After getting the new Shimotsuki secret recipe, Ethan once again used his own channels to gather herbs and began training even more ruthlessly.
It was the year 1504 of the Sea Circle Calendar. There were still five years left until the Mary Geoise incident of 1509.
For those five years, he set himself a clear goal: in swordsmanship, he wanted to break through to the level of a sword master; in Haki, he wanted to at least reach Proficient, and if possible, push it to Master.
With all the movies and anime stored in his mind, coming up with a few insane training methods was child's play.
His past life's memories would become the fuel for his rise in this one.
Combining the wild ideas from his old world with the realities of this one, he came up with training methods that even Koushirou found astonishing.
For physical conditioning, he started with punching under a waterfall, inspired by the Saint Seiya series.
Saint Seiya needed no explanation: an order of guardians whose fists could tear the sky and whose kicks could crack the earth.
Waterfall training was represented by the Libra Saint who could overturn Rozan itself.
Originally, there had been no waterfall near Shimotsuki Village, so this method would have been impossible to apply.
But this world did not care too much about mundane logic. With Koushirou's help at the river behind the island, a single astounding flying slash carved open a cliff and created a waterfall.
As a bonus, Shimotsuki Sword Style: Proficient 6%.
Training his punches beneath the waterfall, with huge logs and boulders constantly tumbling down from upstream, paired with the effects of the Shimotsuki secret medicine, was beyond effective. Even Koushirou had to praise it.
He remarked that if Ethan kept training like this, he would soon grind his body into the level needed to awaken Armament Haki. Because if he didn't, he might just die within a few days.
For Observation Haki, Ethan took a different approach. He covered his eyes, then had Robin use her Flower-Flower Fruit to toss stones at him from all directions, while he tried to cut them with his wooden sword.
That way, he trained his swordsmanship, sharpened his sense for Observation, and helped Robin develop her Devil Fruit powers, all at once. Three birds with one stone.
At first, Ethan got pelted black and blue. Robin almost could not bring herself to throw the rocks, but after Ethan talked her through it, she gritted her teeth and kept going.
Later, once he was able to cut every stone even with his eyes covered, he plugged his ears as well and went right back to being a bruised mess.
A month later, he could hit the stones purely by feel, but Observation Haki still refused to fully emerge. There was only a sense that it was on the verge of breaking through.
Ethan realized that this kind of training had reached its limit.
He would have to seek his answers on the edge between life and death.
His current stats:
Physique: 30
Strength: 28
Speed: 29
Skills:
Shave: Beginner 10% (Physical condition barely adequate, use not recommended)
Conqueror's Haki: 11% to 13%
Shimotsuki Sword Style: Proficient 7%
With a long sword on his back and a sword hunter's disguise, Ethan soothed Robin's worries as best he could and prepared to leave.
This time, he planned to wander through the East Blue for a month, searching for a breakthrough.
He boarded a passing merchant ship under the name Klein Moretti and officially set sail.
It was a little tribute to the great Fool; after all, false identities were the Fool's signature.
Voyaging across the sea was mind-numbingly dull. Captain Neil, however, liked it that way. The more boring it was, the safer it felt.
This was a small merchant vessel that circulated among the islands of the East Blue. The crew doubled as guards, but they did not inspire much confidence.
When they had been in Shimotsuki Village, a sword hunter had asked to board their ship, offering to serve as a guard in exchange for waiving his fare.
At first, Captain Neil had hesitated. The more experienced a sailor was, the more they knew that free gifts from the sky always came with hooks attached.
But when the sword hunter produced a letter of introduction from the master of the Shimotsuki Dojo, Neil's attitude changed instantly. He gladly welcomed "Mr. Klein" aboard.
Of course, there would be no guard pay. They had to respect Mr. Klein's noble intentions, after all.
The change in attitude was simple. Neil knew the master of Shimotsuki Village was a capable man.
From time to time, people from nearby islands would come by ship to study there, and the village itself had never fallen to pirates all these years.
So the captains who plied those waters all held a certain respect for Koushirou.
With this sword hunter on board, the ship's safety would be somewhat higher, at least until he disembarked. Only somewhat, though; caution was still absolutely necessary.
Being a sword hunter did not automatically mean someone was strong. Most hunters targeted pirates with low bounties. They would shadow their quarry and wait for a moment when the pirates dropped their guard, then use all sorts of tricks to kill them.
They would sink ships, start fires, poison food, throw lime, stab people in the back or set traps, rarely choosing a frontal fight.
They picked low-bounty pirates because their strength was limited.
Once a pirate reached a certain level, those dirty tricks stopped working, and the risk of assassination soared.
In temperament, most bounty hunters were like hyenas: poor character, happy to gnaw on carrion, and experts at bullying the weak while avoiding the strong.
Most of them were not very powerful. If they were really strong, wouldn't it be better to just become pirates?
Someone like Zoro was a complete anomaly among sword hunters. What kind of hunter chased pirates down for head-on duels?
Axe-Hand Morgan had humiliated Zoro so badly precisely because, in his eyes, a mere bounty hunter was nothing. "If I tie you up, what can you do about it?"
Back on the merchant ship, the limited space below deck was crammed full of cargo.
So Ethan could only lean against the stacked crates at the stern. He gazed out over the distant waves and felt the gentle rise and fall of the ship, quietly practicing his "sword meditation."
This idea came from Bleach. In that series, Soul Reapers communicated with their Zanpakuto through meditation, unlocking incredible powers.
In a situation where physical training was difficult, Ethan could only try this method, even if he was not sure it would work.
He loosened his gaze and let his eyes unfocus. The sea breeze brushed past. The cries of seagulls slowly faded away, leaving only the sound of his own breathing. In, out. In, out.
At that moment, he seemed to sense something flicker far out on the sea's surface. When he focused, there was nothing to be seen. But deep inside, he felt a massive presence closing in.
Though he saw nothing, Ethan trusted his instincts more than what his eyes told him. He rose with his hand on his sword, ready for danger.
"Mr. Klein, is something wrong?" a sailor asked.
"There's danger coming," Ethan said.
He ignored the murmured complaints and skepticism from the crew and spread his senses as far as they would go, concentrating fully.
Five minutes passed. The sea remained calm and still. The sailors drifted back to their duties, quietly grumbling that this so-called sword hunter might not be reliable.
"It's here."
With a resounding boom, a dark shape burst from the surface, its shadow engulfing the entire merchant ship.
A sea beast.
(End of Chapter)
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