Chapter 17 Training! The Establishment of Arkham!
A thatched hut was quickly built in the clearing in the woods, and Lister began a new training regimen. In addition to his usual extreme training and Six Styles practice, he accepted challenges from Kuina and Zoro, as well as Koshiro.
Six days later, Ichiro Tsuchimon returned, accompanied by Kuro.
A bonfire was lit outside the thatched hut.
"Kuro, I thought you weren't coming." Lister said with a smile as he flipped the roasting meat over the fire.
Kro's face darkened. He had thought about running away more than once, but his body wouldn't obey him and he still came.
He adjusted his glasses slightly and said, "Sheltz Town is safe and reliable because it houses the 153rd Marine Branch. Several commercial routes in the East Blue pass through Sheltz Town, making it a crucial hub for these routes and a thriving commercial center. The two plans are to either profit from merchants or from pirates!"
"My personal suggestion is to make money from pirates, buy their looted goods, and then resell them at a higher price."
Lister cut the roast meat in half and gave half to Chloe, casually saying, "Politaya has already received it, hasn't she?"
"To be precise, you guys!"
Pirates need a place and people to help sell the goods they plunder from merchant ships, and Shells Town is such a place.
Previously, this market was controlled by officers of Branch 153. Not only Branch 153, but all naval branches had similar situations. Superiors who received bribes would generally turn a blind eye.
The death of Colonel Leron and Dylan's "confession" exposed the corruption within the Navy. Such a scandal naturally led to a severe crackdown by headquarters, resulting in the removal of all officers at the colonel level in Branch 153. Of course, to uphold the Navy's justice, the entire matter was handled internally, with newspapers focusing on praising Seager's achievements and bravery, while glossing over the rest.
The lack of upper-level power has led to chaos and paralysis in the underground market of Shells Town. With Politaia's shrewdness, she will definitely take control of it by leveraging Sig's power.
Kuro's desire to make money off pirates means he has been persuaded by Politaya.
"Hehe, let's make money together!"
"Hmm?" Kro looked up.
"Pirates' money is money, merchants' money is money, it's all the same. What choice do I have? I want it all!"
Lister finished the roast meat and said, "The town of Shells is in a power vacuum. You won't miss such a good opportunity, will you?"
Chloe pushed up her glasses and a smile appeared on her lips.
"certainly!"
His two plans were actually one plan; he separated them to test Liszt's ambition and magnanimity.
"Let's go all out!"
"We need a name!" Kro said calmly.
"Arkham!"
Lister asked with a wicked grin, "How about Arkham?"
"A name is just a label; it doesn't matter what you're called. Does Arkham have any special meaning?"
Lister grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth: "Arkham is a breeding ground for talent!"
Where is the flag?
"Needless to say, it's a bat, a black bat with its wings spread!"
After seeing Kuro off, Lister said, "Once the situation in Shells Town stabilizes, you and Politaya can come and train with me whenever you have time. Your strength is far too weak. Our goal is to conquer the world; at this rate, you won't even be able to enter the Grand Line! There's a very good teacher here!"
As the merchant ship sailed away, Lister, hands in his pockets, said, "Come out!"
Completely silent!
Lister turned to the side, looked at the rocks not far away, and said, "Mr. Koushirou said it before, eavesdropping on other people's conversations is not a good habit."
Kuina emerged from behind the rock, her face cold, and said, "I wasn't eavesdropping; I've been practicing my sword here the whole time."
She had a look on her face that said, "You guys are the ones who invaded my territory, and you're blaming me for eavesdropping."
"It's not a big secret. You can listen if you want."
"Tch! I told you I wasn't eavesdropping." Kuina turned her head away.
Liszt laughed heartily.
"What are you laughing at, you bastard!"
"How lovely, Kuina, I've heard your story," Lister said with a smile.
"What?" Kuina asked, puzzled.
"Sword Master, you want to become a sword master and prove to your father that you're definitely no worse than boys, right?"
Kuina froze, staring at Lister: "How did you know?"
"Because my dad always wanted a boy, and I was very resentful. Even though I was better than most boys, I still couldn't get a single word of praise from my dad. He was such an annoying and stubborn old man."
"Shut up!" Kuina glared fiercely at Lister, gripping her bamboo sword with both hands, and said, "You're not allowed to talk about my father like that!"
"That green-haired brat is really annoying. He gets stronger every day. In order to keep winning, I need to train harder, but I can feel that he is catching up faster and faster. I'm starting to struggle. He must be very tired, right?"
"Damn it, I told you to shut up!" Kuina brandished her sword.
Lister dodged left and right, causing Kuina's swords to miss one by one. He said, "Are women really inferior to men? Kuina, you've thought about it too, and are you starting to believe it?"
Kuina remained silent, but swung her sword faster and faster.
"Men and women are inherently different. You have to admit that, at Zoro's current pace of catching up, he will defeat you sooner or later."
"Damn it, shut up!"
"But I have never thought that women are weaker than men, Kuina. Do you know why people say that female swordsmen can't reach the top?"
"Why?" Kuina slowed her sword strike.
"Because no female swordsman has ever reached the summit!"
Kuina suddenly sheathed her sword and stared at Lister: "What are you trying to say?"
"No one has ever reached the summit, that's why people say that. If one day a woman sits in that position, then people will think that female swordsmen can also reach the summit. Paths are made by walking, Kuina. If there is no path, then use your sword to cut a path, to cut through this world's prejudice against female swordsmen!"
Kuina stared coldly at Lister for a long while before saying, "Like some kind of world king? How boring!"
"Boring? There was once a great pirate who was just one step away from becoming the King of the World, and I will take that step, even at the cost of my life! What about you? Your reason for training hard to prove that you are stronger than men is too lame."
"You…" Kuina was angry.
"The world is vast, Kuina, shall we go and see it together? How can a fledgling bird that never leaves the nest spread its wings? How can a knife that is never sharpened be sharp?"
"snort!"
Kuina snorted and turned to leave.
Lister lightly touched his chin. Suddenly, he turned around and saw Koushirou, wearing a coat, appear behind him.
Lister was startled and scratched his head guiltily: "Um, Mr. Koushirou has been here for a long time?"
With a beaming smile, Koushirou said, "Not long."
"Ah! That's good. Mr. Koushirou, you're busy. I'm going to do my training." Liszt quickly slipped away.
"You brat!" Koushirou crossed his arms.
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