034 Pakas, Unintentional Nurturing

Night fell quietly, with only the crescent moon high above casting its silvery light. All of Marineford was ablaze with illumination, and the streets teemed with people.

At the Navy Headquarters, near the inner district, a luxurious three-story villa had welcomed its new master. Twisting the key, Xuan Ye pushed open the door and stepped into the hall, his eyes roaming with satisfaction over the surroundings.

“A high-class villa truly lives up to its name; every facility is complete. One could move in and live here immediately—quite impressive.”

“Vice Admiral, where should I place these things?” A young soldier, perhaps seventeen, cradled Xuan Ye’s rewards, his expression vividly excited.

“Thank you. Just leave them here.” Standing in the living room, Xuan Ye’s tone was gentle.

“It’s no trouble at all, Vice Admiral. I feel honored to be able to help you.” The boy hurriedly set down the items, waving his hand nervously, somewhat shy.

“Ha, there’s no need to be nervous. In any case, thank you. Here, take this money.” Xuan Ye shook his head, pulling a few bills from the reward money and placing them in the boy’s hand.

“No... no... I’m just helping the Vice Admiral carry things. I did it willingly; I can’t accept this money.” The boy grew anxious, shaking his head fiercely, his resolve unwavering.

“What’s your name?” Xuan Ye regarded the bashful young soldier with warmth.

“You may call me Pakas, Vice Admiral. I have no family name; I’m an orphan. I only joined the Navy last year.” The boy bowed his head, a hint of sorrow clouding his expression.

“Pakas? That’s a fine name.” Xuan Ye nodded, sensing the sadness in the boy’s eyes and sighed inwardly—kindred spirits, indeed. He himself had been an orphan in his past life.

“Pakas, do you want to become stronger?”

Without thinking, Xuan Ye blurted out the question.

“I do! I want to stand tall like the Vice Admiral. I watched your battle and it was... truly incredible. I don’t want to be bullied anymore, so I want to get stronger. But...” The boy’s face brimmed with longing, looking at Xuan Ye with deep admiration. Yet as he spoke, his voice grew softer until he bowed his head in self-doubt.

“If you want to become stronger, can you endure any hardship?” An idea flashed through Xuan Ye’s mind.

“Yes, I’m not afraid. It’s just... I don’t know how to train.”

“In that case, I’ll give you a chance. In one month, I’ll be setting out to sea. If in that time you can meet my requirements, then you’ll become one of my subordinates. Today, I received three Devil Fruits as a reward. If you prove yourself capable, I wouldn’t mind giving you one.”

Thunderstruck, the boy stood dazed for a moment before his face lit up with excitement. Stammering, he exclaimed, “Really? Thank you, Vice Admiral. I... I...”

“Enough. Listen carefully, I’ll only say this once.” Xuan Ye understood the boy’s feelings—just as he had felt when Zephyr first noticed him.

“Yes, sir.” The boy suppressed his excitement.

“When you return, follow my training regimen. First, focus on building your physical strength. Remember, no one will supervise you; all depends on yourself. If you fail to meet my requirements in a month, you’ll remain a junior soldier forever. Opportunities are always reserved for those who prepare.

“Day one: 500 push-ups, 200 frog jumps...” Every instruction was drawn from Xuan Ye’s own training, though the numbers were much reduced.

By the time he finished, ten minutes had passed and the boy had already departed. The outcome would be revealed in a month.

As for why he chose to mentor this youth, Xuan Ye couldn’t say. It was little more than a few words; if the boy had potential, Xuan Ye wouldn’t mind lending a hand. After all, connections could be important—especially since Xuan Ye planned to leave the Navy someday.

With the boy’s departure, the house grew quiet once more.

Now, Xuan Ye finally had the chance to inspect his spoils of war.

The first thing he saw was a large sword. Unfortunately, Xuan Ye had no use for it. Though swordsmen were famous for their immense attack power, he had no desire to pursue that path.

His training had always focused on three areas. First: martial arts—techniques like Soru, Shigan, and Moonwalk. Second: Devil Fruits. Xuan Ye firmly believed that with proper development, his Devil Fruit would be unmatched. Third: Haki, an indispensable power. At times, it even surpassed Devil Fruits in importance, for Haki was rooted in physical strength, and Devil Fruits depended on it as well. Thus, no matter what, strengthening his body and building his foundation remained his top priority.

So, the sword would go to someone who needed it; selling it never crossed his mind.

Next was the money, which he ignored. That left the three priceless Devil Fruits in the box.

One was of the Paramecia type, two of the Zoan type, none particularly powerful.

Picking up the Paramecia fruit, Xuan Ye read the description beside it, his eyes lighting up. He hadn’t expected this Devil Fruit to be so formidable.

The Heavy-Heavy Fruit, as its name implied, allowed its user to increase the weight of themselves or any object they touched. Imagine, if developed to its peak, a single finger could weigh millions of pounds—brushing against an enemy would injure them, touching them would break bones. How terrifying would that be?

Any force, under absolute gravity, becomes negligible. If someone annoyed him, a single slap could crush them. Just thinking of it made Xuan Ye's eyes gleam.

Powerful—so powerful, it was monstrous. Yet, such strength was as hard to develop as climbing to the heavens. No matter how heavy, the limit was set by the user’s own endurance.

In other words, if the user could only withstand a thousand pounds of gravity, that would be their maximum. It all depended on the individual. If someone with exceptional physical strength developed this Devil Fruit, hundreds of thousands, even millions of pounds would not be a dream.

“There must be a Gravity Fruit somewhere in this world. This must be a lesser version of it—not bad, at least it isn’t useless.”

Setting aside the Paramecia Devil Fruit, Xuan Ye turned to the other two Zoan types.

Unfortunately, after reading their descriptions, he wrinkled his nose in disdain. One was the Rat Fruit, the other the Rabbit Fruit—both utterly common. With a glance, Xuan Ye lost interest.

He thought, perhaps he’d sell them when he had the chance.

Of the three Devil Fruits, only the Paramecia type was truly worthwhile.

Stretching, Xuan Ye decided to take a bath, then mooch a meal from his master, and get a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow, he’d select his subordinates—one thousand, no small number.

Once chosen, he’d train them for a month, then set out to sea, accumulate military merit, and rise swiftly to Rear Admiral. He hadn’t forgotten what the Five Elders had promised: once promoted, he could access the World Government’s intelligence network.

Note, the World Government’s network—not the Navy’s. The Navy’s intelligence always served the government, but the government’s network was a separate department. That meant more information, more completeness.

Just thinking of it made him tremble with excitement. He finally had the strength to venture out to sea, which meant getting closer to his sister.

“Xixi, wait for me. Give me time, and I will surely find you.”

Drawing a deep breath, Xuan Ye’s eyes shone, brimming with boundless motivation.