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Having made up his mind, Philok decided to take advantage of his speed to engage Atlas in close combat!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Philok launched a series of rapid attacks against Atlas, quickly leaving several wounds on him.
But just as quickly, those wounds faded into nothing more than faint white marks. At this point, Atlas's body was still slightly slower than Philok's in his human-beast hybrid form.
"Kehahaha! Scared now, you little Marine brat?" Philok laughed arrogantly, trying to shake Atlas's confidence.
Atlas didn't respond. He focused on sensing the battlefield, immersing himself deeper into the insights he'd gained while using his perception in combat.
His understanding of Observation Haki was growing rapidly.
He didn't know much about the three forms of Haki—he only knew that Haki was an extension of one's spiritual will.
Armament Haki required an inhumanly powerful body to awaken from within.
Observation Haki, on the other hand, depended more on natural talent and didn't place strict demands on the body.
From all indications, Atlas had that talent.
Conqueror's Haki was the most mysterious of them all—said to appear only in one in a million people. It was far rarer than the other two forms.
Atlas could feel that his Observation Haki was on the verge of awakening. He was just one step away.
Right now, Philok was the perfect training partner. Normally, in the East Blue, Atlas would never have had such an opportunity to awaken Haki—strong pirates who posed an actual threat were few and far between.
But now, after eating that Zoan-type Devil Fruit, Philok's strength had jumped to roughly that of a 30 to 40 million berry bounty level. While he was still overall weaker than Atlas, the fruit's traits gave him a clear edge in speed.
Atlas's gaze burned with excitement. Who would've thought that avenging his former self would come with such a reward? Perhaps good deeds were repaid after all.
Philok shivered slightly under Atlas's intense stare. He shook his head, trying to shake off the discomfort, and then, with a twisted grin, lunged at Atlas again—fangs bared, claws out.
Atlas continued to respond calmly using his sensory awareness. Yes… This is it! Faster! Come on—go even faster! Atlas's heart raced with anticipation.
Suddenly, a flash of red streaked across his vision. Then, it felt as if the dark shell around his sensory world had cracked open like an egg, ushering in the light of dawn.
Every one of Philok's attacks slowed in his mind, each movement now crisp and detailed, as if playing in slow motion.
Observation Haki—awakened!
Atlas grinned widely. "Hahahahaha! I'm done playing with you!"
"Hmph! Arrogant brat," Philok sneered. He figured Atlas had finally lost his mind from being beaten so badly.
Though… he couldn't shake the odd feeling of being completely read. His thoughts were cut short by a massive fist slamming into his face.
What?! Philok was stunned. When did Atlas get so fast?!
"Damn right! Nothing's more manly than a good, solid punch to the face!" Atlas roared.
He didn't bother explaining anything. Tossing aside the Marine-issued straight blade, he flexed his massive, callused fists—his knuckles like iron, his eyes briefly glowing crimson.
Observation Haki—fully activated!
With ease, he dodged Philok's claw swipe, then launched a flurry of brutal punches. In a flash, he shattered Philok's skull—blood and brain matter sprayed everywhere.
Atlas, guided by his Haki, weaved through the gore without a speck landing on him.
Philok died without understanding what had happened. Just moments ago, they had seemed evenly matched—and now he'd been completely overwhelmed.
But it wasn't hard to explain. Atlas had always been physically stronger than Philok.
The only thing holding him back had been speed, and he had been deliberately suppressing his strength to trigger the awakening of his Observation Haki.
Now, with Philok dealt with, Atlas looked around to see if anyone else had survived. But then, suddenly, something unexpected happened.
A massive dark figure burst from the ship's cabin, leapt high into the air, and landed squarely on a small boat drifting nearby.
The figure began rowing frantically, his arms pumping like engines. Atlas was dumbfounded. That was Jim—the first mate of the Philok Pirates!
This guy had been playing dead the whole time! As soon as he saw Philok get obliterated, he bolted without hesitation.
He might have seemed like a fool most of the time, but he wasn't stupid.
Philok would've never imagined that the crewmate he looked down on the most had such cunning.
Atlas wasn't about to let Jim escape. If the memories of his former self were right, it had been Jim who murdered Kanos Atlas's parents.
Fueled by vengeance, Atlas jumped into the helm, intending to give chase—only to realize something awkward…
He didn't know how to sail a boat. In desperation, he dove straight into the sea. Luckily, he still had plenty of stamina left.
"Damn that brat!" Jim cursed yet again, wondering how Atlas could have so much endurance.
He prayed for a Sea King to rise from the depths and eat Atlas whole—then poop him out!
Time passed. The distance between them steadily shrank. Eventually, after relentless pursuit, Jim snapped. He tried begging for mercy, hoping to delay the inevitable.
But Atlas didn't believe a word. Bursting from the water like a demon, he threw a punch with the force of a cannonball.
Jim raised his oar to block—pointless.
The massive fist smashed through it instantly, splinters flying. With a dull bang, Jim collapsed onto the deck, dead on the spot.
Atlas stood tall on the bow, kicked Jim's corpse into the sea, and let the fish handle the rest.
....
"Gurgle~ gurgle~"
As the sun set, its crimson rays bathed the calm sea. A lone boat drifted aimlessly.
Onboard lay a young man in a tattered Marine uniform. His muscular body gleamed, his handsome yet rugged face etched with a hint of helplessness.
It was Atlas—the same boy who had just hunted down the pirates.
He hadn't expected this outcome. During the fight, he'd accidentally destroyed the oar.
Now, he was stuck drifting, and there were no supplies on board. Hunger crept in.
Worse, he was lost.
In the heat of pursuit, he hadn't paid attention to direction. Now he'd ended up in unfamiliar waters.
Out at sea with no landmarks, even the best sense of direction was useless.
Eventually, hunger overwhelmed him. He dove into the sea, caught a small Sea King, and—lacking fire-starting tools—ate it raw.
Surprisingly, it wasn't bad. Maybe due to this world's unique geography or climate, the meat lacked the usual fishy smell and practically melted in his mouth.
As for parasites? Even if the Sea King had them, Atlas's monstrous physique didn't care.
In fact, after killing Jim, Atlas discovered something incredible: the Horse Talisman had vanished from his mind.
That meant he had fully absorbed its power—it had become part of his natural body!
It didn't boost his combat power drastically right away, but it significantly raised his physical potential.
Previously, even with training, his growth would've likely capped at the level of an average Headquarters Vice Admiral.
But now, with the Horse Talisman, his talent ranked among monsters!
The so-called "Monster Vice Admirals" in the Marines had all grown strong through relentless training. Atlas was now on that same path.
One of the most immediate benefits was that he had instinctively learned Life Return, turning it into an innate skill. He could now extract and fully utilize energy from food at all times.
His physical durability still couldn't match Big Mom's iron balloon body, but it was a solid foundation for future growth.
The Horse Talisman's power had been close to fully absorbed before, but something had been holding it back.
Atlas figured it was because he had been an outsider in this world. There had been a lingering incompatibility with the body.
But after avenging the original Kanos Atlas, that lingering obsession vanished. He now had full control over his body.
Once he'd eaten and regained some energy, Atlas activated his newly awakened Observation Haki.
Nice. The range is about 5,000 meters for now. Not bad at all! Satisfied, Atlas dozed off with a contented smile. The battles of the day had left him exhausted.
The next morning…
Atlas woke early and checked the horizon—still no islands in sight.
With nothing better to do, he jumped into the sea and swam, dragging the boat behind him like a toy.
Day after day, his routine was the same—spacing out occasionally, using Observation Haki to scan for passing ships, diving into the sea to catch fish when hungry.
But despite his efforts, nothing changed for days. Atlas was on the verge of going crazy.
Another boring day. After finishing my usual swim and stamina training, I used Observation Haki again to scan for any ships nearby.
Maybe it's because I've been using it so often lately, but I think the range of my Observation Haki has expanded slightly.
Well, whatever. I'm hungry. Time to catch some fish and eat.
Ugh… Still no ships in sight today. Just the thought of eating fish makes me want to throw up, especially raw fish. I don't think I'll ever want to eat fish again after this.
The weather today is as good as ever, but my mood is anything but pleasant. Damn it, even a pirate ship would be fine at this point! I'm so bored I could die.
Out of sheer frustration, I, Atlas, finally started keeping a mental journal on my sixth day adrift—something to keep me from losing my mind before bed each night.
And then—finally! On the tenth day of eating raw fish, a ship appeared within my line of sight! A Marine warship… and not just any ship—it was the Dog-Head Warship!
The moment I saw it clearly, I froze in disbelief… and then immediately got excited.
That's Vice Admiral Garp's flagship—the ship of the Marine Hero himself! But wait… Luffy shouldn't even be born yet. What's Garp doing in the East Blue?
"Hey! Is anyone there?! Help—HELP—ME!!" I cupped my hands around my mouth and shouted at the ship.
It looked like someone on board heard me, because the ship slowly turned and began heading in my direction.
—A Few Minutes Later—
On the wide deck of the Dog-Head Warship, a towering middle-aged man with jet-black hair and a white Justice coat stood grinning broadly.
His massive muscles strained against his Marine uniform, and he shouted proudly into a Den Den Mushi:
"Bwahahahaha! Sengoku! I've got all your senbei right here!"
"Ugh! Damn it, Garp!... Never mind. Just remember to come back after your break. We still need you in the New World."
The Den Den Mushi, wearing toad-shaped glasses, mimicked Sengoku's exasperated voice perfectly.
"Yeah, yeah, I got it," Garp said nonchalantly, picking his nose without a care in the world. Then, before Sengoku could say anything else—click!—he hung up.
I had already boarded the ship by that point, but stayed quietly to the side, not daring to interrupt these two Marine legends.
"You over there, brat! Bwahahaha! Your name's Atlas, right?" After finishing the call, Garp finally turned his attention toward me.
I didn't know how he knew my name, but I nodded obediently.
"I passed through Loguetown recently. That little brat Randel asked me to look for a missing Marine. Didn't think I'd run into you out here."
"You sure look like a mess, Atlas! Bwahahahaha!" Garp seemed to notice my confusion and offered a quick explanation.
Hearing that, I felt a little embarrassed. I had thought it would be a simple mission, but who would've guessed things would spiral so far out of control?
The base probably already thinks I'm dead by now… "Bogard, take the brat below," Garp said, glancing toward his ever-calm aide.
And then—just like that—he tilted his head back and instantly fell asleep. Asleep!
Even though I'd mentally prepared myself for Garp's unpredictability, seeing it up close still caught me off guard.
Bogard, on the other hand, didn't even flinch. Used to this kind of thing, he gestured silently for me to follow and led me into the ship.
At last… I soaked in a long, hot bath, then went to the dining hall and devoured enough food for fifteen men. Only then did I finally start to feel alive again.
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