A few quick tests were enough for Kōjin to confirm his suspicions: his strange ability wasn't just a passive gift. It allowed him to allocate and upgrade skills directly.
And death… death fed it.
Every time his life was taken, the system awarded him Points.
A part of him wondered if there was a loophole to exploit. Could he accelerate his growth by deliberately ending his own life? It was a dangerous thought, but he tucked it away for later.
"Bogard, get this kid into a Marine intern's uniform," Garp's booming command snapped through his thoughts. "From now on, he's mine!"
Kōjin turned his head and caught the silent figure beside Garp: a man in a beige suit and Marine cap. Bogard met his gaze and gave a short nod before walking off to carry out the order.
From the battleship's cabin, a tall figure emerged with a languid stride. Sunglasses rested on his nose, and a lazy expression hung on his face. The moment he spotted Garp, his composure cracked and excitement lit up his features.
"I heard Headquarters is thinking about making you an Admiral again!" He exclaimed. "Vice Admiral Garp!"
Garp chuckled and grinned widely. "Hah, hah, hah. Admiral? I've got zero interest in that job."
Kuzan, barely hiding his disbelief, pushed back. "But that's an Admiral! Why wouldn't you want it?"
"For babysitting Tenryūbito garbage? No thanks," Garp shot back with a scoff. "Vice Admiral suits me. More freedom."
He laughed heartily, then gestured toward Kōjin. "This is Kōjin, a recruit I picked up along the way."
Kuzan's eyes narrowed in curiosity. "If Garp bothers to bring someone in, they've gotta be strong."
Kōjin glanced at Kuzan, the man who, in another time, would be known as Admiral Aokiji, then dropped his gaze, saying nothing. His silence made Kuzan scratch the back of his head awkwardly. "Another quiet one, huh? Like Bogard."
Garp suddenly smacked his palm against his forehead before speaking. "Ah, I almost forgot. You slaughtered the Bokan family and angered the Tenryūbito. What skills do you actually have? You can't just stroll into the Marines. You need real ability if you plan to survive out there."
Kōjin pressed his lips into a thin line. "I never said I wanted to be a Marine."
Garp's booming laugh echoed off the deck. "Naturally, you'll be a Marine! Would you rather be a pirate?"
Kōjin only curled his lip in quiet dismissal. Right now, he had nowhere else to turn.
"Wait, Bokan's a noble family, right?" Kuzan jumped in. "And you actually attacked a Tenryūbito?!"
Shock flared in his gaze, quickly replaced by admiration.
At twenty-something, Kuzan was caught up in the reckless idealism of youth. To him, anyone who dared to challenge the nobility, let alone clash with a Celestial Dragon, commanded a respect that few could earn. Truthfully, even with his ideals, he didn't know if he'd have the courage to do it himself.
Garp wasn't finished. "Sword techniques?" he asked.
Kōjin shook his head.
"Hand-to-hand combat?" Garp prodded.
Another shake of the head.
Garp grinned and tried a different approach. "Marksmanship?"
This time, Kōjin stayed silent.
The pause stretched on.
Garp froze, his eyes narrowing with puzzled disbelief. Kuzan blinked, his jaw dropping.
"Have you trained in strength or combat before?" they asked.
Kōjin shook his head again.
"You've learned nothing?" Kuzan said disbelievingly. "Then how the hell did you kill an entire noble family and escape alive?"
"They tried to kill me," Kōjin said quietly, his expression serious. "So I killed them first."
He paused before adding, almost too calmly, "I bit through flesh. I smashed their heads with stones. I took their blades when I could and used them against them. I always found a chance."
For a moment, Garp and Kuzan were both silent. They could picture it: the smell of blood, the panic and desperation of a cornered slave fighting for survival.
Garp's jaw tightened as memories of Karens' cruelty flashed through his mind. His anger simmered, barely contained.
"I'll train you," Garp said at last, his voice hard but resolute. "Just know this: My training is more likely to break bones than build muscle."
Kōjin nodded without hesitation.
Power. That was all he desired now. Maybe it was because he'd experienced too many deaths and too much helplessness. Or maybe this brutal world ruled by fake gods and monsters had carved that hunger into his soul.
Bogard soon returned with a neatly folded intern's uniform. Kōjin changed without a word, washing away the salt and grime of the past days with each rinse of cold water.
Kuzan gave an easy thumbs-up. "Looking sharp, kid."
Kōjin allowed himself a faint smile.
Across the deck, Garp, with his cape stretched wide behind him and his arms crossed, watched the transformation with satisfaction.
"Kid, how old are you?"
"Seventeen," Kōjin answered.
"Same age as Kuzan, then. I suppose you two can make trouble together," Garp laughed. He threw a glance over his shoulder. "Bogard, try talking more, yeah?"
Bogard simply nodded in silence.
"Other than Haoshoku Haki, you can't use anything else yet, right?" Garp asked next.
Kōjin shrugged slightly. "You could say that."
"That's fine," Garp chuckled. "Easier to paint on a blank canvas."
He reached for a thick rope, coiled it once, and tossed the end toward Kōjin.
The boy caught it instinctively and stared in confusion.
"We're heading for the New World," Garp said, his grin widening. "So your training starts right now. Hold on tight, or we won't pick you up again!"
"Wait, what?"
Before he could finish, Garp's foot slammed into his backside.
The boy went flying backward whiile hearing a booming laugh, the rope snapping taut as his body soared through the open air and crashed into the sea below with an explosive splash.
"Bogard!" Garp shouted, laughing uproariously. "Full speed ahead!"
Bogard raised one finger, signaling the crew. The massive battleship lurched forward, slicing through the waves.
Meanwhile, behind them, Kōjin fought for his life. The first wave of seawater burned his throat and stole his breath. Garp hadn't even asked if he could swim.
"This isn't training... it's murder!" He thought bitterly, choking against the surge.
He was dragged mercilessly behind the warship, and the ocean pummeled his body like a thousand fists. His throat screamed and his chest clenched with every inhale, which was filled with agony and salt.
From the deck, Kuzan cupped his hands around his mouth and laughed. "Hang in there, Kōjin! No one's ever survived Vice Admiral Garp's training!"
"Is that supposed to be encouragement?" Kōjin thought grimly.
Minute after minute, waves crashed over him, dragging him through the raging sea. He felt his strength draining and his lungs burning until, finally, after an hour and eight minutes, his mind went blank.
He died.
And his System Points rose to 51.
He was drowned by the sea yet awakened by it.
When he came to again, coughing up water, something was different. His arms moved more easily, his muscles felt stronger, and he moved with the waves naturally and instinctively. Through death, he had learned to swim.
There was truth in it: when faced with death, human potential could shatter its own limits.
Kōjin clenched the rope tighter as seawater stung his eyes and a grin broke through the pain.
"Those who try to kill me," He thought, "will only make me stronger."
He took a deep breath and muttered into the wind, "Then come on, world. Let the tempest strike harder."
(End of chapter.)