Chapter 31 - CHAPTER 31 - The Road to the Summit

[Body Enhancement Attributes: Name: Sand Crocodile (Rosen) Ability: Sand-Sand Fruit (Unawakened), Intermediate (Proficiency: 674/1000) Physical Combat: Intermediate (Proficiency: 443/1000) Haki: None (Proficiency: 0/100) Swordsmanship: Beginner (Proficiency: 135/300) Enhancement Count: 2 Effects: Defense x2, Speed x2, 1 Experience Pack Next Enhancement Requirement: Defeat a fighter with strength equivalent to a bounty of 200 million berries. Reward: Vitality x2] "My physical combat proficiency increased this much?" Seeing the updated stats, Rosen almost thought he was seeing things. He clenched his fist but found that his strength hadn't increased significantly. Then, he sprinted at full speed. With a swish, he crossed from the bow of the ship to the stern in the blink of an eye. His speed had truly doubled. With this boost, his close-combat capabilities had improved drastically. Based on his estimation, he was now even faster than Rear Admiral Harry's Soru technique. After all, speed, strength, and defense were the core elements of physical combat. Testing his Devil Fruit abilities again, Rosen found that his increased movement speed also accelerated the activation of his Sand-Sand Fruit powers. A simple principle—if his reaction time was faster, then his attacks would be executed more quickly. Although the enhancement system primarily strengthened his body, meaning the improvement to his Devil Fruit ability wasn't as drastic as his physical combat, the difference was still noticeable. His swordsmanship proficiency had also risen slightly. Faster movement naturally led to faster sword strikes. "Based on my estimates, Rear Admiral Harry's physical combat proficiency should be around 400 points. His Haki level is hard to determine, but judging from how often he used it and its strength, it's likely just awakened, probably only a few dozen points in proficiency. His swordsmanship should be at least intermediate, with over 300 points of proficiency." Rosen analyzed the numbers. Without his Sand-Sand Fruit, fighting Harry purely with physical combat would have been extremely difficult before the speed enhancement—he might have even struggled to win. Ultimately, his victory over Harry was largely due to his Devil Fruit ability. This realization made Rosen frown slightly. Although his Sand-Sand Fruit proficiency was high and its range and power were impressive, he still lacked truly lethal techniques. If it had been the Magma-Magma Fruit or the Flame-Flame Fruit, Harry wouldn't have been able to put up any resistance after being hit by the Sand Burial attack. He still had a long way to go. If he weren't a Devil Fruit user, continuously enhancing his body through the system alone would still make him incredibly strong. Maybe one day, he could even wrestle Kaido head-on. Imagine—defense x50. Would Kaido still be a threat then? A Shichibukai with fifty times the defense. But then again, remembering how Luffy was taken down in one hit, maybe even that wouldn't be enough. Among the Shichibukai, he was probably among the weakest. But what about defense x100? x200? One day, he would be strong enough to pin Kaido, the so-called strongest creature, to the ground. All he had to do was keep defeating powerful foes—fight, keep fighting, and grow stronger. Since he was already a Devil Fruit user with the weakness of seawater, he wondered if the enhancement system could also expand his Devil Fruit's potential. If so, he needed to keep an eye out for other powerful Devil Fruits. One day, acquiring another might give him an even greater power boost. Or, when he was strong enough and had mastered Haki, he could take down Enel on Skypiea. But even then, there was no guarantee that the newly spawned Devil Fruit would end up in his hands. Sitting alone atop the ship's mast, Rosen pondered these possibilities. Meanwhile, on the deck of the Dawn, four or five dozen children stood scattered about. On the way back, Rosen had tracked down a few street thugs and rescued more children. No matter what happened next, at least he felt genuine joy. In his world, similar tragedies occurred, but he had often been powerless to do anything about them. Even a childhood friend from his orphanage had once suffered such hardships. Though they were eventually rescued, the experience had changed them completely. Having the ability to act as he wished, while also helping others—this was something Rosen found worth celebrating. The crew had mixed feelings, though not because they disagreed with Rosen's actions. Most of them weren't evil to the core, possibly because Robin had carefully selected them. However, caring for a bunch of children was something they weren't prepared for. With most of the female crew members still out with Robin, there was no one around to handle the situation properly. Luckily, the children were obedient. They didn't cry or cause trouble, though their eyes were vacant. One little girl seemed lost in thought. She didn't understand—why weren't the bad people coming to take them back? Were they afraid? But now, one of the older men had told them to prepare a meal. So much meat. So much rice. Could they really eat until they were full? They hadn't had a full meal in a long time. "Is all of this... really for us?" A ten-year-old boy with a severed arm stared at the food the crew had prepared, hesitant. No one had ever treated them this kindly before. All they had ever known was beatings and neglect. Even when hunger became unbearable, they didn't dare make a sound. If they did, at best, they'd get beaten. At worst, they'd be permanently maimed. No one saw them as human beings. Those who understood their situation accepted it. Those who didn't assumed that this was just how life was. And when they grew up, they would see the world the same way. But now... they were free. "Go ahead and eat. Don't worry." Miggs, a crew member, felt his heart ache as he spoke. He hadn't set sail for treasure—only to find the daughter who had been taken from him by traffickers. That incident had destroyed his family and ruined his career. But he had no regrets. Maybe she was still waiting for him somewhere. He had never told anyone about it. He knew the chances were slim. But he had heard rumors—far away, the most "valuable" people were sold to the highest bidders. The place was called Sabaody Archipelago. He wasn't sure if it was true. To him, it was a mystery. All he could do was follow the ship and hope that one day, he would reach that place. His daughter was special. Maybe she was there. But he had no idea who had taken her. No leads. No clues. Only luck to rely on. "Then... we can eat?" The little girl hesitated, glancing at the adults before taking a small bite of the meat. Real meat. Not rotten, not sour. Delicious... Once the first child started eating, the others followed. They didn't hesitate anymore. Even if the bad people came back and beat them later, at least for now, they could eat. That alone was worth it. Nico Robin returned with a few crew members, carrying bags of supplies. She had also taken the opportunity to learn about the local culture. But when she saw the group of children, she froze. What was going on? As she observed more closely, her expression darkened. Where had Crocodile found these children? What kind of sinister plan required the use of so many disabled kids? (End of Chapter)