Chapter 2: Another Epiphany! Born!

"Your comprehension is heaven-defying, allowing you to visualize and master the exclusive skill – Flame Sword Burial!"

"Through the whispers of Portgas D. Rouge, your exceptional comprehension has enabled you to fully master the language of the One Piece world."

As these words appeared in his mind, Ace felt a sudden jolt of realization.

Flame Sword Burial?! Even in the world of Shinigami, this is one of the most formidable Kidō techniques. It's one of the trump cards used by Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, the strongest Shinigami. And now, I've grasped it just by recalling scenes from Bleach that I watched in my previous life?!

Heaven-defying comprehension... Is this the cheat I've brought with me after traveling through time?

And because of Rouge's whispers, I've fully learned the language of the One Piece world. No wonder I could understand her the moment I woke up.

With that, Ace focused his mind, and sure enough, another line of text appeared:

"Flame Sword Burial (Exclusive Skill): Through your heaven-defying comprehension, you have derived this exclusive skill from the Hadō No. 96 technique. A flaming blade that gathers in the arm, capable of world-shattering destruction! (Requires Flame-Flame Fruit; does not require a charred body or a severed arm.)"

Ace's heart lit up with understanding.

'These words aren't some system-generated panels from novels I've read before, but rather a detailed interpretation of my own capabilities through my exceptional comprehension!'

'When I mentally combined Hadō No. 96: Flame Sword Burial with the Flame-Flame Fruit, my understanding synthesized them into this exclusive skill. After consuming the Flame-Flame Fruit, my body will become flame itself, eliminating the need for a charred body to activate the technique!'

'Since the arm becomes a natural extension of the flame, there's no need to pay the price of a severed arm to unleash Flame Sword Burial.'

'This exclusive skill elevates the Flame-Flame Fruit far beyond its perceived future as a weak Logia Fruit. With it, the power of Flame Sword Burial can even rival that of the destructive Magma-Magma Fruit!'

'But the search for the Flame-Flame Fruit will have to wait until I'm born…'

Ace glanced at his fully developed body, feeling somewhat helpless. Unfortunately, to evade the Marines, he had no choice but to endure a little longer.

"Hah..."

A wave of overwhelming drowsiness suddenly hit Ace, and he blinked with difficulty. 

'It seems that deducing and mastering Flame Sword Burial consumed too much energy. Even with heaven-defying comprehension, the fact remains that I'm still an unborn baby.' Ace thought wryly.

He shifted to a more comfortable position and drifted into a deep sleep.

...

After an indeterminate amount of time, Ace's eyelids fluttered as he slowly opened his eyes.

"How long has it been?"

Ace's vision was still a bit hazy, as if he had slept for an eternity.

"Your comprehension is heaven-defying, allowing you to perfectly perceive the passage of time. It has been six months since you last woke up."

As if on instinct, another line of text appeared in Ace's mind.

"Six months, huh?"

Ace realized that the time for his birth was drawing near. Although six months had passed, exchanging that time for mastering Flame Sword Burial was well worth it.

"Your comprehension is heaven-defying. During these six months of slumber, you experienced an epiphany and learned an exclusive skill – the Combat Turtle Breathing Technique!"

"Combat Turtle Breathing Technique (Exclusive Skill): When your body's functions reach their limit, you enter a state of turtle-breath sleep. Each time you awaken, your abilities will be significantly enhanced."

Just as Ace was feeling a bit of regret, this information suddenly surfaced in his mind, fully awakening him.

"This technique..."

Ace closed his eyes, focusing on it, and felt a surge of shock.

Isn't this akin to the Saiyan bloodline, but even better?

The Saiyan bloodline triggers enhancement only when in a near-death state, with every recovery making them stronger. However, reaching that state can be fatal; even the protagonist, Goku, dies frequently and relies on Dragon Balls to return.

But in the world of One Piece, there's no Dragon Ball to bring people back to life.

The Combat Turtle Breathing Technique, which I realized in my sleep, is entirely different. It activates whenever my body's functions reach their limit, truly allowing me to grow stronger through battle.

These six months of sleep were absolutely worth it!

Ace's eyes gleamed with satisfaction.

He then focused on understanding the Combat Turtle Breathing Technique and attempted to use it. During this process, Ace fell into another deep sleep, but this time it lasted only a month. This sleep was induced by mastering the Combat Turtle Breathing Technique to its limit, triggering its effects.

Upon awakening, Ace could clearly feel that his physical strength and energy had significantly improved.

It seems that not only battle but also pushing oneself to the limit in training can activate the Combat Turtle Breathing Technique.

This realization made Ace even more pleased with the technique.

Time quickly passed, and the twentieth month arrived.

As warmth surged around him, light began to filter into Ace's vision.

Ace was born!