(T/N: There is now a p.atreon for this work. Check it out for an early release of up to 30 chapters edited smoothly.
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The two men stood facing each other.
One had acquired a new ability and was filled with the desire to test it in a fight, while the other had just recovered and was itching to move his body.
The two looked at each other and saw the shared intention reflected in one another's eyes.
Two balls of faint fire suddenly rose up in the air between them. The flames burned and hissed, water vapor constantly evaporating around them as the temperature climbed steadily.
With a whistle, the fireballs suddenly shot forward like cannonballs, drawing two blazing paths across the field.
Crack!
A sword flashed.
Drake pulled out a longsword and cleanly sliced through the air. The blade split the two attacking fireballs in half. At the same time, he leaped forward.
His two-meter-tall figure moved as agilely as a cheetah, accurately passing through the gaps created by the four flame fragments.
The muscles in his arms suddenly bulged as he surged forward. The tip of his blade gleamed with cold light as it thrust directly toward Kyoma.
'Quick judgment and efficient action.'
Kyoma was genuinely impressed by the seamless transition from defense to offense, which had taken only a few breaths of time.
Almost the instant he'd launched his fireballs, Drake had already closed the distance with his sword.
This kind of combat awareness was exactly what Kyoma lacked most.
"But my fireballs aren't so easy to dodge."
Drake, who was about to reach him, caught the smile on Kyoma's face.
His heart tightened immediately.
Almost instantly, he sensed two sources of intense heat approaching from behind.
In that moment, Drake hurriedly stopped his forward momentum, spun around, and swung his sword in one fluid motion. He cut the two balls of fire that had somehow reunited.
However, Kyoma had no intention of letting this opening go to waste.
Seizing the opportunity created when Drake turned his back, he closed the distance with several quick steps and threw a completely natural punch.
Bang!
The fist connected solidly with Drake's back. A muffled thud echoed through the yard.
Then there was silence.
"Uh..."
The scene that unfolded was completely different from what Kyoma had imagined. Instead of sending his opponent flying, his fist felt like it had struck an iron wall.
Rather than hurting Drake, Kyoma's own hand felt like it might fall apart from the impact.
A piercing pain shot through his knuckles.
The fact that he managed to suppress any cry of pain was already impressive.
Drake, who'd received the attack, was equally confused.
After realizing he couldn't avoid Kyoma's close-range strike, he'd instinctively prepared to transform into his dinosaur form to resist it.
But Kyoma's punch had proven unexpectedly weak. Even the [Iron Body] technique he'd subconsciously activated couldn't be broken through.
He knew his Rokushiki training was mediocre at best. He might not even match an ordinary Marine lieutenant in that regard.
"So weak," Drake muttered in disbelief.
"What? That's a bit disrespectful."
Although Drake's voice had been quiet, Kyoma stood close enough to hear it clearly. This kind of face-to-face mockery was unbearable.
But the pain in his fist forced him to acknowledge reality.
He couldn't break through Drake's defense at all, and his opponent hadn't even used his Devil Fruit ability.
However, Kyoma didn't feel discouraged.
In less than a week since arriving in this world, he'd grown from an ordinary person to someone capable of sparring with a Supernova.
He was quite satisfied with this rate of progress.
"Forget it. I won't continue for now. I need to buy breakfast. Kagura and Klee are probably waking up soon."
Shaking his aching hand, Kyoma noticed the sunlight in the yard growing increasingly bright as it gradually covered the shadows.
He estimated it was close to eight o'clock.
After saying that, he rushed out the door with hurried steps, not giving Drake any chance to continue their spar.
Not that Drake was thinking about it.
After withstanding Kyoma's supposedly powerful punch, he'd completely lost any desire to fight.
As he watched Kyoma's departing back, only one question occupied his mind.
'With this guy's strength, how does he dare challenge Doflamingo?'
'Could he be relying on those girls?'
'Thank goodness I didn't join him last night. Otherwise, I really would have been led onto a sinking ship.'
****
Along the way, Kyoma faced the increasingly warm sunshine while breathing in the fresh air.
His body felt light and energized.
Proper exercise really could soothe both body and mind.
If he got up at this time every day, he might be able to develop a morning exercise routine.
Kyoma thought the idea was quite feasible. At least before the ship was built and they set sail, he had plenty of time every morning. This could be used to train his abilities. In the afternoon, he'd follow Rayleigh to train his Haki.
It had been a long time since he'd experienced this fulfilling feeling. It reminded him of scheduling classes back in school.
After making a brief plan in his mind, Kyoma smiled and greeted some vendors along the road.
By this point, he'd reached the market on Island No. 53. Over the past few days, he'd come here almost daily to buy necessities and furniture for his new residence.
Most vendors had come to recognize this new young face. More importantly, the young man seemed quite wealthy. He really bought whatever he wanted and never bargained.
Kyoma could only feel speechless about this. In the past, he'd mostly shopped online. When he did go out, he usually visited supermarkets with clearly marked prices. He'd almost never encountered opportunities to haggle, so it wasn't that he didn't want to bargain. He simply didn't know how.
However, there was one thing those vendors had right. He was indeed very wealthy at the moment.
"Boss, give me a hundred donuts, fifty fried skewers, and..."
Arriving at a breakfast shop he frequently visited, Kyoma walked to the counter.
He lowered his voice as if performing rapid-fire speech, rattling off a long list of food items.
Most were ordered for Kagura.
As for why he kept his voice so low, it was because he didn't want to attract strange looks from other people.
But even though he spoke quietly, a white bear hidden beneath a black cloak still overheard him clearly.
"One hundred donuts? Captain, he's too greedy."
In a dark alley near the breakfast shop, a man and a bear were sneaking around.
The bear's ears, exposed at the alley entrance, twitched slightly. Bepo couldn't help drooling as he heard what the man they were following was ordering for breakfast.
"Bepo, your drool is dripping on my hand."
Law, who stood beside him, spoke in a muffled growl.
His face, hidden beneath his spotted white hat, showed clear exasperation.
"I'm sorry, Captain..."
After hearing Law's voice, Bepo's expression instantly transformed.
The bear who'd been drooling just a second ago suddenly adopted a devastated look.
He bowed deeply in apology, as if he'd suffered some terrible blow.
Because the space was cramped and the white bear's body was too large, his bowing motion squashed Law's face against the wall like a pancake.
"Don't apologize here!"
Law braced his hands against the wall, forcibly pulling his face away from it. He couldn't help but yell loudly.
As his voice fell, his eyes suddenly contracted.
The person he'd been following since early morning now stood at the alley entrance, staring directly at him and Bepo.
Kyoma stared for a long moment before finally confirming the identities of the man and bear.
"Are you Trafalgar Law?"
The conspicuous white bear and the extra-long sword made recognition relatively simple.