All sixteen hundred crew members on the ship voluntarily joined the training led by Renji. This result greatly exceeded Renji's expectations.
However, it was understandable.
After all, the incident with Marshall D. Teach was still fresh in everyone's memory. If something like that ever happened again, the best solution was naturally to increase their own strength.
"Very good."
Renji nodded slightly. His expression remained calm, but deep inside he was delighted.
[You picked up 1 Strength!]
[You picked up 1 Agility!]
For Renji, the more people training under him, the better.
In this kind of sparring training, attributes were very easy to drop. The more participants there were, the more attributes Renji could collect.
Previously, when Renji only trained the hundred members of the Fourth Division, he could pick up around ten attribute points per day. Now the number was multiplied by sixteen, which meant he could collect around one hundred and sixty attributes every day.
And that was only the basic estimate. If someone gained insight or improved during training, the number of attributes he could collect would increase even further.
"Everyone remember this. If you want to sail the seas, your own strength must be strong enough."
[You picked up 1 Intelligence!]
[You picked up 1 Armament Haki Insight!]
Renji tirelessly adjusted the positions of all sixteen hundred pirates so that their sparring would not interfere with one another.
He also moved continuously among them.
"You have enough strength, but your agility is lacking. That approach is wrong. Even if you train your strength to the point where you can punch an Admiral to death, what's the point if you can't hit your opponent?"
[You picked up 1 Strength!]
Every once in a while, whenever Renji arrived at a new group of fighters, he would help correct the problems of one or several people.
Having already reached Yonko commander level, Renji had more than enough authority and skill to make others trust his words.
In addition, the friendly and approachable reputation he had built over more than a year within the Whitebeard Pirates made people even more willing to listen to him.
"Don't hesitate. Don't hesitate!"
"Even if you're sparring with your own crewmates, you must not hesitate or hold back. When you face a real enemy, they won't be moved by your mercy. They will only think you're foolish."
"And the habit of holding back will eventually cost you your life!"
[You picked up 1 Agility!]
[You picked up 1 Strength!]
Just as Renji had expected, the attributes that had previously dropped only occasionally during Fourth Division training were now appearing much more frequently with sixteen hundred people participating.
Although it made him much busier, it also made him feel more fulfilled.
The trainees were not just ordinary pirates. They also included many of the mid-level officers within the Whitebeard Pirates.
Those nameless individuals should not be underestimated.
They were leaders within the world's strongest pirate crew, and many of them possessed strength comparable to Marine Rear Admirals or even Vice Admirals.
According to the rule that stronger fighters drop stronger attributes, Renji's strength was increasing rapidly.
On the deck of the Moby Dick, Edward Newgate sat on his throne and finished a cup of sake in one gulp.
Watching Renji train the pirates under his command filled him with satisfaction.
Whitebeard had already sensed the approach of his own death. Although he did not know exactly when it would happen, he knew it would not be far away.
What worried him most now was the future of the Whitebeard Pirates after he was gone.
The sea was always changing.
There had never been a shortage of kings.
But pirate crews that could remain stable after their leader's death were extremely rare.
At present, the Whitebeard Pirates seemed to stand at the peak of the world. In reality, this was entirely because Whitebeard was still alive.
If he were to die, the consequences would be unimaginable.
The most important thing now was to raise the overall strength of the Whitebeard Pirates.
If someone among them could grow to the level of a Yonko, that would be the best possible outcome.
However,
Based on the test earlier, neither Marco nor Jozu had reached the level Whitebeard hoped for.
"Marco, Jozu, what do you think about Renji's current strength?"
Hearing Whitebeard's question, Jozu immediately spoke.
"My ship is closest to the Fourth Division, so I'm probably one of the people who understands Renji the best."
"Although Renji is only a vice-captain, his strength is definitely not weak. He might be slightly weaker than me, but the gap shouldn't be very large."
"Oh?"
Whitebeard nodded.
On the surface his expression did not change, but inwardly he was surprised.
What kind of person was Jozu?
He was the commander of the Third Division of the Whitebeard Pirates. With his mastery of Armament Haki coating and the power of his Devil Fruit, he ranked among the strongest Yonko commanders.
Yet even someone like Jozu hesitated slightly when evaluating Renji's strength.
That alone was already high praise.
"That is as it should be."
As the strongest pirate crew in the world, the Whitebeard Pirates stood at the very top. Such status often caused those beneath to become complacent in their training.
However,
Since Renji joined the crew, that laziness had begun to disappear.
Whitebeard recalled the changes Renji had brought to the crew over the past year.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"That boy really is someone I'm satisfied with."
Hearing Whitebeard's words, Marco and Jozu exchanged glances and nodded.
Renji truly was impressive.
Over the past year, he had not only trained himself but had also pushed the entire crew to train harder.
Moreover, whenever missions were assigned, he always took the lead.
That was the reason Whitebeard allowed someone who had joined the crew only a year earlier to become a vice-captain.
Renji's potential was also extraordinary.
When Renji first joined the Whitebeard Pirates, his strength had only been around Marine Vice Admiral level.
In just a little over a year, he had grown strong enough that even Jozu had to think carefully before giving an evaluation.
"As the saying goes, hard work never betrays those who persist. Renji's achievements are entirely the result of his effort."
"It's not just him. Ace also reached Yonko commander level strength within a short time."
Whitebeard praised Renji once again.
When he finished speaking, he looked at Marco and Jozu with slight dissatisfaction.
"In comparison, the two of you have been a bit disappointing."
Hearing this, Marco and Jozu both looked embarrassed and did not dare respond.
Whitebeard had touched on their weak point.
In terms of potential, they truly could not match Renji or Ace.
But more importantly,
They had simply been too lazy.