New World, waters near Fish-Man Island.
A three-masted sailing ship drifted gently on the sea. Faint, melodious music echoed over the waves.
On the deck, only Kaelen and Robin remained. The usual presence of Aokiji—who tended to laze around or vanish for days—was notably absent.
After the Dressrosa incident, Aokiji had asked to travel alone for a while, and Kaelen hadn't stopped him.
At that moment, Kaelen was guiding Robin in developing her Devil Fruit ability.
"Watch closely. I'll only be using the power of the Flower-Flower Fruit. Pay attention to how I structure my attacks," Kaelen instructed calmly.
He pressed his palms together, a faint smile tugging at his lips. Despite the ease in his expression, his stance radiated a quiet seriousness, almost like a monk preparing for enlightenment.
Suddenly, the space behind him shimmered and twisted. Out of the air emerged a massive apparition—an enormous set of spectral arms, reminiscent of the Thousand-Armed Kannon.
Each arm stretched dozens of meters long, radiating raw power.
"Descend," Kaelen said softly.
At his command, the colossal arms moved in unison. They rained down from the sky, slamming into the ocean surface like divine judgment.
Boom!
Hundreds of giant hands struck the sea, sending shockwaves across the water. Tidal waves surged for hundreds of meters, and the sea churned violently. Fish and sea creatures floated to the surface, some over a hundred meters long—clear evidence of the overwhelming force behind the attack.
Turning to Robin, Kaelen asked, "Well?"
Robin exhaled slowly, still in awe. "Incredible."
The same Flower-Flower Fruit. Yet in Kaelen's hands, it had become a weapon of mass destruction. Hers, by comparison, felt like a child's toy.
Frustration flickered across her face. She was intelligent, resourceful—even among the most brilliant minds on the sea. But Kaelen had only possessed her ability for a few days and had already elevated it beyond what she thought possible.
Still, she couldn't deny it—Kaelen was a genius.
She remembered how, just days ago, she had been quietly reading in her lounge chair when she suddenly lost consciousness. When she awoke, nothing seemed out of place—her clothes untouched, her body unharmed. But Kaelen had ghosted her for three days.
And now, here they were.
"I've shown you the principle," Kaelen said with a small grin. "Take some time to process it. Then let me see what you come up with."
Robin furrowed her brow in concentration. She closed her eyes, crossed her arms in front of her, and activated her power.
Delicate pink petals scattered silently, forming ethereal arms from thin air. They shimmered with a light sheen, pale and graceful, like lotus roots newly risen from water.
Robin had formed eighteen arms, each about ten meters long—not nearly as massive as Kaelen's, but a strong start.
Her expression shifted to one of gentle resolve, like a compassionate goddess. The aura she gave off was so radiant, Kaelen instinctively reached for a camera to capture the moment.
She really is stunning, he thought, smirking. A perfect match for me.
Robin extended her arms, sending them crashing down toward the sea.
Boom!
Waves exploded upward, splashing tens of meters into the air. A vortex several meters wide formed beneath the impact.
Not bad for a first attempt.
"Focus on that move," Kaelen advised. "Don't waste your energy on flashy techniques. Master one thing until it rules everything."
His philosophy was simple: perfection over complexity.
Besides, the Thousand-Armed had room for flexibility—it didn't have to be used the same way every time. Robin would need to experiment to discover how it fit her fighting style.
Kaelen walked away to the other side of the deck, flipping his palm to reveal a Devil Fruit.
"I didn't expect to find this in Doflamingo's vault. Did he collect it on purpose or just stumble across it?"
The fruit in his hand was the [Silence-Silence Fruit], the same one Corazon once wielded.
Kaelen's eyes gleamed with intrigue. "If I can find the right pirate to eat this, they'll gain a hell of an ability."
He tucked the fruit away and extended his arm again. A long blade resting nearby leapt into his grasp.
Kaelen ran a hand along the edge of the blade, a pleased glint in his eyes.
The weapon was called Thunder, a Great Grade blade, deep purple with ancient runes etched across its surface. It gave off a mysterious, almost regal air.
The moment he had seen it among Doflamingo's collection, he'd felt drawn to it. The name suited him. He claimed it without hesitation.
Now, he was building synergy with the sword—warming it with his [Armament Haki] and sword intent, slowly nurturing its evolution.
Maybe one day, Thunder would become a Black Blade.
With both Kaelen and Robin immersed in their training, the deck fell into silence. The only sounds were the wind whistling through the sails and the steady rhythm of waves crashing against the hull.
---
100 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
200 Power Stones = 3 Bonus Chapters
Sounds like a fair trade, a real win-win if you ask me.