"Hahaha! Nine million, you dance so well! Are you a dancer? Do you want to be my partner?!" Luffy suddenly blurted out.
Everyone was too stunned to stop him.
Jango froze for a moment, surprise flashing in his eyes, before quickly responding, "Thank you for your recognition, Captain Luffy! It would be my honor!"
He understood the situation well—the Black Cat Pirates were finished. If he didn't find a way out, he'd end up in Marine custody. But to his surprise, thanks to a simple dance, fate had taken an unexpected turn.
Jango had witnessed firsthand how strong Luffy was.
I consider myself incredibly lucky to follow such a strong captain and avoid ending up in Impel Down. There's nothing to hesitate about.
Since the matter was settled, no one objected.
Carl was a bit surprised. He had only kept Jango around to see his dance moves, which reminded him of Mike. He hadn't expected Luffy to make him a crew member. But it worked out—now he could watch more moonwalks in the future.
"Hahaha! Alright! From now on, Jango will be our crew's dancer! Now, we just need a musician. A pirate crew with a dancer but no musician? That won't do!"
Zoro and Nami were speechless.
So that's why he made Jango a crewmate...
Fortunately, no one had an issue with Jango. As the former captain of the Black Cat Pirates, he had decent strength, which meant an extra fighter for the crew.
After the banquet, everyone went to rest.
The Next Morning
Luffy and Zoro were up on time as usual.
Usopp, Jango, and Lecky were also dragged out of bed, while Nami got to sleep in. As the navigator responsible for charting their course, she had an important job, so she deserved extra rest.
Luffy and Zoro immediately started their morning training, while Usopp, Jango, and Lecky were pulled aside by Carl for a lesson.
"Ahem." Carl cleared his throat. "Usopp, Jango, you two are new here, so let me explain. I am the crew's teacher, responsible for making sure everyone grows stronger.
"That means morning training is mandatory. No sleeping in on regular days. If you try… the consequences will be very serious!"
Usopp and Jango swallowed nervously and nodded frantically.
At that moment, Carl looked terrifying.
Lecky had long been aware of Carl's terrifying training methods. As a mount, he accepted his fate without complaint.
Carl soon taught Usopp and Jango a breathing technique, urging them to practice diligently. He would check on them frequently, and anyone caught slacking off would be punished.
Of course, those who improved the most would be rewarded.
To further motivate them, Carl demonstrated the Six Powers (Rokushiki) himself. Usopp and Jango were left in shock, their jaws nearly hitting the deck. Knowing that mastering these techniques was possible if they trained hard, both of them became incredibly excited.
"By the way, Usopp," Carl added, "all the guns and gunpowder in the storage room are at your disposal. If you need more, just let me know.
"As for you, Jango, try using your hypnosis on animals. If you can control strong beasts, our crew's combat power will increase significantly!"
Usopp and Jango lit up at the idea.
Only Lecky looked miserable—since Jango needed a test subject, the lion was clearly his first choice.
Training Luffy and Zoro
After Luffy and Zoro finished their daily training, Carl called them over.
"Luffy, I'm going to focus on training Zoro next. Right now, he's still too weak. He struggled too much against Kuro, and once we enter the Grand Line, things will only get more dangerous.
"As for you, Luffy, you've hit a bottleneck. I don't know how to train you directly, but I can give you some directions.
"For example, with enough mastery, you'll be able to see a second or two into the future.
"Or, you could refine your Armament Haki until it flows.
"And then there's Conqueror's Haki—if you master it, you can infuse it into your attacks."
Luffy listened with a blank expression, his head clearly hurting from all the information. But he still nodded, running off to the ship's figurehead to think about it.
Of course, it didn't take long before he got distracted by the sea and completely forgot Carl's words.
Carl sighed—there was nothing he could do about it. Luffy was just like that.
All he could do was plant the idea in Luffy's mind. Maybe during a real fight, he'd figure it out on his own.
Zoro's Observation Haki Training
Carl and Zoro now stood in the middle of the deck.
Carl looked completely serious as he slowly drew his black blade from his waist.
"This sword is Obsidian, a fine-grade blade," Carl stated.
Zoro immediately felt an immense pressure bearing down on him. His expression darkened, and without hesitation, he tied on his green bandana. Taking his three-sword stance, he waited for Carl's next move.
Carl continued, "For this training, you need to close your eyes. I will assault you with killing intent.
"You will not rely on your eyes. You will not rely on your ears. You must only feel.
"Whether you dodge or block, that's up to you.
"I will start slow, but it will get progressively faster.
"When you can evade my normal attacks with ease, your Observation Haki will awaken!"
Hearing Carl's instructions, Zoro immediately shut his eyes and even sheathed his swords.
Carl smirked slightly. His eyes suddenly flashed with killing intent, and he slowly moved his black blade toward Zoro's abdomen.
Zoro's body tensed—he instinctively sensed danger and quickly stepped back, barely avoiding the strike. Though he dodged it, his forehead was covered in cold sweat. The sheer pressure of Carl's murderous aura was overwhelming.
But that was exactly the point.
Murderous intent couldn't be seen or heard—it could only be felt. Carl was using this to sharpen Zoro's senses.
As the training progressed, Carl gradually lessened the amount of killing intent he released. Zoro needed to get used to reacting purely by feeling.
Of course, this method wasn't suitable for just anyone. Someone like Usopp would probably take years to make any progress. Different people required different training methods.
Meanwhile, Carl's aura grew so intense that it flooded the deck.
Usopp, Jango, and Lecky, who had been watching from a distance, were now trembling in fear. Only now did they truly understand how terrifying Carl was.
Pushing Zoro to His Limits
Seeing that Zoro was adapting well, Carl increased his speed.
Zoro's talent was undeniable. Under the constant pressure of Carl's killing intent, he started dodging more smoothly. His movements became sharper, his reactions faster.
However, whenever Carl suppressed his killing intent for a moment, Zoro would hesitate and get slashed. Still, he gritted his teeth and endured it without a word. A true tough guy.
After two grueling hours, Zoro finally collapsed to the deck, completely drained. He couldn't move a single muscle.
For two hours, he had been trapped in what felt like hell. The relentless pressure of Carl's killing intent was unbearable—but his fighting spirit remained unshaken.
More importantly, his instincts had noticeably sharpened in a short amount of time.
Watching Luffy and Carl's incredible strength, Zoro refused to fall behind.
Relentless Training
After eating, Zoro didn't even hesitate—he immediately asked Carl for more training.
Carl, of course, was more than happy to oblige. He took great pleasure in pushing his disciples to their limits.
Fast forward three days.
Through relentless, high-intensity training, Zoro had refined his senses significantly. Though he hadn't fully awakened Observation Haki yet, he was beginning to touch its barrier.
But that was expected.
No matter how much of a monster Zoro was, mastering Observation Haki in just three days would be impossible.
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