One piece: The Greatest Swordsman of the Rocks Era!

Streusen was starting to feel a little desperate.

Linlin had assigned him this task, but now, he was completely out of ideas.

Especially after witnessing Ares' overwhelming strength today.

By his estimation, Ares' power was at least five times stronger than Kaido's!

That was a terrifying number.

With that kind of strength, even Streusen himself wasn't sure he could beat Ares in a one-on-one fight. The full extent of Ares' strength was simply unknown.

After all, Kaido who had just learned Armament Haki had been utterly and swiftly crushed in Ares' hands.

It was a complete wipeout.

Streusen's heart was stuck in a bind.

"With Ares being this strong, and Whitebeard, Shiki, and Wang Zhi constantly by his side… it's going to be really difficult to carry out Linlin's request!"

For now, he could only take it one step at a time.

His gaze drifted to Kaido's massive figure in front of him.

A bit of relief settled in his heart. "At least there's still Kaido. Now that he's mastered Armament Haki, hopefully Linlin won't lose interest so quickly."

…

After Kaido and Streusen left.

"Well done!" Shiki laughed heartily, slapping Ares on his broad, shield-like shoulder. "That's exactly how you should handle Kaido beat him so badly he loses all hope!"

Whitebeard roared with approval, "Kurararara… Ares, with a bit more training, your physical skills will soon be refined enough that you can start training on your own. A true powerhouse must constantly learn and grow in real battles!"

"Only life-and-death fights can truly awaken the hidden potential within the human body."

What surprised him most was how quickly Ares had progressed. At this point, Whitebeard honestly felt like he was running out of things to teach him.

Ares nodded firmly. "Yeah! Captain Rocks said the same thing only through battle can one temper themselves. Just this past month or so since I joined the Rocks Pirates…"

"I've grown more than I did in the entire past year."

This past month, Ares had learned so much: swordsmanship, hand-to-hand combat, Armament Haki, combat tactics, and more.

He had also witnessed a part of what this magnificent sea had to offer.

It was breathtaking.

It gave Ares hope that one day he could forge his body to surpass even a Supreme Grade blade.

He was getting closer to his dream.

In his heart, he quietly resolved, Maybe… it's time to step into the second stage of forging.

I should try it soon.

His father had been an exceptional swordsmith. Growing up, Ares had spent much of his childhood in the forge, helping out, so he naturally understood that sword-forging wasn't just about hammering metal it involved fire tempering.

Or more precisely, it was the second part of the first stage: Flame Tempering!

Next, Ares planned to use intense fire to burn his own body while hammering it, again and again.

Through this brutal cycle, he would further harden and strengthen his physique.

Ares also remembered something else. Captain John said Zoan-type Devil Fruits could greatly enhance recovery speed. If I can combine that with flame tempering… I might be able to rapidly elevate my physique again.

He could already feel it his body had hit a bottleneck.

Day after day of relentless hammering was yielding almost no additional progress now.

It was time to try a new method.

Whitebeard and Shiki had no idea what Ares was plotting in his heart.

"Ares, all that past training laid a solid foundation for your current rapid growth. Without those years of effort, there's no way you could've improved this much so quickly," Whitebeard said with a grin.

Ares' incredible progress was undeniably tied to his years of disciplined training.

Shiki nodded in satisfaction, then added, "Ares, for the next couple of days, you should ease up a bit. We're setting sail soon for our next mission."

His expression turned serious. "This time, it's not going to be easy."

Shiki was always a cautious tactician who planned every detail. On the surface, the mission to recruit Roger seemed simple, but the fact that Captain Rocks made them wait a whole month before moving out… spoke volumes.

It wouldn't be that straightforward.

What's more, all the officers had been strictly ordered to keep this mission secret.

Whitebeard narrowed his eyes a subtle but telling gesture that he, too, was taking this mission very seriously. "This won't be an easy task. The Rocks Pirates are heavily watched by the Marines."

"Every time we set sail, we're pursued by the Navy."

"This time, you're going to invite the Roger Pirates there will definitely be Marine ships along the way. And besides…"

"Roger's crew isn't some random pirate gang. They've been making waves across many islands these past few years. Roger, Rayleigh, Jabba they're all formidable."

Deep down, Whitebeard suspected that Captain Rocks had something bigger planned. Their mission, along with Shiki's and his own independent movements, was probably meant to distract the Navy and split their forces.

Unless one of the officers leaked the plan, the Navy would never uncover their true objective.

"The Roger Pirates?" Ares' eyes lit up, his curiosity and fighting spirit blazing. "What kind of powerhouses are on the Roger Pirates' ship?"

Seeing Ares' battle hunger written all over his face, Whitebeard couldn't help but laugh. "Kurararara… The Roger Pirates are a strong crew, no doubt about it. Their captain, Gol D. Roger, is already pretty famous."

Whitebeard briefly introduced the Roger Pirates, and the more Ares listened, the more excited and eager he became.

He couldn't wait to meet the Roger Pirates, especially to fight their strongest members and grow stronger through battle.

"Jihahahaha… Ares, you'll definitely get your chance! That's our mission this time facing the Roger Pirates head-on!" Shiki laughed loudly, his eyes flashing.

Like Ares, he too was itching for the chance to face off against the Roger Pirates.

One of the most dazzling rising stars of the sea.

Since Kaido had interrupted his training, Ares decided to call it a day anyway. Besides, he had another thought weighing on his mind he wanted to see for himself what Linlin's so-called steel skin was really like.

The three of them returned to Skull Fortress together.

Back in his room, Ares took a quick shower.

"Kaido said Linlin's body is stronger than mine… but I've trained all this time just to reach my current level…"

The more he thought about it, the more curious he became.

He made up his mind. "I need to meet Linlin and figure out why her body is so hard why swords, bullets, and cannons can't even scratch her."

"And why Kaido claims her body is tougher than mine."

Decision made, Ares left his room, casually asked around, and quickly learned where Linlin's quarters were.

He headed straight there.

Meanwhile

Inside Linlin's room.

Streusen was vividly recounting Kaido's challenge to Ares, describing the entire battle in colorful detail.

"Mama…"

After hearing Streusen's story, Linlin's face lit up with excitement, her eyes gleaming with desire and admiration. "Ares… as expected of the man I've set my sights on!"

"That man is mine!!"

Even Kaido, who had mastered Armament Haki, couldn't leave a scratch on Ares. How could Linlin not be thrilled by that?

She was head over heels.

If she could, she'd devour him right now.

What surprised her even more was that Kaido had actually awakened Conqueror's Haki!

Just then

Knock, knock, knock!

A sharp series of knocks echoed from the door.

Streusen rushed to open it. The moment he saw who was standing there, his jaw nearly hit the floor. "A-A-Ares?!"

---------------------------------------------------- 

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