After ensuring Loya was settled, Vice Admiral Momonga headed to the warship's communications room and pulled out a Den Den Mushi directly linked to Sengoku.
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Brr-brr-brr, brr-brr-brr.
Click.
Sengoku picked up the receiver on the back of the snail and asked, "It's Momonga. What is it?"
"It's like this, Fleet Admiral Sengoku. On an island during my return voyage, I found soone..."
"Found soone..." Sengoku's mouth twitched. The movent was subtle, but the Den Den Mushi captured it faithfully, projecting it to Momonga. Momonga acted as if he hadn't noticed and continued his report: "Yes... on our way back, we encountered the Scissors Pirates. I don't know why they kept tailing our route, but today we finally forced them to land..."
Momonga gave a brief report on the battle, then sought instruction. "Regarding this person nad Loya, can we absorb him into the Marines? New pirate crews are popping up endlessly; we need to bring in fresh blood..."
"However, his seasickness is severe... extrely severe."
At the end, Momonga used the phrase "extrely severe" with grave emphasis.
"Seasickness..." Sengoku sighed. He wanted to offer his opinion, but he was at a loss for words. It sounded like this guy had considerable strength and could beco a combat asset quickly. But while everyone had heard of Marines who couldn't swim, who had ever heard of a Marine who couldn't handle being on a boat?
Still, it was an undeniable fact that the situation on the seas was becoming increasingly unstable. The sheer volu and combat prowess of these new pirates were things the Marines couldn't afford to ignore. Furthermore, the Marines had been suffering from a talent gap for years; any potential powerhouse was a candidate worth recruiting.
Deciding to set aside the seasickness issue, he said, "We can consider it. Ask him about his intentions first, and rember to investigate his background... Oh, and when you return, I have a mission for you. Start preparing—it concerns the Shichibukai."
"The Warlords of the Sea... sir?"
Vice Admiral Momonga repeated the title, his fist tightening. The system that had existed for over twenty years was a thorn in his side. That the mighty Marines needed pirates to maintain order in the Grand Line was a disgrace!
He gritted his teeth in frustration, but quickly relaxed his hand and answered resolutely, "Yes, sir!"
Regardless of his feelings, he was a Marine first. Obedience was the duty of a soldier.
After weeks of isolation, Loya could finally sleep in a real bed. Even in the quarters of a common Marine, the thin blanket couldn't mask the hardness of the wooden boards. But it was a bed—not a pile of leaves on mud and stone!
The ship doctor's dicine was effective. Earlier, he had felt completely drained; now, he only felt a slight sense of nausea. Rolling happily on the mattress, Loya silently invoked his "Golden Finger" and pulled up the system panel.
Na: Christopher Loya (Automatically corrected by the world)
Energy Stage: Tier 2, Level 0
Energy Value: 0/400
Magic Power: 500/500
Magic Recovery Rate: 100/min
The gap between Tier 1 and Tier 2 was clear. With 500 magic power, Loya could finally utilize the most taxing Dragon Slayer spells: Ice Dragon's Roar and Ice Dragon's Wing Attack. The power of the forr had been self-evident.
Beyond the increase in raw power, a new icon had appeared on the talent tree. After a careful look, Loya wasn't sure if this counted as "Dragon Slayer Magic," but it was certainly useful.
Ice-Make Magic: Uses magic power to imbue ice with shape, or to seize control of existing ice shapes.
Yes, it was the signature magic of that certain chronic exhibitionist. While useful, it had no inherent link to the Dragon Slayer magic created by Irene Belserion.
"Is it because my elent is ice that I can indirectly learn Ice-Make?" Loya guessed. In the world of Fairy Tail, Ice-Make was the most flexible magic—it relied entirely on the caster's own aptitude, and even between master and student, no two users expressed it exactly the sa way.
If it were that flexible, then an Ice Dragon knowing Ice-Make wasn't too strange... though Loya wondered if the constructs made by Ice-Make could compare to the raw power of a single dragon-claw strike.
"Still, it's definitely useful!" Loya mused. On the deserted island, he could condense ice from the air, but only if there was moisture present. Now, he could generate ice directly from his magic power, making it far faster and more convenient. This was exactly how he had been able to generate steps mid-air.
More importantly, two passive abilities changed in ways that left him feeling mixed:
Dragon Force: 1/100%. (Enhances strength, but triggers transformation above 0% and draconic conversion above 90%.)
Dragon Body: 18/100%. (Gradual adaptation; increases all-around stats; can be boosted by consuming energy, but with significant side effects.)
While Dragon Force was the source of a Slayer's power, its increase wasn't exactly good news. Loya could only hope for an "awakening" mode like in the original series, rather than becoming a literal dragon himself. Dragon Body, however, was a net positive. The worst side effect was just worse seasickness—and being miserable wasn't the sa as being dead.
In the original series, Wendy Marvell had gone through the sa thing a year later: her strength grew, but so did her motion sickness. The stronger a Dragon Slayer beca, the lower their tolerance for transportation.
Nightti.
Knock, knock, knock.
The sound of tapping woke Loya from a half-slumber. He rubbed his eyes.
"Co in!"
Creak.
Though well-maintained by the Marines, the ship was old; the iron cabin door groaned with a harsh friction as it slid open. Vice Admiral Momonga's dazzling purple mohawk was striking in the moonlight. He stepped in, apologized for the ager conditions of the cabin, and got straight to the point.
"Mr. Loya, where do you intend to go? I apologize, but our next destination is Marineford, which is off-limits to civilians. If you have a request, we can stop at the nearest island."
"Marineford... does that an the tiline is before Akainu beca Fleet Admiral?" Loya stroked his chin, intrigued.
This was the world of One Piece. Because the sea was vast and pirates were as nurous as fish in the river, the Marines had to be incredibly powerful to maintain any semblance of control. And Marineford was their legendary headquarters.
Loya picked up on the subtext. Ostensibly, Momonga was saying civilians couldn't enter, implying Loya should disembark elsewhere. But from another angle, wasn't this a subtle probe to see if Loya would offer to join?
With that in mind, Loya smiled and went with the flow. "I see... well, Vice Admiral Momonga, could I join the Marines? Look, I have nowhere else to go. I'm all alone with no attachnts, so I can pour every ounce of my energy into my work."
If he tweaked the wording, it was basically his standard job interview pitch.
Loya didn't decide to join on a whim; he had weighed his options carefully. In this world, what was the most important ability? Devil Fruits? No—it was Haki.
He couldn't be sure if his magic-infused attacks could counter a Devil Fruit user the way Busoshoku (Armant) Haki could, but gaining Haki would drastically improve his combat potential. The world was too dangerous. The manga had shown him the Celestial Dragons who treated life like garbage, the tyrannical Drum Kingdom, and schers like Doflamingo and Crocodile. If he wanted to live a full life on these chaotic seas, relying on his half-baked Dragon Slayer magic wouldn't cut it. He wasn't raised by a dragon, after all, and his magical knowledge was limited.
His goal in joining the Marines was clear: he needed a teacher to drill him in Haki and refine his combat skills. He could bully the weak for now, but against a true master, he'd be hung out to dry. And looking across the world, what organization was a better choice than the Marines?
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