"What do you think is the most important requirement for becoming strong?"
As the sea breeze swept past, Kojin's calm voice drifted through the air.
Rob Lucci, still wrapped in bandages having only recently awakened from his severe injuries, fell into thought. After a moment, he looked up at Kojin's back and answered in a deep voice, "A powerful body and a strong Devil Fruit ability."
Kojin smiled faintly. "That's both right and wrong. I divide a person's strength into two parts: the body and the spirit. The body refers to physical conditioning, overwhelming power, extreme speed, and reactions beyond ordinary people.
The spirit refers to willpower. A strong will can determine the outcome of a life-and-death battle. It can even overwhelm an enemy's soul. When those two become one, you have a true powerhouse."
After a pause, Kojin turned around to look at the cold-faced man.
"Your body hasn't yet reached its limit, but your will is quite impressive. That's one of the reasons I value you. If you want to become stronger from here, what you need to temper is your body. You need to master Armament Haki and Observation Haki, and then awaken your Zoan Devil Fruit. Only then can your strength rise to the next level."
Lucci's pupils contracted, his heart shaking as he clenched his fists. "Haki... and Awakening..."
These were completely new realms to him. It felt as though an entirely new world had opened before his eyes, causing his once-settled heart to stir with excitement.
"Show me the strength you've gained in CP9," Kojin said calmly. "I've seen the power of the CP0 leader before, and I'm curious how far you are from that level."
"CP0?" Lucci's eyes narrowed. Of course he knew that name. CP0 stood at the top of all Cipher Pol agencies, the most elite unit and, in many ways, the true rulers of the entire organization. They were a vital part of the World Government itself.
At that moment, Kojin suddenly called out, "Buggy!"
Lucci turned his head and saw a red-nosed man striding toward them.
"Here!" Buggy responded with a loud laugh, his gaze falling on Rob Lucci.
"Whether it's Rokushiki, physical ability, or Haki, Buggy has trained them all to a very high level over the years," Kojin said. "On today's seas, he can at least be considered a genuine powerhouse. Your opponent is him."
Lucci nodded and slowly turned to face Buggy, his expression turning serious.
Buggy stood there in a Marine uniform with his arms crossed, his muscular arms bulging beneath the sleeves. He wore a relaxed smile, as though he wasn't worried about his opponent at all.
"I heard you're the leader of Kaku's group. Come on, kid. Show me everything you've got. On this ship, strength speaks louder than anything, so don't even think about holding back."
Lucci remained expressionless. He neither replied nor made the first move.
"What?" Buggy asked. "Are your injuries still affecting you?"
"No," Lucci answered coldly.
"Then let's begin. Come on, kid!" Buggy shouted.
Lucci's eyes sharpened. His body lowered slightly as an invisible pressure spread outward, and the next instant...
'Whoosh!'
He vanished. The sudden burst of speed caused Buggy's eyes to narrow slightly, though a smile quickly appeared on his face.
"Not bad."
Buggy suddenly raised his right arm.
'Bang!'
At that exact moment, Lucci's right leg slammed into it, the kick colliding directly with Buggy's forearm.
"Good power," Buggy praised. His body twisted, and his large hand immediately reached out to grab Lucci's leg.
But Lucci reacted instantly. His feet stomped through the air, sending ripples outward as he used Geppo to appear on Buggy's other side in the blink of an eye. His right leg rose high overhead before chopping down like an axe.
"Rankyaku!"
A powerful flying slash burst forth, shooting straight toward Buggy. Buggy suddenly turned, a red glint flashing in his eyes. Still smiling, he lifted his own right leg and kicked forward.
'Bang!'
The air exploded with force as shockwaves spread in every direction. Lucci's Rankyaku was effortlessly neutralized and sent flying into the sky.
Lucci's heart sank. At the instant of collision, he realized Buggy had used the exact same technique, Rankyaku against Rankyaku.
But Buggy's was faster, more concealed, and executed later while arriving first. Not only had Buggy crushed Lucci's slash, but he had also redirected it upward, preventing any damage to the ship.
'Huuu...'
Taking a deep breath, Rob Lucci moved again, his figure vanishing once more. This time, he began circling Buggy at high speed. Afterimages flashed around the red-nosed pirate as waves of air rippled across the deck.
Watching the scene unfold, Kojin smiled. The others watched quietly from the sidelines, while the members of CP9 wore tense expressions, caring deeply about the outcome of this match.
Suddenly, a sharp gleam flashed in Rob Lucci's eyes. His figure blurred and vanished, appearing right in front of Buggy an instant later as he thrust a finger toward his chest.
"Shigan!"
Buggy laughed, raising his right hand to extend a finger as well.
"Shigan!"
The two fingertips collided violently. The powerful piercing force generated a gust of wind that swept around both men, causing their clothes to flutter wildly.
"Kid, every technique you know, I know too," Buggy grinned. He was also someone who had mastered Rokushiki. In fact, among Kojin's officers, there wasn't a single person who wasn't skilled in the style. Even those who specialized in swordsmanship had mastered at least one or two of its techniques.
'Huu...'
"What a troublesome opponent," Lucci took a deep breath, his expression growing increasingly serious. The man standing before him, smiling with that comical face, was giving him an unimaginable sense of pressure.
It was obvious that Buggy had trained his body to an extraordinary level, and the strength he was displaying now was clearly nowhere near his limit.
The next moment, Lucci's body rapidly expanded. He transformed into his leopard-human hybrid form, releasing a savage, beastly aura.
"Oh? A Zoan user?" Buggy said with a smile. His right hand slowly clenched into a fist as the surrounding air trembled. "Then I won't hold back."
Lucci exhaled a stream of hot breath, and in the next instant, his massive body shot forward. In his hybrid form, his strength and speed increased dramatically. Possessing the attributes of a leopard, he moved so fast he was nearly invisible, appearing in front of Buggy in the blink of an eye.
But at that moment, a red light flashed in Buggy's eyes, and he burst out laughing. "You're still too slow!"
His clenched fist swung toward the empty air ahead. "Fist Smash!"
The moment he threw that punch, everyone's eyes widened. At the same time, a broad smile spread across Kojin's face.
'Crack!'
The fist hadn't even touched Lucci, yet the space in front of it shattered. No, it was sliced apart.
Not like broken glass, but cleanly and evenly into countless neat geometric pieces. Within those fragmented sections were parts of Lucci himself: an eye, a mouth, his torso, his legs. In an instant, his entire body seemed to be cut apart along with the surrounding space.
"Gasp!"
"LUCCI!!"
Kaku and the others cried out in alarm.
"Has he awakened the Chop-Chop Fruit?" Kojin smiled. "I didn't spend all those years training and teaching you for nothing, Buggy."
What they were witnessing was clearly a Devil Fruit Awakening. And not just any Awakening, but that of the Chop-Chop Fruit, a power with enormous potential.
If fully developed, its destructive power might not be inferior to Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit. In other words, if Buggy unleashed his full strength, he already possessed the qualifications to stand among the world's top-tier powerhouses.
"That's enough, Buggy." Kojin casually raised a hand.
Buggy moved his fingers, and the shattered space instantly returned to normal.
Rob Lucci stood there, completely stunned, as sweat dripped down his forehead. In that brief instant, his entire body had seemingly been split apart together with the surrounding space.
He had completely lost all sensation, and it wasn't difficult to imagine the outcome if that state had continued. Death would have been certain. This red-nosed man possessed an unbelievably terrifying ability.
"What... exactly was that?" Lucci asked, still shaken.
"That's the power of the Chop-Chop Fruit, kid!" Buggy laughed loudly. "You've still got a lot to learn."
Lucci took a deep breath and fell silent. He knew very well that he had absolutely no way to defend against that attack. Even space itself had been sliced apart; what kind of absurd power was that? This brief sparring match had made him fully realize just how terrifying the strength of Kojin's subordinates truly was.
The warship didn't seem to carry many people, yet hidden within it was a force capable of challenging an Emperor.
"Crocodile's strength doesn't match the intelligence reports at all," Kaku muttered later, his heart sinking as he shared the information he had gathered. "He's a Logia user who's pushed both Armament Haki and Observation Haki to the limit."
"Rosinante is the same," Kalifa spoke with a hint of envy. "He's mastered Rokushiki, possesses powerful Haki, and from what I've heard, he's also an awakened Devil Fruit user like Buggy." After all, awakened ability users were rare monsters.
"Kuina is a great swordswoman. I heard she recently fought Dracule Mihawk, the World's Greatest Swordsman, and came back unharmed. She's also Admiral Kojin's disciple." Only a handful of women in the entire world could claim such an achievement.
"Smoker is another expert in Rokushiki. Admiral Kojin's group is full of monsters. We barely count for anything," Jabra sighed.
Lucci silently clenched his fists. "Maybe the gap between us is still enormous right now, but it won't stay that way. One day, I'll catch up to them."
He understood one thing clearly: a blade that wasn't sharp enough had no value in its master's hand.
About five days later, the warship finally arrived at Marineford. Standing at the bow with his arms crossed, Kojin stared at the distant Gates of Justice. For a moment, a complicated look appeared in his eyes.
"Last time I saw it..."
"It feels like a very long time ago."
(End of Chapter)
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