Chapter 23

Ice crackled as a cube materialized in front of Loya. He leaned in, tapping it gently.

Ding ding~

"Clear as a bell," Loya muttered. "Might as well sprinkle some cumin on it." He sighed, dropping his hand. The 6% dragon power hadn't done much for his modeling magic ice. Sure, it was stronger, but nothing groundbreaking.

Loya scratched his head, thinking. "It's like comparing an old-school hydraulic press to some fancy modern behemoth. Same juice, totally different squeeze."

He knew he'd hit a wall unless he could level up his modeling magic. For now, this was as good as it got.

Eyeing the energy meter ticking upward, Loya decided to upgrade. Every bit of power could mean the difference between life and death.

"Without this system," he thought grimly, "I might end up as just another redshirt in someone else's story."

Hum!

A familiar blue formation appeared at his feet. The rush of energy made his hair stand on end, giving him a wild, electrified look.

"Maybe I should get a haircut," Loya mused as his scalp tingled.

The blue diamond on his wrist began to disintegrate, writhing like a snake as it coiled around his body. Intense blue energy filled the air, quickly absorbing into him.

With each upgrade, Loya felt the magic boiling inside him. The sensation of growing stronger bit by bit was intoxicating.

...

As Loya hit the second rank, the upgrade spectacle intensified. Even from a distance, the pressure was palpable.

Meanwhile, at naval headquarters:

In the marshal's office, Zephyr and Sengoku were poring over assessment materials. This would determine which recruits stayed after graduation, especially the top-tier ones.

"Alright, let's keep this Hugh Piedman guy at headquarters," Sengoku said, marking the list.

Zephyr glanced at the info and nodded. "Makes sense. His test scores were meh, but the kid's got skills with a sword."

"We'll start him as a second-class soldier," Sengoku decided. "He can earn promotions based on how he does in the field."

Suddenly, a wave of pressure washed over them. The air felt thick, oppressive.

Sengoku froze, pen hovering over the paper. "You feel that?"

Zephyr nodded, eyes narrowing. "Like being stalked by a predator."

At first, Sengoku thought someone had awakened Conqueror's Haki, but no one had passed out.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Sengoku turned to Zephyr with a wry smile. "Hey, didn't I hear that Loya kid took down the island's only silverback ape?"

Zephyr kept his eyes on the papers, continuing, "Yeah, he did. First, he hit it with some big attack to weaken it. But you know those silverbacks - even with a crushed heart, they can go berserk for five minutes. So Loya finished it off with this move he's been working on. One punch, one kick, done."

"Hold up," Sengoku frowned. "Didn't you say the kid was terrible at close combat? How'd he manage to take down a silverback?"

Zephyr looked up, his mind flashing back to that day. Without a word, he pulled out a stack of photos and slid them across to Sengoku.

"We sworn the witnesses to secrecy. This stuff wasn't supposed to be compiled until tomorrow, but since you brought it up..." He shrugged. "Take a look."

Seeing Zephyr's serious face, Sengoku raised an eyebrow. "What's got you so wound up? No matter how strong he is..." His voice trailed off as he looked at the first photo. "What the hell?"

Sengoku's eyes went wide. He slammed his hand on the table, standing up. "That... that looks like... dragon power!"

Zephyr sighed, rubbing his chin. "Thank god stuff like that doesn't actually exist. Sometimes I wonder if Loya's got some weird Devil Fruit... because that kind of power? It's terrifying."

Sengoku didn't reply, carefully examining each photo.

The images showed Loya fighting the silverback, his body partially covered in dragon scales. Vicious claws and bone spurs screamed danger, and his cold, golden eyes with vertical pupils showed no emotion, even as he took heavy hits. He looked like some ancient spirit, completely detached from the chaos around him.

But what really freaked Sengoku out was something else. In the corner of one photo, there was a floating stone circled in red. Notes in the margins pointed out various battlefield features. Comparing it to the next photo, Sengoku realized these features hadn't budged an inch. In the last one, Loya had been thrown near the stone. In a fight this intense, the wind pressure alone should've sent everything flying.

Even crazier, despite the brutal battle, these marked objects seemed glued in place, unchanged until the very end.

Sengoku set the photos down heavily, his expression dead serious. "Zephyr, what's your take on this?"

"Ah, well..." Zephyr mused, gazing out the window towards the recruits' dorm where Loya was freely exerting that pressure. "Could be something to do with time or space manipulation."

He leaned back in his chair. "Kuzan told me Loya's freezing ability is different from his. It's more about pure freezing, which is why Kuzan got caught off guard. So maybe... just maybe... the ultimate form of the ice dragon fruit can freeze time and space itself."

"Freeze... time and space," Sengoku muttered, turning the idea over in his mind. He had to admit, it made a crazy kind of sense. What else could explain what they were seeing in those photos?

He leaned back, thinking out loud. "You know, those Mythical Zoan fruits are even rarer than Logias. And each one's got its own special trick up its sleeve."

Zephyr nodded. "Like Marco's phoenix regeneration. Or the shockwaves from your Buddha form."

"Right," Sengoku agreed. "So if Loya's ice dragon fruit can freeze time and space... it's not completely out of left field." He paused, a chill running down his spine. "It's like... like he's some kind of ghost."

The two men fell silent, the implications of such power hanging heavy in the air. After a moment, Sengoku spoke again, his voice low and serious.

"Zephyr, we need to keep a close eye on this kid. That kind of ability... it could change everything. For better or worse."

Zephyr nodded grimly. "Agreed. We'll have to be careful how we handle this information. If word gets out about what Loya might be capable of..."

"It could cause panic," Sengoku finished. "Or worse, attract unwanted attention from people who'd want to use that power for themselves."

They shared a knowing look, both understanding the weight of the secret they now carried. The future of the Navy, maybe even the world, could hinge on how they dealt with Loya and his mysterious ice dragon fruit.

Sengoku's eyes lit up. "Frozen time and space? That's... that's terrifying!"

He leaned forward, his mind racing. "Just think - if Loya could freeze a Yonko-level fighter for even a second, we could waltz into the New World and take back everything we've lost!"

Zephyr nodded, catching his excitement. "Forget about dealing with the Shichibukai or those revolutionary troublemakers. With Loya and Kizaru working together, a single unguarded moment could mean game over for our enemies."

Sengoku's face fell slightly. "But it looks like the kid doesn't even know he can do this yet."

"You're right," Zephyr agreed, gathering up the photos. "If he did, we wouldn't have these. Loya's too clever to show his hand like that. Plus, if he could use it freely, that ape would've been toast in seconds."

He paused, considering. "Though, these photos suggest anything frozen in time isn't affected by outside forces. So your idea might not work exactly as planned."

Sengoku sighed, absently petting the goat at his feet. "It's all speculation at this point. Who knows if Loya will ever reach that level? And in the meantime..." He groaned. "Do you know how many complaints I got about that kid last month? Even from the instructors!"

Zephyr chuckled, remembering some of Loya's antics.

Meanwhile, back in his room, Loya was oblivious to the stir he was causing. His current crisis? His ruined uniform.

"Aw man, this was my last clean outfit!" he groaned.

Just as the upgrade energy faded, dragon patterns on his skin began to pulse. Light blue scales erupted along with the rhythm.

Loya froze for a split second, then scrambled to action. But it was too late.

The scales burst from his body, shredding his clothes. His shirt now sported a massive hole in the back, exposing a pair of bat-like wings.

"Son of a-!" Loya yelped, a mix of emotions - shock, frustration, and a tiny bit of excitement - all rolled into one.

Now he had a real problem. The Navy took uniforms seriously. They were all about image and discipline.

For regular soldiers, damaging a uniform outside of combat meant running around the fortress half-naked with your new uniform, shouting "I was wrong!" as an example to others.

Because he'd hesitated that crucial second, Loya knew tomorrow was going to suck.

"Why's my luck always so crappy?" he sighed, picking up the tattered remains of his clothes.

Shaking his head, Loya opened up his status panel to check out his upgraded attributes.

Name: Christopher Loya

Energy stage: Second Stage, sixth-layer

Energy value: 0/1000

Mana: 9000/9000

Mana Recovery Speed: 850/m

The mana increased by 1000 points per layer, a consistent trend. Loya guessed there wouldn't be a dramatic increase until he reached a higher tier.

After reviewing the attribute panel, he noticed a new icon next to the ice modeling magic. It glowed with a golden fluorescence, indicating it was ready for use.

A new skill!

Loya inspected the icon. It wasn't there before, not even in a grayed-out state. This was a bona fide new skill!

He quickly clicked the icon to view its properties.

Awakening: Pseudo-Dragonization

After using the power of the dragon, the power enters a low-concentration awakening state, temporarily increasing the fit of the dragon's body by one stage, stopping before the second critical point. Increases mana recovery speed, enhances dragon slaying magic strength, consumes 30 mana per second, and increases the awakening degree of dragon power based on the duration.

From this, Loya grasped two key points.

First, he had always believed that the dragon's body improved with his training, allowing him to withstand more dragon power. This skill description proved him wrong.

It wasn't that his physical fitness increased his endurance for more dragon power. Rather, as his body adapted to more dragon power, it became stronger.

The body of the dragon focuses on the degree of fit. Since it's about adaptation, not endurance, he had been approaching it the wrong way.

The dragon's power and the body of the dragon are inherently compatible. But as a human transformed by dragon-slaying magic, he couldn't inherit that power perfectly. Hence, the need to gradually adapt.

He wasn't building from scratch. He was climbing stairs.