Chapter 17: Training in Syrup Village.

"1050,"

"1051,"

On the deck of the merchant ship, Luffy and Zoro, wrapped in paper bandages, were doing squats with weights on their backs. Meanwhile, Nami, who was also training...

"Why do I have to join too?!"

Facing the tearful Nami, Roman, standing by the ship's helm, raised his eyelids.

"You want to fight me too?"

"Beat me, and you won't have to listen to me—"

"Forget it, I train from the heart..."

Even Luffy and Zoro, those two brutes, lost. Nami thought it was better not to embarrass herself. However:

"Roman, don't you need to train?"

"Who said I'm not training?" Roman waved his hand, and beside him, a pair of white 'paper hands' were steering the ship.

"I'm training my Devil Fruit ability. — If I can create freely moving 'paper clones', it will greatly alleviate our manpower shortage..."

Well, because many of Roman's ideas require precise 'control', he was indeed 'training'.

"Roman, I understand you can hurt me with a sword."

Once again wrapped in 'paper bandages', Luffy shouted while training.

"But why can a shield hurt me too~~"

"Is it that 'Haki' thing you mentioned?"

"In your dreams," Roman retorted, "If I knew Haki, I'd have gone to the 'New World' to have fun already!"

"In my opinion, Haki is an extension of the 'soul'."

"Observation Haki represents 'perception', Armament Haki represents 'will', and Conqueror's Haki represents... fate? Aura? Or something else..." Roman shook his head. That stuff was too mysterious; he wasn't sure.

"In short, I don't even know the specific training methods for Haki, so how could I use 'Armament Haki'?"

As he spoke, Roman summoned a white 'paper hand' from the cabin, holding a katana. — Not Zoro's precious sword, but the 'cargo' of this merchant ship.

Although Roman and the others hadn't paid much attention, there was a huge fortune lying in the ship's hold: boxes of swords and flintlock guns!

"I just attach tiny triangular 'paper' to the edge of the shield, like I'm doing now."

As Roman deliberately 'amplified' his ability, sawtooth-like paper appeared on the edge of his hand, which was shaped like a knife.

"Then, I make them move at high speed."

Buzzing~~~

With a low hum, these 'sawteeth' moved rapidly on Roman's flesh, forming a gray chainsaw! Then he aimed at the katana floating in front of him and slashed down with his hand.

Clang!

Sparks flew, metal clanged.

The sheathed katana was instantly cut in half!

"Tch, it's just Devil Fruit ability, not a true swordsman."

Facing Zoro's displeased words, Roman shrugged. "Come on, I'm a Devil Fruit user, not a swordsman..."

If Luffy faced Roman's sword and shield, it was like facing two high-speed cutting chainsaw swords! Basically, touching them would cause injury, and blood would spurt out. Forget fighting, even dodging was extremely difficult.

As for Zoro facing Roman, it was like encountering a steel fortress. Constantly clashing, continuously scraping, and finally collapsing from exhaustion.

"If you can cut through steel, you might have a chance to win."

But clearly, Zoro didn't have that ability yet.

Facing Roman, clad in 'Paper Dance - Iron Armor' and carrying a shield, Zoro was helplessly knocked to the ground after striking countless sparks. — He couldn't break through the defense, so how could he fight?

Although, if the strength was enough, even without breaking the defense, it could 'shock' the opponent.

Although Zoro could barely break through Roman's 'Paper Dance - Iron Armor' with a charged 'OniGiri' skill, 

don't forget that even without his Devil Fruit ability, Roman's strength is still on par with Zoro and Luffy! So it was only natural that their sparring ended in their defeat.

Speaking of which, using heavy weapons against someone like Roman, who has 'full-body armor,' would actually cause more damage. But Roman is very agile, and the paper 'armor' and 'weapons' he uses are almost weightless, making him truly swift and nimble.

In short, a bet is a bet.

Luffy and Zoro had to start training hard, sweating profusely, and saying goodbye to their usual antics, giving Roman some peace and quiet.

——————

"Too hasty~~"

?

"This is a merchant ship, right,"

After enjoying a comfortable hot bath and washing off the sweat, Nami, sitting on a paper chair, started talking business with Roman. — As for Luffy and Zoro? They were already sound asleep on the deck.

"Although this merchant ship is quite good, it's not suitable for sailing, right?"

As the name suggests, merchant ships are used for carrying cargo. They are large and stable but have the disadvantages of being slow and having poor firepower. If we go to the Grand Line, we need a ship that is light, fast, has some long-range firepower, and can maneuver easily among enemies.

"So, we need a specialized ship. And—"

Nami, drying her hair with a towel, asked in confusion,

"Isn't it wasteful to use fresh water like this?"

Hot baths are an extreme luxury for any crew on a sailing ship. Even if this merchant ship has enough cargo space...

"Oh, that, don't worry."

Roman waved his hand.

"I can provide a large amount of paper as 'fuel,' and the fresh water is just a product of my seawater filtration."

"Huh, huh, huh?"

"Because my paper has some 'biological' properties, I can make it..." Roman said, as a piece of white paper appeared in his hand.

"Function like a biological cell wall, and through 'reverse osmosis,' it can purify fresh water from seawater..."

"Sorry, I understand every word you said, but together it just—"

Nami clenched her fists, feeling annoyed as Roman looked at her with a 'you know nothing' expression. If our strengths were swapped, I'd make you understand what cruelty is!

"In short, just consider it one of my Devil Fruit abilities."

Roman stroked his chin.

"Let's call it 'Paper Dance - Purification.'"

...

"Whatever makes you happy."

——————

"Back to the point, we should get a new ship before entering the Grand Line."

Roman nodded in agreement with Nami's suggestion. Just like the 'Breaking Waves' he used to be on, the Silver Light Pirates managed to escape danger several times thanks to that fast ship.

Unfortunately, no matter how fast it was, it was eventually destroyed by their own people.

Roman sank that ship to the bottom of the sea, making it the final resting place for the Silver Light Pirates.

"Yes, our next destination is 'Syrup Village,' and hopefully, we can get a new ship there..."

Facing Nami, who was seriously studying the sea chart, Roman rubbed his temples.

Syrup Village...

Usopp's hometown, and the place where the Straw Hat Pirates would get their first ship, the 'Going Merry'. He remembered that Usopp's childhood friend's family had a pirate undercover agent known as 'Hundred Plans'. What was his name... Nock? Or Kuro?

Roman thought for a long time, only remembering that the guy had a signature move of pushing his glasses with his palm and had long blades on his ten fingers... It seemed he was just a small fry.

Great, when we get there, I'll just beat him up and get the ship reward...

Wait!

Roman rubbed his temples again, wondering if he had been around Luffy for too long, causing his IQ to drop so much! How could things be so simple and straightforward in the world? Go beat someone up and get a reward... Is this a game? And he remembered it was because Luffy and the others stumbled upon their secret meeting...

Forget it, since I know who the problem is, things will be much simpler.

Roman's eyes flashed. Being the 'bad guy' is something he's best at~~

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