It has been a long morning as today I had to fight against a pack of great wolves. Each one of them was thrice my size and their speed and strength were little below my own, so I couldn't relax for even a second or they might make me regret it. I was able to beat up all of the grown wolves without killing them so that I can, slowly, turn them into my training partners and perhaps, even tame them. I am sick of training by myself, and these wolves seem to be the strongest creatures on this island, so I might as well make use of them. I still remember, one year ago, I had trouble fighting one of the weakest wolves, as I had to go all out to barely defeat it.
It was the first time I went camping and I was lucky enough to return alive. The only knowledge of survival I had was what I learned from reading books. It was all theoretical and that was the first time I put those ideas to a test. In my previous life, I wasn't a hunter, nor did I spent my free time camping, so I had to learn everything from scratch. But even if I did have some experience, I would still have to ignore a lot of that past knowledge as there are a lot of more hardships and dangers in this world. Not only are there more dangerous animals, but they are also bigger and much more deadly. Take the wolf I encountered as an example. He was probably the weakest grown wolf on the whole forest but, even so, he was probably much stronger than any wolf in my former world.
This shows the deadliness of the One Piece world. Even that relatively weak wolf almost killed me. I am still a child, but I already had pretty decent fighting skills. Or at least I thought so. I have improved so much that, now, I can single handedly take on the whole pack of wolfs but, not even one year ago, a single one of them would mean certain death to me. I could tell, the me from back then stood no chance against the wolf I first found, not the weak one I fought but the bigger one. Now, I can even restrict my strength to avoid killing them. The next step is to tame them and, after that is fully done, try to make them stronger. I do need companions, after all. Right now, I only have the wolfs that still need to be tamed and a young prospect.
About one year ago, a child started following me. I later found out he was the son of one of the maids and that he wanted to train with me. I got him a bicycle to follow me and even thought him some techniques. I wasn't really considering training with anyone as they would just be hindrances to my growth, but this kid seems so excited with the idea of growing stronger that I have to help him. And he seems pretty talented as well. Perhaps in 2 to 3 years he can even spar with me.
I have already done most of my morning exercises, so now it's time to do my last sprint, go take a relaxing bath and get ready for lunch. However, just as I get close enough to see my house, I notice a big golden carriage pulled by four extremely muscular and beautiful horses. After that, I realize that there seems to be someone at the front door. As I get closer, the figure becomes clearer. He seems to be an old noble man.
He has long smooth whitish pink hair, a well taken care of beard and a big, curved mustache. Anyone could tell that, even though his hair has lost some of its youthful fragrance and color, the old man was in great shape for his age with visible strong muscles and few wrinkles over his body. Even his skin still seemed smooth, much similar to a younger fellow. The only reason you could tell his age had caught up was that he had a couple of wrinkles under his eyes and his fists were filled with experience. I could tell that he was a fighter without even analyzing him with my haki. He was wearing indigo blue pants with a light grey vest, a silver tie and a black shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He had what seemed to be an indigo blue jacket folded on top of his shoulder, probably the final part of his suit. The tie and vest seemed to be made of real silver, the shoes were definitely made with some poor crocodile's leather and, even though I couldn't see all of it, the buttons on the suit seemed to be made of pure gold. He probably wanted to look even better but the weather in this village is so hot that it made him take his jacket off and roll up his sleeves, ruining a bit of his style. Even so, these clothes, his golden carriage and even his vibes indicate that he should be of a strong noble house.
As I am about to arrive, he turns around with a look of excitement. A look you could only see in a child's eyes on a Christmas morning. He looked so happy.
Just looking at his hapiness, I can predict that he was someone passing by the village, as I would have noticed him if he lived here, that ended up falling for my mother's beauty. This woman is probably the most beautiful being across most of these lands. One would have to travel quite a bit to find someone whose beauty comes close to hers. The only thing stopping a whole army of fans and admirers from squatting on our doorstep should be her personality. As soon as she gives you one of those terrifying looks or opens her mouth and uses that evil tongue of hers to destroy you, all of their hearts break and they immediately give up on her.
Such a happy old man… it would be a shame to see him get destroyed so ruthlessly.
Me: You better leave, old man… – I say out loud as soon as I get close enough to him – if you don't wish for …
And before I could even finish my sentence, the old man hugged me like there was no tomorrow. He hugged me like I was his long lost son, that he believed he had lost to the war and, against all expectations, he came back. He hugged me so hard that I couldn't even move. How strong was this old man?
Me: Hey! What are you doing? Who the hell are you?
I had enough strength to lift up a bunch of wolves many times my size, but I still couldn't even move when an old man hugs me?
Old man: Oh … I can't believe my eyes – wept the old man, without ever letting me go – I have waited for this day for so long. I could recognize you the moment I put my eyes on you. Even if I never met you before I can tell right away. You share my blood.
Me: Wait … what … who are you, old man?
Old man: Don't tell me … your mother never showed you a picture or a drawing of me? never told you I would eventually come get you?
Me: What do you mean? She didn't even tell me who I was… Why would she tell me about a random old man? And what do you mean come get me? Will you take me away???
Although I didn't have any great attachments to neither this land nor its people, it was a great place to live comfortably and safely until I could get strong enough to travel. The age of pirates had just begun, and it would be too dangerous to travel to an unknown place.
And just as I try my hardest to push the old man away, to little avail, mother opens the door.
Mother: What is all this noise? Didn't I tell you to keep quiet? Do you not believe the warnings I told you? You know I am not one for empty threats! – she screamed.
Old man: Kara! What do you mean threats? How dare you speak to my grandson like that? I might have treated you too well and given you too much liberty, but don't you ever dare speak to my grandson like that again!
Mother: Oh … father- she said with a surprised look on her face – I didn't even recognize you … it seems time has not been your friend… only a couple of years and you have aged so much.
Old man: Of course I have! Do you know how many headaches I've had since you left? I have been looking for you for almost five years now. All this time looking for my precious grandson. Only to find you treating him like this!
Mother: What did you expect? You forced me to marry and to carry our bloodline, even though you knew I was heavily opposed to it. I took the first chance I got to run away. You are lucky I didn't kill the kid as I did to his father.
Old man: Kara!!!
All this time I was trying to assimilate what was happening. So apparently my mother, or should I say Kara, was not exiled but chose to run away. I am actually Impressed. Spoiled as she is, not being able to do anything herself, it must have taken some courage to follow such an idea. Although, she did take a lot of maids and money with her.
Those two eventually stopped arguing. The old man came to me and bent down on one knee.
Old man: Time to take you home kid. Get your stuff together and let's go. I shall answer any questions you may have on the way.
Me: Where are we going?
Old man: To the Domain of the Gods, in Mariejois!
Me: Wait … What??? I thought only tenryūbito can live there?
Old man: Well, you are not wrong. You are part of the best celestial family. You are a Kuromura. By the way, what did your mother decide to name you?
It took me some time to properly assimilate that I was, in fact, a celestial. The very same people that used to be one of the main antagonists in One Piece … Now I am one of them. That may change a lot of what I was planning, but I still wish to travel the seas with the strongest crew. I refuse to abide by the rules. I don't care what is in my blood. Besides, my old man doesn't seem like a bad guy and I do remember a celestial saving Shirahoshi that one time, so there may be decent people among them. I look to my side and see my grandfather looking at me, still patiently waiting for my answer.
Me: Oh sorry. I was just trying to soak it all in. Mother didn't exactly name me, so I chose to go by Zeus.
Old man: Oh, that is a fine name indeed … wait, what do you mean she didn't name you? Kara!
And the two start complaining again. I finished packing and said my goodbyes to the village I had lived in for the last couple of years. The good part of not making a lot of friends here is that I wouldn't have to suffer with goodbyes. The only one I could miss was Gon, the kid that always follows me around, and both he and all the maids were coming with us. I simply gave one last look and turned around. I got on to the carriage and those two were still complaining. Guess this is my life now. Better start changing my plans right away. Even if I don't want to admit it, it would probably be much easier to train and become stronger like this. I don't know how much power my old man has, but he should be able to fulfill certain wishes of mine. And from what I was able to perceive in the short couple of hours we've been interacting, he would probably love to indulge his grandson.
We have been travelling for some time now. After we got everything sorted out, Gigi took Kara, all of our servants and I to a giant boat. I thought we would be traveling in standard marine ship, perhaps even a giant battleship but what Gigi had prepared was much more exciting. I don't know much about ships, so I had to ask Gramps about it.
Gigi: Oh, so you are interested in the ship as well? To be honest, one of the few hobbies I have is admiring ships so I made sure to get myself the best one money could buy. It's somewhat of a mix between a caravel and a galleon, as it has both the speed and maneuverability of a small boat but also the resistance and space associated to a battleship. It was made with the best materials, including the best wood, silks, metals and I was even able to decorate it with gems and precious emeralds.
Me: Wait, when you say «best wood» do you mean it was fully built with Adam Wood?
Gigi: Well, obviously! Yagagagag! But few people know about Adam Wood… you really are informed, aren't you?
When Franky was building Thousand Sunny, he had to spend about 200million just on the wood. This ship seemed much bigger than the going merry and it was fully decorated with gold, silver, emeralds and gems. How much did he spent building this ship??? It's so valuable that most pirates would try to steal it, even it that meant they would have admirals hunting them. It might be worth the risk …
I was already midway through when I realized I was still feeling perfectly fine. In my previous life I couldn't ride a ship for too long as I would start feeling seasick as soon as strong waves started to appear. Perhaps is it because the ship is so good that it somehow prevents excessive movement? Perhaps it does reduce it, but not fully as I can see that several maids and servants are having trouble containing food inside their stomachs. The most probable reason is that, in this life, I no longer suffer from that same problem. I was never sure whether nausea was more related to the body or the mind, but I guess with this new body I fixed that problem. For the last few years, I always thought I would have to suffer quite a bit until I got used to it, but I guess I don't have to worry about that anymore.
Our voyage kept advancing. I enjoyed it quite a bit and took this chance to get closer to my grandfather and learn more about the type of guy he is. It seems my initial suspicions were correct. He is indeed a "good" guy, if there is such a thing, and he also likes to make sure I get everything I want, as I am his dear grandson that should be spoiled with every opportunity he gets. That was probably the reason why Kara turned out the way she did. If you get everything you want from the moment you are born, then it's really simple to become spoiled and arrogant. That might have been the reason why she ran away: if things always go your way, the moment something bad happens, you don't know how to deal with it. And apparently the way Kara found was by having me and running away.
Gramps also told me that most of the women in our family are extremely hard to deal with. They were all unique and different but, according to him, one thing they have in common is they are all extremely hard to deal with and, eventually, most of the women in our family, do something unpredictable and crazy … like really crazy. For example, his other daughter used to be a sticker for rules, the perfect daughter in almost every aspect, except patience. She was his previous pride and joy, especially when you consider his other daughter is Kara, the troublemaker. A few years ago, she suddenly disappeared without saying a word and, once he was finally able to found her, she had gotten in love with a marine official. She rejected her family and everyone she used to know and disappeared with the marine not much after sending Gramps away. Gramps is still trying to find out were she ran away to, but they still have no leads. He doesn't even know whether she is alive or not. Gramps didn't want to get too into it because he believes I am still too young, but I understood that the story should have a bit more behind it. I could tell that his mood had gone down a bit, as he still looked very concerned with his daughter's wellbeing. I tried to change the subject and bring his mood back to what it usually was.
Me: So, Gigi, you did say that our family is supposed to be the best right?
Gramps was really happy about having a grandson, and one of the things he was excited for was receiving an affectionate nickname, so I will start addressing him as Gigi and he will call me Z.
Gigi: Yes, my dear Z. Our families are among the best, even among the celestials no one would dare to challenge us. Are you proud of your old man? Huh?
Me: hmm … ah … yes, sure. So, if I needed you to, let's say, get me some strong devil fruits would you be able to?
Gigi: Yes, obviously! Never mind one, I could get as much as you want! Anything for my treasured grandson.
Me: Yes! No going back now, right Gigi?
Gigi: Yagagagagagag! Listen to these words Z: a Kuromura never goes back on their word! Never! No matter what!
Me: Great. What if I need you to get me a group of certain people? Like If I need you to get me a bunch of talented children … Would you be able to do it?
Gigi: Surely, nowadays you can get any kind of slaves …
Me: Another thing, please don't call them slaves … I will explain my plans later on, but, for now, just call them servants. I never liked the idea of slaves and I plan to change that, at least in our household. If needed be, would you free all of your current slaves and turn them into servants?
Gigi: Hmm, interesting. Sure, that is a great idea. Our household never treated slaves poorly, so might as well make sure they are not slaves at all.
Me: thanks, Gigi, you truly are the best. One final question, if I needed you to get me someone strong from the marine to teach me, what is the best you could actually get me?
Gigi: Yagagagaga! Surely, I would get you whoever you wish, only Kong or Sengoku might be a little too hard, but except for them, even the other admirals should be possible.
Me: Oh, really? You are great Gigi!
Now I really understand how Kara turned out the way she did. This old man doesn't know how to say no.
Eventually, we arrive at Mariejois and Gigi shows me around. Except for some ugly tenryubito with their unoriginal clothing, the city was absolutely marvelous. It is really hard to describe. I had already seen it in my previous life but seeing it personally it's so much more extravagant and flamboyant. Everything looks incredibly expensive. Our previous house looked like nothing more than a simple cabin in comparison.
Me: Hey gramps, why don't you need to use the same weird clothes as those other tenryubito?
Gigi: Yagagaggaga! And who would make me wear those clothes? The only reason the tenryubito use those clothes is because they have no fashion sense and like to be recognized. The clothes I am wearing are made with silk that has the same if not better quality and I don't really care if people treat me like a celestial or not. If anyone messes with me than they will have to deal with my wrath, not because I am a tenryubito but because I am a Kuromura.
And then we arrived in front of a big garden. There was a big gate with a big black flame in the middle. Gigi took me right to it.
Gigi: And this is where we, the Kuromura, live. Hope you like it. In the whole Mariejois there is only one or two other families' territories that can rival our own, so I am sure that you will be happy here. Let's go take a look inside and let me hear what you think.
I nod. Even though I am, in truth, an adult, today I felt like an actual kid. Everything around me seems so … excessive. I don't even know how to react. I tried to push the gate open, but it barely moved. Is this even a gate or just a wall? I stopped and looked around, trying to figure out if there was some kind of mechanism to it.
Gigi: Yagagaggaga! Guess you still need to eat a bit more vegetables. Yagagagagga!
And as he made fun of me, he simply pushed the gate open … with one hand … without any kind of effort… like it was made of paper… Just how strong is this man???
I try and keep a calm look on my face, but before I could even compose myself, this old man managed to surprise me once again. Just as he opens the gate, almost one hundred guards in black suits, with the classic white shirts and black ties, bow down and welcome both of us. I immediately jumped as my heartbeat skyrockets. I definitely wasn't expecting that. He did the entire voyage with only two guards, Rakyu and Gil, but it seems he still has quite a great force under him.
Gigi: Z, welcome home. These are our guards, and they are willing to throw their life away to protect yours.
He presented me to his closest guards, the ones he calls the executives. There were about twenty of them, but they all seemed extremely talented in their own field. I could tell that some were more talented with their fists, some with their legs, some carried swords or spears with them and a couple of them gave me more of a tactician or strategist kind of vibe. They all seemed excited to meet me as they all had a look of curiosity and joy on their eyes.
He presented each and every single one to me:
Gil, a long red hair warrior that had accompanied us through the full voyage together with Mahara, a white hair woman that carried a longbow and two daggers on her back;
Mark, a 30 year old noble knight that carried around a longclaw type of sword;
Pout, a cheerful middle aged martial artist that carried around a great sword as big as him;
Journ, a classical swordsman that carried several blades on him and lived by the way of the sword (whatever that means);
Marsit, a small old man with a small chokuto sword on his waist;
Ahambi, a samurai that kept his katana stuck on his afro;
Lout, a gladiator like warrior that carried a small double edged sword;
Vorskt and Annabelle, two more Wano like samurais that carried around two katanas;
Resid, a mercenary like figure that carried several guns and throwing axes on his body;
Totim, a samurai like figure that had a huge dragon tattoo on his arm and carried a long bow and throwing knifes;
Brock, a 4 meters high man that carried two weird weapons around, one on each arm ( I wasn't sure if they were giant gauntlets, shields, hammers or a mixture of all of it);
Skimi, a short murim like warrior that carried several type of spears on his back;
Freed, a white hair well-dressed young man that seemed to be a talented martial artist;
Ashe, a old man with extremely long hair and beard;
Leihem, a well-dressed old man with an intimidating presence;
Oga, a 4m tall extravagant old man, using a big fur coat covering his enormous muscles;
Xavier, a doctor like figure with an intriguing look on his eyes;
Rekard, a sophisticated old man that carried around two giant axes, one on each side;
Bruno the household's doctor;
and finally, Toup, the household's main caretaker.
I take a deep breath and pretend that everything that just happened is normal. I greet them goodbye and ask Gigi to show me around, as if any of these was within my expectations.
Gigi: Yagagag! Very well, my dear Z. Here is the secondary garden in case you want to take a breather. Here is the spa. Here are the fields where the slav … ah, the servants grow our food. Here is the main pool, watch out because you can't even see the bottom so don't use that one unless you are confident in your swimming skills. If you just want to relax, then you should use the spa or the secondary pool which isn't as deep …
It took us about 5 to 6 hours for him to show me everything. And that was by only seeing things from afar. This place is enormous. It is actually perfect for my training. We finally arrived at the mansion. It was ginormous and, apparently, only me, Kara and Gigi would live in it. This old man must have felt lonely all this time with such a big house for himself.
Me: Thanks for the tour Gigi. I will go to my room now. There are some things I need to consider now. By the way, you did say I was allowed to make some changes here, right?
Gigi: Certainly! Anything for you Z! As long as you don't go near the family building. Everything else I can change according to your wishes. It's not like I was the one who design this place and I never grew attached to anything, so no problem.
Me: Very well. Then I shall see you tomorrow and we will further discuss what we talked about.
I go and open the door with my name on it. My name is written in gold. How? He literally learned my name a couple of days ago and we just got here. He must really have wished for grandkids for so long. Well, no point thinking about that now. Time to start changing some plans.
Very well, first I will need to make some space for training, so I guess we won't be needing this or this…. And I will also need to build a big building here …. And a bathhouse here and another here… and I will need to build this … and this … and … and ….
It took me all night to finally finish my design. I am just glad I learned how to draw a couple of months ago. There really wasn't much to do besides exercising and reading, because the maids would take care of everything else. So, when I was resting my body and was bored of reading, I tried learning other things. Simple things. And drawing was one of them. In my previous life I was really bad at anything related to arts, but now, I can draw pretty decently. I mean, I couldn't create a masterpiece or anything of the sort, but I could still express exactly what was on my mind. Unlike my past self, I really am talented now.
I ended up having my breakfast with Gigi. We talked a little bit and he told me he already had freed all the slaves and told them that they can either keep leaving there as servants or could freely leave. If they remained as servants, then they would start getting paid and better living accommodations. They had never been treated poorly, and all of their primary expenses were already dealt with by Gigi, so it was basically getting extra pay and more comfortable lifestyles. Almost all of them chose to remain and only a handful left, but even those that left explained that they had someone they cared about, someone that they were taken away from and so, they needed to look for them. Gigi gave them support and sent them on their way.
We finish eating and I ask Gigi to go sit in the living room while I go get my sketches. He laughs but eventually agrees.
I show him what I've been working on and tell him all of the changes I plan to make. He seems exceptionally surprised. Now that I think about it, I am only 4 years old. It would be extremely weird if a little kid shows up with drawings so advanced and detailed that he would have to assume that a young aspiring architect or a painter in the making was responsible for them. Well, either way, we are going to live together so he better get used to this kind of behavior.
Gigi: Little Z … all of this … it's a little...
I act disappointed and discouraged, look at the floor and pretend like I am about to cry. Almost like a child pouting.
Me: Oh… is it too much? If you think that, I will try to change it then….
Gigi: Nonsense! Nothing is too much for my dear Z! It's just that … The moment I first saw you, I realized that you have pretty developed muscles and, while we were travelling here, you took every chance you could to exercise. It also seems that a lot of these things seem to be in order to grow stronger. I just want to make sure you understand that there is no need for you to worry about that. You are a tenryubito. You live in Mariejois. Nobody would dare to oppose you. Why do you want to grow stronger? When you mentioned devil fruits, I thought it was just an obsession of yours. Like you wanted to collect them or something, but now I don't think that's it. Why don't you just want to live comfortably?
Me: Kakakakak! Live comfortably? What is the point of that? Just doing nothing seems so boring. Do you want me to be like those other fat and ugly tenryubito, who have no power themselves, but pretend to stand at the top of the food chain? Kakkakakak! I refuse! I refuse to even be associated with such fellows. It hurts me that they can stand at the top of the world. I am not and I will never be like them. I shall try to make the Black flame known all around the world! Everyone will know that the black flame sign is associated with tremendous power.
Me: And just because we stand at the top today doesn't mean we will remain there tomorrow. The only certain thing in this world is power. What if the government collapses? What if the Marines get disbanded? What if a terrible force shows up before reinforcements can get here? Then what can we, celestials, count on except our own power?
Gigi: Are you sure that is the way you want to follow? It is going to be incredibly harder. On the other hand, if you give up on those ideas, you may never have to worry about anything and just live the most comfortable life ever.
Involuntarily, with my kenbunshoku haki, I am able to perceive that, although Gigi is trying to look really serious and a bit disappointed, I can sense that he feels proud and extremely happy.
I smile.
Me: Kakakakakakaka! Of course! What other interesting ways are there? This life of ours is meant for us to enjoy to the best of our abilities. Kakakakakakaka… you can't fool me Gigi … I know you believe in the same things.
Gigi: Yagaggagag! It would seem you really are a Kuromura! Very well! So, do you want me to get the preparations with the Marines ready? Do you still want me to get you an admiral to train you? I guess that was what you meant, right?
Me: Well, yes and no. I did mean that I wanted someone from the marines to teach me, but I don't think an Admiral would be the best choice. Although they are currently the strongest choices, I am not sure they would be the best teachers.
Gigi: Hmmmm… I guess you are right… But then who do you think is a better choice? Even if they are not the best at teaching, they should still be very good. Do you want me to question Kong and Sengoku on who would probably be the best alternative?
Me: I mean, you could but I am pretty sure they would just choose someone they are willing to part ways with. I have been looking around and I think the best choice would be to get Bogard to be my first teacher. Then, I would like you to convince Kong or Sengoku to let Zephyr be my main teacher, Momousagi would be the swordsmanship instructor and Tokikake would be the martial arts instructor. All three of them would complement each other. I know they aren't as strong as the admirals, but, not only should their strength be close enough to the admiral level, as I also believe their teaching skills should easily surpass the admirals you mentioned. Most admirals reach such ranks because they are extremely talented and acquire a strong devil fruit that helps them grow even stronger. Their strength is something that is hard to be taught, especially to beginner level fighters. On the other hand, Momousagi and Tokikake became strong because they focused on swordsmanship and martial arts, which can be taught.
Gigi: Hmmm... It will probably take some time to convince Sengoku to free Zephyr, so getting a lower rank officer first might be a good idea. I heard he is pretty talented and has been serving as Garp's protege for the last couple of years, so he should be a pretty good choice. How come you can think of all of that? You are only 4 years old, right?
Me: Kakakaka! Indeed, I am only 4, but I hate being bored, so every chance I had free time, I chose to read and to learn more about the world. Besides, with a mother like Kara, I had no choice but to grow up quickly. If I behaved normally, I have no idea what would happen to me.
There is no point telling Gigi that I have been reborn, so I might as well change the truth to make it more believable.
Gigi: Well … guess that is true … very well.
Gigi: Oh, I almost forgot. I brought you something.
Gigi gets up from the couch and goes to a nearby cabinet. He opens it and takes a closed box.
Gigi: I had this lying around, so I decided to give it to you
He throws the box at me. I grabbed it and opened it. It seems to be some sort of fruit, but it has some weird shapes over it and it's blue with some green stains over it.
Me: Wait … is this what I think it is?
Gigi: Yagagagaga! I just had it laying around, so I decided to give it to you.
For the first time ever, I had a real devil fruit in my hands. Its texture was very different from a normal fruit. It felt more like I was grabbing some sort of soft rock or something like … ahhh… I don't even know. It's hard to compare, but it just didn't feel like a normal fruit. Even its smell was different. A lot of fruits already have a pretty good aroma, but this fruit… it was almost as if it was asking to be eaten.
Me: Ohhhh! A real devil fruit … Do you know which one it is?
Gigi: Well, I don't really know but we do have a scientist in the neighborhood. I believed he put some kind of sticker on it. In any case, we also have a book about devil fruits somewhere in our library. If you want to know more about it, you just have to look for it.
I turn the fruit around and read the name on the tag. It actually is the Barrier Barrier fruit. It is a pretty strong fruit. I am not sure how far the barriers resistance goes, but it should be pretty good.
Me: I already know of this fruit. I was able to get my hands on a book about several devil fruits. This one is actually pretty good. I am not sure how much the users strength or proficiency impacts the devil fruit's power, but it should allow whoever eats it to make almost indestructible walls and its uses only depend on the user's imagination. To be honest, if I wasn't living here, I would probably eat this devil fruit right away. It's of pretty decent use and no matter how strong you want to be, this fruit will help make that possible. It's only that there are others that might be more useful. I will save this one for one of my allies.
Me: Oh right, Gigi, do you remember what I said about the kids?
Gigi: Hmmm. Oh yes, I almost forgot. But what would you need kids for?
Me: Don't worry, it's nothing bad. I just plan to make the ultimate crew and I need companions for that.
Gigi: Ohhh… then shouldn't you choose people you already know are pretty talented and strong instead of just getting random kids?
Me: Well, ideally yes, but I want companions that I know I can trust … and I don't want to just get a bunch of strong guys. It will be hard if I get a bunch of stronger older people while I myself am still a much weaker child. It would be like they were taking care of me. I want companions, not guards. I believe that you can get me the best teachers and if I have those, I believe I would get a much stronger crew. Besides I want to be a real captain and leader, not just someone that hired them or owns them.
Gigi: Hmmm… But then aren't you contradicting yourself? You say you don't want them to be with you because you own them, but then why are you getting slaves?
Me: Haven't I told you already Gigi. I will never get slaves. I will give them three options:
The first option is to follow me, become my brother in arms, achieve real strength and purpose and help me change the world;
The second option is they can stay here, join our house and become just another servant;
The final option is to simply be free. Although a small child probably won't be able to do much in the big world.
Me: I will try to convince them to see my goals and to listen to what they need to do. If they are mad at the system or wish to be strong, then I can easily convince them to join me. If they just want to save their family members or someone else, then I can also make that happen. The only case where I don't think I can convince them to join me is if they are too afraid. Afraid of the world government, afraid of failing or afraid of getting imprisoned again. If they can't fight these fears, then there isn't much I can do. But if they really want to become stronger then …
Gigi: Very well. Is that all?
Me: Hmm … Ah, not yet. Firstly, still related to my crew, bring all the kids in this household to me. Tell the servants not to worry and that I only plan to make sure their kids can live happily. Secondly, please keep looking for devil fruits … I am going to need a lot of them in the future so … make sure you can get a bunch of strong ones … but please don't bring me any useless ones. I have here a list of devil fruits I find useful so just make sure to grab ones on those levels or even higher. Hmmmm …. Are you sure we have enough money for all of this?
Gigi: Yagagagagga! Who do you think we are? Yagaggagagag! We have enough money for this and much more. The devil fruits might cost a lot but that is still a drop in the bucket for us.
Me: Wow … well, even so, still make sure you get the kids at the lowest price possible so that those slave traders stop capturing them. If they think it's profitable, more and more kids are going to get captured, so we need to make sure they take a loss. If anyone tries to raise the price, tell them they are starting trouble with the Kuromura. I am sure nobody will raise any problems. And make sure to acquire any child you see. They either join me, become part of our servants or become a free individual that sees that not all celestials are monster-like creatures. After you get them, try to show me the ones with the most potential and the strongest desires. The ones that have weak wills can simply become part of the servants or be freed, if that is what they really wished.
Gigi: Very well. I still can't believe you are only 4 years old … but what else should I expect from my almighty grandson. I will talk to the servants right now and ask for their kids to be in the second yard right after lunch. And I will also talk to Leihem and Toup and leave them in charge of the future members!
Me: Thanks Gigi. I will get ready then.
Leihem and Toup are part of the closest subordinates of Gigi, so I know for sure that he is taking me seriously and that he will try his best to help me.
Gigi: Oh right. There were these kids that were being trained to be your future bodyguards. I didn't want only old men to accompany you when you become old enough to leave this place, so I made sure you would get guards around your age. Should I also bring them to you?
Me: Oh yes, please. That would be perfect. That way, I already have someone with decent bases to help me. They may even teach me and help me improve my fighting style.
Gigi: I made sure they started training a couple of years ago so they should be pretty good. I am going to let you be now. Let me know how everything goes. I need to go take care of the things you asked me. Oh, and I will try to make sure that all the changes you asked of me are ready by next month.
Me: Ok. See you later then.
I go to my room and continue trying to perfect the plan. I need to make sure everything goes just right. This moment is the most important one for the start of my crew. I need to be well prepared.
Eventually, lunch time comes, and I quickly finish eating and go to the garden to get everything ready. I make sure there is enough space for everything, and the new kids arrive just in time.
Me: Please, make yourselves comfortable and sit anywhere you like.
All: Yes, young lord!
A total of 13 kids showed up. It is more than I was expecting but this is just perfect. About half of them look really uncomfortable and nervous and the other half are just standing there with a really serious look. It's easy telling which are the ones who had been trained for most of their lives to become bodyguards and the ones who grew up to become slaves, always afraid of getting in the way of their master. But two of them distinguish themselves from the rest, as they don't seem neither too serious nor too scared. Unlike everyone else, they are behaving completely normally. By that I mean, they are acting and behaving as regular kids their age, playing with one another, not paying much attention to what is happening around them.
One kid has smooth white silver hair and snow-like skin. The other kid is a little more familiar to me, as he was the son of a maid that used to live with Kara and I. The kid's name is Gon, and he was the closest thing to a friend I had in this life. About one year ago, the kid started following me, but he could barely run due to his young age, so I got him a bicycle, so that he could keep up with me. It didn't take much effort to teach him how to ride it, but it still took everything he had to keep up with my pace, especially in the first few days after I taught him. As such, whenever I realized he couldn't continue anymore, I would stop running and start doing some other exercises, as I could tell he felt bad whenever I stopped to wait for him. This was the best way I found to make the best use of our time and to help the little guy. As I practiced my exercises, he sat down on the floor and watched my every move, trying to learn as much as he could.
He was improving so much that I even started teaching him how to fight a couple of months ago but, just as he was starting to get the hang of it, we were brought to this place. To be honest, I was already pretty keen on making him my first crewmate, so I guess it's a good thing he is here now.
The two kids kept playing until one of the older kids, very seriously, reprimanded them and asked them if they wished to be punished. This third kid had lush, combed golden hair and was even wearing a black suit with a white shirt and a black tie. He seemed really professional and mature, but something still seemed weird about him. It took me sometime to identify exactly what it was that was unconsciously bugging me, but I finally realized that it was his hairstyle. Although it looked like a pretty normal hairstyle, simply pulled back, I could tell he spend an enormous amount of time to brush it in such a way, almost as if he was trying to tame it down, and the thing that was truly annoying me was that I kept expecting his hair to jump back up … at any moment … but that moment never came. Anyway, even ignoring the clothes he's wearing, just by analyzing his personality, I don't have any doubts that he was part of the previous bodyguards that Gigi had told me about.
Me: It's okay. Don't worry about it. They are just kids.
I say that, but now that I remember it, it must sound weird hearing it from me as he must be older than me and those same two kids should only be a few months younger than myself.
Me: Alright! Let's get down to business. I suppose you all think you know who I am. But let me assure you, you don't. I might have celestial blood and everything, but I am not like them. To be honest, it would be better if you didn't think of me as a Tenryubito because the only things that I have in common with the rest of them are that I, for now, live in Mariejois and that I have a lot of riches and wealth. The main difference is that I plan on making a difference in the world. I refuse to just sit in my mansion and just relax all day long, for the rest of my life. But in order to make those dreams come true, I will need your help. Tell me, what your dreams are …
Silence. Nobody even dared to open their mouths. I planned so much but I forgot one major thing. They are just kids! The oldest ones here seem to be no more than 8 years old. Most of them, probably, don't even understand what I am trying to say. And just as I am thinking about what I should change to make them understand me, those two kids get up and approach me.
Gon: My deam is to become stong and help young lod. Mommy said wold vewy big and if I become stong I can go see it with young lod.
Snow boy: Me too, me too. I was raised to protect the Young Lord, but I always dreamed with the sea. I really want to see it in person. It seems really pretty.
After the intervention of these two I realized that, even though it's a lot harder to transmit a message to younger kids, they are also much more honest. I finally found a way to make them understand me.
Me: Thank you very much – I said as I patted both of them on their heads- Just as these two young fellows, I too wish for freedom. Not only my own but everyone else's too. I want to change the world. I want to make sure that there will never be another kid like one of you that is forced to work for someone else, forced to become a slave. I will better explain everything to you later, but for now you just need to choose: Do you want to become strong with me and travel the world? Or do you want to stay here and live a normal life?
Both kids that had spoken previously took a step forward and, happily, screamed that they wanted to be strong. The oldest of the serious kids, the bodyguards, took a step forward.
Serious blonde kid: We were born to defend the Young Lord. It is not only our job, but our very purpose!
All the other serious kids agreed and kneeled down, supporting themselves on one knee.
Me: Let me be clear. I need you to be my partners, not my guards. Forget your old job, I only want those that want to join me.
Serious kid 1: We all wish to follow the Young Lord, nonetheless.
I sigh but accept their wish. I still have a lot of time to try to gain their actual loyalty. I want to make a crew that respects me and believes in what I say. I don't want soldiers who follow me blindly. I don't want anyone to turn on me and I believe actual pure loyalty and brotherhood are the way to prevent that. If you lead them out of fear or a sense of obligation, problems may arise. There is even the option of acquiring a special devil fruit that may help me convince or control them but the moment the fruit fails or something happens they can all easily turn against me, so that option is also invalid.
Me: What about you?
I turn and look at the nervous kids. They are frightened and it takes a bit of time until one of them actually says something.
Scared kid #1: I can't talk about the rest, but I wish to be free, and it would be my greatest honor to help the young lord.
All the other scared kids except two also kneel down and agree. I don't know why they are all kneeling when I said I wanted them to treat me as an equal but whatever. Well, only two out of the original 13 of them wish to stay, I guess … that is better than I expected. In order to make sure they were alright, I got closer to the two girls that were left.
Me: It's alright if you wish to stay here. There is nothing to be ashamed of.
Girl #1: It's not that young lord...it's just that … I am not sure how I could help the young lord… I am only a simple maid. I was raised to help young lord with the most basic tasks throughout the day, such as feeding, cooking, dressing, bathing, etc. I am not sure how I could become strong
Girl #2: Exactly young lord. I am afraid we would only get in your way… we do have weak bodies after all…
Me: Oh… you don't have to worry about that. We all have our own qualities. Our own strong and weak points. I will need help from all of you that wish to provide it. If you can't fight, help with the cooking, if you can't cook, help with the navigating, if you can't navigate, help with cleaning… There are always way #1s to help.
One of the girls seemed happy with what I just said but the other one still seemed a bit hesitant.
Girl #1: … Then, please do take care of us from now on, young lord …
I did realize that every kid looked pretty happy. Even the serious ones!
Me: Now that we are all a family, I don't want to be called Young lord anymore. You can call me Zeus or Z or even Boss, if you must. Young lord just sounds weird. By the way, what are your names?
Serious kid #1: Young Lo... ah … I mean, Boss! Most of us don't have names. Some of us never even knew our parents as others were taught to forget anything connecting them to their past life. There was never a need for names so we never got them.
I always knew that the world government treated their agents really harshly, with a really strict regiment, but I never knew they made them forget their own names. Hmm … I need to give them names, but I was never really good at naming… but … I need to do it, nonetheless…
Me: Hmm. Ok. You all go run around the track so that I can have a better idea of what your physical constitutions are. When you come back, I shall have names ready for those of you in need of it. Do any of you have any wishes on what you want to be called from now on?
I realized one of the two girls I talked to before was slowly raising her hand, but her friend immediately pulled her arm down.
Me: Yes! Girl from before. Do you have any wishes or are there any problems?
Girl#1: Actually, I am not sure if I should ask for this, but my mother passed away while having me and I heard her name used to be Lilith, so I was thinking if …
Me: Very well then! I think that I understand. Do you want to be named Lilith as well?
Girl#1: I would like that, but I would never impose myself on the young lord like that …
Me: Nonsense. It's no trouble at all. From now on you shall be Lilith. Nice to meet you Lilith.
I shake her hand.
Me: Anyone else has any requests?
And the very same girl that had pulled her friend's hand down, raises her own hand, almost too embarrassed to speak.
Girl#2:... Uh.. I was actually in a situation where an old woman actually took care of me while we were waiting for the auction. I never knew her name, but she called me Erina. I was separated from her when I was bought. Would it be a problem if I kept that name?
Me: No problem whatsoever. Nice to meet you Erina.
And I shake her hand.
Me: Very well. Unless someone has another wish or something to say, please do start running while I think about your names.
They all started running and I sat down and tried to remember all the animes and shows I ever watched. I decided to use those names instead of coming up with new ones myself. Afterall, I am not creative enough to come up with a bunch of new names on the spot.
Two hours passed by. The leaders of the pack were already arriving. It was a really long course so two hours is actually pretty good. I myself would definitely take more than one hour and a half to be able to finish it. And I've been painfully training for the last couple of years.
The guy in the front seems to have about 8 years and blonde spiky hair. He looked pretty strong and his muscles were definitely big, but they didn't seem as developed as mine. Perhaps because he was still bigger than me. His breathing didn't seem too bad. He is not sweating too much, and his suit is still tidy and well taken care of. The only difference between the him from right now and the him from before the race is his hair. Before, it was all brushed and tidy but after all this running, I guess it went back to its original state and he was all wild and disheveled. Other than that, he looked perfectly fine. He could probably run through the course at that speed 3 or 4 more times without exhausting himself. Because of his blonde hair and his serious looks, I decided to name him Laxus.
Right at his heels came another 8 years old boy. Physically, he seemed pretty similar to Laxus except that his muscles weren't as large. His hair was fully black, and he was wearing fully dark clothes. He carried one black katana on each side. Even the vibe he was giving was also a little dark, so I decided to name him Yami.
Fifteen minutes pass, and I see two 5 years' old kids. They seem to be racing against each other very seriously, giving their all and trying their hardest to surpass the other. They both have jet black spiky hair and pretty good physiques. Apparently, they don't just look alike, they are real twins. Not identical but still twins, nonetheless. They seem pretty awesome considering they are only 5 years old. If one had never seen me, then his mouth might drop when he heard that those were only 5 years old children. Anyway, one of them arrived about a second first and I could tell that he had great potential for Haki, after sensing it with my own observation haki. Possibly the biggest from all the new recruits. I decided to call the "winner" Goku and the "loser" Vegeta. I wanted to see if in the future they develop the same kind of rivalry they had in Dragon ball.
Then, a little behind, came the scared kid who found the courage to speak up before the race. He looked pretty tired, but not as much as the other two. Like he wasn't giving his maximum. I am guessing if he tried a bit more, he could probably run faster than the other two. He was also 5 years old, but, except for his enormous height, his body seemed pretty average, so it was definitely strange that he was able to finish so soon. He is really tall, so I guess he has bigger strides, but his undeveloped muscles should counter that. Maybe he has some type of special constitution. He has greenish black hair, and decided to keep his previous name, Bromilliano but he told me I could just call him Brolly for short. I have a feeling he has pretty good potential.
About half an hour passes and I see the two kids from before, Gon and the other fellow. Due to their close relationship and appearance, I decided to name the white haired kid Killua. They are only 3 years old, but they were still among the top 7 in the race. That is pretty amazing on itself, and they don't even seem that tired. Killua and Gon arrived at the same time. The treatment they received from their fellow companions, however, was a bit different. As Killua simply received an assertive and proud look from his previous bodyguard companions, almost as if saying good job, Gon was immediately hugged by Brolly.
Brolly: Gonzalo! Great job! I knew you could do it!
Gon: Thanks brother!
With these short sentences, the connection and similarities between the two of them became evident. Now that I already know of it, it seems incredibly obvious. Both Brolly and Gonzalo, as I just figured out is Gon's real name, have similar facial attributes and even their hairs seem a bit similar. For Gon's case, it was hard to say if it was black with a pinch of green or the opposite, as Brolly's hair was completely green . Now that I think about it, Brolly seems really shy and embarrassed to speak up, so it was pretty peculiar for him to act as he did before. The reason behind his sudden courage and urge to speak up was probably because he didn't want to be left behind by his younger brother. After seeing Gon speak up he must have felt like he needed it to do it as well.
Eventually arrive two small 6 year old boys, one with smooth red hair, which was already named Majeh, and the other one with vigorous spiky yellow hair, whose name became Meliodas. They were both pretty skinny, small and looked pretty much exhausted. The most noticeable characteristic about these two boys is that both of their hair is so long that it reaches all the way to the back of their knees. But that was not what intrigued me the most. Even though Majeh has such bright red and long hair, apparently as smooth as silk, he wasn't as intriguing as the boy by his side. In this world, hair seems to come in all shapes, sizes and colors. On the other hand, it's not every day that you see a young boy's body full of marks and symbols. They were so perfectly arranged and symmetrical that one might mistake them for tattoos but upon closer inspection, I could tell that wasn't the case. It seems as if they were all birth marks, but I've never seen anything like it. I am not sure whether this was something he was born with or whether it was something done to him, whether he is a slightly different humanoid species or whether it's just a costume from a small tribe. Either way, he still seems too exhausted to answer my questions and I might even bring up some trauma or sad memories, so I should probably avoid questioning him right now.
Accompanying them were two girls. Both of them with short blond hair. The one with a shorter hair style was then named Alice and the one with little pig tails was called Raxel. They were both extremely exhausted as well. I could tell that these 2 girls and the last 2 boys were normal kids until now. They weren't used to exercise so this race was quite a big feat for them. Some adults might have trouble finishing this course, so it is already fascinating that these kids were able to do it without any previous preparation.
Only the two girls who were previously afraid of joining me were missing. I had waited for some time and there still wasn't any sign of them. Just as we were all wandering whether to look for them or not, as they might had given up or passed out, my kenbunshoku haki caught their presence. Before I could even see a single trace of them in the distance, I was able to sense their presence. I had been training my haki especially hard these couple of days, as there were a lot of things I couldn't do during the trip. After all this training I finally achieved some progress, as I was able to extend its reach quite far.
Me: Everyone! Calm down! They are already arriving. You should enjoy this time and keep getting to know each other because soon everything is going to change. Starting tomorrow we are going to start our real training and as soon as the teacher I asked for arrives, things are going to get even harder.
I try to introduce themes and subjects to help them communicate with each other. Eventually, they get more comfortable and start interacting with themselves without requiring my intervention. At last, Lilith, the blue haired shorty, and Erina, the blonde Barbie like girl, arrive. I make sure they are alright and let them catch their breath before I bring them to the rest of the group. I let everyone introduce themselves and try to make the last two members more comfortable with the rest of them. I incite them to play games and talk about themselves. Most of them were extremely tired so they choose more relaxing and less demanding games. At the end of the day, I present them all to Gigi and we all have dinner together. As the night continues, I take them all to my room and we have some kind of pajama party. It may seem kind of awkward but, if you forget that I have been reborn, we are all kids so a pajama party might be the best way to make them more comfortable with each other.
To be honest, I knew that it be weird to act like a child, but I wasn't expecting that I would still enjoy playing with them. I don't know if being reincarnated had any changes in my mental strength but, for the last hours, I've been acting like a real kid. The biggest similar occurrence I noticed was when I was born, I had this uncontrollable desire to cry, even though I knew there was no logical reason for it. In my previous life, I once read an isekai manga where the main protagonist had done certain actions that would be impossible to even think of in his previous life. He mentioned his mentality had involuntarily changed and adapted to its current situation. Maybe my spirit is doing the same thing and that's why, sometimes, I unconsciously behave like an actual child.
Anyway, it's already late and tomorrow is going to be a big day, so I need to make sure everyone has proper rest and send them all to sleep.
Me: Everyone! It's time to go… tomorrow is a big day so all of you start sleeping right now!
I turn of the lights and go to sleep. I felt really good right now. In this second life I've never felt like I was a part of a family because Kara wasn't a real mother. Only Gigi felt like real family, but I never saw him as a brother. Now I have 13 siblings …
Light starts cracking through the window. I open my eyes and I realize it's time to wake everybody up. I get up and just as I am about to wake everyone else, I realize I am the only one asleep. They all have already gotten up and cleaned after themselves. The only ones asleep are Gon and Killua. They were the youngest and also the most energetic one's last night so they must have been really tired. I wake them up gently and tell everyone to go outside. I tell them that we are going to start the day with some simple exercises and running, then a good dive right into the big swimming pool to refresh a little bit. Only afterwards will we have breakfast.
Right after breakfast, I teach them a little of the things I already know, most of it from reading books. I try to teach them things everyone should know, like geography, the Marines systems, the pirates, etc. That reminds me, later I have to talk to Gigi about getting teachers and experts to teach us everything. I will talk to him later today if I can.
We start our second workout session of the day and we do some muscle building exercises. We go for another dip in the big pool, and we teach everyone how to swim. About half of them already knew, so it was easy teaching everyone else. Eventually, it's time for lunch. Gigi had already prepared a big round table large enough to fit all of us. Gigi was the first one to sat down and he told me to sit right by his side. Laxus immediately sat next to me and Gon seemed a little sad that he couldn't be by my side. I convince him to sit by Gigi's side and that way we can still be pretty close.
With Gigi's approval I was able to change a couple of things. Now, the servants have their own table on the dining room, right next to ours, and we all eat at the same time. At the beginning they seemed a little uncomfortable with it, as they weren't used to it, but after seeing the way the kids were interacting with me and Gigi, they got more comfortable, little by little.
After the meal ended, I talk to Gigi and discuss with him about the teaching situation.
Gigi: Oh, don't worry about it Z! Do you remember the executives I presented you to when we arrived? I already planned on having them teach you, as long as you were willing to. I just wanted to let you get more used to this place before your classes started. I was planning on having them teach only you but a couple more kids shouldn't make a difference. The only thing is Toup and Leheim, my two counselors, are perfectionists so they rather take some time to make sure everyone can give the best classes. The two of them have been ready for years so they can start right now, but they say the others need a bit more time and preparation… probably not a lot …
Me: Oh, I wasn't even expecting you to have them ready! We are in a much better situation than I thought … Let's do it like this then, you call one of those two and we can have a first simple and short class with everyone to see how things go. When the other ones are ready, we'll start with their classes as well. It doesn't matter all that much whether we start in a day, a week or a month.
As such, after lunch Gigi call for Toup and he gives his first lesson to all of us. He talked about himself and what his current functions are in the household. He was pretty much a strategist and a tactician, but he also had decent navigation skills and was really well informed. He talked about general matters of the world, as he also explained several things I had already unfolded just yesterday. But he was doing it in such a clear and in-depth way that everyone was extremely interested. I was afraid that the lessons might be a bit boring and tedious, as everyone is so young and energetic, but it seems like Professor Toup prepared himself to make it as interesting and informative as possible. This first lesson is only about general knowledge of the world but even I am learning a lot of new stuff.
Although Toup and Leheim strongly believed that most teachers weren't ready for their lessons, after much nagging, they agreed to let some of the other executives teach us a couple of things about swordsmanship, as long as we agreed that we could only practice with wooden swords and until they allowed us to, sparring matches were prohibited. In order not to injure ourselves, we could only swing our sword against dummies or through the air, similarly to how I used to mainly train with shadow boxing or kata.
As such, after Toups' lesson, the swordsmen presented themselves and explained about who they are and what they would be teaching us.
Mark viewed swordsmanship as a way to live an honorable life, as he considered himself a knight that puts honor above everything.
Pout viewed the blade as a way to compliment his martial arts, as he will be teaching capoeira and taekwondo.
Journ followed the way of the blade and he believes the best swordsmanship is one that is adaptable to every situation, reason why he carries so many different types of swords on him.
Marsit was a more typical and traditional swordsman. He prefers to focus on speed and keeps his sword in its scabbard as long as possible. He is a user of a specific martial art called Iajutsu, in which he only takes his blade from the scabbard from a single moment, as he slashes his opponent. Ideally, the enemy won't be able to notice he has been cut through until it is too late. If I had to compare it, I would say his style is more similar to Brook's.
Ahambi is also a more traditional samurai that focus more on movement and unpredictable attacks, using a light and flexible sword.
Lout focuses more on brute force and strength rather than skill.
Vorskt is a dual blades user, focusing more on speed and dexterity.
Annabelle is a traditional samurai that focuses much more on technique than anything else.
The first lesson was given by Marsit, a small frail old man with two small horns on top of his head and long white hair. He explained everything as extensively as he could, in a way that would be extremely easy for everyone to understand. Everyone listened to Marsit's words very carefully. He was doing such a good job that even his fellow colleagues were taking notes. I can't say for sure, but they were probably changing the way their classes were meant to be given because of him. After he was done speaking, every single one of us received a wooden sword and listened to Marsit's instructions, as he explained what moves we needed to do.
As soon as the lesson ended, I noticed there were two types of individuals: the ones that are still energetic and excited for some more training and the ones that are already exhausted and would probably appreciate a break. It was supposed to be time for our third and final training session of the day, but I think I need to make some adjustments, so this session is going to be a little different from the other ones. Because Raxel, Majeh, Alice, Lilith, Erina and Meliodas are already pretty exhausted, as they weren't used to this kind of excessive exercise, I can send them to the small swimming pool where they either relax or swim a bit more if they feel energetic again. Brolly also wanted to go with them, but after he noticed that Gon was on the group that was going to keep training he wasn't so sure. He seems a little indecisive, but I could tell he still had enough energy to keep going, so I helped Gon convince him to come with us.
Among the training group, Brolly was the only one with no fighting experience and Gon only knew a couple of things because he used to watch me training. But that didn't mean that he himself would be able to fight. As such, I asked Yami and Killua to teach both of them while I was sparing against Laxus. The twins were itching to fight each other so I let them do as such.
I wanted to be sure everything was going perfectly before Laxus and I could exchange a few moves, so I let them start and gave them a few tips before I could face him. Gon was learning pretty well as he seems to be using a similar fighting style to my own, probably because he watched my every move and was trying to do them himself. Brolly was having a bit more trouble learning techniques but he seemed to have great instincts, so I might need to rethink the way he needs to be taught. I noticed that Goku and Vegeta are really competitive, and things were starting to heat up. They weren't neither angry nor irritated with each other, as I could notice them smile each time they hit each other or got hit, without any malice. They were simply so excited to fight that they had to give everything they had, without any restraint. Even so, they were going with their full strength and, if things kept going like that, one of them was bound to get injured. I had to make sure that they knew it was only practice, not meant for anyone to get hurt, so I intervened and gave them a short but effective lecture. They seemed to understand and took things a bit more calmly.
Now, everything was going smoothly so I could finally focus on Laxus. I was really excited for our fight, but he seemed a little worried. I gave the sign to start our fight and we both immediately put our guards up. We both stayed in defensive positions, looking for loopholes in each other defenses. I need to be really careful. Not only is he older than me, as he also has more reach, better techniques and more experience. The only thing I have going for me is a little more physical strength than him and my kenbunshoku haki. Although I haven't developed its prediction path, I could still use it to have a better grasp of where he is. It's much easier to follow his movements with observation haki then with my own eyes.
I give up waiting and try to close the distance between us with a dash. I lower my whole body and try to punch at his stomach. He barely dodges to the left side and throws his left knee towards my abdominal area. I put my right hand on his knee and jump. I use his knee to support my weight and throw a knee to the side of his face. He blocks with his right arm but still gets pushed away.
Before he recovers, I dash after him once again, choosing to throw a low kick towards his upper leg. He avoids it by jumping upwards and takes the chance to kick me in the chest. I put my guard up but he is still able to push me away and recover his balance. We seem to be evenly matched. We each dealt and blocked a hit from one another. We kept punching and kicking against each other, but everything was getting blocked, causing no significant danger nor harm. I decided to let him go a bit more on the offensive to try to change the tides. I jumped and tried to kick his chest. As expected, he put his guard up and tries to use his body weight to stop my momentum, so we both end up being pushed back. He prepares for me to dash once again but I don't. I pause and wait for him to come to me.
He understands my unspoken words and dashes in. I follow his movement and also move forward, at the same time, towards him. As soon as I came within distance, he throws a straight. I dodge it by a hair's thin margin, as I can even feel the pressure created by his punch on my cheeks. I take this chance and throw a hook in the direction of his face. He looks like he expected as much as he immediately covers his open side with his opposite hand. Because I was using my observation haki I realized what he was going to do the moment both our arms moved, mine on the offensive and his on the defensive. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. He was already expecting my fist to hit against his quickly build guard, but he was surprised when, instead, he felt a punch in the ribs. It was an ideal hit because the moment he put his guard up, his arm blocked his vision, leaving me a perfect path straight to the side of his torso. I didn't punch with all my strength, but I still put a bit of my weight behind it, so, after getting hit, he froze for almost a second, as he tried to catch his breath.
I take this chance to throw an uppercut towards his chin. He closes his eyes, clenches his teeth and prepares for the impact but, once again, things don't go as he expected. I stop my fist right before it hits him.
Me: It would seem the first round goes to me. Guess the next one you shouldn't hold back as much.
He showed me a surprised look. He definitely wasn't expecting this to end so fast.
Laxus: So, you noticed Boss? I am sorry. I knew you are strong based on your muscles, but I just couldn't get myself to go all out against a 4 year old kid. Not to mention I didn't know how far your fighting abilities went and that you are my superior.
Me: Of course I realized! I've sensed several times where you wanted to do something but you still hesitated or ended up changing your mind. We only have to hold back our physical strength in order for no one to get injured. Other than that, you can pretty much go all out.
He nodded and put his guard up.
Laxus: Once again, Boss! Please! I will try harder this time!
And once again, we started fighting. I realized that at some point the other kids interrupted their training to watch us fight. They were already pretty tired, having given everything they had. Seeing the two of us fight was probably beneficial for them, so I decided to give their daily training as over and encourage them to watch our fight.
We kept sparing until the sun went down and the moon came up and we were both out of breath, with barely enough energy to speak, not to mention move or fight.
Me: So, in the end you still won 54 to 46 … guess I still have a lot of room to improve.
Laxus took a while to answer as he was still catching his breath.
Laxus: well … that's because … I had more experience but … even still… almost all of the last 20 matches were your wins …
Me: I guess my physique did help me more in the final matches. Guess you need to improve your resistance.
Laxus: … that too but that is not what I mean … at the end even your techniques and your decisions were much better. If I don't improve as much as you, then it won't even take two weeks for you to defeat me more than 90 times out of 100 matches.
Have I really gotten so strong in a single day? He is probably just trying to be nice, right?
I gather everyone up and do a corny speech. I mention how this is the first step to becoming stronger and how we must suffer now to truly become strong later. I am not sure of everything I am saying as I am just going with the flow, improvising. I keep my speech for a little bit longer as they seem to be enjoying it. It seems all those books I've been reading these last couples of weeks weren't in vain. We eventually go have dinner and then free time surges. It seems today everyone is too tired, no one has energy to properly enjoy hobbies or perform other activities, so they all just end up going to bed earlier as I take this chance to talk with Gigi and Laxus. Laxus seems to want to be my right hand and I have no reason to decline, as he is tremendously talented. I explain my plains to him in a bit more detail and have some great conversations with him and Gigi. Gigi seems to like him as well.
While conversing with Gigi, we decided that all the previous slaves that stayed are now a part of the house, even if they are merely servants, they should still be considered as part of this new big family. We also decided that all slave marks shall be covered over by a black flame mark or tattoo to symbolize their part in our sect, similarly to how the Fishmen erased their slave tattoos with the Sun pirates logo. Since the moment I arrived to this new world, I have been wondering which path is ideal for me. I was considering creating an unusuall pirate crew, similarly to the Straw Hats, but that never seemed perfect as I did not want to be put in the same cathegory as those other criminals. I considered calling us an army but that does not seem great either. So I decided to start a new force, a guild for everyone who joins me, fighter, servant or ally. This will be the strat of the Divine Sect.