Aside from looking a bit cooler, the flames currently shrouding the blade hadn't seen much of an increase in power.
Dunn pulled up his data panel:
[Body Digitization: Your vital points have disappeared. After receiving an attack, damage is converted into HP deduction. Panel attributes will change based on your own strength. You will not die until your HP reaches zero.]
[Current Body Age: 14]
[Constitution: 21 (Undergoing rapid transformation due to certain influences)]
[Current HP: 100% (Recovering; eating can speed up recovery)]
[Inherent Talent (Unyielding): When HP reaches zero, enter a brief empowered state. All physical attributes increase tenfold; HP is no longer deducted; all negative statuses are cleared. Current duration: 10 minutes. Cooldown: 1 day.]
[Abilities][Flame-Flame Fruit (Proficient): A powerful Logia-type fruit. Gain the ability to transform into and manipulate fire. Continuously strengthens the body. Fruit drawbacks have been cleared (weaknesses and parasitic soul). Current Fruit Development: 13%]
[Swordsmanship (Proficient): You have mastered basic sword strikes and training methods.]
The fruit's progress wasn't significant, increasing by only 4%, but his Constitution had shot up by 11 points compared to a month ago. Furthermore, the prompt for "rapid transformation" still hadn't disappeared.
This meant his physical growth was still in a period of explosive acceleration. This was a good sign.
Author: Not Yet Lost
However, as for the Devil Fruit, it wasn't convenient to attempt full-scale development while staying here. Once the flames on the sword in Dunn's hand were fully retracted, he sheathed the blade, and the sweltering heat in the room gradually dissipated.
"It seems I'll need to make other plans."
Simply relying on imagination would never allow for the rapid development of a Devil Fruit's power; he needed a place where he could unleash his abilities without restraint. Initially, Dunn estimated it might take several years to reach the level of a master swordsman here.
But now, if staying too long hindered his fruit's development, he couldn't afford to linger.
Once he mastered the two forms of Haki, it would be time to travel.
I doubt many people know about my fruit's ability yet, Dunn thought, squinting as he remembered the pirates he had sent to Marine Base 16. However, he didn't take it to heart.
The next day, at the Isshin Dojo, Dunn gripped the longsword he had named "En" (Flame) and practiced his basic sword strikes with absolute focus. Although the blade had a dull luster, its domineering appearance still drew many eyes. Kuina and Zoro frequently glanced at the sword in Dunn's hand.
Not far away, Shimotsuki Koshiro nodded to himself. He believed Dunn would achieve great things precisely because of this: despite his strength far exceeding that of others, he never showed a hint of slackness in his fundamental training.
"How many times have you won against Zoro now?"
Kuina, wielding a bamboo sword beside Dunn, suddenly heard his question.
"1,995 times!" Kuina replied.
Hearing this, Zoro's face turned several shades redder, but a loss was a loss. Dunn nodded. It seemed the time of Kuina's original "accident" was approaching.
Since he was here, he naturally intended to prevent it. It wouldn't be difficult; he just needed to pay a little attention. This was also why he wanted to learn Observation Haki first.
Once the training session ended, Zoro—who clearly remembered Dunn's question—challenged Kuina once again.
Meanwhile, Dunn's training in Observation Haki officially began. In a quiet room, Shimotsuki Koshiro looked at Dunn with a smile.
"Since you know about Haki and even know a method of training, you should know what Observation Haki actually is, right?" He didn't start the lecture immediately; instead, he opened with a question.
What is Observation Haki?
Dunn lowered his head in thought. His knowledge came from the series before he transmigrated, but for someone who had never touched this power before, it was quite abstract. He could only try his best to grasp it.
"Is it... perception?" Dunn answered after a moment of silence.
"Haha, perception? Is that how you see it? Well, that understanding isn't wrong," Koshiro said. "Everything has a 'breath.' Whether you listen or feel, you must perceive their breath—be it wind, water, trees, or even steel.
And, of course, people. Observation Haki isn't just for living beings; it includes the inanimate. You'll need to understand this for your future swordsmanship."
Dunn nodded. He understood the words, but they still felt ethereal.
Sensing Dunn's thoughts, Koshiro continued: "Actually, Haki is a power everyone possesses, but it lies dormant. It needs to be induced through training. Once awakened, it must be further tempered."
"I know all that," Dunn nodded. "Is Conqueror's Haki the same?"
"Conqueror's is different. That is a truly one-in-a-million talent; not everyone has it." Koshiro shook his head and explained further, "I don't know much about Conqueror's myself, but I know very few people on this sea possess it."
The underlying meaning was: It's too early for you to worry about that. Dunn nodded, not interrupting.
"In fact, you have already awakened Observation Haki. You just haven't noticed it yet—or rather, you haven't 'sensed' this power," Koshiro said, startling Dunn.
Dunn looked down at his hands.
"You said Observation is perception. Then, by your own understanding, try to perceive everything around you. Perceive the breath of everything."
Dunn closed his eyes and tried to concentrate his spirit. Suddenly, a lethal killing intent lunged at his face. The violent aura caused goosebumps to erupt all over Dunn's skin. Almost instinctively, Dunn wanted to "Elementalize" to resist this threat.
But the killing intent came fast and vanished just as quickly. The source was none other than Shimotsuki Koshiro sitting across from him. In Dunn's perception, it felt as though a blood-red silhouette had suddenly manifested—a crimson demon sitting in place of the man.
He snapped his eyes open and stared at Koshiro.
"Did you feel it?" Koshiro asked with a smile. "I released my aura very subtly. If you weren't sensitive to auras or 'breaths,' you wouldn't have felt it. Do you remember that feeling just now?"
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