Kojin looked at the man lying in the hospital bed, wrapped from head to toe in bandages, and smiled.
It was obvious that someone like Rob Lucci adapted quickly to a change in status. Switching from CP9 to the Marines didn't seem to bother him much. Or rather, people like him were already used to serving the Government and carrying out orders from their superiors.
And for a subordinate with such potential, Kojin naturally had a high opinion of him. Rob Lucci, known as the strongest member of CP9 in eight hundred years, absolutely lived up to the title.
He followed his own brand of Dark Justice, and even in his normal state, his Doriki had already reached 4,000. A person like that could only be described as a monster.
Once he received proper training and learned Haki, he would gauges enter the ranks of the world's top fighters, and that meant Kojin would gain another powerful subordinate.
"What is my mission?" Rob Lucci got straight to the point, adapting to his new role remarkably quickly.
"Your mission?" Kojin raised an eyebrow slightly and smiled. He liked subordinates like this, people who had clear objectives and carried out orders without hesitation. Lucci's professional attitude was a far cry from people like Crocodile, and that was exactly the type of subordinate Kojin currently lacked.
"Your mission right now is to recover from your injuries and get your body back into shape." With a light chuckle, Kojin turned and left the room.
Rob Lucci froze for a moment, watching Kojin's departing back, and fell silent. After a long pause, the face that usually seemed frozen as ice softened slightly, and a faint smile appeared, though it disappeared just as quickly.
"Recover first, huh?" he muttered to himself, his eyes flickering with complicated emotions.
This was one of the few moments of warmth he had experienced in his entire life, even though this unfamiliar superior had only spoken a single sentence.
Thinking back on the past, the warmth in Lucci's eyes gradually faded, and his gaze turned cold once more. During all his years in CP9, his superiors had never shown even the slightest concern for him. To them, he had only ever been a tool. Nothing more.
A short while later, Kaku and the others entered the room wearing Marine trainee uniforms. The moment they saw Lucci sitting up, their faces filled with relief and excitement.
"Lucci, you're finally awake!"
"Thank goodness! We thought we weren't going to make it through this!"
"Damn World Government. They abandoned us without a second thought."
Listening to the concern in his companions' voices, Lucci's expression softened again. "I'm fine. How about you guys?" After a brief hesitation, he asked another question. "How have they treated you?"
Kaku and the others exchanged looks before breaking into smiles.
"Pretty well!"
"We've got plenty of food here, and we train alongside them every day!"
Jabra lowered his voice. "Those guys are seriously strong! I saw some of them using Rokushiki better than we can. And a few of them have absolutely terrifying presences."
Lucci narrowed his eyes. "They all know Rokushiki?"
"That's right," Kaku said seriously. "The elites under Admiral Kojin are very strong. I don't think Rokushiki is the only thing they've mastered."
"Chapapa! There are experts everywhere here. They're unbelievably strong. I even saw Devil Fruit users!" Fukurou added as he unzipped his mouth.
Lucci's eyes narrowed further as he fell into thought. After a while, he slowly spoke. "This may be our chance to take another step forward."
A single Marine warship containing so many elite fighters could only mean one thing: Admiral Kojin's forces were exceptionally powerful.
"Yeah! We've already started asking them for training advice over the last few days," Kaku nodded enthusiastically.
"We even learned about the path forward for our future training," Jabra added.
Lucci turned toward them, looking puzzled.
The path forward? He had always believed he had already pushed physical training to its absolute limits. Combined with his Devil Fruit abilities, he was already incredibly powerful.
But as for becoming even stronger, he had no idea how to proceed. The World Government had never shown any intention of developing them further; otherwise, they wouldn't have sent them on undercover missions so early.
"According to Admiral Kojin's adjutant, former Warlord Crocodile…" Kalifa adjusted her glasses and spoke quietly, "Rokushiki is only the most basic combat skill in the Marines. Most commissioned officers know it. The next step is tempering your body, awakening your potential, and learning Haki."
"Haki..." Lucci repeated the unfamiliar word. This was the first time he had heard the term. Some knowledge about true strength simply wasn't shared within their old organization. Or perhaps it was something you could only understand after seeing how vast the world really was.
"And Admiral Kojin himself will personally teach us that training. Lucci, this is guidance from the strongest Admiral!" Jabra said excitedly.
Before boarding this warship, none of the CP9 members could have imagined they would be valued so highly. There was plenty of food, comfortable accommodations, and friendly colleagues. Compared to their old lives, this place was practically heaven.
"Rosinante told us that Admiral Kojin only expects one thing from us," Blueno said in a deep voice. "Train. Do everything you can to become stronger."
"They really are all monsters here!" Kaku couldn't help but exclaim.
Lucci stared at him, the meaning behind his gaze obvious.
"I fought that man named Buggy once," Kaku admitted, taking a deep breath and sighing. "But I couldn't even last three exchanges. And that was while he wasn't using his Devil Fruit powers."
Lucci's pupils contracted in shock. "You're telling the truth?"
"Absolutely. Buggy is very strong. His Rokushiki, physical strength, and Doriki are all monstrous. He might even be stronger than you," Fukurou replied.
Lucci glanced around at everyone present. Seeing the uncomfortable expressions on their faces, he immediately understood. "You've all fought them?"
"Only Buggy fought us. And we all lost." Even though they had lost, none of the CP9 members felt bitter about it. The gap between the two sides had simply been overwhelming.
"This is an exceptionally strong team," Kalifa gave her assessment.
Rob Lucci remained silent for a long time before a smile slowly appeared on his face. "Now you've got me interested."
Kaku and the others exchanged looks and laughed.
"We felt exactly the same way!"
"Because this place is heaven for people who want to become stronger!"
"If we have any questions about training, we can ask any of them for advice."
The smile on Lucci's face widened, and at the same time, he finally let out a long breath of relief. When he had made the decision to join Kojin's side, it had been under immense pressure and influenced by the man's reputation.
But deep down, he had also worried that he might simply be walking into another wolf's den. He knew Kojin's name, but he didn't know what kind of person Kojin really was. What if he turned out to be another Spandam?
Now, after hearing about everyone's experiences aboard the ship, those worries finally disappeared. It seemed he had made the right choice.
Because he had only recently awakened, Lucci still couldn't move freely, so his companions helped massage his muscles and restore circulation throughout his body. Finally, by that afternoon, Lucci was able to get out of bed. His steps were still somewhat unsteady, but he could walk again.
When he saw the blue sky and endless sea once more, Rob Lucci took a deep breath. Not far away, a group of oddly dressed Marines were training hard, their shouts and battle cries echoing across the deck.
"Those are former members of Baroque Works," Kaku explained with a smile. "They're now soldiers under Admiral Kojin."
"Will we be training like them too?" Lucci asked. As he spoke, his pigeon flapped its wings excitedly and landed on his shoulder.
"No. Admiral Kojin probably values us highly. He lets us train on our own. If there's anything we don't understand, we can ask any officer above the rank of Colonel," Jabra said excitedly.
Lucci nodded, feeling something strange in his heart. This kind of care from a superior was honestly difficult for him to get used to; he had never experienced it before.
"Chapapa! Admiral Kojin treats us really well!" Fukurou muttered.
Lucci remained silent for a moment before starting toward the bow of the ship. Soon, he spotted several people gathered there. They stood casually, yet somehow still maintained a sense of discipline. At that moment, all of them turned their attention toward him.
"The new guy just woke up, right? And he's already walking around?"
"What a monster. That level of willpower is impressive."
"With some proper training, he'll become a reliable powerhouse."
The comments weren't hidden at all. Lucci's eyes flickered slightly, and then he looked toward the man sitting in a chair at the front of the ship, seemingly resting with his eyes closed.
"With injuries like yours, walking around this soon isn't good for recovery," Kojin said with a faint smile as he opened his eyes.
"It's only a minor injury. There's no need to worry about it," Lucci replied.
"Interesting," Kojin chuckled. Then he looked directly at him. "You came to see me specifically. Is there something important you wanted to discuss?"
Lucci took a deep breath. "It's about the whereabouts of Pluton."
He didn't lower his voice, so everyone nearby heard him clearly. Buggy and the others didn't react much, but Crocodile's pupils instantly shrank. For him, Pluton was practically an obsession.
Yet Kojin simply waved his hand and interrupted him. "I have no interest in Pluton. Tell me about something else."
Lucci froze, both surprised and confused. He had assumed Kojin had taken them in because of the information they possessed about the Ancient Weapon Pluton, yet this man seemed completely uninterested. For a moment, Lucci fell silent.
"Something else..." he murmured.
Suddenly, he bent forward deeply. "Thank you for saving my life. And also..." After a brief pause, Lucci clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. "I want to become stronger!"
Kojin looked at the man bowing deeply before him and laughed. "As you wish."
(End of Chapter)
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