Early morning, Loguetown was shrouded in a thin mist.
Though the sky was still dark, the port was crowded with townsfolk, waving toward the sea as they bid farewell to their beloved White Dove Colonel.
Indeed, such an outstanding officer as White Dove Colonel was finally leaving Loguetown to take up his post at Marine Headquarters.
Amid the farewells, two Marine warships cut through the morning mist, slowly departing from the port.
The one on the left was Garp's dog-head warship.
The one on the right, with three orange trees planted on its top deck, was the newly renamed Orange Blossom by Nami just two days ago.
Ivan was not aboard the Orange Blossom but was traveling with Garp instead.
At that moment, he sat cross-legged on the deck, blindfolded, surrounded by several Marine soldiers.
The soldiers held iron rods, continuously striking him all over his body.
Not far away, Garp lay lazily on a sun lounger, gulping down a glass of coconut juice.
He glanced at Ivan and instructed:
"Kid, as long as one's physical constitution and willpower reach a certain level, everyone can awaken Two-Colored Haki.
You've long met these conditions, but your strength in the East Sea is too overwhelming. Without sufficient stimulation, you've been unable to awaken Haki.
So from now on, you need to block these attacks with all your might while remaining in place.
During this process, I'll also add some extra 'spice' to give you enough sense of crisis, fulfilling the prerequisite for awakening Haki."
"Yes, Vice Admiral Garp!" Ivan replied with a serious expression, nodding earnestly.
This was an opportunity to receive guidance from the Marine hero Garp himself. Countless people would envy him for this; he had to take it seriously.
Just then, Ivan's ears twitched slightly as he heard a faint whistling sound—not fast, not powerful.
"Ugh…"
But when the attack struck his abdomen, Ivan felt as if he had been hit by a cannonball. His entire body instantly arched like a bow, overwhelmed by intense pain.
Now, Ivan finally understood why Luffy said his grandfather's punches hurt the most.
Ivan's reaction amused Garp, who burst into laughter: "Hahaha, that's the 'spice' I added for you. You better take the training seriously from now on, or you might get beaten to death."
Ivan didn't doubt the truth of those words. After all, when Luffy was young, Garp had dared to leave him to survive in the mountains, fighting wild beasts.
If even his own grandson had to endure hellish training, let alone an outsider like himself.
Yet despite knowing the difficulty, Ivan felt no fear.
Train! As long as it doesn't kill you, train like hell!
If you don't grind, what kind of admiral are you?!
But even in such a moment, Ivan couldn't help diverting a sliver of his thoughts to wonder where his Wood Clone had gone.
Upon learning he would leave the East Sea for Headquarters, Ivan had expended most of his stamina last night to create a Wood Clone, which then left Loguetown alone.
Since he was leaving, he intended to burn away the last traces of filth in the East Sea.
The surface impurities had already been incinerated, but the deeper corruption required an even fiercer flame to purge completely.
He would cleanse the corrupt elements within the Marines, reducing the stubborn residues within the flames to dust!
…
Elsewhere on the sea, a small wooden boat drifted across the waves.
Though the boat appeared crude, it held a profound secret.
At the stern, a wooden propeller spun rapidly, propelling the boat forward with astonishing speed as it cut through the wind and waves.
This was the Wood Release of the Wood Clone.
In fact, in Ivan's original plan, the Wood Clone was supposed to find a merchant ship to reach its destination, thereby conserving stamina.
After all, due to its nature as a clone, stamina was finite—once used, it diminished. Although the Wood Clone contained a substantial amount of stamina, it couldn't withstand the consumption of a long journey.
However, after leaving Loguetown, the Wood Clone made a surprising discovery.
Even as a clone, as long as it maintained Water Breathing, it could continuously recover stamina.
Though the recovery rate was extremely slow—while the main body could recover in an hour with replenishment, the clone needed an entire week—its current recovery speed still far surpassed that of an ordinary person!
Like now, the stamina consumed by using Wood Release to accelerate the boat was almost balanced by the recovery rate.
This significantly accelerated Ivan's plan. Perhaps he could cleanse all the Marine branches and even take out a few pirates before Garp caught wind of it.
Ivan picked up a map to check his first destination: Gecko Islands, Syrup Village.
A day later, Ivan arrived at a beautiful small island.
After stepping ashore, he followed a muddy path toward the luxurious manor on the back mountain.
But before reaching the manor, he was stopped by a tanned, long-nosed boy.
Recognizing the boy, Ivan smiled and asked, "Kid, what's the matter?"
Usopp scrutinized Ivan curiously, then paused before pointing his thumb at himself and declaring loudly:
"Listen up! I am the hero of Syrup Village, Captain Usopp! I command 8,000 pirates and rule these seas as a great pirate!
Now, confess honestly: who are you, and what's your purpose in heading to that manor?"
As Usopp sized him up, Ivan observed the legendary GOD・Usopp.
Who would have thought this ordinary-looking boy would transform from a braggart into a true warrior, even earning the reputation of "In dire straits, look to Usopp"?
Pointing toward the distant manor, Ivan teased:
"So it's Captain Usopp. My apologies for not recognizing you earlier. But why would you allow a pirate with a 16 million berry bounty to hide within your territory?"
At first, Usopp was pleased to be addressed as "Captain," but after hearing the latter part, he froze:
"What did you say? There's a pirate with a 16 million bounty in Kaya's house?"
Seeing his reaction, Ivan's smile widened. "That's right. Isn't that butler, Klahadore, actually the captain of the Black Cat Pirates, Captain Kuro?"
In stark contrast to Ivan's calm demeanor, Usopp completely lost his composure, forgetting all about maintaining his captain's facade.
Images of Kuro's wanted poster and Klahadore's first appearance at Kaya's estate flashed through Usopp's mind, fueling his panic.
What this guy said was likely true!
Without a moment's hesitation, Usopp abandoned Ivan and sprinted toward the manor on the back mountain, shouting hoarsely:
"Ahhh, no! Kaya's in danger!"
Ivan instinctively reached to adjust his sunglasses but only touched a fox mask. Shaking his head with a light chuckle, he slightly increased his speed to follow Usopp.
Moments later, just as Usopp crossed the lawn and sneaked into the manor, he happened to be spotted by Kaya and Kuro.
Sitting on a chair, Kaya looked at Usopp in surprise. "Usopp, what are you doing here?"
Usopp rushed toward Kaya, shouting anxiously, "Kaya, it's bad! Something terrible has happened!"
Kaya was puzzled.
Before she could ask further, a tall figure suddenly blocked Usopp's path.
Kuro adjusted his glasses with his palm, looking down at Usopp with contempt. "Liar, what are you trying to do to Miss Kaya now?"
As he spoke, Kuro's peripheral vision locked onto the masked figure behind Usopp.
Years of combat instinct told him to tense up immediately.
This masked person was definitely a formidable opponent!
Combined with Usopp's earlier behavior, a heavy feeling settled in Kuro's heart, and a strong sense of foreboding began to spread within him.
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