"That's good then."
Hearing no dissatisfaction in Tanaka's voice, Rosinante breathed a sigh of relief.
Back then, he had confidently promised to help Tanaka obtain training methods for all three types of Haki, but in the end, he had only brought back Armament Haki and Observation Haki.
He understood well that Conqueror's Haki could not be improved through training, but its techniques could be developed through practice.
Specifically, Conqueror's Haki infusion.
If Armament Haki and Observation Haki were the basic requirements to survive in the New World, then Conqueror's Haki infusion was the mark of a top-tier powerhouse.
Anyone capable of using Conqueror's Haki infusion was either a high-ranking pirate of Yonko caliber or a Marine at the level of an Admiral like Garp.
Because of this, the training method for Conqueror's Haki infusion was strictly guarded by the Marine Headquarters and the World Government, never to be easily leaked.
Unlike Armament and Observation Haki, which were so common in the New World that even a mere Marine soldier in a branch could use them.
There was simply no need to restrict access. That was why Rosinante felt guilty.
"Tanaka, since you're on Minion Island, stay there and wait for me. If I set out today, I should arrive in about a month."
Rosinante felt deep guilt for failing to fully keep his promise. Driven by his strong sense of responsibility, he wanted to deliver the Haki training methods to Tanaka as soon as possible.
"Alright." Tanaka agreed without hesitation.
When he had wiped out the pirate crew led by Barrels, he had not only intercepted the Op-Op Fruit but had also taken possession of their pirate ship, which was now hidden in a sea area connected to Minion Island.
Setting sail within the North Blue wouldn't be a problem, but traveling to the Grand Line was another story.
The ship itself was not the issue. The problem was that he had no knowledge of navigation and lacked a Log Pose.
Unless he was as powerful as Dracule Mihawk, wielding Yoru to cut through mountains and seas, needing only a standard Log Pose or an Eternal Pose to traverse the world.
Otherwise, with his current resources, reaching the Grand Line would be extremely dangerous.
At this moment, Rosinante's offer to deliver the training methods in person would save him a great deal of trouble and unnecessary effort.
"Then it's settled. Wait for my good news." With that, Rosinante was about to hang up the call, but Tanaka quickly stopped him.
"Wait, Rosinante. I want to learn a technique called Life Return. Do you have any leads on that?"
Although he had saved Rosinante multiple times, Tanaka had no intention of demanding repayment. He simply wanted to leverage Rosinante's connections within the Marines.
"Life Return? If it were the Rokushiki techniques, that would be easier."
"Even though the Rokushiki is a signature martial art style of Cipher Pol, many Marine officers have mastered at least one or two of its techniques. But Life Return—that's a bit trickier."
Rosinante had been dwelling on his failure to completely fulfill his promise, so when Tanaka asked him for help, he was not only willing but actually happy to oblige. He immediately began analyzing the situation for him:
"As far as I know, it is not officially listed as one of the Rokushiki techniques, but it is an advanced ability that only true masters of Rokushiki can comprehend."
"In other words, not every Rokushiki user can utilize Life Return, but anyone who can use Life Return is definitely a master of Rokushiki."
"In Marine Headquarters, there are only a few people I know of who have mastered all six forms of Rokushiki and also possess Life Return."
"Dalmatian, Onigumo, and Instructor Zephyr."
"As for others, like the Three Admirals and Vice Admiral Garp, I recall hearing from Sengoku that they don't think much of Rokushiki. Compared to Haki, they find it somewhat underwhelming."
He laid out everything he knew.
After all, this wasn't classified information, and since Tanaka wasn't a pirate, Rosinante had no concerns about sharing it.
Upon hearing this, Tanaka didn't think the Three Admirals and Garp were being arrogant. If he were as powerful as they were, he too would consider Rokushiki to be unimpressive.
But the problem was—he wasn't.
At least, not yet. He was only eight years old, nowhere near the level of the Three Admirals.
For him right now, Life Return was even more important than Haki. After all, Life Return directly affected his body's development and the refinement of his chakra.
"Zephyr, huh?"
Tanaka automatically filtered out Dalmatian and Onigumo, focusing his attention on Zephyr instead.
He quickly ran through the timeline in his head and made a decision.
"Rosinante, can you set up a meeting for me?" Tanaka asked through the Den Den Mushi.
"Instructor Zephyr?" Rosinante asked for confirmation.
"Yes. You don't need to do much—just pass a message to him for me."
"Tell him I have intel concerning the lives of his entire class, and also—I can cure his asthma."
Based on the timeline, Tanaka was fairly certain that Zephyr hadn't yet lost his right arm to Edward Weevil.
"No problem, I'll deliver the message. But Tanaka, whether or not he is willing to teach you Life Return—that's not something I can guarantee."
"Even though he stepped down from the Admiral position years ago, his influence in the Marines is no less than that of a current Admiral."
Rosinante agreed immediately without hesitation.
"I understand."
Tanaka caught the implication in Rosinante's words. Unless Zephyr willingly agreed, no one in Marine Headquarters could force him to do anything.
Of course, if Zephyr had already left the Marines, that would be a different matter.
"As long as you get it. In any case, wait for my news. No matter what answer Zephyr gives, I'll be at Minion Island in 30 days."
Rosinante didn't make any guarantees, but he had already decided to do everything he could to convince Zephyr.
If all else failed, he could still rely on Sengoku to persuade Zephyr. And if even that didn't work, then there was nothing more he could do.
Having Sengoku step in was already the limit of his influence.
"Alright." Tanaka nodded.
In his plans, Zephyr was the best option, but not the only option. If the deal with him worked out, great. If not, it didn't matter.
He'd simply find another way.
"Stay safe. Doflamingo is still looking for you."
After warning Tanaka to be wary of the Donquixote Family, Rosinante ended the call.
Then, without wasting a second, he pulled out another Den Den Mushi from his pocket, and dialed the number of Sengoku.