One Piece: Power-Power Fruit

Chapter 26 Get Stronger, Slade

Chapter Twenty-Six: Get Stronger, Slard

As Mu Chong finished speaking, amidst the puzzled looks of the crowd, he suddenly pushed his tightly clenched hands forward with great speed, though it seemed to require considerable effort.

The next moment, the Liberty, bobbing up and down with the waves, suddenly shuddered, its sails billowing rapidly in the wind, and then it surged forward at an incredible speed.

"Ah! Hahaha! The boat is moving! The boat is moving!!"

Slad clung tightly to the mast, the sudden surge of power lifting him into the air.

"Meow meow meow!!"

The white cat, Mumu, who had fallen to the ground, kept meowing, as if it understood something at that moment.

"Brother Mu, this old man is truly surprised!!"

In the control room, Schidek gripped the helm tightly, letting out a sigh of admiration.

Meanwhile, Mu Chong, standing on the deck, was not in such a relaxed state. Sweat beaded on his forehead, his expression was one of extreme pain, and his entire body was trembling.

"Damn it, I was careless!!"

Indeed, Mu Chong ultimately underestimated the power of nature. As the Liberty set sail, the already strong winds were constantly being pulled in by new ones as the Liberty changed position, which greatly affected Mu Chong's ability to perform.

Mu Chong had to continuously increase the output of his Strength-Strength Fruit power while dealing with the newly added gales and maintaining the direction of the wind he was being pulled into, directing it towards the Liberty's sails. In this state, given his current physical condition, it was a huge challenge.

"Captain, what's wrong with you?"

With Mu Chong using his Devil Fruit powers to the fullest and under Schideke's control, the Freedom was no longer so bumpy, and Slad finally stood firm. But when he saw Mu Chong's condition, he was full of surprise.

In just a short while, Mu Chong's body was already swaying precariously. At this moment, one couldn't help but marvel at the terrifying power of nature.

Slad ran quickly to Mu Chong's side, looking at him anxiously, momentarily at a loss for what to do.

"Slad, I'm alright for now. You and Skedek work together immediately to get out of this storm as quickly as possible. I can't hold out much longer, hurry up!!"

Mu Chong's last sentence was practically a shout; he gritted his teeth and regained his composure.

"Understood, Captain!!"

Although Slad was very worried about Mu Chong, he had no choice but to follow orders in the current situation. He answered and immediately ran towards the control room.

call! !

Click!

Rumble...

The Freedom sped forward against the storm, an invisible wall of wind blocking all the raging winds and huge waves that tried to approach it.

The sky was overcast with thick, dark clouds that seemed ready to press down at any moment, casting a dim light over the entire space and severely impairing everyone's vision.

"Phew! I underestimated the power of nature. Hehe, I didn't expect my physical abilities to only go this far. Just a little more... I can do it!!"

Mu Chong chuckled self-deprecatingly, his eyes fixed on the raging storm and the massive, constantly churning waves surrounding the Freedom, and smiled helplessly.

"Is that all?... We must break through, Liberty!!"

From Mu Chong's perspective, he had no idea how much time had passed; all he knew was that he was frantically unleashing his Devil Fruit powers to maintain the Freedom's forward momentum.

boom……

After Mu Chong exhausted the last bit of his strength, he instantly lost consciousness and his body crashed heavily onto the deck.

"Meow meow meow!!"

Seeing this, Mumu, the white cat who had been watching nearby, rushed over, grabbed Muchong's leg, and pulled him into the cabin. Luckily, this guy had been trained.

……

"I'm so hungry!!"

After an unknown amount of time, Mu Chong slowly opened his eyes, feeling an intense hunger pang in his stomach. His first words were, "I'm so hungry!"

"Slard, bring out the food right now!!"

As soon as Mu Chong finished speaking, he heard Schidek loudly call out to Slad to bring the food.

Mu Chong sat up, looking like he had lost a lot of weight and was extremely weak. But when he saw the food, he pounced on it like a starving ghost reincarnated.

Ignoring the astonishment of everyone around him, he frantically stuffed food into his mouth, devouring it with gusto while laughing heartily as he ate.

"He's alive! He's alive! Hahahaha!!"

"Grandpa, the captain can really eat! Thank goodness you listened to me and made him plenty of food!!"

Slad was so surprised he couldn't close his mouth, and his eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

"You brat, you don't know anything! This is the magnanimity a true warrior should have! Hahaha!!"

Watching Mu Chong wolf down his food, Sidek couldn't help but nod.

"Slard, I never made any demands on you before, whether you could become a strong person or not, but from this moment on, I will supervise your training!"

"Ah!! Grandpa??"

Slad was startled by Schidek's words, but seeing the old man's serious expression, he dared not utter another word.

"Slard, if you can't become strong, there probably won't be a place for you on this ship! ...So, start getting stronger!"

Schidek pulled out a cigarette, lit it, took a deep drag, exhaled a large puff of smoke, his gaze deep and unfocused, lost in thought.

Slad lowered his head and remained silent. In truth, after experiencing this storm, he felt a profound sense of powerlessness, realizing that he was too weak to change anything.

As a child, Slard was a very proud boy, and his pride stemmed from his abilities. Slard's family once lived a life of comfort and ease at Marineford, the headquarters of the Navy.

Born into a family of shipbuilders, Slad did not inherit the abilities of his grandfather and father, but unexpectedly possessed the talent of a navigator, with a remarkable ability to sense changes in the weather.

Whenever a new ship was successfully built, young Slad would be taken aboard by his father for a sea trial. This was Slad's happiest time, as everyone on board would praise him for his skill. Over time, this fostered his proud and blindly confident personality.

He spent his days idly wandering around the shipyard, never bothering to learn or improve his talents, because all he ever received was praise from those around him; no one pointed out his mistakes or shortcomings.

Slad's father died in a massive shipwreck during a sea trial. Slad happened to be off the ship, and the young boy blamed everyone for not taking him on board. From then on, he became arrogant and aloof.

"Burp!! Wow, I'm so full!!"

Just as a tense atmosphere filled the lounge, Mu Chong's hiccup suddenly broke the silence, dispelling the strange tension.

"Grandpa, are we safe now?"

Mu Chong leaned back in his chair, rubbing his noticeably swollen belly, and said to Sidek...

"Phew! We're safe now, and we've corrected our course. At this speed, it should take another six or seven days!"

Schidek exhaled a puff of smoke and slowly said...

"Really? So fast!"

Mu Chong looked surprised. "I only took a nap, how could it be so fast?"

"Hahaha! This is all thanks to you, Brother Mu!! If it weren't for the power provided by your abilities, the Freedom wouldn't be this fast!"

Schidek burst into laughter, his aged face appearing much younger, but the hint of fatigue was still undeniable.

"Really? Hehe, you've worked hard, Grandpa! Um? How long did I sleep?"

Mu Chong rubbed his nose and said

Three days!

"What!???"