"Fish-Man Karate is a combat technique that gathers flowing substances, condenses them into a single point, and then releases them in a powerful burst…"
"And among all things in this world, the two most obvious and most common 'flowing substances' are water and air…"
Early in the morning, as the cries of unknown creatures echoed through the Sea Forest, the light energy hidden beneath the roots of the Sunlight Tree Eve slowly began to bloom, eventually illuminating the skies above the entire Fish-Man Island.
And today also marked the first day of classes taught by Jinbe, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
Since the early lessons focused only on theoretical fundamentals and didn't involve anything too advanced, aside from Robin, Red also allowed members of the Straw Hat Army who were interested in learning Fish-Man Karate to participate in the course.
It had to be said—these people, who had once suffered under the torment of the Celestial Dragons, were utterly ruthless when it came to pushing themselves.
They treated the flames of vengeance as the driving force behind their bodies, greedily seizing every opportunity provided by the Straw Hat Pirates.
Although no one knew who among the three thousand-plus participants would make it to the end, heaven never betrays those who strive.
Even Red couldn't help but be moved by their will, ultimately offering up the private instruction time he had originally reserved solely for Robin.
On this side, Robin led a group of Straw Hat Army members as they studied the principles of Fish-Man Jujutsu under Jinbe.
On the other side, Red brought the Straw Hats' three main combatants along with Brook to a secluded corner deep within the Sea Forest.
…
…
"Luffy, are you really prepared?"
"Red keeps saying that your Gear Fifth is incredibly powerful, but given our current situation, we can grow stronger steadily without taking such a huge risk at all."
Sanji, gentle by nature, wore a conflicted expression as he tried to dissuade Luffy.
This time, even Zoro—who usually loved arguing with him—unexpectedly echoed Sanji's words.
"That's right, Luffy!"
"The perverted cook actually has a point."
"Even though we just provoked the World Government, with Laboon's power, we don't need to worry about being discovered by them…"
"I don't think this is the moment to gamble with your life for power."
Zoro's face was grave, worry flickering faintly in his eyes.
But Luffy, who was being persuaded by the two of them, merely grinned and laughed.
"Hahaha! How could that be okay!"
Bang!
Luffy slammed his palm into his fist, his resolve and fighting spirit unmistakable.
For someone usually so carefree, he spoke with rare seriousness today.
"Everyone's already found their own path to becoming stronger. If I, the captain, stay stuck in place, that's not something I can accept!"
"Besides, Red's here anyway. I trust that nothing will go wrong!"
"Right, Red?!"
Luffy suddenly looked up, grinning at Red in the distance.
Red, however, helplessly curled his lips and spread his hands, immediately shifting the blame.
"Don't look at me!"
"I've been against this plan from the very beginning!"
"I feel the same way as everyone else. And besides, it's not like you don't have other things you can work on…"
"Last time, I already sensed the fluctuations of Mega Evolution. As long as you seriously awaken your Fairy-type successfully, you should be able to Mega Evolve and obtain tremendous power right away!"
"Haha, spare me, Red."
Faced with Red's obstruction, Luffy simply laughed it off.
"Didn't you say that if Zoro's guess is correct, my Fairy-type wouldn't just be merging with my body…"
"I still have no idea what I'm actually supposed to do!"
"You really are something…"
Red sighed in frustration, as if disappointed in iron that refused to become steel.
It wasn't that he didn't want Luffy to awaken Gear Fifth before Mega Evolution.
But judging from the Poneglyphs they had obtained, as well as the scenes Red remembered from the anime…
The awakening of the Nika Fruit was simply far too dangerous.
The method for awakening the Nika Fruit obtained from Pangaea Castle was shockingly crude.
One crucial requirement stood out above all others—
The user must be completely exhausted, unconscious, and endlessly on the brink of death!
The Poneglyph explained that only in such a state could the Nika will hidden within the Devil Fruit have a chance to awaken, allowing the user to access the fruit's true power.
It was practically equivalent to the first page of the Sunflower Manual:
To practice this skill, one must first castrate oneself.
If the price of gaining power was death, then what value did that power even hold!?
That was why, after reading the information related to the Nika Fruit, Red had tossed it aside without hesitation, even entertaining the idea of never letting Luffy awaken it at all.
With his own cheat-like abilities, he could still guide Luffy to becoming Pirate King step by step.
Four red Poneglyphs?
Give him three to five years, and Red was confident he could forge a Pokémon army capable of sweeping the world!
By then—The Straw Hat crew, the Straw Hat Grand Fleet, the Straw Hat Army…
Three forces united as one!
Who under heaven could possibly stand against them!?
Unfortunately, that was merely the thinking of an outsider like Red.
Luffy, a native of the pirate world who had been raised on the spirit of adventure since childhood, could never accept such a dreamless plan.
A Pirate King achieved that way would have lost its most fundamental meaning to him.
Precisely because Red understood this, he ultimately agreed to Luffy's willful request and brought him and the others here.
Luffy's plan was simple and brutal—
Have his companions beat him into a near-death state, thus fulfilling the conditions for the Nika Fruit's awakening and unlocking a stronger form.
As absurd as it sounded, that was exactly what the Poneglyph described. And in the original timeline, Luffy had indeed awakened in a similar way…
To the point that even Red felt Luffy might actually succeed through this method.
With the system's status panel, Red could monitor Luffy's HP in real time. The attackers were all allies, and Luffy's overall strength was already close to his original timeline counterpart…
They had reduced the danger as much as humanly possible.
If even this failed to awaken Nika, then Red felt there was no need to waste more time on that form at all.
It would only prove that without strict "Teacher Kai's stick-based education," relying on Luffy's "self-study" simply wouldn't yield the desired results.
And besides…
…
…
"The consciousness of the Nika Fruit, huh?"
"I absolutely won't allow some weird, messy thing to be hidden inside Luffy's body."
Watching the Straw Hats' three main fighters take their stances after realizing persuasion was futile, a strange light flashed through Red's eyes.
"Turning into a fool who only laughs all the time—does that really sound good?!"
At this point, Red naturally wouldn't pour cold water on Luffy anymore.
But after silently encouraging himself, his gaze suddenly sharpened.
In an instant, a faint violet glow—like a dying flame—burst forth from deep within Red's eyes.
He then fixed his strangely empowered gaze directly on Luffy.
This was the achievement reward granted to him by the system after he successfully challenged Agatha of the Ghost-type Elite Four—
Spirit Sight!
It was the fourth special power Red had mastered, following Ice Power, Aura, and Dragon Mastery.
Under the effects of Spirit Sight, Red could not only perceive nether particles in the air that ordinary people couldn't see—condensing them into Ghost-type energy for Brook to absorb and strengthen his soul—
He could even directly touch mysterious souls with a mortal body.
Simply put, once Spirit Sight was activated, Red gained an effect similar to the Pokémon Ability Scrappy, allowing him to strike souls and Ghost-type existences even with ordinary physical power.
But Spirit Sight was even more powerful than Scrappy.
In this state, not only could power from the physical world directly strike the soul, but all other abilities that inflicted soul damage would be significantly enhanced as well.
Every punch truly struck "the flesh," landing directly on the enemy's vital weak points!
And that was precisely why Red agreed to Luffy's outrageous plan.
The fact that Zoan-type Devil Fruits possess consciousness had long been confirmed by the scientists of the pirate world.
Awakening a Zoan-type fruit was, in essence, a process of fusing with that consciousness.
For ordinary Zoan fruits, the fruit's will was extremely weak—little more than a symbolic presence.
After awakening, users might only inherit a few behavioral traits of the animal.
But—
The Nika Fruit was different!
Its will was so powerful that it could even influence the flow of fate itself!
The World Government had pursued this fruit for eight hundred years, yet it always slipped through their grasp.
That alone proved that the Nika Fruit's consciousness was extraordinary even among Mythical Zoans!
For the user, a stronger consciousness meant a stronger Devil Fruit power.
The might of the Nika Fruit perfectly matched Luffy's status as a child of destiny.
However, from Red's perspective, he could never accept Luffy's soul being altered by the will of a mere Devil Fruit!
Compared to Luffy awakening Gear Fifth and gaining greater power, Red was more eager for Luffy to draw out the Nika Fruit's consciousness…
And in that very instant, he and Brook would strike with full force, completely purging Nika's will from Luffy's body!
A consciousness that could laugh heartily even after its "father" had recently died—how was it any different from the failed artificial Zoan users!?
Red would never allow Luffy's soul to be tainted like that!
…
…
Meanwhile, at the center of the clearing.
Seeing that persuasion had failed, Zoro stopped talking.
He suddenly bent forward, the seriousness on his face fading into a faint smile.
"Swinging a blade at a companion is something forbidden and despised in any pirate crew…"
"But since it's the captain's order, there's nothing we can do~"
Clang!!!
The spotless Wado Ichimonji flashed from its sheath, cutting a sharp arc through the air before Zoro clenched it between his teeth.
Immediately after, Narukami—embodying natural lightning—and the blood-hued Sandai Kitetsu were drawn in succession.
Dragon-like will erupted from his body, transforming into an overwhelming, domineering aura that coiled behind him like a ferocious dragon.
Steel Swordsmanship became an even superior enhancement compared to Armament Haki, causing Zoro's three blades to radiate the purest sword-light.
In the blink of an eye, Zoro entered his all-out combat state.
And from his current condition, one thing was obvious—
He was dead serious about hitting Luffy!!!
On the other side.
Seeing Zoro ready himself, Sanji helplessly lit a cigarette and complained at him.
"Don't give me that 'can't swing at companions' crap—haven't you cut me plenty of times already, you bastard?!"
"But…"
"Since this is the captain's will, I'll follow orders too!"
Whooom!!!
Boiling flames erupted instantly, spiraling up from Sanji's feet and gradually enveloping his body, shooting straight toward the thick membrane above Fish-Man Island and reflecting a brilliant rainbow glow.
In the next instant, everything vanished.
The flames burst like fireworks and disappeared into the air.
And at that moment, Sanji was clad in a resolute suit of armor formed entirely of fire.
"Be careful, Luffy. Right now, we're really strong."
Zoro—who had advanced even further at Mary Geoise—grinned as he reminded Luffy, whose eyes sparkled with anticipation.
"Ah…"
Luffy responded calmly, smiling.
"Of course I know."
"After all… you're my comrades!"
The moment his words fell, surging Armament Haki erupted like blazing fire from beneath Luffy's skin.
His body expanded dramatically, entering the strongest state he could achieve.
"Gear Fourth · Black Warrior God Form!!!!"
Three powerful auras collided high above the Sea Forest.
Scorching flames, domineering dragon roars, and an aura as solid as ancient fortress walls…
Even before the battle began, one could already feel the illusion of imminent danger.
"Yohohoho~ Everyone's really fired up!"
Brook, who had been called over to help search for Nika's consciousness, quickly held down the hat on his head that was being blown askew by the pressure, ghostly flames flickering in his hollow eye sockets.
After all, battles of this level were usually far beyond his reach.
…
…
Meanwhile.
"Hm?!"
Jinbe, who was teaching Robin and the others about Fish-Man Karate, suddenly stopped and looked toward Luffy's direction.
"What's going on!? Are powerful fighters clashing on Fish-Man Island!?"
Staring at that distant, overwhelming aura, Jinbe's eyes sharpened with concern.
Fish-Man Island was extremely fragile.
If powerful fighters truly went all out here—if the ground shattered or the external coating broke—
The entire island could be wiped out.
Thinking of this, Jinbe immediately apologized to the students and prepared to rush toward the source of the battle.
But just then, Robin gently extended a slender hand.
As if seeing through Jinbe's thoughts, she smiled softly.
"Teacher Jinbe, don't worry. That's just Luffy and Zoro sparring for training…"
"They'll control their power and won't affect other areas."
"Please continue the lesson with peace of mind."
"Ah?!"
Already confused, Jinbe became even more bewildered after hearing her explanation.
No, wait—
That level of pressure, and you're telling me it's just sparring!?
Jinbe blinked his already small fish eyes, wearing a dazed yet oddly adorable expression.
(End of Chapter)