Before them stretched the ocean, infinite and blue, its waves a dark color that reflected the gold of the late afternoon sun. The Solar Rift Pirates had finally gotten their Log Pose, the key to navigating the Grand Line, and were now sailing toward their next adventure.
But after their brutal battle with Kordak and Ragnor, their journey had temporarily stopped.
Solian stood at the bow of the ship, letting the sea breeze soothe his still-sore body. He was stronger, faster, and more sensitive—the battle had pushed him beyond his limits, and the System had rewarded him for it.
He pulled up his status screen.
Solian Flare's Status
Devil Fruit Mastery: 43%
Devil Fruit Points: 26
Constitution: 18
Strength: 14
Agility: 20 (+5)
Endurance: 16
Haki: 10 (New)
System Points: 0
Solian sighed.
The battle had netted him 15 System Points, and after some thought, he'd spent 10 on Haki—a thing he'd been in desperate need of after experiencing Elric's overwhelming presence. The remaining 5 points had been put into Agility, bringing him to new levels.
Now, however, it was time to train.
Training Begins
"Alright, crew!" Solian spun around, facing his friends. "We've got downtime before we enter the Grand Line. That means training."
Vance cracked his knuckles, grinning. "About time. I need to get stronger if we're going to be fighting monsters like Kordak again."
Kael sighed, pushing his glasses up. "I was hoping for some real rest, but fine."
Jorin smirked. "We all saw how crazy those guys were. If we don't get stronger, we're dead meat."
Solian nodded. "Exactly. I'll be training my Haki and developing my Devil Fruit abilities. Vance, you train to get stronger and faster with your sword combat. Kael, you need to train your accuracy and reflexes. Jorin, you're already skilled, but we need to practice teamwork coordination."
The crew split up, each of them beginning their own regimen.
Solian's Training: Awakening Haki
Solian stood in the center of the deck, closing his eyes. He focused inward, trying to sense something outside his body.
He remembered the strange feeling during combat—when Kordak came at him, and for a brief second, Solian felt the attack before it had even come.
"That had to've been Observation Haki," he told himself.
He needed to tap into it again.
He commanded Vance to hit him at random, forcing him to defend himself without using his eyes.
At first—
WHAM!
—a gut punch doubled him over.
"Not fast enough," Vance jeered.
Solian gritted his teeth and would not give up.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Hours passed, and slowly but surely, he began to sense movements a fraction of a second before they happened. It was not perfect, but it was progress.
Nightfall: The Crew Reflects
As the sun dipped below the horizon, the Solar Rift Pirates huddled around a small deck fire, exhausted but satisfied with their spoils.
Solian clenched his fist.
"This is only the beginning," he said. "We're getting stronger. But the Grand Line will have even bigger monsters waiting for us."
Vance smiled. "Good. I wouldn't have it any other way."
Kael shook his head. "You people are insane."
Jorin chuckled. "That's what makes us a crew."
Solian smiled, watching the flames dance. He could feel it—
He was drawing nearer to his true power.
And soon, the world would take notice.