Rosen still chose to focus on Armament Haki as his primary area of training, only dabbling in Observation Haki. While he had developed a general sense of awareness, he could not perceive things with extreme clarity yet. It was more like an enhanced sixth sense rather than a radar-like ability that could detect intricate details over a vast area.
"It seems that while Conqueror's Haki cannot be trained directly, strengthening Observation and Armament Haki can enhance the intimidation effect of Conqueror's Haki." This could be observed from Luffy's progressively stronger Conqueror's Haki later on.
Even without using his Devil Fruit abilities, Rosen was now confident he could defeat Bam in pure physical combat. No matter how lacking his previous body's close-combat skills had been, with the enhancements from his strengthening system and Haki, his physical combat abilities had improved drastically. This was crucial.
It indicated that his strongest combat power was no longer limited to his Devil Fruit alone—his physical strength had almost reached a level comparable to his Logia-type abilities. Of course, strictly speaking in terms of proficiency levels, he was still a bit behind. However, while his top-tier combat skill had not increased, his overall growth in multiple areas allowed him to take on two opponents who specialized in only one.
If one were to judge an individual's strength using a system and data, Rosen could estimate a rough ranking based on physical skills and swordsmanship. If a person's highest proficiency in any of these areas reached 600-700, they would likely possess the strength of an elite or top-tier Vice Admiral. Both Bam and the recently defeated Rear Admiral Onigumo were around this level.
Rosen speculated that if his highest skill exceeded 800, he might reach the strength of a Vice Admiral candidate. As for Admiral-level power, it was difficult to estimate, but it might require at least one or two skills to reach a proficiency of 1000.
Rosen had a slight edge over Bam and Onigumo for two reasons. First, as a Logia-type Devil Fruit user, he had a natural advantage. Second, he had developed both his physical combat and Devil Fruit abilities extensively, making his overall combat effectiveness superior to those who specialized in just one area.
Bam, despite having a formidable Devil Fruit ability, relied heavily on it in combat. His overall strength was equivalent to a physical skill proficiency of over 600. Onigumo was slightly stronger, reaching about 700.
If Crocodile was considered one of the weaker Shichibukai, then Rosen had now reached an elite Shichibukai level—comparable to the strongest Vice Admirals or Vice Admiral candidates.
However, Rosen also acknowledged that some of the Marine's top Vice Admirals possessed exceptional multi-faceted combat abilities, with both Devil Fruit powers and physical combat skills. In comparison, Rosen's strength still had room for improvement. But considering he had reached this level in a short period, he believed that with continued training and battles, he could attain Hawkeye's top-tier Shichibukai-level power sooner rather than later.
By then, he would truly have a voice in this vast ocean.
Since leaving Sake City, Rosen had been relentlessly training his Haki. His body was now slightly overworked, prompting him to take a break to allow for recovery. After all, Haki and physical combat were closely tied to one's physical condition—proper rest was essential for continued improvement.
Temporarily setting aside intense training, Rosen took advantage of the good weather to inspect the ship. Since the news of Onigumo's death spread, the crew had suspected that Rosen had played a role in the battle. After all, he had been away at the time, and the ship's unusual route had not gone unnoticed. While they had only briefly encountered Moris and his group before hiding on an island, the conclusion was obvious to anyone who wasn't a fool.
This revelation boosted morale and earned Rosen admiration, especially from Migs, who had almost surpassed Bones in his enthusiasm.
Previously, Rosen had distributed the Rokushiki techniques to every crew member. Even with their diligent training and Rosen's active recovery buff—an effect that enhanced their training results—none had mastered all six techniques yet. Only Rosen had managed to grasp all of them, albeit at an entry-level stage.
Among the crew, Mr. 5 had mastered Finger Pistol, while Valentine, due to her Devil Fruit's zero-gravity abilities, had unexpectedly learned Moonwalk. Surprisingly, Migs had mastered Soru, and even the Kung Fu Dugong, due to its natural speed, had also grasped Soru.
This development had greatly frustrated Mr. 5 and the others. Perhaps the Kung Fu Dugong's success motivated them to train even harder. This pleased Rosen—after all, more sweat in training meant less blood on the battlefield.
However, no one had mastered Paper Art, Tempest Kick, or Iron Body. Robin, not being a combat specialist, did not focus on physical training, which made Rosen realize the ship lacked top-tier fighters. While they had several capable members like Valentine, Mr. 5, and Migs, there was no one with a bounty exceeding 100 million.
If Bones could not be rescued, their combat power would be even more lacking.
Mr. 5 and Valentine had made progress, largely due to Rosen's buffs, but growth still required time and experience. Even with their Devil Fruit powers, Mr. 5 was not yet at the level of an ordinary Rear Admiral—his strength was equivalent to a pirate with a 50-60 million bounty (originally 10 million). Valentine was around the 10-20 million mark (originally 7.5 million).
In Baroque Works, they had already been considered among the most promising members—standing out among the weaker ones. However, the only ones Rosen had truly handpicked were Robin and Bones; the others had merely come along.
Currently, Robin's actual combat ability might not even surpass Mr. 5 in direct confrontation. Of course, if she wanted to eliminate him, her methods would be more than sufficient.
Rosen realized he needed to start scouting for more powerful crew members. He could not handle everything himself and still have time to train. However, without someone at Bones' level or higher, they would not even be worth considering. He needed warriors who could truly stand out—those with bounties exceeding 100 million.
Since setting sail from Sake City, he had left most pirate encounters to Mr. 5 and Valentine. There had been a few instances where they were unable to handle enemies, as the Grand Line housed plenty of strong pirates.
"Boss."
Robin sat under a large parasol, shielding herself from the sun while reading a book on the deck, the sea breeze gently stirring its pages. Next to her was a newspaper delivered by a News Coo. On the table lay a cake made by Valentine during her leisure time, though Robin preferred desserts that were not too sweet. A cup of black tea sat beside it.
The News Coo was indeed an excellent newspaper delivery service, appearing even in the middle of the ocean. After delivering the newspaper, it had even taken shelter from a sudden snowstorm on their ship before flying off again.
Having seen many intelligent creatures before, Rosen was no longer surprised by such sights.
"Hmm? Moris has been placed on the wanted list? What's his bounty?"
Rosen had not paid much attention to the news in the past few days. He had received a few critical calls from Marine Headquarters but had largely ignored them. From his perspective, he had emerged as the true winner of the recent events, and that was all that mattered.
(End of Chapter)
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