Inside the cabin, Hiroto sat cross-legged. Three choices appeared before him and then the screen switched to [Extraction].
What greeted his eyes was a panel glowing with a gem-like, brilliant orange light.
One of the Warlords, Moria's death.
Perona being sniped by Van Augur due to Hiroto's setup.
Van Augur joining the crew.
Shusui choosing him as its master.
These events stacked up and pushed the Distortion energy to orange level.
Hiroto studied the orange hue carefully and confirmed it was a lower-tier orange.
Without hesitation, he pressed [Extraction]. A burst of orange light exploded across his vision.
[Entry – Right Is Always Right (Orange) acquired!]
[Entry: Right Is Always Right]
[Quality: Orange]
[Type: Special]
[Effect: When engaged in beam clashes, standing on the right grants a +1 major stage power boost, cap S-rank.]
[Cost: None]
Hiroto raised an eyebrow, studying the "major stage" label carefully. If he understood it right, the boost was a blunt D→C or C→B jump.
And the cap was S-rank—far beyond his reach, the level of Kaido or maybe even higher.
At minimum, S-rank should equal one of the Four Emperors and S++ might rival Gol D. Roger.
A powerful entry usable right through the endgame.
Upside: a raw, straightforward power boost of a full tier.
For Hiroto, who already wielded [Flying Slash (Orange)], it was a genuine major upgrade.
Downside: the boost only applied while he stood on the right.
Hardly a problem—few enemies would ever notice.
"Not bad at all."
Hiroto closed the panel, stood, picked up Shusui, and sat cross-legged to attune with the blade. The sword hummed on his lap, murmuring its hunger.
Then he drilled technique after technique, waiting for [Effort King] to cash out.
Once this boost landed, Tsuru's call would come and then he would seize the initiative.
...
Marineford, inside Marine HQ.
The sky was dark, but lights blazed in Sengoku's office.
The officer who'd reported earlier had gone silent. Now a survivor reached them via den den mushi, recounting what had happened and confirming the scout ship's findings.
First, Hiroto had greeted them with a Flying Slash—likely a warning to the Marines.
What stunned Sengoku was Hiroto's slaying of Moria.
A former bounty of 320 million berries, 220 million above Hiroto's.
A veteran Warlord of the Sea who had ruled the New World for years and wrecked countless pirate crews.
Until now, he had only ever lost to Kaido.
A Paramecia user of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit, his powers were notoriously tricky.
Hiroto, by contrast, had only his 100 million bounty and his freakish growth rate.
At first, Sengoku had never imagined Hiroto could win. The best he'd hoped was escape.
Yet now...
"He killed Moria in barely ten minutes. If they were equal, the fight should have lasted half a day. Instead it ended instantly and Moria couldn't even use Haki? His decline was catastrophic."
Sengoku rubbed his temples over the summary, the way he had when Ace had stirred trouble in Wano and then marched off to challenge Whitebeard.
Before long, another monster named Hiroto had appeared.
Creak—
Tsuru stepped in carrying coffee, coat draped over her shoulders, catching Sengoku's grimace.
"What happened?"
"Moria's dead—cut down by Hiroto. Our scout ship saw it all."
Tsuru's hand jerked and tea sloshed as she stared at him.
She set the cup down at once. "We must crush him now. Letting a man like that grow will mean disaster for the Marines. Didn't you approve Garp's leave? Send him after Hiroto."
"You're right. But..."
Sengoku glanced at the report's line about a meteor from the sky. "We may already have missed our chance."
He handed the file to Tsuru.
Tsuru's face darkened page by page. "The one who opened with a meteor strike on Moria's hideout?"
"Most likely."
"Then there's no choice."
Silence fell.
Tsuru regretted not taking Hiroto seriously from the start.
"If we can't eliminate him, we switch tactics."
Sengoku tossed the folder onto the desk. "Didn't he ask to become a Warlord? We can use him to mop up troublesome pirates in the Grand Line, then recommend him for the post."
"Ace has gone to challenge Whitebeard. Neither I nor the World Government expects him to survive. Fire Fist Ace will probably vanish from the New World. That's why I gave Garp leave, to keep him out of the way in East Blue."
"Which means the World Government needs Warlords badly. One of the Gorosei is personally overseeing the system, we can't let vacancies break it."
"I've reviewed Hiroto's record. He is surprisingly un-pirate-like and making him a Warlord would ease pressure on our forces."
"Leave the negotiations to me."
Remembering their earlier calls, Tsuru agreed it was the smartest play.
Hiroto should accept.
She didn't yet realize that, by now, hunter and hunted had swapped places.
...
At the foot of the island's rear mountain, Hiroto sheathed his blade.
The hillside in front of him was latticed with sword marks.
After meditating with Shusui, he had come out to test his edge.
The result?
A seventy-meter hill had been leveled, and he wasn't even winded.
A clear step up from before.
As he mused, [Effort King] cashed out. This time, it coincided with [Genius Trader].
A flood of memories poured in, fuel for the next leap.