Clearly, what Gaban wanted to talk about when he said "riding a giant" was completely different from what Valthior meant.
After joking around with Valthior for a bit, Gaban still refused to give up and continued asking, "You're a scholar, and a Celestial Dragon—you definitely know more than I do. Master, please enlighten me… in this world, are there any precedents of normal humans and giants… you know… being together?"
"You really are a warrior of love, Senior Gaban," Valthior couldn't help but say when he saw how persistent he was.
"I am an apostle of love!" Gaban corrected him, then added, "When we began our second voyage, I reshaped my dream."
"Yes, yes, I've already heard that dream of yours a hundred times. Spare me," Valthior cut him off immediately.
The so-called "second voyage" was a term used within the Roger Pirates, referring to their journey restarting from Water 7 to search for the final island once again.
As for Gaban's reshaped dream—it was "great unity among all races."
As an apostle of love, he wanted to have passionate romances with beautiful women of every race in the world.
The first time Valthior heard this dream, he thought Gaban didn't belong in the Roger Pirates—he should be working under Charlotte Linlin.
Those two were a perfect match in terms of dreams.
"Once we find the final island and unravel all the mysteries, you could totally head to Whole Cake Island and form a dream team with Charlotte Linlin," Valthior suggested.
"Hahahahaha, I've thought about that," Gaban laughed. "But considering Linlin's terrible reputation among the giants, if I got mixed up with her, I'd be doomed…"
Seeing the topic circle back to giants again, Valthior sighed helplessly. "Alright, alright. Since you care so much, I'll tell you—yes, humans can form families with giants. As I recall, there was an old pervert who had a child with an especially beautiful giant woman and lived a happy life…"
"Hey!" Gaban suddenly slapped Valthior on the shoulder, his expression excited. "You're not messing with me, are you?"
"I swear, everything I said is true," Valthior declared confidently.
The person I'm talking about is you, idiot!
Seeing how certain Valthior sounded, Gaban believed most of it. He muttered with a mix of excitement and emotion, "Life really is incredible… that's why I love this world."
"Life is incredible," Valthior glanced at him and muttered.
Who knows how much effort your "bullet" went through to swim that long path and find that enormous "target." Just thinking about it was unbelievable.
After getting the answer he wanted, Gaban finally stopped pestering him and said cheerfully, "Alright, time for today's special training!"
"Don't I have to strike iron first today?" Valthior asked, surprised.
Except for times like their stay in Alabasta, where they had important matters to handle, Valthior trained every day without fail.
And on the Roger Pirates' ship, he enjoyed excellent treatment—whenever he made a request, his crewmates rarely refused.
For example, the ship's three strongest figures—Roger, Rayleigh, and Gaban—took turns training him.
They not only taught him how to further develop his Haki but also instructed him in combat techniques, awareness, reflexes, and more. Every so often, they would take turns sparring with him in actual combat.
As a result, over the past two years, Valthior's strength had skyrocketed.
Haki training was a gradual process that accumulated over time—no need to elaborate.
The most obvious change was that his Sharingan had evolved to the three-tomoe stage.
With the three-tomoe Sharingan, his dynamic vision had become far sharper. Combined with his Cat-Cat Fruit abilities—which already enhanced his reflexes—it was like adding wings to a tiger.
At the same time, the three-tomoe Sharingan further enhanced his learning ability. Whether he could fully master it or not, every time he fought, he recorded Roger and the others' combat styles into his Sharingan, then repeatedly analyzed and simulated them.
He was starting to resemble the "Number One Technician of Konoha."
Except he wasn't copying Ninjutsu.
...
On deck, Gaban was putting Valthior through special training.
Rayleigh sat beneath the mast, sipping from a bottle of alcohol.
Meanwhile, their intelligence officer, Spencer, emerged from the cabin with a Den Den Mushi in hand and a cigarette in his mouth.
"Got some news," Spencer called out.
"Oh? What's the update?" Roger, who had been idly leaning against the railing watching the sea, perked up immediately.
As the Roger Pirates' intelligence officer, Spencer was highly capable. He had extensive connections in the underworld and maintained steady contact with various intelligence networks.
Many of their clues regarding ancient ruins and Poneglyphs had been gathered through his efforts.
"'World Destroyer' Byrnndi World carried out large-scale plundering on Farina Island, destroying half of the Pandel Kingdom. There are rumors that he may have seized a Poneglyph there," Spencer said, exhaling a puff of smoke.
Byrnndi World.
A true monster in his own right—though he hadn't participated in the God Valley battle.
But that didn't mean he was weak. Most likely, he had been tied up with something else—or simply uninterested.
Among pirates, he was a major figure. There were even rumors that Rocks had once invited him to join, though he declined.
Before Whitebeard joined Rocks, the two had clashed multiple times in the New World—a testament to World's level.
"World, huh…" Roger smacked his lips. "Last time we saw him was about five years ago, right?"
Rayleigh nodded. "A dangerous guy… a troublesome opponent."
Clearly, the Roger Pirates had clashed with him before.
Just his Paramecia-type Moa Moa no Mi (More-More Fruit) was already ridiculously overpowered.
It allowed him to increase the speed and size of objects—and even apply those effects to himself.
Byrnndi World could casually boost himself to "100x speed." With his strength, adding a hundredfold speed was simply absurd.
Still, Valthior suspected that "100x speed" was probably exaggerated. Even if his ability could reach that level, his body's reaction speed might not keep up.
Unlike most pirates, Byrnndi World had a strong anti-World Government stance. He actively hunted Marine and World Government fleets, even attacking Marine bases and Government strongholds.
Because of this, the World Government regarded him as a major threat, issuing strict orders for the Marines and CP to cooperate fully when dealing with him.
There were even rumors that his recent plundering was to gather funds for constructing a super cannon.
Combined with his ability, it might allow him to blast straight through the Red Line—or even destroy Mary Geoise itself.
"Hey, Gaban—how far is Farina Island from here?" Roger asked after thinking for a moment, calling out to him.
Though he wasn't eager to provoke a lunatic like World, they had no choice if it meant getting a Poneglyph.
Without turning around, Gaban replied, "Pretty far. It's near the Spring Queen Island—on a different route."
Roger nodded, then turned to Spencer. "Keep tracking World's movements. Once we come down from the Sky Island, we're going to take that Poneglyph from him!"
...
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