Chapter 2

It has been 7 years since I arrived on Karate Island to learn from Master Theron. Thanks to his training regiment I have developed a muscular and toned yet streamlined physique that maximizes the combination of strength, speed, and dexterity. I was also built solid...I won't mince words this man put me through torture and beat my ass every chance he got. Kept saying the best way to pass on his teachings and carve my body into a weapon was through combat. My hair was cut short to avoid it obscuring my vision and the side and back were faded. 

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He had me temper my body in various ways through exercise, sitting under a running waterfall, sitting in a pot of water as he slowed and raised the temperature. Doing push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and other exercises with weights attached to my arms legs, and torso. He even had me swim against running steam when I finally got used to it her attached weight to my arms and legs tossed me in the ferocious rapids and tolled me to swim to live. 

To temper my mind he would have me meditate under a waterfall or in a river. Other times she would blindfold me and either toss stones or swing a bat at me. He told me I needed to develop a sixth sense of unseen danger. For some reason no matter how strong my physique became he could still hurt me.

After a year of just developing my body and mind...well the first stage. He then spent the second and third years teaching me his martial arts called Pankration. He said it was a lost martial used by a Kingdom that was destroyed during the void century called Greece. I don't know what the void century is but I'm certainly curious. 

The art of ancient boxing he called it. Pankration is the world's first and oldest mixed martial art, or so he claimed combining boxing and wrestling techniques. It means "power of all.". 

It took me a year to learn all the techniques and be able to use them in a fight and another year to master is during combat training with Master Theron. And I discovered something....the old bastard was still holding back before by a large margin and still was during training. During the spars, I was always pressed by a feeling of oppression I couldn't explain a need to submit. A voice in my head saying submission was natural. But there was always another voice less loud but still present that told me submission was beneath me.

I would always focus on the second voice. I had a feeling that it would help me to unlock something within. To understand what that sensation bubbling under the wall of my mind was. 

Master Theron had a practice dummy that was made of a combination of two metals sea prism stone and wapometal. Seastone is a naturally occurring but immensely rare mineral best known for its negation of Devil Fruit abilities. Wapometal is a shape-memory alloy that can be restored to its preconfigured shapes. Wich even if I do damage to the metal it just reforms. I'd hit it over and over practicing Pankration, my knuckles would bleed from punching and my shin and ankle turn black and blue from kicks. But eventually, they stopped. My fists were harder and my legs stronger. He had me move onto my elbows and knees. Any part of my body that can be tempered and forged will be he would. 

I had learned every move of Pankration, hammered into my body and psyche threw, what most would describe as torturous training (child abuse). Jabs, Straight punches, Superman punches, Hooks, Uppercuts, Spinning back fists, Elbows to the body and head, Hook kicks, Back kicks, Calf kicks, Roundhouse kicks, Knees to the body, and Spinning kicks. There were also lethal moves like Head kicks, Heel kidney kicks, and punches to the back of the head and throat. The fight style also included grappling attacks such as Double-leg takedowns, Single-leg takedowns, armbars, and bodyslams.

Master Theron said that my speed not lacking when compared to my strength and endurance, because Pankration was most deadly in fast-paced combat. My legs were already well-trained from all the swimming and kicks and he rated my footwork and speed as passable before stapping weight to my body and having me run up a hill. He then strapped heavier weight to my body and had me run up a mountain.

But I never once complained, I cursed him in my mind every day since day one, but I never complained about his methods of training me. Because he is living proof that they work. The speed and strength of his blows, the grace, and fluidity of his foor work were things of beauty and awe. But I would never tell him that.

I loved this martial and I loved fighting. I tried to copy my master's footwork but I couldn't so he suggested I create my own. Besides training, I had taken up a few hobbies at my master's suggestion to relax my body and destress. I tended to the garden at the back of the dojo, took up painting to capture the tranquility and security of the land that surrounds my temporary home, and learned to dance after seeing a traveling group of dancers perform in town when I went to run some errands for master. 

Master complemented my skills in the art of dance. It brought a smile to his face. Different from the sadistic glee my "Training" brought him, but a smile that made me proud of my efforts. Master was not a man of many words, a trait I had adopted over time, but we knew how we felt about one another, I was proud to be his student and thankful for the time and effort he put into making me stronger. He was a proud teacher, happy to have a competent student who believed in his teaching and showed a true appreciation for what he taught.

We of course never said these things to each other, but.....we knew. 

The following two years he taught about the world, saying that ignorance was no excuse for folly. He educated about the World Government, The Marines, The Warlords, The Four Emperors, and Devil Fruits. However, he only taught me the basics of each, saying that I must discover the full truth on my own and that he could not hold my hand as I walked down the path I had chosen....the path of a Revolutionary. But he could equip me with the tools to survive. 

The World Government is a federation of over 170 affiliated nations that governs most of the world. It was founded by an alliance of 20 kingdoms 800 years ago and has since vastly grown in influence.

Although publicly the World Government is considered a fair organization that upholds justice by protecting civilians and seeks to create a peaceful and equal world, they are in reality, at their core, a corrupt and oppressive organization, particularly through the application of absolute justice, the suppression of academia and history such as the Void Century.

The World Nobles, also known as the Celestial Dragons ( Tenryūbito?, literally meaning "Heavenly Dragon Folk"), are the aristocratic descendants of nineteen of the First Twenty who established what is now known as the World Government. 

Approximately 800 years ago 20 royal families from different islands across the world allied to combat the Great Kingdom. After the 20 kingdom alliance was victorious, 19 of the 20 royal families relocated to the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, the city built at the top of the Red Line at the halfway point of the Grand Line, a location referred to as "the center of the world". Only the royal family of the Arabasta Kingdom chose to stay in their homeland.

Over time, the royal families in Mary Geoise built up their alliance with more and more nations from across the Four Blue Seas and both halves of the Grand Line, eventually turning the alliance into the World Government known to exist today. The World Nobles are the direct descendants of these 19 families.

As descendants of the creators of the World Government, the World Nobles have the highest authority within the organization. They are free to do as they please without consequences, even commit heinous crimes, and if they are threatened in any way, they have the authority to summon a Marine Admiral to deal with the offending party.

The Marines are the seaborne military forces of the World Government, tasked with maritime law enforcement and naval warfare operations. They maintain a presence on all of the world's known seas, through countless branch offices; however, the vast majority of their forces are focused on the Grand Line, in which resides their base of operations, Marine Headquarters. Collectively, they stand as one of the Three Great Powers, alongside the Four Emperors and the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

The Marines must maintain law and order throughout the world and impose the will and might of the World Government. The main purpose of the Marines is to bring any criminal to justice, with a particular focus on capturing pirates. They use justice as their constituted policy to manage a world that is made almost entirely of the ocean much easier. They are generally divided between those who support Absolute Justice and those who support (generally more lax) personal justice, with the former being the code of conduct for the Marines as a central doctrine.

Amongst their duties is awarding bounty hunters the bounties for the head of a criminal. They tolerate bounty hunters as a method of making their jobs easier but are known to go out bounty hunting themselves. Apprehended criminals who are brought in alive are handed over to be made an example of. The Marines are left to ensure the transportation of these criminals to prison and/or to their execution.

Higher-ranked Marines (Admirals and the Fleet Admiral) are expected to be on call to lead the Marine forces into war. This may take the form of apprehending many criminals at once, protecting the World Nobles, or calling a Buster Call to tackle a situation. Vice Admirals are the ones who serve on the ships that the Admirals call out, and are tasked with carrying out the admirals' orders exactly.

The Seven Warlords of the Sea, or simply the Seven Warlords, were a selection of seven incredibly powerful and notorious pirates allied to the World Government. Collectively, they constituted one of the Three Great Powers that kept the world in balance.

The Seven Warlords of the Sea were seven extremely powerful pirates who entered into the service of the World Government. The purpose of the Seven Warlords was to have the pirates deal with other pirates. They were also a great symbol of the government's strength. In return for their alliance with the World Government, every member's bounty was frozen, and they had significantly more leeway to commit crimes.

The Seven Warlords seemed to be a balance between the chaotic Four Emperors and the orderly Marines. The majority of the Warlords were composed of New World veterans, those who had met the Emperors or even fought against them.

The Four Emperors, which constitute one of the Three Great Powers, are a group of four pirates considered to be the most notorious and powerful captains in the world. Individually, the Emperors are usually considered to be the most powerful pirates in the world, with devastatingly powerful and versatile Devil Fruit abilities, immense physical prowess, a sheer mastery of Haki, or, most often, a combination of all three. Their strength and influence are such that they live quite literally as though they are sovereigns, doing mostly as they please as the "Emperors of the Sea". 

Devil Fruits are mysterious, distinctive fruits scattered throughout the world, known for permanently granting their eaters superhuman powers and an equally permanent inability to swim. Each Devil Fruit grants a special power to anyone who eats it, from the simplest powers possible, such as stretching like rubber, to powers capable of causing large-scale destruction like creating earthquakes. Each Devil Fruit is unique, and there is no other like it; that is, there is no (natural) Devil Fruit that has the same power as another. These fruits are broadly grouped into three classes: Zoan, which allows a user to transform into an animal as well as an animal hybrid; Logia, which grants a user the power to create, control, and transform their body into a natural element; and Paramecia, which offers any of a vast array of strange abilities that do not fit into the other two categories.

Aside from most Zoans that transform their users into animals that currently exist, there are two known sub-classifications:

Ancient - Zoan Fruits that allow the user to transform into an extinct species, such as dinosaurs. Ancient Zoans are rare, and they appear to be stronger than regular Zoans. Some have even displayed atypical physical abilities that their users claim the real animals naturally possess.

Mythical - Zoan Fruits that allow the user to transform into mythological creatures, such as a dragon or a phoenix. Mythical Zoan animals tend to have additional special powers, like a phoenix Zoan being able to generate flames that have healing powers. Mythical Zoans are the rarest type of Devil Fruit, even more so than Logias.

Devil Fruits come in all different shapes and colors, though all the Devil Fruits seen so far have possessed swirl marks or patterns. 

Master also finally explained why his blows always hurt no matter how tough I became...Haki. Haki is a mysterious power that allows the user to utilize their spiritual energy for various purposes. All living creatures in the world are capable of learning Haki; however, most people do not notice it or fail to awaken it. Haki users are common in the New World, rare in Paradise, and non-existent in the Four Blues which means either Masters isn't from hear or he's a freak...or both. 

The training to learn the basics of Haki was on another level. Three different types of Haki can be used to sense people's spiritual energy and predict their actions, give the user a protective coating of spiritual energy, and, for a certain group of "chosen ones", overpower the willpower of others. Master said only the first two can be taught and only if I was among the chosen would I unlock the third.

Kenbunshoku Haki ( Observation Haki), gives the user a sixth sense of the world around them, allowing them to sense the presence, strength, and emotions of other people, even if they are out of sight or far away. It also grants limited precognitive abilities, allowing the user to sense their opponents' intentions and predict their actions and attacks before they happen. Thanks to my blindfold training and meditation I picked this up rather quickly and learned the basics within a few months.

Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki), which allows the user to use their aura as armor to defend against attacks, as well as make their attacks more potent. It can also be used to bypass Devil Fruit defenses, such as the intangibility of a Logia. A person can apply the armament to a section of their body, over their entire body, and even imbue it onto their weapons. A coating of Busoshoku will cause the coated area to turn a shiny black, and a particularly thick and powerful coating will have a flame-like pattern along its edge. I managed to master the stage of making my attacks more potent but I can only make the black armor manifest for a few seconds.

When the sixth year came Master started to show signs of weakness. His blows were still tough and hurt but not as much. And one day out of the blue he coughed up blood. He confessed that he was injured internally by an enemy years ago and the medicine he used to suppress the pain and allow him to function within range of his peak had become less and less effective since his body was developing a tolerance. The friend who made the medicine for him was out of touch as well. The injuries would kill him eventually he said and my world crumbled and in response to my despair, he kicked my ass.

"Don't mourn me ahead of time boy, If you respect me as master then shed no tears. Master my craft, and carry on my legacy." battered and bruised I was left to ponder on his words and saw the wisdom in them.

In the final year of training, he presented me with the mystery fruit. Didn't tell it's name or type."Eat it, boy, I wouldn't give you something I deam a trash, don't insult me" I sighed but ate the fruit anyway. And let me tell you, give me a training session with Master any day. The horrid taste that violated my tongue could not be described. Because the words hadn't been created as yet.

The fruit was a Mythical Zoan of the Hito Hito series. Master would have me transform to both hybrid and Full forms and maintain said transformation during training. To train my endurance and get accustomed to the form. Eating the fruit boosted my already freakish physique by a large margin.

During the final year, Master got weaker and weaker. The medicine no longer had any effect so he stopped taking it no matter how much I tried to dissuade him. He did one final thing for me that...th-that I can never repay that has value beyond any calculable amount of berry. 

Master adopted me. We say by the lake feeding the koi fish" I know you're angry with me. You think I've given up. But I'm older than I look boy, and I'm tired. I only held on because I wanted to pass on the Martial Arts my family has practiced for generations. That's what you are boy..family. I know I never said it, but I know you felt it. You were always shard. The reason I trained you so hard is because I know this world, those who rule it, and those who inhabit it. The Strong eat the weak and you've chosen the path of a liberator, a defended, a champion for the voiceless" Tears were falling from my eyes. It's not fair. My past was already taken from me now-.

"Do not fret boy, know that I'll always be with you, in your heart and your memories. I know what you mean to me, son. Will you allow me the honor of giving you a name and carry on my last name?" he asked his tone gentle as he pulled me into the warmest hug. I nodded into his chest.

"My full name is Theron D. Svarga, and you my son are the roarer that will tilt the balance and tear out the corrupted roots...you are Rudra D. Svarga and I am proud to call you my son"