Chapter 6: Endless Knowledge

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As I approached the door and slowly began to open it. And there, right before me, I saw it.

The library stretched upward, its shelves filled with countless books of all sizes and shapes. In the center of the room, there was a massive globe surrounded by smaller orbs.

The sheer scale of the library was overwhelming. I looked up, and all I could see were shelves extending far beyond my line of sight.

' It's hard to believe I'm actually here in person, something I once thought was impossible. I used to believe that after you die, you either go to heaven or hell, depending on how you've lived your life. But experiencing something like this... '

Suddenly, a wooden platform descended from above, supported by small pulleys. An old man peered over the edge.

" You're here early!" the old man called out from the platform as it slowly descended.

" You told me to be early " I responded, scratching the back of my head.

As the platform finally reached the floor, the old man began to scratch his temple, looking puzzled. " I did? " he said, his face filled with confusion.

I looked at him with a deadpan expression on my face. ' Has this man gone senile? ' I thought to myself, my lip twitching.

" Ahem, anyway, welcome to the TREE OF KNOWLEDGE!!!" Clover exclaimed loudly, the sound echoing through the space.

(KNOWLEDGE..Knowledge...knowledge...knowle...kno...)

I maintained my silence, continuing to stare at Clover.

" Well, stop staring and hop on," Clover said, while gesturing for me to approach.

With a sigh, I walked onto the platform and joined him.

Click!

The platform lifted off the ground and began its slow ascent. As we rose, I couldn't resist glancing around. All I could see were books upon books, stretching in every direction.

" This truly is the Tree of Knowledge... " I whispered under my breath.

Clover, hearing my words, chuckled softly. " You'll get used to it soon enough, " he said in a nonchalant tone, casually picking his ears with his pinky.

He continued, " When I first came here, I too was shocked. But I promise, after a while, it doesn't get that overwhelming... " This time, instead of picking his ears, he yawned and scratched his ass.

I squinted at him for a moment as he scratched his ass, but I chose to ignore it. " Hmm, but I think for me it's going to take a while... " I admitted.

He tilted his head curiously and asked, " How so? "

' Well, I was born in a different world where things this big don't exist, ' I thought to myself. However, I chose to simply say, " I don't know, I just feel like that's the case. "

" If that's the case, you're going to be even more shocked when you explore beyond this island... " Clover remarked nonchalantly.

' Clover, you have a point there,' I thought to myself, but I remained silent, not responding to his words.

After a while on the trolley, it finally came to a stop. In front of us was a large cobblestone platform with railings, and behind it, a set of stairs that led upwards..

" Here we go... " Clover said as he confidently stepped off the platform and onto the cobblestone floor. I followed suit, stepping off the wooden platform and onto the cobblestone platform beside him.

" This is where you're going to spend most of your time studying and reading, " Clover explained as he started to walk up the stairs, and I followed closely behind.

" Cool, but can I ask, are there going to be a lot of books to read? " I raised an eyebrow, though I was sure I knew the answer.

Clover smiled, his eyes gleaming. " Beyond your wildest dreams, " he replied.

As we continued up the staircase, the end came into view, and a bright white light greeted us. Stepping closer, I finally saw it. The area was enormous, even larger than before. Unlike the shelves I had seen earlier, these were proper aisles, lined with shelves and tables all filled with people.

Clover, his smile still radiant, extended his arms wide in the air. " Welcome to the hub of all the knowledge in the world and the home of archaeologists! " he exclaimed.

I walked up beside Clover and couldn't help but chuckle a little. "You're as dramatic as ever," I remarked.

Clover turned to look at me and grinned. "Of course, I have to be dramatic. It's your first time, after all. Gotta make a good impression, right?" He said, placing his hand on my shoulder.

I looked at his hand on my shoulder, then swiftly karate-chopped his wrist and shouted, " Don't touch me with your filthy hands! "

Clover burst into hearty laughter, tears streaming from his eyes. Gradually, his laughter subsided, and he wiped away the tears. " Haha... anyways, " he began, composing himself, " Sorry, kiddo, I'd love to stay with you, but I have some important things to attend to... "

" Hm? Where are you going? " I asked, brushing my shoulder off.

Clover scratched his head and replied, " Uhh... I don't know, but I think it's important! " With that, he started walking back down the stairs, seemingly lost in his own thoughts.

A bead of sweat slipped down my cheek. ' Is it because of his old age he's slowly losing his head? ' I sighed and turned back towards the library.

' Alright, now it's time to look for what I came for... ' I thought to myself as I began to explore the library. I couldn't help but notice a few stares from the archaeologists, likely because of my earlier conversation with Clover.

Ignoring the curious glances, I continued my search around the library, scouring the shelves for the books I needed.

. . . . . . . .

[ A few hours later. ]

Walking around the library with stacks of books in my hands and some balanced on my head, I finally came to a stop. With a sigh of relief, I dropped all the books onto a nearby table.

I settled into the chair, leaning back comfortably. Despite being notably larger than I would have preferred, it was still moderately comfortable.

-

From the library, I managed to gather a collection of books that I currently needed, 3 books about martial arts, 2 books about proper training methods, 2 books about weapon forging, and 1 medical book. Despite the weird glances I got, I didn't care.

Now, onto a more important topic, martial arts. Given that I want a hybrid swordsman-brawler fighting style, I'll need to find a way to create my own. It should be fast and heavy-hitting, but I'll primarily focus on swordsmanship. The use of my fists would be more of a last resort, such as when I lose my sword.

I really want to learn Rokushiki, as it's the best fighting style in my opinion. With With Rokushiki, you can do things like flying, which would be especially handy for me as a future devil fruit user. You can make your body as hard as iron, blitz your opponent, and even turn your body into a living weapon. However, what really interests me is Seimei Kikan, or Life Return.

With Seimei Kikan, I could potentially boost my strength and speed. Perhaps by using Seimei Kikan, I can make a weaker version of gear 2. By accelerating my blood cells, I might theoretically unlock something akin to gear 2.

Gear 2, as used by Luffy, involves speeding up the blood flow in all or selected body parts to provide them with more oxygen and nutrients, resulting in increased speed and power. Therefore, theoretically, I could achieve something similar with Seimei Kikan. However, the risky part is the potential side effects. Unlike Luffy, I'm not made of rubber, so the effects of gear 2 would likely be even more taxing on my body, possibly four times as dangerous.

Learning Rokushiki might be a challenge, especially if I don't plan on becoming a marine. However, I could try to teach myself. For instance, Roku involves training the muscles in your legs to reach a superhuman level, allowing you to kick off the air. Similarly, by training all the muscles in your body to such a level, you can achieve a state where clenching your muscles is equivalent to your body turning as hard as iron. This is something I hypothesized a few years ago when I used to create fanfics and theories.

The same principle could potentially apply to all techniques, except for Seimei Kikan. Then again, I could just become a haki man, as Kaido himself stated, 'Haki transcends all,' and I find myself agreeing with that statement. Haki has the power to nullify the abilities of Devil Fruit users if their haki or will is strong enough. It allows users to foresee the future, and even to destroy a person from the inside out.

In very rare instances, a person can awaken their Haki on their own due to an experience of extreme stress or shock, such was the case with Koby during the Summit War of Marineford, and Ace during his battle against Vice Admiral Draw. Some people such as Aisa and Otohime are actually born with awakened Kenbunshoku Haki, and are able to use it with no known training.

I can see why some users choose to rely solely on Haki. However, there are instances where you might encounter an opponent whose Haki abilities perfectly match yours. In some cases, they might even match your martial arts skills. This situation could lead to a stalemate where both parties risk losing their lives, or one emerges as the victor but heavily injured.

In such situations, having a Devil Fruit can be a powerful tool even if you're not physically stronger or evenly matched in Haki and martial arts.

The Hana Hana no Mi isn't even strong in combat. I'd be lucky to get my hands on some of the more powerful fruits. I mean, imagine having the Ope, or even better, Gomu.

If I reach it before Shanks, I might just grab it for myself. Sorry, Luffy, but that fruit is too overpowered to pass up. But it's going to take a long time, and Ohara will be destroyed by then.

I wonder if I could have two Devil Fruits like Blackbeard. If I can figure out exactly how he did it, I don't think anyone can stop me after that.

I do have some theories on how Blackbeard acquired his second fruit. One of my theories involves the concept of a dual personality. Perhaps inside Blackbeard, there are two distinct living individuals. This theory might explain why Blackbeard doesn't sleep, with one personality awake during the day and the other during the night.

Ordinarily, if a regular person were to never sleep, it could lead to severe mental and physical health issues. However, when Marco mentioned that Blackbeard had a special body, it raises the possibility that his unique physiology allows him to stay awake without suffering the usual consequences. This might also explain how he can handle two separate personalities.

If possible that when someone eats a Devil Fruit, it becomes bound to their soul. So, in Blackbeard's case, one Devil Fruit might be tied to one of the two personalities living inside him. If he were to eat another Devil Fruit, it could potentially become tied to the other personality.

A Devil Fruit is like a devil in a fruit. Once eaten, it takes over your soul. If you eat another fruit, these devils inside of you theoretically start fighting each other, fight for ownership, which usually results in the person exploding. But with two souls, the devils have a soul to take over, and that's why it all balances out.

Technically, I have two people living inside of me. But I don't want to risk eating two fruits and end up exploding. I'll have to experiment later. I'm changing my mind, I won't be eating the Hana Hana no Mi just yet.

If I can master Rokushiki, Haki, and obtain a powerful Devil Fruit, I might be able to rise to the rank of a Yonko in a relatively short span. However, my current priority is getting a suitable weapon. I could wait until Gecko Moria gets his hands on Shusui, and I could take it from him. I might consider trading Shusui for Enma and Ame no Habakiri.

I like the idea of crafting my own swords, if that's even possible. That's why I picked up a book about blacksmithing. However, I'm realistic about it; I doubt I'll be able to create powerful swords. The art of blacksmithing requires dedication, time and effort, something that would likely take a lifetime if I truly wanted to excel at it.

Considering it more deeply, I realize that I don't have the time to become a blacksmith. It might be a better idea to make someone else to make me a sword. Maybe I can track down Shimotsuki Kozaburo before he dies. If I give him with a compelling reason, there's a chance he might be willing to craft a sword for me.

The possibilities are endless, and there are many paths to achieving my goals.

. . . . .

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I set my thoughts aside and opened the first book on the table.

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To Be Continued