Rosy clouds spill across the sea like molten gold.
A lone gull cuts through the frost-bound sky.
Standing on the fine, soft sand, feeling the fishy, salty sea breeze strike his face, Ginro gazed toward the far end of the ocean. He then looked up at the blue sky and white clouds of the pirate world. His mood could hardly be called pleasant.
At the exact moment he was enveloped by the golden light of the secret-realm passage, the booklet titled "Secret Realm Changes Fate, Assistance Achieves Dreams" Project Proposal naturally flipped open in his mind. Old words were erased, and new ones were branded into place.
[Assisted Party: Ginro]
[Secret Realm to Be Conquered: One Piece]
[Assisting Secret Realm: Kengan Ashura]
[Project Vision: Through targeted assistance between secret realms, fundamentally enhance the assisted party's strength and aid them in completing the conquest of One Piece.]
[Wealth: 0]
[Fate Points: 0
(Note: A character's fate alters the fate of the secret realm. When the assisted party causes events that influence the future trajectory of the realm, Fate Points will be awarded for use in assistance projects.)]
[Specific Assistance Measures Are as Follows]
[1. Infrastructure: Seek out renowned Kengan masters to provide Ginro with foundational martial arts training. No tuition for the first year; starting from the second year, tuition increases annually.
(During the infrastructure phase, consciousness enters the Kengan Ashura secret realm while time remains frozen.)]
[2. Practical Sparring: Available after three years of infrastructure. Seek suitable opponents for Ginro to spar with, absorbing their strengths to compensate for his weaknesses. First session is free; subsequent sessions require funds and Fate Points.]
[3. Star Interaction: Available after ten cumulative sparring victories. Consumes a large amount of Fate Points to invite star-level opponents for guidance.]
[4. Forging a Legend: Available after defeating star opponents and consuming a massive amount of Fate Points. Enter an enlightenment state to create one's own martial arts style.]
[Practical Sparring, Star Interaction, and Forging a Legend are currently unavailable.]
[Infrastructure is currently available. Proceed with infrastructure?]
It sounded incredibly high-end. Time actually stopped during the infrastructure phase—but why…
Kengan Ashura?
This was also an anime from Ginro's past-life memories. But if he remembered correctly, wasn't Kengan Ashura just a pure fighting manga?
The strongest characters there could maybe smash a large rock. Help him conquer One Piece? At that level, it could barely help him deal with Don Krieg!
"Well… something is better than nothing. And learning some martial arts and gaining real combat skills will definitely help me establish myself in the pirate world."
Ginro quickly came to terms with it.
Let's try it. Start infrastructure!
[Infrastructure project initiating]
[Please choose an instructor and martial arts style:]
Winston Wen — Xeno Fist Master
Benjamin Wu — Wuben Style Master
Darren Sack — Barton Technique Master
His memories were too distant. To be honest, Ginro had some vague impression of the latter two styles, but couldn't clearly recall what they involved.
Then Xeno Fist it was. That choice couldn't go wrong.
The scene before his eyes shifted.
Heaven and earth spun.
…
"I had already decided to stop taking disciples," an elderly voice said calmly. "But an old friend personally requested it, and I couldn't refuse. I'll teach you for one year. How much you learn will depend entirely on your own martial comprehension."
"Eighteen years old—you've already passed the best age to build a foundation. It's not too late, but you'll need to work harder than others."
"To learn Xeno Fist, stance work comes first. You may have heard of the 'Trinity Stance,' but since this is your first time studying martial arts, you'll start with the more basic 'Wuji Stance' and 'Eight Severing Hands.'"
"Wuji Stance focuses on changing force. You must alter your original habits of exertion, making the solid and empty aspects of your body clearly distinct. Follow me…"
"Hmm? Still looking around?!"
The stern shout snapped Ginro back to reality. A gentle breeze passed through as peach blossoms drifted down from above. He looked at the man before him—gray hair, a trace of mustache on his lips, youthful features despite his age.
Winston Wen. A Xeno Fist grandmaster.
"…Yes, Master."
Seeing Winston Wen's expression darken, Ginro immediately understood what to do. He hurriedly imitated the Wuji stance.
Only then did Winston Wen nod slightly. He stepped forward, patted Ginro's shoulder, and corrected him:
"Straighter. Use empty force. Stay relaxed. Waist and legs slightly engaged, but don't stiffen. Let your legs stand naturally apart."
Ginro carefully adjusted himself. Winston Wen looked him up and down and nodded in satisfaction.
"You have some foundation. Looks like you've done basic training before."
Naturally—Ginro had been a professional athlete in his previous life. And with plans to enter secret realms in this one, he had already been training methodically. His physique was balanced and well-defined, with clearly visible abs.
Smack—!
His focus slipped for just a moment, and a sharp pain exploded across his backside. Winston Wen now held a wooden switch, which he swung down mercilessly.
"Don't relax your mind! Where's the solid?!"
Damn—this old man is ruthless!
Ginro hissed and hurriedly corrected himself, not daring to let his attention wander again. The stance looked simple, but demanded extreme relaxation while maintaining clear distinctions between solid and empty—far harder than he had expected.
Even with his conditioning, after just half an hour, Ginro's legs began to tremble.
Then—
Smack!
"Where's the empty?"
A dozen seconds later—
Smack!
"Where's the solid?"
Smack! Smack!
"Solid?! Empty?!"
The entire morning passed like this. During the final hour, Ginro was standing purely on instinct. He could barely even comprehend the words "solid" and "empty" anymore.
When Winston Wen finally said, "That's enough," Ginro collapsed onto the ground. Sweat had soaked a patch of earth beneath him, and he felt like he was barely able to breathe.
A hint of satisfaction flickered in Winston Wen's eyes. He turned toward a disciple peeking from the corner.
"Go get him a meal. More meat."
"Yes, Master!"
A minute later, Ginro—still sprawled on the ground—sniffed the air.
Rice… and beef stew with potatoes?!
His emptied body erupted with intense hunger. Some unknown reserve of strength surged forth, allowing him to stand again. He muttered a slurred "Thanks, senior brother," snatched the lunchbox, and devoured it.
In just two minutes, the entire box was gone. Still not full, he hesitantly asked,
"Master… could I get half a serving more?"
"Come inside to eat. Don't stuff yourself. You'll be training the Eight Severing Hands this afternoon."
As a Xeno Fist grandmaster with deep family roots, Winston Wen owned a traditional courtyard home. Inside, Ginro met his five senior brothers and two senior sisters.
The oldest was already over forty. All seven studied him curiously, unsure why a master who had sworn off disciples had accepted another one—but their expressions were kind.
"Come on, junior brother—sit here!"
"Come eat over here with your senior sister."
"…Thank you, Senior Sister!"
From then on, every day before dawn, Ginro stood in Wuji stance in the courtyard. In the afternoons, he trained the Eight Severing Hands.
The soreness in his body almost never faded, but with stubborn grit in his bones, Ginro never complained, never slacked off.
When the body reached its limit, willpower would force a breakthrough. Of course, the most important reason was that Winston Wen's wooden switch really hurt.
At first, it was painful.
Then he gradually adapted.
Winston Wen never praised him openly, but he was clearly satisfied. Two months later, Ginro finally had more interaction with his senior brothers and sisters outside of mealtimes.
His Eight Severing Hands had reached a basic level, enough to exchange moves with them.
Despite the name, the art only had four fundamental actions: receiving, advancing, closing distance, and switching hands. Different combinations produced the "eight severings."
Simple in appearance, yet profound in depth—every choice determined victory or defeat. At first, Ginro couldn't withstand three moves. A month later, he could exchange blows, still losing in the end, but no longer getting tossed around instantly.
Only then was he allowed to learn the Trinity Stance.
"Trinity Stance is the foundation of all Xeno Fist forms. Its requirements are far stricter than Wuji Stance."
The same courtyard, now stripped bare by late autumn. Winston Wen demonstrated:
"Both feet bear weight—do not favor one side. Favoring one does not mean lifting a foot, but allowing the front foot to be empty or solid, with true weight rooted in the rear."
Ginro fell silent for two seconds.
"Master… could you say that in plain language? My classical Chinese isn't great."
Former athlete.
Still an athlete.
Winston Wen also paused for two seconds, then turned and casually picked up the wooden switch.
"Just stand. You'll understand after standing."
Ginro's expression turned bitter.
Laughter drifted from next door.
(Let me know what you think of this novel in the comments!)
Every 10 powerstones I'll post 1 extra chapter!