As Ling sat on his bed, he reflected on how his day had gone.
'Based on the success earlier… if I can send a rock ten seconds into the future, I should be able to lower that interval too.'
'Right now, I can only send myself one second forward but dodging is a whole different matter. It's not the same as teleporting. Wherever I travel in time, that's exactly where I'll still be just slightly ahead in time.'
'The best move to complement my ability would be Soru from Rokushiki.'
'Rokushiki is a martial art that pushes the limits of the human body, unlockable through intense physical training. It has six techniques: Soru, Geppo, Rankyaku, Shigan, Tekkai, and Kami-e.'
'The last two Tekkai and Kami-e aren't all that useful for me. But Soru, Geppo, Rankyaku, and Shigan? They could be perfect.'
'I've always planned to be a hand-to-hand combatant, so Shigan and Rankyaku are a must in my arsenal.
'Back to Soru it's a perfect complement to my time-skip ability. It allows the user to move at blinding speed, practically vanishing from sight.'
'If I dodge an attack by jumping milliseconds into the future… I still reappear in the same place just 0.65 seconds later. That's the catch. It's not true teleportation.'
'But if I chain Soru right after that skip, I can reposition instantly before the enemy realizes I'm gone.'
'It's like phasing out of time and reappearing somewhere else completely.'
'Better yet if I learn Observation Haki or use my foreknowledge of attacks from canon, I can predict incoming moves…'
'Then skip forward in time to avoid the hit and instantly teleport behind the enemy for a clean counter.'
'Soru should be quick to master too. Koby learned it in a month. Luffy picked it up mid-fight just by watching Lucci, and even Sanji got the hang of it.'
'All you need to do is kick the ground ten times in an instant. Of course, without precision, it's dangerous just look at Captain Kuro. He couldn't even control where he struck.'
'Geppo's another standout. By kicking off the air, you can stay airborne or even fly. In real combat, that's insanely useful.'
'Combined with Soru, I'd be a blur in both ground and sky. A real nightmare to track.'
'Then there's Haki. The two standard types Armament and Observation can be learned by anyone through strict and intense training. And one of them pairs perfectly with my time-skip ability.'
'Armament Haki allows you to create an invisible armor over your body or weapon. It enhances your offense and defense. Vergo, Doflamingo's subordinate, even covered his entire body with it.'
'It's also one of the only ways to hit Logia users like Ace or damage Luffy's rubber body.'
'Observation Haki, on the other hand, lets you sense the presence of others even if they're hiding. It's a way to read intent. With enough mastery, you can even see slightly into the future.'
'But it requires intense focus. In the Luffy vs. Katakuri fight, Luffy's Observation Haki faltered whenever his emotions ran wild. That's the key weakness.'
'Still, both Armament and Observation are game-changers. Even mastering just one puts you ahead of most fighters.'
'Rayleigh said every living being has the potential to use Haki. But it needs strict training—and having a teacher really helps.'
'Then there's the rarest one… Conqueror's Haki. You're either born with it or you're not.'
'Only those with immense willpower can wield it. One in a million, they say.'
'Luffy once knocked out 50,000 Fishmen with just one burst of it. That's the kind of power I want most but I don't even know if I was born with.'
'Back to Observation Haki. If I can pair that with the Toki Toki no Mi, I'll be the most annoying opponent to fight. Even just the basic form, sensing intent and predicting movements is already strong."
'But the advanced version? That's a different beast entirely.'
'Seeing a few seconds into the future is borderline cheating in battle. If I could jump slightly forward in time while also seeing what happens next, I'd be damn near untouchable.'
'Combine that with something like shave with moonwalk, I'd be everywhere and nowhere at once.'
'Just imagine dodging before an attack even starts, skipping ahead in time, then vanishing with a burst of speed only to reappear behind my enemy with a strike already prepped.'
'Only someone with future sight on the same level could even begin to match me.'
'That's why people like Katakuri were so dangerous. He wasn't just strong he could see what you were going to do and counter before you even finished moving.'
'But even he wasn't the pinnacle.'
'Shanks, he's on another level entirely.'
'He's known for how absurd his Haki is .'
'He can see an entire minute into the future. That's practically time travel by itself. In the One Piece world, where most fights are decided in split seconds, seeing a full minute ahead is godlike.'
'Shave and moonwalk, I know the proper training of it as it was showed in the anime. Training haki will be done during break, not a physical practice but a meditation.'
5:00 am - Wake up
5:00 - 6:00 am - Meditation
6:00 - 6:30 am - Bath and breakfast
6:30 - 8:00 am - First round of training
8:00 - 9:00 am - Meditation
9:00 - 1:00 pm - Second round of training
1:00 - 2:00 pm - Meditation
2:00 - 2:30 pm - Lunch
2:30 - 5:30 pm - Devil fruit mastering
5:30 - 7:00 pm - Last round of training
7:00 - 7:30 pm - Dinner
7:30 - 8:30 pm - Meditation
8:30 pm - Sleep
'This will be my schedule till I need to change it.'
'Meditation is important for recovery, it can also practice my concentration and focus.'
'Maybe through this I can feel my haki too.'
Ling closed his eyes to meditate before going to sleep.
Over the next week, the routine stayed the same. Meditation, intense physical training, and relentless attempts at mastering his Devil Fruit.
But his body was changing fast.
His stamina had grown immensely; he could now run twice the distance he could before, 24 kilometers without feeling exhausted. His raw strength was rising steadily.
He had also achieved major breakthroughs with his Devil Fruit. What started as failed experiments had now turned into small, measurable successes. He could send objects milliseconds, then seconds, and now even minutes into the future with increasing accuracy.
More than just his body, Ling noticed changes in his awareness. His focus had sharpened. His perception was keener.
He'd even gotten taller.
Now, it was time for the next step.
He needed real combat experience.
'I will head to Mt. Colubo and fight wild animals. I need to test my skills, learn my limits, and sharpen them.'