Bai Yu had already made up his mind—his next goal was to obtain the blueprints for Pluto.
But on the surface, he gave a different reason.
"I'm heading to Water 7," Bai Yu said casually.
"You know how my sword has changed. There's a swordsmith I'm familiar with there—I asked him to take a look at it."
Bai Yu explained to Garp, sticking to the excuse he had prepared.
"You brat, still obsessed with swordsmanship?" Garp snapped, frowning. "Wouldn't it be better to train under me for a year instead of waving that blade around?"
Such a good seed, and yet Bai Yu wasn't interested in what Garp excelled at. Of course the old man was frustrated.
"Who's got time to train with you for a whole year?" Bai Yu muttered under his breath, secretly grinning.
After all, he had the cheat-like system—what others took years to master, he could learn in days.
"You're not trying to back out of your promise, are you?" Bai Yu taunted with a mockingly disappointed tone.
"Scram, scram!" Garp barked. "The old man's heading back. Why would I waste my time forging a sword?!"
"Take the damn ship and scram!"
Unable to withstand Bai Yu's needling tone, Garp finally gave in, waving him off impatiently.
"Thanks, old man," Bai Yu said with a smile, boarding the small warship Garp had prepared for him.
Since it was a personal trip involving recruit training rather than an official mission, Bai Yu's warship had only ten crew members—mostly to steer, navigate, and handle logistics.
"Let's go! Set course for Water 7!" Bai Yu ordered.
The warship slowly left the harbor and gradually picked up speed, heading toward its destination.
Several hours later…
More than half a day had passed since departure.
> [Ding! Host has swung the sword 1,000 times. Rewards: Azure Dragon Sword Intent +5% proficiency, Haki (Three Colors) +1% proficiency.]
[Ding! Host has swung the sword 2,000 times. Rewards: Azure Dragon Sword Intent +5% proficiency, Haki (Three Colors) +1% proficiency.]
During the voyage, Bai Yu had remained on the deck, practicing his sword swings.
Ever since the novice katana had evolved into the Dragon Flame Katana, its weight had nearly doubled.
This naturally slowed Bai Yu's swinging speed, but even so, his training showed considerable gains over half a day.
His Azure Dragon Sword Intent had now reached 55% proficiency. The Three Colors of Haki had reached 20%.
"Report, sir!" a deckhand called out, running up to him breathlessly. "We're about half a day from the next island. Do you want to stop there?"
The soldier seemed nervous, barely daring to look Bai Yu in the eye.
"Next island?" Bai Yu raised an eyebrow. "Didn't Garp give me a permanent pointer straight to Water 7?"
"There shouldn't be any need to stop unless something's wrong..."
"Sir! The next island is… Gaya Island!" the soldier answered promptly.
Gaya Island?
The name stirred a wave of memories from the original One Piece timeline.
Gaya was the island shaped like a skull—a remnant of Jaya, the landmass that had been blasted into the sky to form Skypiea.
The island also held a Poneglyph containing details about the Void Century—records even touching on Poseidon, one of the three Ancient Weapons capable of leveling entire nations.
It was also the place where Luffy first encountered Blackbeard.
"Hmm… We've come this far. Might as well take a look," Bai Yu said calmly.
His interest wasn't in Skypiea.
It was in Blackbeard.
The system had already mentioned: while daily practice contributed to progress, actual combat—especially against significant opponents—multiplied the count of sword swings.
In other words, while one normal swing counted as one, attacking someone with great influence could be worth ten, twenty, or even more.
And Blackbeard?
A late-stage One Piece boss with terrifying weight in the storyline.
Taking him down early could potentially eliminate massive future threats.
"Inform the crew. We'll make a supply stop at Gaya Island before continuing to Water 7."
"Y-yes, sir!" the crewman replied hastily and ran off to relay the order.
"Wait."
Bai Yu suddenly narrowed his eyes. "Look up at me."
Startled, the soldier froze mid-step, legs trembling.
He turned slowly, nervously raising his head.
"Did I... do something wrong, sir?" he asked, visibly pale.
"...Koby?" Bai Yu said, stunned.
The red-haired, freckled youth standing before him was none other than Koby—the timid boy Luffy had rescued from Alvida, now a newly recruited marine.
To think he'd been assigned as a deckhand on Bai Yu's ship…
What an unfortunate start to his career.
"Sir... You know me?" Koby asked, shocked.
"Just a guess. So that means... Helmeppo's here too?"
Bai Yu muttered thoughtfully.
Koby's eyes widened even more. "You know about Helmeppo too?"
Suddenly, a new system prompt echoed in Bai Yu's mind.
> [Ding! Special Mission Triggered – Cultivate Trusted Subordinates]
[Mission Tip: The host may choose to accept Koby and Helmeppo as subordinates to personally guide.]
[This is a long-term mission. As their strength increases, the host will receive corresponding rewards.]
A long-term mission—cultivate trusted followers.
If Bai Yu intended to climb the ranks of the Marines, he couldn't do everything himself forever.
Building a loyal faction under his command would not only strengthen his foothold but also allow delegation of sensitive tasks in the future.
"But… I don't know how to teach anyone," Bai Yu thought, frowning.
All his power came from the system. How was he supposed to pass any of that on?
An excellent swordsman wasn't necessarily a good teacher.
> [After accepting subordinates, the host will receive custom rapid training manuals for them. No need to worry.]
The system's prompt reassured him.
Even if Koby and Helmeppo couldn't receive techniques directly, the system would tailor unique manuals for them—maximizing their growth efficiency.
Given the generous rewards, there was no reason to refuse.
And just like that, Bai Yu made a silent decision.
He would train these two—turning Koby and Helmeppo into true assets on his rise through the Marine ranks.