When Ares finished his training, his massive muscles looked like glowing-hot iron.
Under the stunned gaze of dozens of pirates, he stepped out of the training hall.
As soon as he left, the entire room erupted in shocked uproar.
"What the hell?! Where did that freak come from?! That was insane!!"
"Is he even human?! A single swing from him could flatten one of us!!"
"With a body like that... no woman alive could satisfy him!"
"Satisfy?! Bro, you'd die trying! Do you know how many times he hit himself?!"
"Over ten thousand!!!"
"Tch... The Rocks Pirates just got another monster. Bad news for other pirate crews and the Navy!"
A chorus of disbelief followed. No one could believe what they'd just witnessed.
It was pure madness like he didn't care about living or dying.
After refueling, Ares left the mess hall, ignoring the stunned pirates staring at him.
As an official crew member, he was entitled to free food.
The unofficial members weren't so lucky.
They had to earn their meals or beg for scraps.
Most rookies tried to align themselves with various captains. After all, this was a survival-of-the-fittest world. For newcomers, life was brutal.
They were cannon fodder, grunt workers hauling cargo, scrubbing decks, cleaning Skull Castle.
Every single one of them was gambling with their lives for the hope of becoming an official member of the Rocks Pirates.
Ares casually grabbed someone and asked where to find Shiki the Golden Lion, then headed off.
Meanwhile, inside Skull Castle…
"Captain, that guy eats way too much!!"
"Do you know how much he eats in one sitting?!"
"We can't keep him around!"
"He alone wiped out food for over a hundred men! The cooks are dropping like flies!"
Even the great Rocks D. Xebec couldn't help but twitch at the complaints.
He forced a smile. "Shakky, we've already recruited him."
"And Ares has limitless potential. He'll grow into someone as powerful as Newgate or Shiki."
"Sure, he eats a lot now... but later, he'll bring us massive returns."
"Just hire more cooks. If they collapse, who's going to feed the rest of the crew?"
Across from him stood a sharp-eyed woman with short black hair and a cigarette between her lips.
Shakky took a long drag and exhaled smoke. Her voice was cold. "Do you know how much his meals cost?"
"Just the ingredients alone run over 100,000 Berries per meal."
"That's per meal. Three meals a day means ninety meals a month."
"He'll burn through over a million Berries a month."
"Add in labor costs..."
"Feeding that one guy is like feeding a hundred!!"
Xebec chuckled. "A million Berries? Then so be it. I've got high hopes for that kid."
"Money spent on talent is money well spent."
Shakky scoffed. "Fine. Not my wallet."
She turned and left the room.
Xebec grinned and walked over to the window, gazing out across the vast world beyond.
His eyes sparkled with unshakable ambition.
"Talent is more precious than gold. If I become the ruler of this world…"
"I won't need money. I'll have it all."
"I don't care about Berries. I want the world itself."
He could say that now because the Rocks Pirates had already amassed enough wealth to last a lifetime.
He wasn't the struggling pirate he once was.
Elsewhere, in another room of Skull Castle…
Ares knocked on Shiki's door, his massive hand making loud thuds.
Inside, chaos broke out.
Shiki scrambled to get dressed, whispering urgently to Miss Bakkin. "Go out the back! I'll pay you what I promised!"
He tossed her clothes without looking too focused on the situation to enjoy her... considerable charms.
Miss Bakkin slipped on her outfit and warned him sharply, "Don't forget! Fifty million Berries, not a single Berry less!"
"Go! Go!"
"You'll get your money!"
Shiki waved her toward the back exit, lighting a cigar as he dressed.
She had a killer body and flawless skin.
Shame about the gold-digging.
Once she was gone, Shiki exhaled a long puff of smoke, walked over, and opened the door.
He blinked. "Ares? What brings you here?"
He hadn't expected the visitor to be that guy. The same Ares he and Whitebeard had fought over.
He'd offered a ton of perks, but Ares hadn't budged or picked a side.
Without preamble, Ares stated his intent. "Mr. Wang Zhi said you're the best swordsman on the ship. I want to know: is there a way to forge a person into a blade that surpasses even the Supreme Grade swords?"
His eyes blazed with intensity, full of hunger for knowledge.
This again?
Shiki remembered the question well. Ares had asked it before back when he'd first met Captain Xebec.
Back then, Xebec's answer had been one word: battle.
Later, Shiki had learned the full story.
Apparently, Ares had undergone a complete transformation years ago becoming obsessed with turning himself into a living blade.
It led to his hellish, inhuman training regime.
Ares's obsession was absolute.
Shiki rubbed his chin. "Let me think..."
He didn't answer right away.
After a moment, he smirked.
"Human bodies can't truly become swords. But there is a way to make your body rival the sharpest blades."
"Swordsmen use Haki to forge their weapons into Black Blades."
"And Armament Haki can massively boost a person's defense."
"If your Haki's strong enough, even Supreme Grade swords can't cut you."
Ares's eyes lit up. "Armament Haki?"
"What is that?!"