章 22: Chapter 22: The Greatest Treasure in the Pirate World

Chiba led Hina back to the laboratory, where he handed her a magical Breakthrough Pill. He then shared with her the cultivation technique of the Nine Turns Wuji Xiantian Gong.

As the effects of the Breakthrough Pill took hold, countless revelations flooded Hina's mind, solving challenges that had puzzled her for years. Under the influence of this powerful and mysterious force, she quickly grasped the first stage of the Nine Turns Wuji Xiantian Gong, absorbing the natural energies around her and transforming them into her own innate qi.

At the same time, she sensed a shift in her body: the second layer of the Giant Elephant's Prison-Suppressing Strength began to loosen. A mysterious force triggered the evolution of particles within her, transforming them into the structure of a giant elephant's essence.

Seeing her progress, Chiba provided Hina with ten Foundation Building Pills. These pills were too potent to be taken whole, so he carefully cut each one into ten parts, allowing her to consume them incrementally.

As she ingested the portions of the pill, millions of particles within her body evolved into the Mammoth Essence. By noon, Hina had stabilized her practice of the Xiantian Gong, fully mastering the transformation of the giant elephant essence. Tens of millions of particles within her continued to absorb energy, successfully evolving into a greater and more powerful form.

The training brought a profound improvement to Hina's strength, surpassing where she had been that morning. She opened her eyes, glancing over at Chiba as he worked at his desk, her gaze softening with affection.

The Breakthrough Pill, Nine Turns Wuji Xiantian Gong, and Foundation Building Pills were treasures beyond measure, things no amount of wealth could buy—yet Chiba had selflessly shared them with her. The depth of his care felt as immense as mountains and as boundless as the sea.

Sitting beside him, Hina couldn't help but watch Chiba's handsome, focused profile, a silly smile forming at the corner of her lips.

Meanwhile, Chiba was organizing his resources, condensing the potency of the Foundation Building Pill into a Body-Forging Pill, reducing its effects by over tenfold. The Divine-Grade Boundary Pill was similarly refined, becoming a Forging Body Breaking Pill. Now, its power would only work on those at the Forging Body level and was less than a tenth of the original pill's potency, with strong resistance to repeated use. With each dose, its effectiveness would halve, becoming almost negligible by the third use.

With these two altered elixirs ready, Chiba prepared to present them to Sengoku with a proposal.

Just then, two young Marines knocked at the door and saluted.

The Marine on the left had a youthful, pink-haired face, round and somewhat boyish, with glasses resting on his forehead. He stood at attention but couldn't quite meet Chiba's gaze, a mix of nervousness evident in his stance. The other Marine, older with a ponytail and futuristic sunglasses, wore two swords at his waist and was equally tense. These two were Koby and Helmeppo.

"Relax; there's no need to be so stiff. Have a seat," Chiba said, pointing to the chairs beside him with a slight smile.

Koby and Helmeppo exchanged nervous glances, hesitant to sit.

Both had been brought to Marine Headquarters by Garp. Koby was driven by a deep desire to become a Marine Admiral, while Helmeppo, who had initially lacked such conviction, was inspired by Koby's dedication. Seeing Koby save him and work tirelessly toward his goal, Helmeppo became determined to help him fulfill that dream.

During their time at Marine Headquarters, the two had juggled menial tasks by day and intense training by night, all with the aim of someday rising to the rank of Admiral.

"Do I have to move the chairs myself?" Chiba asked, chuckling at their hesitation.

The two sat down immediately, but their bodies remained tense.

Noticing their unease, Chiba softened his tone. "If there's something you want to say, just say it. I have a meeting with the Marshal shortly."

Koby nudged Helmeppo, who gave him an encouraging look. Taking a deep breath, Koby stood up abruptly and spoke in a rush.

"Vice Admiral Chiba, Helmeppo and I were overjoyed and honored to learn you'd allow us to join your team," he began, his words tumbling out in a mix of excitement and nervousness.

"Vice Admiral Chiba, you're considered one of the most talented figures of this generation in the Marines. The Haki training methods, body cultivation techniques, and the Foundation Building Pills you've developed could shape an entire era."

"Many of the Headquarters' colonels and Rear Admirals are eager to join your team. We were thrilled but also deeply anxious. We… we don't understand why you'd be interested in us."

Hearing this, Chiba's expression turned serious.

The reason he'd chosen them was their promising potential. But saying that outright might make them overconfident. Instead, he intended to motivate and ground them.

"Since you're curious, I'll tell you why I accepted each of you," he began gravely. "Helmeppo, you're here because of your father's connection to Garp. Though he made mistakes, Garp has forgiven him and brought you into the fold. This makes you part of our family."

"As for Koby, Garp saw a unique strength in you—your courage to risk your life for a friend. He values that deeply, which is why he asked me to take you in."

He paused, letting his words sink in.

"However," Chiba continued, "Garp and I have an understanding. If you two can't reach the level of Rear Admiral within a year, I'll have no choice but to remove you from my team."

Koby and Helmeppo both gasped in shock.

"Reach Rear Admiral level in a year?" they exclaimed in unison.

"How is that even possible?"