9 Chapter 9

Unbeknownst to me, a year has passed since I started training on this island. It was pretty boring to wear yourself out every day, but it was worth it.

I was finally almost able to get past the rope obstacle, relying on the will of observation. In fact, about six months ago, I already managed to spread the will around me in order to feel these ropes, I just could not fully control it. Because of this, I was constantly confused, but a few days ago I was already completely sure that I could go through the entire obstacle course, I just decided to fully consolidate this feeling in order to master it completely. I think today I will finish and start the next test.

When it comes to body workout, it's much better. A year ago, I could lift at most a hundred kilograms, and then by pumping body strength, but now I can easily lift all three hundred. And the power of my punch has increased even more, although I still do not fully understand the ratio of regular training to pumping in the talent system. How much does my power increase from leveling? I think I can understand this when I move on to the next stage in body strength, then I will draw conclusions. In the past, I moved to a new stage without knowing my limits, so now it is a little difficult to understand.

When it comes to my devil fruit training, it's not going well. It seems to me that developing the strength of the fruit is necessary under special circumstances. For example during battles. But although I did not make huge progress in training, there were still some progress. Unlike the last thirty stones, now I can lift almost a hundred. Previously, I almost could not manipulate stones, I could only pick them up and hold them in the air or launch them somewhere. In the battle with the old man, I raised only a little more than ten stones, so I more or less managed to direct them into him. Now I can safely do it with almost forty stones. But of course this is too little, and it seems to me that this is not only due to fruit training, but also associated with body training.

Another small achievement in the development of the fruit was that I was able to lift the stone almost forty kilograms more than the last one. But this is of course not very useful yet.

The most useful thing I have found is the correct use of gravity. Previously, I just picked up objects and guided them, during the fight it is certainly useful, but these objects are too fragile. Then I remembered Fujitora, or rather how he used gravity. He did not just lift objects, he rather connected and squeezed them, using gravity, into one large, more durable object. Then I remembered physics and how density works. I tried to do this with stones, but of course it didn't work out for me, my gravity is very weak, it doesn't have enough power to squeeze the stones into one larger one. But that didn't stop me, since the stones are too strong, why not use something else? Thus, I decided to use sand, combining many grains of sand, I got something similar to the Fujitora sphere, though one hundred times less, but its strength is much higher than even stones.

In this world, the laws of physics work in a similar way, it made me very happy. I think in the future it is worth doing some experiments on fruit, I am still interested in how the power of the fruit works in the human body.

In general, because of this, I slightly changed my fruit training, now instead of lifting and manipulating stones I do it with sand.

I think later you need to pump the fruit, because now in battle it is not particularly useful. Hmm, I still have growth points like.

Let's see:

- Status!

[Name: James D. More]

[Age: 17 years old]

[Body Strength - 100 "Middle Stage"]

[Body Agility - 60]

[Body Vitality - 15]

[Shooting - 0]

[Melee - 55 Experienced]

[I teach the Uchu no Mi:

Gravity - 10]

[Unallocated points: Development - 1, Height - 60]

Yes, the last time I did not manage to spend a development point, I hope in the future the skills will still open and I will do it.

Hmm, growth points ... I guess I'll spend it later, it doesn't really do much good right now.

Of course, even though I have been training most of the time this year, I also remember to remember some key moments from the anime. Still, I watched the first episodes for a very long time, you can't remember everything, and knowledge of the canon would be very useful to me in the future.

After that, I finally decided who would be the second member of my team, unless North escaped with my gold. Although I'm sure of him, he is a fairly simple guy, he likes to drink and fight, he doesn't care much about gold, and he was all in anticipation when he asked to join the team. So I decided to take Nami as the second member of the team. Why her? Well ... She has a lot of ... Navigation skills, yes. Besides, how do we get to the Grand Line without a navigator? Therefore, our team really needs her, and she is the only navigator I remember about in East Blue. Yes, and I think it will not be a problem to recruit her, in a year or so I will have enough strength to finish off Arlong and achieve her location, although of course I can do it now, but I think there is no need to rush with this. Well, this is all in the future, of course, now we still need to gain strength, I do not plan to stay long in East Blue.

Regarding other namas, I'm not sure. There are many interesting people in East Blue, many of them I remember, but they are not very suitable for me. So I'll probably start recruiting the next team members already on the Grand Line.

I haven't decided on the ship yet, I'm thinking of building it in Water 7, after all Iceberg is a good carpenter. I don't think it's worth building a ship in East Blue, I don't remember good carpenters here, and the ship is now in no hurry. Under the pirate flag, I plan to get up on the Grand Line, now there is no need. I want to make the patrol shudder after my arrival on the Grand Line. In this regard, I already have a couple of ideas.

Even though I was thinking about the ship, I also did not forget to think about the flag, what pirate is without a pirate flag? I had many different ideas, but so far I can not choose the right one. I don't have some kind of pirate symbol, my own chips, so to speak. For example, the Straw Hats had a hat, Whitebeard had a mustache. We still need to think about it.

Eh, I'm thinking too much, it's time for training, today we must finally finish the obstacle made of ropes. Then the practice of using will in battle will probably begin. This will be very helpful.

I went into the forest the same way as always, along the way I met several friends who were working in the field. In the last year I have been here quite often and helped them. We exchanged greetings and I set off on my usual road.

Having entered the familiar clearing, I first decided to sip iron. Lately this has already become a habit.

After training for more than an hour, I rested and went to another clearing. She was, as always, the same number of ropes.

Heh, this is probably the last time I go through this test, I even like this beginning, how objects feel with the help of will, this feeling is quite pleasant.

As usual, blindfolded, I began to move through the obstacle.

When I did it for the first time, I absolutely did not understand what to do, but now everything is different. Observation hacks can be used even without sight, it's like touching everything around with invisible energy.

Things that do not move "to feel" are not problems, but those that move are much more difficult, I tried more than once, this is a completely different level.

As far as I remember from the canon, the will can even predict the future. Curiously, I can certainly understand how you can predict enemy attacks and feel people a few kilometers away. If you spread the will around yourself, then it is quite possible, it becomes like a sixth sense, but predicting the future ...

This is very interesting, maybe hacks can be spread not only in this reality, but also in what will happen? Heh, I can't even imagine how it works. All that I have understood now about the will is that it is some kind of energy that a person spreads, like a desire that you want to realize, for example, to see something, predict something, this is the will of observation. But if your desire to protect something, it is the will of arms. I think if this is so, then the royal will comes from the desire to be heard or obeyed. But of course this is all my speculation, everything is possible differently. What I understand for sure is that will is very useful. For example, the will of observation will greatly help not only in battle, but also to feel everything around, it will help to find something or someone. Well, the will of arms is useful for the most part in battle, I think when I master it, I will understand all its advantages. As for the royal will, I'm not sure here, or rather, I know too little about it, there is not too much information about it in the canon. All I know is that it is rare and has unique properties in some people.

Okay, I'm thinking too much again, I didn't even notice how I've passed half the way.

After walking a little more, I finally felt that the ropes were over.

That's all, it seems I have completely mastered the ability to sense stationary objects with will.

But this is only the initial stage of Haki observation, I already tried to feel moving objects, the results were not very rosy. Well, let's see what Rotret comes up with.

As soon as I emerged from the captivity of the ropes, I immediately untied my eyes. And I was not very surprised that Rotret was standing in front of me. He looked at me with an appraising look and said:

- Not bad, instead of finishing as quickly as possible, you stayed to consolidate the result. Well you've done it, come on, it's time for you to learn the real Will of Observation. - As soon as Rotret said this, he stretched out his hand and ... All the ropes seemed to come to life and began to be pulled into his palm. Wow, is that the strength of his fruit? Now it is clear where so many ropes come from.

- You did not say that you are a fruit man. I said with a grin.

- Haha, you didn't ask.

- Is it some kind of rope paramecia?

"Almost, it's more like a paramecium of filaments, here, look. - At that moment, several threads appeared on Rotret's palm and began to braid into a rope.

- Wow, so you braid them yourself, good ability.

- Hehe, still, although I did not think so before, my threads were too fragile and broke easily. But then I thought, what if we weave them, suddenly we get a stronger thread? This is how I realized that my fruit is not so bad. Although it's not very useful in combat, and I'm a swordsman, for the most part I use a sword, not a fruit. But in such cases, like tying something or wrapping it, it is quite useful.

- Have you tried to learn the will of weapons and use it on strings? And for the swordsman it would be more useful. - I was a little surprised why he did not have the will of arms, because he is a swordsman, for him it is more useful than from the will of observation.

- Hah, and the idea with ropes is really good, I already had similar thoughts. But as for the will of weapons, here ... Eh ... At first I started to train the will of observation, since I had problems with the will of weapons, but then I left the patrol ... So I don't know how to train the will of weapons, but I can't learn it on my own. - Rotret said sadly.

- If I can find a way to train in the future, I will definitely tell you.

- Haha, if so, then I will wait, I think you will not have these problems.

While the conversation was going on, we imperceptibly came to an empty meadow and Rotret began to speak:

- Well, here we are. You will train here.

- Here? - I was a little surprised by this glade, it was the same as everyone else, why did we come here? We could have stayed there too.

- Hehe, look. - At that moment, Rotret began to release the thread from his hands, they began to intertwine and form ropes throughout the clearing. A strange structure began to form. The thick ropes began to intertwine and began to look like logs.

These "logs" were connected to the trees, it was like a ceiling made of ropes. From them, intertwined ropes hung down like punching bags, there were a lot of them. It looked like dozens of cocoons were hanging from the ceiling.

Hmm, I think I'm starting to understand what Rotret is up to. So I asked:

- I seem to understand, but can you explain?

- Huh ... This is tiresome ... Well, it's kind of done. It's very simple, you will touch one of these things, and she will push the other, and so on. They will hit each other chaotically, so it will be very difficult to predict the blow, moreover, you will be blindfolded. You will need to use your will to feel them, the only way you can evade. Once you can do this, it means that you are close to mastering the will of observation. After that, train until it becomes a reflex so that you can dodge without even expecting an attack. Clear?

I nodded and asked:

- But why did you come to this clearing? I could have made this thing in an old clearing where I removed the ropes.

"There's just less space here than there, and there are some trees in the middle of the clearing, so it's easier to fix the ropes so they don't sag. - Explained Rotret.

- Oh, now I understand.

- Okay, I'll leave you, you have passed the most difficult stage of mastering the will, it will be easier to start feeling movable objects. When you're done, let's move on to the next step. Well, be there. - Rotret waved to me at last and retired into the forest.

Okay, it's time to try this new workout.

As usual, I blindfolded and entered the new training area. These ropes really look like sandbags, even the weight is almost the same. I think the blow from such a bag will be good.

Well, let's get started.

I hit the first "bag", and it began ... They began to hit each other in a chain, the blows were from different sides, it was unrealistic to predict where the bag would come from, and it was even more difficult to dodge blindfolded. I decided to focus on hacks, but ...

* Bach * * bach *

The bags started beating me from different sides.

Yeah, I've been trying to concentrate for too long, I need more training.

* Bach * * Bach * * Bach *

- Ha ha ha, this is even the weight .. * bang *

A few minutes later.

- Haa ... Haa ... Yeah, it's for a long time, the blows are not strong, but very annoying.

Well, then I'll have to try, since I have plenty of time.