Chapter 3: The Dream!

Markus opened his eyes and looked around a small wooden room with curious eyes.  Everything seemed almost new.  Eventually they ended up on the screen in front of his face.

[Mind Overloaded!  Mental Fatigue too much!]

[Slept for 18 hours!  Mental Fatigue severe!]

Markus sighed and slowly got out of the bed.  He was examining the room again when the door opened and Shisu walked in.  

"Now where do you think you're going?"  Shisu pushed Markus down with ease and handed him a glass of water and a bowl of porridge.  

"Well I was gonna train but eating first is smart."  Markus shoveled the food into his mouth as Shisu sighed.

"While I appreciate your dedication you must know there is a thing as too much of a good thing.  You need proper rest before you continue training."  

"Makes sense but I'll be fine.  I need to get stronger so I'd rather train."  Shisu sighed before standing up.

"Alright then.  Eat quickly and follow me."  Markus scarfed his food down and quickly jumped up and followed Markus out of the small wooden home before his eyes widened seeing the destroyed buildings and structures littered everywhere.  He followed the serious looking Shisu past the large Pine and towards the middle of the island.

Markus was about to take a sword and start training but Shisu quickly intervened.

"You'll start with running.  Make sure to leave your Haki at max."  Markus shrugged and unleashed his Haki before taking off into a sprint around the area.  Markus took almost one hundred laps before Shisu stopped him.  Markus huffed and walked over when his Haki started screaming causing him to jump backwards.

Markus looked surprised at Shisu using Armament to attack but quickly unsheathed his own sword and used his Haki.  Markus clicked his tongue.  'I didn't get time to recover?!'

Markus limited his Haki and took a few deep breaths before he was quickly put on the backburner and sent flying with a kick.  He barely blocked it but his arms were shaking while he focused his Observation.  He leaned back slightly, barely dodging and slash before slashing at Shisu.

Shisu easily dodged each attack Markus used before attacking quickly and aggressively.  Markus swore as he kept taking steps back before Shisu got behind him and slashed at his back.  Markus spun quickly and raised his sword but his Armament faded right as the swords connected.  His sword was quickly broken while Markus was slashed across his chest.

He jumped back and eventually fell onto his ass while huffing.  He was about to get up when Shisu kicked him across the field and blitzed him with a few punches ending with his blade pointed at Markus's throat on the other side of the area they started fighting. 

"You want to be strong?  For what!  You are just a weak child from an island in the South Blue!  What gives you the confidence to believe you'll be the Strongest?  Do you have any idea of what's waiting for you out there?"  Markus was confused at Shisu's intense Conqueror's raining on him but held defiantly.

"I… will… be… the… Strongest!  Damn Whitebeard!  Damn Kaido!  Damn the Marines!  Damn the Celestial Pigs!!  I'll be the Strongest!"  Shisu glared at him.

"We are going to repeat this process until you either die or unlock Conqueror's.  If you wanna be the strongest then get to it.  Once you're good, run and use your Haki.  Do your best because I will go for the kill next time.  Pray you have the qualities of a King kid."  Shisu walked away and calmly observed Markus waiting to attack.

Markus collapsed to his back and huffed.  He waited a few seconds after he was back to full before getting up and started running with his Haki active.  He was getting low on stamina and Haki when he noticed Shisu wasn't in his spot watching.  Markus quickly used Flow: Draw and parried Shisu's own slash.  Markus's face became ugly seeing black and red lightning encasing Shisu's Sword.  It wasn't Entanglement but Shisu used full power External Destruction with Conqueror's Haki strengthening.

Markus dropped his sword and broke the ground with Haki infused feet launching him under Shisu's attack though he was still hit by his Armament his own Haki reduced most of the damage as he dodged the attack.  Markus jumped back but time seemed to freeze as Shisu was already turned and looking at him.  His sword at his neck.

"Rest.  Next time don't run."  Markus fell onto his ass shaking slightly but bit his tongue and took a deep breath.  He let himself rest before grabbing another sword and starting running once more.  This time he decided to dodge and went for a counter but quickly met Shisu's blade for a parry.  Markus went for a feint and used Flow: Eroded Century but was quickly met with a huge wave of Conqueror's and a blade cutting his chest open.

Markus stumbled but kept standing as his chest already started healing.  Markus grunted in pain and looked up at a disappointed Shisu.

"Rest.  We will continue once you are back in good health."  Markus heaved, catching his breath for a few minutes.  He slowly got up and continued the training.  Markus spent the rest of the day getting his ass kicked.  He ended the day off with his shirt now being a rag and blood stained most of the area.

The next day Shisu gave Markus some weights to increase the difficulty of his training before attacking him without saying anything.  Markus did his best to defend with a Haki covered blade but like every time before it was almost instantly broken through with superior Haki before he would be slashed or stabbed.  This time it didn't stop at just one hit but five leaving Markus near death.

His body entered overtime as it started repairing itself at an almost visible rate.  With his Advanced Recovery he could heal from small cuts in a minute, serious wounds in less than an hour, and near death in a few hours.  Markus was good to go in a few hours and was right back to it.  

This time as he was close to the end of his warm up and Shisu attacked his sword was broken in one hit.  Markus tried to use Armament around his arms to take an attack but was still sent flying into a tree.  Shisu flashed across the field and pierced through Markus's stomach pinning him to a tree.  Markus collapsed onto his face after Shisu sighed and walked away.

Markus started swearing and held his stomach trying to fight through the pain before rolling onto his back.  He looked down at his bloodied hands and dropped his head feeling dizzy.  He took a deep breath and laid there before Shisu came back with some water and food.  Shisu took out some bandages before quickly patching Markus and setting the food in front of him.

"Eat and rest.  We'll continue later."  Markus sighed, actually feeling a little scared but stayed focused.  He ate quickly before resting until noon and getting back up.  His mind focused on his ambition as he trained harder than the days before.  He had overused his stamina and started running out of steam by the fortieth lap so Shisu attacked him.

Markus cursed again but recovered quicker than before thanks to his Observation reaching level 6.  Markus felt his Haki spike as a dense layer of Armament covered his body and sword.  He blocked an attack from Shisu but faltered as Shisu's King Spirit enveloped Markus.  Markus tried to dodge but got his leg swept and watched as Shisu's sword pinned his shoulder to the ground.  He shouted and slashed at Shisu, surprisingly catching him off guard.

Or it looked like it to Markus but Shisu saw it and let it hit his Armament enhanced forearm.  Markus's eyes widened noticing the only damage he did was to his own sword and arms.  He tried to get up but felt Shisu step on his chest and raise his sword with a dark glint in his eyes.  Markus started shaking his heart pounding.

Cold sweat dripped off his face as he actually considered his inevitable death.  Shisu eventually lowered his sword and stepped away sighing while Markus lay there still in shock from almost dying.  His mind clicked as he quickly sat up while hyperventilating.

"What the hell's your problem?!  I know I want to be stronger but how the hell is that going to happen if you kill me?!"  Shisu stopped walking and turned to look at Markus.  Markus felt no Haki but took a step back in fear.

"You kill your mind to get stronger then get angry at me?  You break your body to be stronger then get angry at me?!  I've watched you nearly commit suicide dozens of times since I've known you, usually from you're own training and you have the audacity to be mad at ME?!"  Markus took a step back before glaring at Shisu.

"Damn straight!  I know what I'm getting into!  I want to be stronger even if I suffer damn it!  I don't want to die and I'll be pissed if I do but it can't be helped in the end if I do.  At least I tried."  Shisu looked at Markus before nodding.

"Two weeks and five days.  That's all we have left before you leave.  Not only do you need to learn Conqueror's but also the rest of my technique.  You have the mind, will, and determination to be the Strongest so I'm confident you have Conqueror's.  I'll show you my advanced technique's later before you leave.  If you learn them then it was just meant to be."  Markus huffed but collapsed deciding to rest instead of arguing.

Markus slowly got off the ground and started running.  His shoulder was almost completely healed when he started running and quickly finished healing before Shisu attacked him again.  Shisu slashed Markus's back sending him into a few trees quickly charging him with a follow up stab.  

"Why do you want to be strong?!"  Markus landed on his feet using Haki to stabilize himself before dodging two quick slashes.

"What?!"  Markus couldn't focus on Shisu's question as he sidestepped an attack but was quickly caught with Conqueror's and Armament right into his side leaving a large wound.  

"If you can't proudly announce your ambition then how do you expect people to know you're serious?!!"  Shisu kicked Markus into the air and slashed with Advanced Armament.  Markus tried to block it but even with his full powered Armament his sword broke and was sent flying into trees.  Markus laid in the broken and bloody mess huffing.

He looked at the sky without much thought, simply deciding to rest.  Shisu watched Markus lay on the ground longer than usual but didn't bother him seeing him lay there.  He let Markus take as long as he needed to rest knowing how hard he was going to be pushed from now on.

Markus sat up with a blank face before grabbing a new sword and jogging around the area using his Haki at half power.  His mind was more occupied with other things at the moment.  Markus eventually stopped and looked towards Shisu.  Shisu smiled slightly before becoming serious and charging.

The fight was different.  Instead of just charging and attacking they started circling each other slowly.  Shisu moved first with an air slash but Markus was already moving out of the way as he charged Shisu.  His sword moved out that Shisu went to block before a slash appeared across his chest making him smile wildly.

"HAHAHA!  YOU ALREADY MASTERED FLOW: MIRAGE?!  YOU JUST KEEP IMPRESSING ME BOY!"  Markus clicked his tongue seeing that all he managed was cutting Shisu's shirt.  He rolled his arm.

"You haven't seen anything."  Markus sheathed his sword and let his Haki flare to life around him.  He sheathed his sword along with Shisu before both went for a slash that rang in the air upon impact.

Markus quickly went for Eroded Century while Shisu went for a simple slash to parry.  Shisu went for a stab but found Markus holding his sword with both hands and a large amount of Armament around the blade.  Markus slashed down with all his might creating a trench that Shisu dodged.

"HAHAHAHA!  EVEN ERODED MILLENIA!  COME!!  SHOW ME WHY YOU WILL BE THE STRONGEST!!!"  Markus lowered his body and charged forward rapidly.  He sidestepped an air slash before spinning on his heel creating a 360o slash that Shisu blocked with three quick slashes.  "Hurricane too?  You are without a doubt the best student I've ever had the pleasure to teach!"

Markus was already on Shisu with a powerful 180o slash but Shisu quickly dodged and counter attacked pushing Markus back but at that moment it clicked for him.  He leaned back as his Observation predicted the attack before he held his sword tightly and charged forward.  Shisu looked on in interest, deciding to lower his sword slightly.

Markus charged past Shisu but was already on the other side, slashing his leg open before aiming his sword at Shisu's neck.  Shisu simply sat there calmly while Markus huffed more tired than Shisu.

[Fighting Flow Style creator increased Experience gain!]

[Flow: Mirage Maxed!  Flow: Eroded Millenia Maxed!... ]

[Adept Swordsman] D-Rank

You have completely mastered the basics of the Sword and ready to delve into more! 

{Defeat 0/10 Swordsman OR Max out five 5/5 skills from the same Technique!}]

[Class upgraded!]

[Obtained Primary Class: 

[Adept Swordsman] - Increase physical stats by 2% when using a sword!  Increased Sword Knowledge!

[Name: Markus

Level: 29

Primary Class: [Adept Swordsman - Level: 1]

Secondary Class: [Beginner Marksman - Level: 4]

HP: 48%

SP: 17%

HK: 20%]

[Skills:

[Adept Swordsmanship - Level: 1 [0/1,000]

Increase Speed and Strength by 2%!  Adept understanding of how to wield a sword in combat!

[Armament Haki - Level: 5 [93,882/100,000]

[Observation Haki - Level: 6 [2,944/200,000]

[One Sword Style - Flow - Level: 5/7]

[Legacy Quest - Primary Specialist - Complete!

First to upgrade a primary class in the world!  Receive 2 Legacy Points!]

Markus smiled softly reaching the next level in Swordsmanship.  After resting they went back to fighting with Shisu picking up the pace after each fight getting closer and closer to actually killing him.  

A few days of constant fighting went by with Markus currently being juggled around the area as he was sent launching from each attack he would block.  Markus stuck his sword in the ground to stop his flight before using the sword to balance in the air dodging an attack.  He dropped quickly kicking at Shisu; however, he missed and was kicked in the face.

Markus felt his head spin but still got up and charged forward.  Shisu met him halfway with his own slash that launched them back again.  Markus dodged an air slash before finding Shisu on him with a stab.  Markus felt immense pain but still kicked Shisu away and held his sword tightly.

"Why do you need to be the strongest?  What reason do you need that type of power?"  Markus was confused now that he was injured but answered anyway.

"I want a peaceful, happy life with friends and family some day.  The only way for that to happen is to be so strong no one bothers me.  I need to be the Strongest so I'll make it happen."  Shisu nodded before attacking again.

"With the way you currently are all you will accomplish is your crew, family, friends, and even your own death.  You need to take this seriously.  If you don't get this you will die out there."  Markus nodded at Shisu's solemn expression and readied his sword.

"Now tell me Markus.  What do you truly want to accomplish."  Shisu quickly charged Markus and started laying into him.  Markus did his best to defend while thinking before he made some distance and looked down at his sword.

"There is a Strongest Swordsman.  Strongest man.  And Strongest Creature.  I think that's pretty damn stupid honestly.  Why would I want to be the strongest in one when I can just be the strongest over all.  I'll find the One Piece.  I'll find the All Blue.  I will be the strongest.  I will be the best.  I will be the King of the World!"  A burst of purple lightning danced around Markus making Shisu's Conqueror Spirit erupt.

Shisu let his Haki diminish while instructing Markus how to control his King's Will.  

[Perk Unlocked!  Skill Unlocked!]

[Perks:

[Will of the Supreme King] 

The will and ambition of a great king resides inside you!

[Skills:

[Conqueror's Haki - Level: 1 [0/100,000]

Increase all stats by 1%!  Unleash one's own willpower to knock those with weaker Mental Fortitude and frighten others!]

Markus took a deep breath feeling his head was much clearer now.  The world was not only brighter but smelled better as well.  He could hear the beautiful sounds of nature around him.  He could always see and hear such things but it wasn't until now he was of such clear mind.  His mind was in order for the first time.

3000~ Words