spent."
Shakky scoffed. "Fine. Not my wallet."
She turned and left the room.
Xebec grinned and walked over to the window, gazing out across the vast world beyond.
His eyes sparkled with unshakable ambition.
"Talent is more precious than gold. If I beco the ruler of this world…"
"I won't need money. I'll have it all."
"I don't care about Berries. I want the world itself."
He could say that now because the Rocks Pirates had already amassed enough wealth to last a lifeti.
He wasn't the struggling pirate he once was.
Elsewhere, in another room of Skull Castle…
Ares knocked on Shiki's door, his massive hand making loud thuds.
Inside, chaos broke out.
Shiki scrambled to get dressed, whispering urgently to Miss Bakkin. "Go out the back! I'll pay you what I promised!"
He tossed her clothes without looking too focused on the situation to enjoy her... considerable charms.
Miss Bakkin slipped on her outfit and warned him sharply, "Don't forget! Fifty million Berries, not a single Berry less!"
"Go! Go!"
"You'll get your money!"
Shiki waved her toward the back exit, lighting a cigar as he dressed.
She had a killer body and flawless skin.
Sha about the gold-digging.
Once she was gone, Shiki exhaled a long puff of smoke, walked over, and opened the door.
He blinked. "Ares? What brings you here?"
He hadn't expected the visitor to be that guy. The sa Ares he and Whitebeard had fought over.
He'd offered a ton of perks, but Ares hadn't budged or picked a side.
Without preamble, Ares stated his intent. "Mr. Wang Zhi said you're the best swordsman on the ship. I want to know: is there a way to forge a person into a blade that surpasses even the Supre Grade swords?"
His eyes blazed with intensity, full of hunger for knowledge.
This again?
Shiki rembered the question well. Ares had asked it before back when he'd first t Captain Xebec.
Back then, Xebec's answer had been one word: battle.
Later, Shiki had learned the full story.
Apparently, Ares had undergone a complete transformation years ago becoming obsessed with turning himself into a living blade.
It led to his hellish, inhuman training regi.
Ares's obsession was absolute.
Shiki rubbed his chin. "Let think..."
He didn't answer right away.
After a mont, he smirked.
"Human bodies can't truly beco swords. But there is a way to make your body rival the sharpest blades."
"Swordsn use Haki to forge their weapons into Black Blades."
"And Armant Haki can massively boost a person's defense."
"If your Haki's strong enough, even Supre Grade swords can't cut you."
Ares's eyes lit up. "Armant Haki?"
"What is that?!"
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