Training Begins

"I can still acquire four items. There are plenty of devil fruits I can get before people eat them but none are really useful to me." Walking through the hallway and up the stairs, Gilgamesh arrives back in the navigation room.

Opening the door and standing on the deck he can't help but marvel at the endless blue sea all around him. Looking up he checks out the pirate flag, a regular skull with two cutlasses for the crossbones.

"What were they, the Cutlass Pirates or something?" Pointing at the flag with his index finger a cruel smile forms.

"I don't know any of your names, but be honored as the first pirates to die by my hands." As his mouth closes a bolt of lightning hits the flag, causing it to instantly burst into flames.

Blowing on his finger he looks at the single cannon on the port of the ship before sitting on the ground to wait. "I can still eat a Zoan Devil Fruit, but nothing I can get right now is really worth it to me. There are a few Logias and Paramecias I can get but still not worthwhile to my plans."

As he continues to think of what to do with his last four summons the door opens again. A little head peaks from the door with eyes shifting about. As she sees Gilgamesh sitting on the deck of the boat she quickly rushes out.

"Ok, I'm done." Stopping a few steps in front of him a look of excitement appears on her face.

"Sit" Pointing in front of him he watches every one of her moves carefully. After sitting down they stare at each other in silence for a few seconds.

"I'm not a good fighter, I don't know swordsmanship, I'm not a marksman, and I only know one form of martial arts to teach you." Pausing for a moment he looks at her unwavering eyes "But what I can teach you is knowledge. Your first lesson is that nothing matters if you don't know how to use it. If I give the most powerful sword to a man who has no idea how to use it, he will still be killed by a simple gun. Do you understand what I'm telling you?"

Enkidu thinks for a moment before shaking her head "I don't get it, whats a sword? Whats a gun?"

Gilgamesh's mouth opens, but he has no idea what to say. Rubbing his forehead he thinks of a different way to explain. "Well a sword is a big knife, but forget that for now. What I want to say is that I have already given you an ultimate weapon but you have no idea how to use it. If you learned properly no adult on the entire island we just left could beat you in a fight."

"Really?!?" Enkidu jumps to her feet in excitement "Those adults were so mean to me, no one could beat me up again?"

"Sit, sit." Pointing at the ground he waits for her to calm down. "Don't get ahead of yourself, nothing in this world is absolute."

"Oh, ok ok."

Gilgamesh waits for her to sit down before continuing. "The fruit you ate earlier is the swamp fruit, turning you into a bottomless swamp. When you ate the fruit I'm sure information appeared in your head."

"Yea! Numa Numa no Mi, the ability to become, create, and control swamp." Enkidu slaps her palms on the ground in excitement as she finally got the answer to the strange information in her head.

Nodding his head Gilgamesh holds out his right arm "I ate the Goro Goro no Mi, turning me into lightning. Our fruits are part of the Logia class of devil fruits so I can use my experience to help you."

Suddenly his right arm transforms into one made if pure lightning. Wiggling his lightning fingers he looks at Enkidu's surprised face. As she reaches out to touch the lightning his arm returns to normal.

"Ahh hey, I didn't get to touch it." Puffing her cheeks she looks angrily at Gilgamesh.

"Good!" Moving his arm forward he taps her on the forehead "You're so weak right now if you touched the natural current of my body you'd die."

This time, it's Enkidu's mouth that hangs open from shock.

"You can do something similar, hold out your right arm and remember that feeling from earlier. You have to want your arm to transform and it will."

Enkidu's face crumples as she holds out her arms in a serious manner. Remembering that strange experience from earlier she tries to transform her arms.

Watching her struggling face he tries his best not to smile. There is a little more than a year till he has to implement the next part of his plan, so he's in no rush and very patient with her.

After a few seconds, there is finally a change. Enkidu's entire body transforms into a swamp and splashes onto the deck.

Seeing her body spreading out Gilgamesh raises his hand and causes the iron sand lining the deck to form a box around her.

"Don't panic, you are in full control. This is your power and you can do whatever you want with it, bend it to your will."

As if hearing his voice the swamp begins to jiggle. A large tentacle raises from the middle of the swamp and forms Enkidu's upper body.

Enkidu stares at the swamp tentacle forming her waist and the pool of mud for a few seconds before looking at the smiling Gilgamesh.

"Be happy, you did a good job." Gilgamesh claps his hands a few times before rising to his feet.

"I did a good job? Really?" Hearing his words Enkidu's eyes go wide and tears form in the corners

Walking closer he wraps his arms around her back and pulls her close. "You did a good job, I'm so proud of you."

"Ahhhhh ahhhhhahh" Feeling the warmth in both his words and hug she can't stop the tears from pouring out of her eyes.

Everything she went through today was just too much for a little girl to bear, thinking that her life was useless. Even though Gilgamesh said she wasn't useless and that he needed her, she had no idea what she could do and was afraid it would be like before and he too would soon abandon her too.

But finally, she did something, something good for the first time in her life. If she was just following Gilgamesh before because she had nowhere else to go, at this moment nothing can pry her from his side as this was the first time in her life she was praised.

Separating from the hug Gilgamesh pats her on the head. "For the rest of the day I want you to practice transforming your body into swamp, you need to get to the point where it's as natural as moving a finger. At night we shall go over general education."

Walking further to the side he waves his hand, causing a wall of iron sand to rise. Setting the chest down to the side and latching it with iron sand chains he puts the rest of his attention on his body. Releasing the control of the iron rings on his body the tremendous weight causes his knees to buckle and arms to sink.

Raising his hands slowly he begins to perform squats while stabbing the wall with his fingers.

Looking at Gilgamesh train so seriously a firm resolve settles into her heart "I'll never allow anyone to call me useless again." Closing her eyes she tries to morph different parts of her body.

As he stabs the wall Gilgamesh isn't even worried about Enkidu because he's seen the talent of Baby 5 and felt comfortable enough to give her his only other logia fruit.

He has no idea why Doflamingo never taught Haki to his underlings and even Virgo and Pika used Haki like a fool, but Enkidu is indispensable to him even if she can't learn it. Even if he's never seen the true capabilities of the swamp fruit, the simple fact she can carry around endless supplies for him makes her priceless.

As night falls both Gilgamesh and Enkidu are sapped of energy. After dropping the anchor for the night and using the sand to drop the sails they waddle into the kitchen for food.

"How do you feel?" while zapping copious amounts of meat Gilgamesh looks at Enkidu resting her head on the table.

"I've never been so tired." Seeing the meat placed in front of her she begins pigging out but suddenly stops. "Why haven't I been thirsty all day?"

"You're a swamp, swamps are made of water. I don't know if you have a natural weakness besides being submerged or sea stone as your swamp is never ending and can't dry up or be drained. Just don't get captured in a jar or barrel."

Enkidu blinks a few times before putting more meat into her mouth "Ok."

Shaking his head he ignores her underestimating her weakness as he will install it into her later. "Before going to sleep I will teach you."

"The water you saw all around the ship today is called the sea, the sea is the place dreams come true and our greatest weakness."

Seeing that she's paying attention he continues.

"The sea we are located is called North Blue, and many years ago it was ruled by the Germa Empire for a total of sixty-six days."