14. Purpose

Ryota lay on the cold floor of the cell, trying to shut out the thoughts racing through his mind and drift off into sleep. But sleep eluded him, the weight of their situation pressing down on him like a heavy blanket. After a while of tossing and turning, he sighed and decided to strike up a conversation with Kaito, hoping to distract himself from the gnawing sense of urgency.

"Old man, where exactly is your kingdom? New world?" Ryota asked, breaking the silence that enveloped them.

Kaito turned his head slightly, his gaze distant as he recalled his homeland. "It's in the first half of the Grand Line," he replied, his voice tinged with nostalgia and sorrow. "A place far removed from here, both geographically and in spirit."

"So do you know about Haki? Can you use Haki?" Ryota inquired, genuinely curious about Kaito's abilities.

To his surprise, Kaito nodded. "Yeah, I do," he answered simply, his tone quiet yet confident.

Excitement bubbled up inside Ryota at the prospect of learning from someone who possessed such advanced skills. "Would you consider teaching me?" he asked eagerly, turning to look at Kaito with a hopeful grin.

Kaito didn't reply immediately, his gaze fixed on the ceiling of the cell as if lost in thought. After a moment, he finally spoke, his voice measured and serious. "Kid, do you know what is the most important and necessary thing while learning Haki?"

Ryota furrowed his brow, pondering the question for a few moments. "I don't know, proper technique? Concentration? Will?"

Kaito nodded, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Yeah, will is far more important," he affirmed, his gaze piercing as he looked at Ryota. "The way I see it, you don't seem to have any purpose in your life. It feels to me like you're just going with the flow."

Ryota's frown deepened at Kaito's words, feeling a twinge of defensiveness rise within him. "What about survival?" he countered. "Isn't survival considered a purpose?"

Kaito's expression softened, and he let out a sigh. "Survival is important, no doubt about that," he conceded. "But to truly harness the power of Haki, you need more than just the will to survive. You need a driving force, a reason to fight beyond mere existence. Without that, your Haki will never reach its full potential."

Ryota mulled over Kaito's words, a sense of realization dawning on him. Perhaps Kaito was right. Perhaps he had been merely drifting, lacking a clear purpose or direction in his life.

Transmigrating into the world of One Piece, he was thrust into a difficult situation amd all of his focus was on escaping the Impel Down and becoming stronger. He didn't had the time to think about a specific purpose or something.

Did he want to follow in the footsteps of legendary pirates and become the King of the Pirates? Or should he become the strongest man alive? Or should he become a writer.

The thought of becoming a writer drew a smile upon his face. The system too was strangely motivated in making Ryota a full fledged writer because all the weird items that he was given from the randon box, which seemed to have the same purpose.

Ryota decided to stop overthinking and make his decision after escaping the hellhole of Impel Down. With determination in his eyes, he turned to Kaito and spoke firmly, "Teach me the method to use Haki anyway. I will practice it when my will becomes strong." He hoped that Kaito would at least provide him with the knowledge to begin his journey.

Kaito, looking weary, sighed and replied, "I am tired, kid. Maybe tomorrow."

Ryota couldn't contain his excitement, his smile widening as he said, "Thanks, old man. I will definitely not forget this favor." Learning Haki would indeed give him an edge against Logia-type Devil Fruit users and make him stronger overall.

Then, Ryota hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Old man, if you need any kind of help from me in the future..." He paused, waiting for Kaito's reaction, before adding with a mischievous grin, "...then please don't look for me in the future."

As he saw Kaito's expression change to annoyance Ryota burst into laughter, relieved to see the old man's reaction to his pathetic attempt to make a joke.

Ryota looked smugly at Kaito, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "How strong are you?" he prodded, unable to resist teasing the old man.

Kaito let out a tired sigh, rubbing his temples with a hint of annoyance. "Kid, just go to sleep and let me sleep," he grumbled, clearly not in the mood for Ryota's antics.

But Ryota persisted, a playful grin spreading across his face. "Come on, just tell me," he urged, leaning closer to Kaito.

Kaito paused, looking at Ryota with a mixture of resignation and confusion. "I'm strong enough to beat the hell out of you, kid," he retorted, his tone firm but exasperated.

Ryota chuckled, undeterred by Kaito's response. "Seriously, though, how strong are you?" he pressed, curiosity getting the better of him.

Kaito sighed again, contemplating how to convey his strength to Ryota in terms the young man would understand. "Do you know the Marines are divided based on hierarchy and strength?" he asked, hoping to make a comparison that Ryota could grasp.

Ryota nodded, intrigued by Kaito's analogy. "Yeah, I've heard of that," he replied.

"Well, if you go by that," Kaito continued, "I'm as strong as a Rear Admiral, maybe one of the strongest Rear Admirals out there." A hint of pride flickered in his eyes as he spoke.

Ryota clicked his tongue in mock disappointment. "Here I thought you were as strong as a Vice Admiral. What a disappointment," he teased, unable to resist getting in one last jab.

Kaito rolled his eyes, shaking his head at Ryota's immaturity. "Kid, you never cease to amaze me," he muttered.

Realizing he had pushed Kaito's patience far enough, Ryota relented, dropping the teasing facade. "Alright, alright, I'll stop," he conceded, his expression softening. "But seriously, how strong am I then?

"You...you can barely be considered as strong as Lieutenant," Kaito answered after a few seconds.

"How many ranks are there between us?" Ryota asked just to make sure that his knowledge matches the one in this world.

"Alright, here's the hierarchy," Kaito began, ticking off the ranks on his fingers. "First comes the Fleet Admiral, followed by Admiral, then Vice Admiral—excluding Garp, he's stronger than Admirals. After Vice Admiral comes Rear Admiral, then Commodore, Captain, Commander, Lieutenant Commander, and finally, the Lieutenant. Most Lieutenants would beat you black and blue as you don't seem to have any experience, though. But remember, ranks aren't everything in a fight; other factors play a role too."

As Ryota processed the division of ranks, his frown deepened. 'If I went by the Solo Leveling world's standards, my strength would be equal to at least a C Rank hunter, but here I'm barely a Lieutenant.'

He considered two possible reasons for this discrepancy: either the One Piece world was inherently stronger than the Solo Leveling world, disregarding Sung Jin-woo's power at the end of the novel, or the system had adjusted to the One Piece world, altering the value of his stats. Meaning that the value of the stats here weren't the same as they were in the Solo Levelling world.

Lost in thought, Ryota suddenly sensed Kaito tense up and rise to his feet. Alarmed, Ryota followed suit, his senses on high alert. "What happened, old man?" he asked, but Kaito remained silent, staring intently through the bars of his cell. Suddenly, a man materialized near Kaito's cell, moving so swiftly that Ryota barely registered his presence. It felt like that the guy had teleported out of nowhere.

"Inazuma," Kaito muttered, a mix of recognition and emotion in his voice.

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