169: Chapter 168 Leaving Eregia for the Dark Island"Host, the consciousness you sensed comes from your Nika Fruit.That consciousness won't awaken before the fruit awakens, but it will awaken along with the fruit once it does.This consciousness will then seize the user's consciousness when the user awakens the fruit.As the user uses the awakened fruit's power more often, this consciousness will gradually replace its original owner until it finally takes complete control of the body," the system answered Luffy's question.
Hearing this, Luffy frowned slightly: "Consciousness?Could it be Joy Boy?Is he trying to take my place and liberate this world?"
Luffy muttered to himself, feeling somewhat puzzled and confused.However, he didn't understand the true meaning behind Joy Boy's actions, since the system had already dealt with the boy's remaining consciousness.
Thinking this through, Luffy shook his head, no longer dwelling on these matters.He understood that, no matter what, he had to maintain his will and beliefs, and not be swayed by any external factors.
"I don't care about all that.I don't want to know the purpose of a dead person.I just want to use this power to protect the people I care about and to adventure freely on this sea!" Luffy said firmly.
With that, Luffy took off the straw hat hanging around his neck, revealing a bright smile.He believed that as long as he stuck to his beliefs, he would definitely be able to overcome all difficulties and realize his dream.
For the next few days, Luffy accompanied Uta on daily strolls in the palace gardens, basking in the warmth of the sun and the gentle caress of the breeze.Hand in hand, their laughter echoed, as if the world had shrunk to just the two of them.And when night fell, Luffy would enter the system space to explore new powers with Uta.
As Luffy continued to train in Gear Fifth, he gradually grasped its secrets.He discovered that this power not only made him stronger, but could even alter the properties of surrounding objects.During a sparring session with Totemjika, summoned by Uta, Luffy was surprised to find that he could easily transform any part of Totemjika into rubber.
This made him exclaim, "So this is the true power of the Nika Fruit!" Luffy said excitedly.He realized that this power had unlimited potential, allowing him to unleash unprecedented strength in battle.
However, what shocked Luffy the most was that even when knocked down by an enemy, he could still recover quickly like a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user and stand up again.This "tenacious vitality" and "regenerative ability" greatly enhanced his endurance in battle, giving him enough confidence to fight against any powerful enemy.
Furthermore, Luffy discovered that his control over various elements had been greatly enhanced in Gear 5.Luffy excitedly thought, "I feel like I can easily defeat a hundred of my past selves now!"
Uta is the same.With control of Totemjika, her strength has increased significantly.Although she cannot use advanced Armament Haki and Observation Haki as smoothly as Luffy, she wraps Armament Haki around her sound attacks and then amplifies them with Totemjika.The power of this attack is so great that even Luffy is amazed.
Not only that, Uta can now summon the musical note soldiers from the world of music into the real world, so it can be said that Luffy has gained a lot from this journey.
But time always flies, and two months passed in the blink of an eye.That day, Uta nestled against Luffy's chest, her eyes filled with reluctance: "Are you leaving, Luffy?"
Luffy looked at Uta and nodded slightly.He knew he had other important things to do.His next stop was Zoro, to teach him the Breath of the Sun.Although the Breath of the Sun was described as extremely difficult, Luffy believed that with Zoro and Kuina's talent, mastering it wouldn't be difficult.
Luffy gently patted Uta's head and comforted her, "Don't be sad, Uta.We'll see each other again in a few months, won't we?"
The next morning, Luffy, his legs trembling, crushed the teleportation stone and vanished in a beam of light, watching Uta leave.Uta's face was still flushed.After Luffy's departure, Uta abandoned all pretense of romance and devoted herself to rigorous training, striving to become stronger.Meanwhile, on the eerie island where Zoro and Kuina resided, they faced a brutal training ordeal.This island was known as "Demon Island" because of its sinister and terrifying atmosphere.At this moment, they were receiving special training from the world's greatest swordsman—Hawkeye Mihawk.
The two unleashed their strongest techniques, attacking Hawkeye with all their might.However, Hawkeye seemed completely at ease amidst their fierce onslaught.Wielding his greatsword, he effortlessly deflected their attacks and pointed out their weaknesses.Although Hawkeye wasn't familiar with breathing techniques, as the world's greatest swordsman, his experience and insight allowed him to accurately pinpoint their vulnerabilities.
"Zoro, don't just rely on brute force!While your Flame Breathing is powerful, you also need to know how to skillfully utilize that power.Similarly, Lightning Breathing requires you to master the techniques of explosive power; only then can you unleash a truly exquisite sword strike.As for Kuina, Flower Breathing is similar to Water Breathing; the key is to use softness to overcome hardness.This is precisely what you need to deeply understand right now," Hawkeye said seriously.
With that, he sent the two flying again.Looking at the two lying on the ground, Hawkeye added calmly, "You have great potential, but you still need to keep working hard.Remember, every technique I teach you is key to becoming a top swordsman." After saying that, Hawkeye turned and left, leaving the two to reflect on their shortcomings.
On this gloomy island, Zoro and Kuina continued their arduous training, pursuing.They strive for a higher level of swordsmanship.They know that only through relentless effort and practice can they possibly realize their dreams.
Zoro got up from the ground, looking at Hawkeye with a defiant expression.Kuina, standing to the side, pondered.She had always relied too much on sword techniques, forgetting the essence of swordsmanship.Just then, Hawkeye, who hadn't gone far, suddenly became alert.A beam of light suddenly appeared in front of Zoro and Kuina.Seeing the familiar light, Zoro smiled, but Hawkeye, who had rushed over, didn't know this.He swung his sword at the source of the light."Holy crap, what are you doing?Ouch!" Luffy had just appeared when he saw a thick sword aura slashing towards him.Startled, he immediately activated several elemental shields to barely block the attack.Hawkeye, seeing a familiar face, lowered his guard.He sized Luffy up and said with satisfaction, "As expected of the grandson of a Marine hero, you're much stronger than when I last saw you."
"Hahaha, who do we have here?It's you, Straw Hat Luffy!" A familiar laugh rang out, and the ghostly loli Perona floated down from the sky, looking at Luffy with a smile.Luffy smiled back and said, "It's been a long time!And don't even think about trying to ambush me with your pessimistic ghost!"