"What was that for!?"
"Shut up!"
Magnus ignored the groaning Rocks, who still couldn't get up from that single slap.
His eyes were locked onto the panel in front of him.
[Ding~ Congratulations! You have defeated the King of the Seas—Rocks D. Xebec!]
[You have achieved an impossible feat.]
[You have awakened Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki). You have mastered Rokushiki (Six Powers) of the Marines. All injuries sustained in this battle have been fully healed.]
[Your cellular vitality has increased.]
Kenbunshoku Haki, Rokushiki—those were things Magnus had long since mastered. He didn't even bother paying attention to those lines.
What truly caught his attention were the last two:
Injuries healed.
Cellular vitality increased.
Injury recovery was easy to understand, but Magnus hadn't taken a single hit in that "battle." And yet, the moment the panel's text appeared, he felt his body lighten.
"This is…"
Under Rocks' stunned gaze, Magnus casually picked up the dagger the boy had dropped.
Then—
"Hasshōken: Hakoku (Conqueror of the Sea)!"
A technique from Elbaf, the land of giants. One he had practically abandoned in old age due to physical decline.
But now, as the dagger fell from Magnus's hand—
The sea before him—
Split in two!
Meeting Rocks' horrified gaze, Magnus burst into laughter again.
More unrestrained than ever before.
"Puh—Puhahahahahahahahahaha!"
Now he understood. That so-called "injury recovery" didn't just mean healing what he took in that fight.
It healed all his old wounds.
As a pirate—
Living on the edge, licking the blade every day—there was no luxury of proper healing. Even grave wounds had to be endured with grit while drifting at sea.
That's why—
A Marine like Garp could still be strong in his old age, while Whitebeard, as a pirate, ended up full of tubes and scars.
Because Whitebeard's internal injuries were just too numerous.
Just like Magnus—if not for this system, in a few more years, his condition might not be any better than Whitebeard's in the future.
But now it was different.
All his hidden wounds were gone!
Of course, age still dulled him a little. Compared to his prime, he could now exert maybe 80% of his peak power.
Still, that was a world apart from where he was just before—where he could barely use Haki at all.
As for cellular vitality…
Well, he wasn't a doctor. He couldn't exactly draw blood and run tests.
But if it meant a few more years to live, he wasn't going to complain.
After all, who wouldn't want a longer life?
Feeling uplifted, Magnus looked at Rocks with a new sense of appreciation. He tossed the dagger back at him, and watching the boy still frozen from earlier, asked with a smile:
"Wanna learn it?"
Rocks nodded instinctively.
"Then what do you call me?"
"C-Captain?"
"There you go."
Magnus stood up, staring at the sea that had slowly returned to calm after being cleaved open. His gaze turned toward the system panel, deep and unreadable.
What a shame...
Magnus truly felt regret.
If this system had come ten or twenty years earlier—when he was still at his peak—maybe he could've really accomplished something big.
But now? Too late.
Sure, the system cured his old wounds the moment it arrived—but to earn these rewards, he had to defeat the so-called "King of the Seas," Rocks D. Xebec.
Even if Rocks was still just a green brat.
But from that alone, the difficulty of earning rewards from the system was obvious.
How many "Kings of the Seas" were there in the entire world of pirates?
Especially considering that Rocks wasn't even twenty yet. The future Yonkou (Four Emperors)—Big Mom, Kaidō—probably hadn't even emerged.
Oh... Roger. That one might be worth watching.
Pirate King Roger and Rocks were from the same era, but Roger was younger. Who knew if he'd even set sail yet?
And even if he had, no way he'd be Pirate King-level from the start, right?
There was also Whitebeard... and Shiki the Golden Lion...
Now that he thought about it, if this system's exploit loophole stuck around—
He might just have more chances to earn rewards.
Still, the One Piece world was vast. Running into them was no guarantee.
And if, by then, he was too old to even lift a blade...
Magnus sighed again.
He wasn't afraid of meeting those sea overlords in their prime.
What pained him was that he didn't get to live in the same era as them.
But—
There was still hope!
The regret in Magnus's eyes faded, replaced by renewed sharpness.
If there were no system, fine.
But now that it had appeared—and healed his old wounds, and boosted his vitality—
Even if he were lying in a coffin, he'd still crawl out for one last fight!
That's why Magnus ultimately decided to take Rocks in.
He knew full well what kind of future awaited Rocks. Magnus wasn't blind—he knew just how volatile and dangerous a kid like that could be.
One wrong move, and you'd get stabbed in the back.
That kind of betrayal was commonplace in the world of pirates.
And yet Rocks would still grow into a monster.
Even at his peak, Magnus wasn't sure he could beat the future Rocks.
But he still accepted him.
"If I don't even have the courage to take in a brat who hasn't grown up yet… how could I ever rise again?"
As for his old crew, Magnus had no plans to recall them.
Most of them were already old. Not fit for this kind of life anymore. Even if Magnus's wounds were healed, if they ran into Marine Admirals, they'd still have no choice but to flee.
Besides, all the money had already been divided. Enough for them to live comfortably for the rest of their lives.
No—
He had made his decision:
To train Rocks.
A sudden glare made the just-about-to-get-up Rocks flinch.
Afraid of getting smacked again.
A single slap had nearly robbed him of his combat strength.
Rocks had completely lost the will to resist.
"Tch... damn old man. Just wait till I master everything you teach me—when I get strong, every slap you gave me, I'll pay back double!"
Rocks was still eyeing this big ship with greedy eyes. Why else would he sneak onboard?
You think he wanted to be someone else's crew member?
Hell no.
He'd come to steal the ship.
But now, thinking about how Magnus would teach him that sea-splitting move—
Rocks felt a fire ignite inside.
He had never seen power like that before.
With power like that, he could go anywhere in the world!
Wait... hold up.
Rocks squinted his eyes.
"Hey... old man—"
"What did you call me?"
"C-Captain!"
Whack!
Another smack on the head. Rocks forced a grin.
He pointed to the distance.
"Look! Is that… a ship?"
Ship?
Magnus looked up.
Sure enough, not far from them, a sailing vessel was approaching.
He immediately saw the flag it flew—
A pirate flag?
A smirk tugged at Magnus's lips.
(End of Chapter)
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