One piece: The Greatest Swordsman of the Rocks Era!

Garp, as usual, did things his own way without a care for order or discipline. He got up from the couch and walked straight out.

The fact that Ares' monstrous physique had managed to withstand his punches, combined with his own failure to capture Buster Call-level pirate Brynndi World, left him frustrated. Realizing his strength wasn't enough, Garp had decided to focus on his training.

Training his fists wasn't just to get stronger it was also a way to vent.

In the office, Fleet Admiral Kong's voice rang out,

"Stop right there, Garp! I'm not finished talking!"

Standing at the door, Garp paused for a moment and grinned,

"You might not be done, but I've already heard everything I need."

With a loud whoosh, he pulled the door open and walked away.

He could already guess what Kong was going to say probably pushing him to accept a promotion to Admiral to boost Marine morale.

No point sticking around for that. He'd rather go punch something. It was far more satisfying.

The remaining officers in the room didn't even bat an eye. Garp's habits were well-known. The fact that he was eager to get stronger was a good thing.

Meanwhile, the Marines' concern over the rapidly growing Rocks Pirates only deepened.

Back aboard the pirate ship.

After two days, the damaged mast had been repaired, and their speed had improved significantly as they sailed swiftly toward Hachinosu.

On deck.

Ares sat casually against the railing, sprawled out on the wooden floor.

The ship's cabin was dark, damp, and reeked of medicine. He preferred the fresh sea breeze out here.

Thankfully, as an official crew member and thanks to his massive size he had his own room.

Otherwise, he would've been stuck sharing with others, where the stench of sweat and foot odor would've been unbearable.

Wang Zhi sat nearby, happily sharing stories of the Grand Line's strange events and legendary figures. Ares listened with rapt attention.

At that moment.

A flutter of wings in the sky caught Wang Zhi's eye. He looked up and said,

"Ares, that's a News Coo. Their job is to spread the latest news all across the sea."

He pulled out a green belly from his pocket and waved it in the air.

"News Coo, one paper please!"

Among the flock of white News Coos, one bird quickly swooped down.

Ares watched it with curiosity and whispered to himself,

"One day… I want to fly freely across the sky, just like that."

After the transaction, the News Coo flapped its wings and flew away.

Wang Zhi opened the newspaper as he read aloud,

"Red the Aloof strikes again. He's defeated yet another powerful swordsman."

"That guy's swordsmanship must already be at its peak."

"Even though he always travels alone, he's stronger than most entire pirate crews."

He turned to Ares with a serious expression and warned him,

"Ares, if you ever cross paths with that guy, don't you dare charge in recklessly!"

Redfield was even more dangerous than World.

Probably only Captain Rocks himself could take him on.

"Redfield…" Ares repeated the name. It was the second time he'd heard Wang Zhi mention him.

Stronger than the man who defeated Wang Zhi, Brynndi World. Redfield must be truly fearsome.

Ares looked up at the sky, his gaze brimming with confidence.

"One day, I'll forge myself into a blade sharper than any Supreme Grade Sword."

"When that day comes, I'll see if Redfield's sword is sharper or if my body is tougher."

He knew he was still far too weak.

The gap between him and Vice Admiral Garp, Golden Lion, Whitebeard, and others was enormous.

His body's forging was only in its first stage.

Wang Zhi continued flipping through the paper until his eyes suddenly widened. He burst out laughing.

"HAHAHA! Ares, you've been officially wanted by the Marines!"

"From today onward, you've got a bounty 40 million berries. You're a real pirate now!"

Excited, he squatted down beside Ares, pointing at the wanted poster with a grin.

"'Bloodhand' Ares 40 million berries."

"Not bad for your first bounty, huh?"

"'Bloodhand'... it's actually a pretty fitting name."

Wang Zhi thought back to Ares' bizarre ability to make his body turn red-hot. The nickname suited him perfectly and it sounded pretty intimidating too.

Ares looked at the paper. There it was a chest-up photo of him with his signature shiny, bald head reflecting the light.

There was no mistake it was him.

Somehow, seeing his own wanted poster gave him a strange thrill. He grinned.

"Forty million bounty… this poster's not bad."

"Don't worry, once we're back at Hachinosu, I'll get you a copy. You've gotta keep your first bounty as a souvenir," Wang Zhi chuckled.

It was a common tradition most pirates kept their first wanted poster as a memento or a bragging piece.

Ares couldn't wait to get back to Hachinosu now.

Not just for the wanted poster he was eager to ask Captain John if he had any way to speed up his recovery.

He hadn't trained for days. He was starting to get withdrawal symptoms.

A few days later.

The pirate ship finally made it back to Hachinosu.

On deck.

Wang Zhi glanced at the ships docked in the harbor and sighed.

"Looks like we're the first ones back. I guess we only half-completed the mission."

Not much they could do about it not after crossing paths with the World Pirates and Vice Admiral Garp halfway through.

He turned and shouted orders to the crew.

"Unload all the supplies. Someone will come by later to inspect them."

Then he looked at Ares and asked,

"You heading back to your room first, or going to see Captain John about your injuries?"

Ares' injuries had improved over the past few days, but they were still far from healed.

Garp's punches were no joke.

"I'm going to see Captain John!" Ares said quickly. He was dying to get these bandages off and get back to training.

Wang Zhi nodded.

"Go on, then."

He still had to oversee the cargo handover.

Ares jumped off the ship, his thick legs covering several paces in a single stride.

Before long, he arrived at Skull Fortress.

There, he found Captain John.

Inside the room, Captain John was lounging on a sofa, taking a swig of strong liquor.

"Ares, you've got a bounty now, huh? 'Bloodhand' not bad at all."

Seeing Ares covered in white bandages and now with a wanted poster, John could already guess things had gone sideways on this voyage.

But since Ares was standing here alive and with a bounty it meant everything had worked out in the end.

If the Marines had captured him, they wouldn't have bothered issuing a bounty poster.

John raised his bottle and smiled.

"Ares, wanna drink?"

"No thanks. The ship's doctor told me I can't drink right now," Ares shook his head and walked over.

"Wang Zhi said you're the best doctor on the ship. I want to know if you've got a way to help me heal faster."

"I haven't been able to train for days."

Captain John stumbled over, reeking of booze, and started examining Ares' injuries.

He clicked his tongue.

"Looks like you crossed paths with Garp, huh?"

"Wait here I'll grab some medicine."

A short while later, Captain John returned with medical supplies and started unwrapping Ares' bandages.

As he worked, Ares asked,

"Captain John, is there a way to strengthen a person's recovery rate?"

If he could boost his natural healing, his wounds would recover faster. Plus, he could handle heavier, more intense training and recover quicker he'd get stronger even faster.

He hadn't thought much about it before, but after that fight with Garp…

Ares realized he needed faster recovery.

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