One Piece: I Can Simplify Skills - Chapter 36

“Thank you, Grandpa,” Rokujin sighed in relief. As Garp left the cabin, he waved his hand and declared, “All clear, let them through!”

“Yes, Vice Admiral Garp!” With an order from the vice admiral, the marines stepped aside, allowing Rokujin’s ship to depart from Sabaody Archipelago.

“You didn’t know the person coming to catch me would be my grandpa, did you?” Once the ship was at sea, Rokujin couldn’t help but question Rayleigh.

“I had no idea. It was all Shakuyaku’s doing!” Rayleigh laughed, shaking his head as he continued to drink.

Rokujin was momentarily speechless. “What is even going on?”

Suddenly, the Hancock sisters ran out from the cabin, smiling cheerfully. “Brother Rokujin, thank you!”

“No need to thank me; I was just doing what I should,” Rokujin said as he pinched Hancock’s cheek. I have got to admit, it was pretty satisfying!

Hancock giggled, but her smile faded as she realised she was about to leave. “Brother Rokujin, you’re going back soon, aren’t you? Will we never see each other again?”

“We’ll meet again! I’ll come to visit you on Amazon, Lily when I get the chance,” Rokujin reassured her.

“Okay! I’ll be waiting for you, Brother Rokujin!” Hancock smiled again as Rokujin’s promise lifted her spirits.

?Ding, congratulations on triggering the mission: Fulfill your promise to visit Empress Hancock on Amazon Lily alone. System rewards: +50 energy points, +1 sword technique, +1 to a chosen skill level!?

Visiting Amazon Lily alone is no small feat, given that a Calm Belt of Sea Kings surrounds it. Rokujin would need significant strength for such a journey.

A few minutes later, Rokujin had an idea. He entered the cabin, took out his old sword, Ling Feng, showing signs of wear, and handed it to Hancock. “Here, this was my sword. It’s seen better days and might break soon, but it’s been with me for a long time. I want you to have it.”

“Thank you! I’ll take good care of it,” Hancock carefully accepted Ling Feng.

Watching her happy reaction, Rokujin affectionately patted her head again. Starting a relationship early with a small gift leaves a lasting impression!

Rayleigh chuckled, drinking alone, understanding more than he let on.

After about half an hour of sailing, Rayleigh and the Hancock sisters switched to another ship to head back to Amazon Lily. “Brother Rokujin, you must come to visit me!” Hancock called out from the ship’s bow as they prepared to leave.

“I promise I will!” Rokujin shouted back confidently. At that moment, the system chimed in:

?Ding, congratulations on completing the mission; system rewards: +1 energy point, +1 dual sword technique!?

A technique called “Dual Blade Tornado,” capable of wide-area damage, was added to his system inventory.

Then, Rokujin returned to the naval base to resume his training. The next day, Garp specifically came to see Rokujin, advising him not to wander off any more. After completing his mission, he planned to take him to find a swordsmanship master.

As Garp left, Rokujin stood pondering, “Who could it be that Grandpa needs to take me there himself? Could it be to Wano to find Zoro’s master? That seems unlikely…”

Wano is in the latter half of the New World and is an isolationist country not affiliated with the World Government; even Marine ships can’t enter. Who could it be, then?

A few days later, after the Sabaody Archipelago mission was completed with no leads found, Garp came to the training grounds to collect Rokujin. “Pack up, we’re leaving,” he announced.

“Okay, Grandpa!” Rokujin quickly approached Rayleigh to bid farewell, “Master Rayleigh, I’m off then. I’ll see you when I get back!”

With a slight smirk, Rayleigh replied, “You’ll find out soon enough who your master is!”

As Rokujin turned to leave, the eyes of everyone at the base followed him, filled with curiosity and a bit of envy, witnessing him set off alone. Rayleigh addressed the crowd, “Rokujin has mastered all three forms of Haki and is going out to train in swordsmanship. He’ll be back in about two years. I hope you’ll be strong enough to challenge or even defeat him by then.”

“Don’t let him get too far ahead of you,” Rayleigh said seriously, looking over the trainees. They all silently acknowledged Rokujin as a benchmark to surpass.

Packing his belongings, Rokujin met Garp at the naval headquarters’ dock. They boarded Garp’s warship.

, accompanied by his aide Bogard and many other marines.

“Grandpa, who are we going to meet?” Rokujin asked curiously.

“You’ll see when we get there. You’ll train there for two years and then return on your own. If you can’t return by yourself after two years of training, there’s no need to return!” Garp said casually, picking his nose.

Excited yet anxious about the journey ahead, Rokujin settled in for the voyage, wondering about the adventures and challenges that awaited him.

“Uh…” Hearing this, Rokujin was momentarily speechless. “Understood, Grandpa!” He knew Garp was serious this time. Garp used harsh methods to train Luffy, like throwing him into bottomless pits or deep into forests… Suddenly, Rokujin felt that this swordsmanship training would be more complex!

Sailing on the sea was monotonous and dull. Fortunately, Rokujin could continue to practice his swordsmanship and Conqueror’s Haki on the ship, which could have been more exciting.

…A month later.

“Rokujin, come out, we’ve arrived!” Garp called from outside Rokujin’s cabin door.

“Okay, Grandpa!” Hearing this, Rokujin excitedly ran out, only to see Garp’s back as he exited the ship. He quickly followed!

Looking up, he saw no land or island in sight. “Grandpa, where are we? Are we going to Fish-Man Island? But it doesn’t look like it!”

Rokujin wasn’t very familiar with the world’s geography. Since there was no island at sea level, it must be something below sea level. But, who in Fish-Man Island was known for their strong swordsmanship?

“This isn’t Fish-Man Island. The place we’re going to is still far away, but from now on, it’s just the two of us on this journey,” Garp said, looking ahead solemnly.

“Okay,” Rokujin nodded.

Then, Garp unloaded a small boat from the large ship and took Rokujin with him, leaving behind his aide Bogart to guard the boat and wait for their return after they had sailed about a kilometre away.

“Grandpa, can you tell me where we are going now?” Rokujin asked curiously from behind.

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