At this moment, Ivan was still unaware of his impending promotion.
He had spent a week greening the area around Rainbase and most of the deserts in Alabasta, which had thoroughly exhausted him.
However, it also served as physical training. Through a week of high-intensity effort, Ivan's physique had improved significantly.
That day, in Ivan's room on the top floor of Rain Dinners, Tashigi lay on the bed in light clothing, looking timidly at Ivan.
"Major Ivan, will it really not hurt?"
"Don't be afraid. It might sting a little at first, but it'll quickly become very comfortable!" Ivan reassured her gently.
Hearing his words, Tashigi's face flushed red, and she nodded shyly.
"I understand. Then, Major Ivan, you can begin…"
"Alright, here I go!"
Ivan, looking excited, gradually approached Tashigi and finally extended a large hand to gently stroke her forehead.
With the matters in Alabasta settled, he no longer needed to conserve enough stamina to deal with Sand Crocodile. He could finally use the Apocalypse Enhancement skill to empower his subordinates.
In the next moment, Ivan activated the skill directly!
Instantly, his stamina began to drain rapidly, as if a dam had burst. At the same time, his perception spread through his palm until it enveloped Tashigi entirely, taking in every detail about her.
At that moment, Ivan instinctively knew how to enhance Tashigi's strength. He could copy some of his own abilities and skills to her, and in doing so, he would not lose those abilities himself.
Tashigi loved famous swords and wanted to uphold her justice as a Marine, so Ivan decided to copy Water Breathing and Getsuga Tenshō to her.
However, once he made the decision, his stamina drained even faster. Even Ivan's endurance couldn't last long under such strain.
During this process, Tashigi's physique was rapidly enhanced, and she instinctively mastered abilities like Water Breathing and Getsuga Tenshō.
After completing everything, Ivan's stamina was completely depleted. He collapsed to the floor, unable to move.
As for Tashigi, after the initial intense pain, she was enveloped in a warm current, feeling an unprecedented comfort.
In her mind, several sword techniques appeared out of nowhere—Water Breathing and Getsuga Tenshō—and she could use these techniques directly without any practice.
Tashigi stood up, feeling lighter than ever before. But before she could rejoice for long, she noticed Ivan collapsed on the floor. Her flushed face instantly turned pale. She helped him up and asked worriedly,
"Major Ivan, are you alright?"
"I'm fine. How do you feel?"
The usually shy Tashigi broke into a bright smile. "I feel great. Thank you, Major Ivan!"
Afterward, Ivan ate voraciously, using Life Return to quickly restore his stamina. Then, he enhanced Nami, Vivi, Robin, and Patton one by one.
After the enhancements, their strength increased significantly. Nami, Vivi, and Patton reached the level of a Marine Major, while Robin's improvement was even more astonishing. Ivan believed she now possessed the strength of a Vice Admiral!
After enhancing all his important subordinates, Ivan happened to receive a call from Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
"Ivan, you've done an excellent job this time. Not only did you thwart Crocodile's plot to usurp the kingdom, but you also restored the reputation of the World Government and the Marines.
The upper echelons of the Marines held a meeting and decided to promote your rank. Please report to Marine Headquarters as soon as possible within the next month.
Congratulations, Vice Admiral Ivan!"
After hanging up the call with Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Ivan immediately prepared to depart.
However, since Rainbase was now his territory and required someone to oversee it, he left Tashigi temporarily in charge at Rain Dinners while he, Nami, and Patton headed to Marineford to report for duty.
As for Robin, her identity made it unsuitable for her to appear in public for now, and Ivan had other tasks in mind for her.
On the shore, on a stretch of beach, two figures watched as a warship the size of a small town sailed away into the distance.
Once the warship had completely vanished beyond the horizon, Robin turned her head to look at the person beside her, a playful smile curling at the corners of her lips:
"Ivan, that warship of yours is truly massive. Across the entire Grand Line, I doubt anyone but Nami could handle it so steadily."
Ivan chuckled proudly at her words. "Haha, I anticipated this day would come, which is why I specifically recruited Nami to serve under me."
Robin covered her mouth with a light laugh, her beautiful eyes shifting thoughtfully as she subtly changed the subject:
"Then why did Ivan recruit me, the 'Demon Child'? Did you foresee something in advance as well?"
Ivan raised an eyebrow teasingly, his tone casual. "Couldn't it just be because a great beauty is pleasing to the eye, a delight to behold?"
"Hehe, thank you for the compliment." Robin's smile remained, but her tone grew certain. "But Ivan, you're not that shallow a person.
You deliberately left me behind alone. What exactly do you intend to do?"
Though he wasn't sure what image he projected in Robin's eyes, Ivan was tempted to say that he was indeed that shallow.
But since he had specifically kept her behind, there was naturally an important matter to discuss, so he suppressed that thought:
"You're right. I've never been one to judge by appearances alone. Today, I have a more important matter to invite you to join me in."
"What matter?" Robin's expression turned serious. She instinctively sensed that whatever Ivan was about to tell her would be earth-shattering!
Ivan's gaze grew intense as he asked, word by word: "Robin, would you like to personally kill a Celestial Dragon?"
Robin: "Huh?"
Robin: "What?!"
A moment later, after hearing Ivan's explanation, Robin's lovely face was filled with shock.
As someone versed in the ancient language, she had uncovered too many of the world's hidden secrets. Rarely did any truth in the world move her deeply, yet Ivan's words had plunged her into utter astonishment.
But what Ivan had just said still left her in absolute shock!
"You're saying... you are Fox of the Shadow Garden, and you've obtained the location information of a Celestial Dragon, specifically inviting me to assassinate him together?" Her voice was tinged with disbelief.
Ivan nodded gravely. "That's right."
He took a few steps forward, standing with his back to Robin, leaving her with a tall, resolute silhouette.
"Robin, don't you think this sea is too filthy?
The Celestial Dragons proclaim themselves 'descendants of the creators,' exploiting the entire world.
Pirate King Roger personally opened the gates to the Great Pirate Era, unleashing countless pirates onto the seas. They claim to seek freedom, but they've only brought greater suffering to the people.
The Four Emperors rule the New World, calling themselves emperors of the sea, while the Marines remain ineffective, willingly serving as the World Government's lapdogs."
As for the Revolutionary Army, hah, they are even more reckless. They don't understand what the common people want, nor are they certain of what they themselves are pursuing.
This sea has long been corrupted. Rather than waiting for a vague savior like Red-Haired, it's better for us to take matters into our own hands—to overthrow all the old orders, burn away all the suffering on the seas, and then open up a new world!
We will turn the entire world upside down!"