The sea salt wind buffeted the air as Solian and his crew stood on their ship, watching the smoldering wrecks of the Crimson Reaver armada recede into the sea. The battle had been brutal, pushing them all to the breaking point. But they had won.
They needed to make their escape now, though.
The far-off boom of cannons was the sound that announced the incoming Marine fleet. The world government never let pass a battle of this magnitude, and once they learned Dagon and his men had been exterminated, they would descend on the scene in droves like sharks into waters filled with bloody water.
Solian exhaled, pushing his exhaustion down. His crew wasn't at their best either—Drayce's cloak was in shreds, Kael had a wound on his arm, Vance was getting bruises everywhere, Jorin looked like he needed to sleep for a week, and even Solian himself had burn marks on his arms. That fight had been too close.
But it was worth it.
Because the second Solian opened his system screen, a glowing notification awaited him.
[System Notification]
Defeated a Pirate Captain with a bounty of more than 80 million berries!
Bonus: First win against a large pirate crew!
Reward: 1x Green Summoning Ticket
Solian's eyes widened. At last.
The summoning system had been locked away for so long, but now it was active again. His heart racing, he watched as a small, glowing green ticket materialized in his hand.
It was time to put it to the test.
Summoning Ticket Ranks:
Green → Calls a strong, well-disciplined warrior, but nothing spectacular.
Blue → Calls warriors above the average elite rank.
Purple → Calls high-tier fighters, unusually talented or with special abilities.
Gold → Refers to a legendary combatant, one who turns the fortunes of war.
"Captain?" Jorin inquired, raising his brow. "What is this?"
Solian grinned. "Something useful."
The men closed in, befuddled as Solian applied his fingers to the ticket. An eye-scorching green light exploded from his hand and launched a spinning vortex into the air. The light blinked, kicking out blasts of air that whipped across the deck.
Then—BOOM!
A body dropped onto the wooden planks, dropping into a crouch low to the ground, his fists planted deep in the dirt. Bushy eyebrows. Green jumpsuit. Bandages around his hands.
Rock Lee.
The First Moments
The young ninja rubbed his eyes, scanning around in wide eyes. His pointed black eyes darted from face to face, then out to the vast ocean receding outward past the ship.
Then he stood up, placing his fists on his hips.
"This. this isn't the Hidden Leaf Village!"
A grin twitched at Solian's lips. "That's why it isn't. Welcome to the Grand Line."
Lee turned around, his sharp gaze on Solian. There was silence for a moment. And then, as if he had suddenly remembered something in his head, Rock Lee came to attention and bowed deeply.
"You are my summoner! Therefore, I shall do your bidding to the best of my capabilities!
Solian hadn't expected so much dedication so soon, but knowing Lee's character, it was not all that surprising. The fellow had always been a man of honor, duty, and driven by a strong sense of code.
Before Solian could utter a word, Rock Lee dropped into a crouch and started doing one-handed push-ups.
"Ah! A new world is a new training! I have to train twice as hard if I am to become strong here!"
The entire crew simply stood there in awestruck silence.
Jorin bent in closer to Solian, whispering, "Uh. where did you recruit this guy?"
Vance crossed his arms, watching with amusement. "Never met anyone that hungry for work."
Kael, always more somber, watched Rock Lee's movement. "He's powerful. You can tell that by the way he manages his body weight."
Solian nodded. "Yeah. Let's see how powerful."
Rock Lee's Strength in the One Piece World
Solian activated his system's comparison mode, pitting Rock Lee's stats against the One Piece world.
[Rock Lee's Comparison]
Physical Strength: Above normal human but not super. On par with a 50-million-berry pirate.
Speed: Faster than most disciplined martial artists but slower than Soru.
Endurance: Ridiculously superior. He can push his body beyond its limits.
Combat Skill: Taijutsu master, i.e., plain martial arts. No devil fruit. No weapon. Hands and feet only.
Power Increases: Already able to open up to the Third Gate and become many times stronger, but he would need training to be able to use higher gates.
Solian read over the data and whistled softly. That was good. Rock Lee wasn't as strong as him yet, but if he trained, he'd be able to fight better than 100-million-berry fighters without a problem.
"Alright, Lee. I think you'll be just fine here." Solian smiled.
Rock Lee pumped his fist up in excitement. "I shall try harder than everyone else on this crew!"
Vance chuckled. "We'll see about that."
Kael nodded approvingly. "Welcome to the crew."
Jorin nodded. "Just don't break the ship doing push-ups."
Lee nodded resolutely, his eyes blazing with fire. "Then let us train! If I can't beat a pirate worth 50 million berries by sunset, I'll do 10,000 push-ups as punishment!"
Solian laughed. This was going to be fun.
With Rock Lee on board now, things were about to get even crazier.