Ryu moved quietly through the forest, awe flickering in his eyes as the towering trees loomed above, their vast canopies weaving a ceiling of green.
The trees loomed overhead, at least five times larger than ordinary ones. He had never witnessed anything so colossal—not in his village, nor even in his past life.
While Ryu stood in awe of the towering trees, a band of monkeys shadowed him quietly from branch to branch.
The monkeys trailing Ryu were unlike any ordinary kind, slipping silently and deftly among the branches of the enormous trees.
The monkeys were four times the size of ordinary ones.
Without warning, one of the monkeys burst forward with blinding speed and drove a crushing punch into Ryu's chest.
"WHOOSH."
"BAAM."
"ARRGGGHHH."
Ryu let out a pained groan as the blow to his chest hurled him across the ground. He rolled several times before landing hard, coughing harshly as he struggled to breathe.
"COUGH, COUGH."
'Damn it, this really hurt.'
Ryu gritted his teeth, forcing down the pain as he drew his training sword with deliberate slowness. His keen eyes scanned the surroundings, every sense on edge. His eyebrow twitched when he saw fifty monkeys had formed a tightening ring around him.
He immediately assumed a defensive stance, his grip tightening as a single thought echoed in his mind: 'I can't get hit again. That punch from the monkeys was too powerful—one more like that, and I'm finished.'
A smile spread across his face, his heart pounding with anticipation for the upcoming battle. Seeing Ryu's grin, the monkeys narrowed their eyes and erupted into deafening roars.
"RRROOOOAAAARRR."
All fifty monkeys surged toward Ryu simultaneously, their fists charged at him with incredible force, ready to smash him.
"BAAM, BAAM, BAAM, BAAM, BAAM."
Each time Ryu blocked a punch with his training sword, another monkey struck him from a blind spot—its blows heavy and painful.
After a few minutes, Ryu's entire body was covered with bruises, and his left eye was swollen shut.
'Damn it, I have to keep moving—if I stay in one spot, I will end up an easy target for those monkeys.'
Ryu rolled swiftly across the ground, widening the gap between himself and the monkeys before darting around them without pause.
Perched atop a tree branch, Musashi smirked and nodded in approval.
"Well done, brat. You're actually using your head. Evolve further—show me your limit."
Ryu moved without pause, his training sword flashing instinctively as he cut down monkeys one after another.
"SQUASH, SQUASH, SQUASH, SQUASH, SQUASH."
"ROOOOOAAAAR."
The monkeys howled in pain and rage as Ryu tore through them. A bloodthirsty smirk spread across his face, and his aura shifted—cold, menacing, and drenched in murderous intent.
Musashi chuckled softly, sensing the fierce aura radiating from Ryu.
"Heh, the brat's having fun—that's a good sign."
"SQUASH, SQUASH, SQUASH, SQUASH, SQUASH."
The monkeys lunged to encircle Ryu, but he swiftly retreated before they could trap him.
'I have to be faster—and my sword swings need to be faster as well.'
Ryu pushed his speed to the absolute limit, ignoring the burning strain in his legs, and surged forward with a sudden burst of pace.
"SQUASH, SQUASH, SQUASH, SQUASH, SQUASH."
Ryu unleashed a flurry of sword strikes, cutting through the monkeys with lethal efficiency. Each swing sent one tumbling, severed and broken, as he carved a path through the swarm.
After three grueling minutes, Ryu had massacred all the monkeys. He groaned in pain and collapsed to the ground, wracked by exhaustion.
'Damn, that really hurt.'
Ryu groaned in pain, rubbing his legs, Musashi stood on the branch above, watching him with a small, proud smile.
'You did well, brat. This forest will make you stronger—push yourself and surpass limits.'
After resting for a while, Ryu's stomach growled loudly, and he let out a weary sigh.
'Damn, I'm hungry. I'd better find something to eat.'
Standing tall, Ryu surveyed the surrounding trees. His eyes widened at the sight of a single tree bursting with vibrant red fruits, and a smile tugged at his lips.
'There are plenty of apples, they make a great snack.'
Without hesitation, Ryu sheathed his training sword and began slowly climbing the tree.
Ryu climbed the tree with gritted teeth and, at the top, started devouring the apples he found.
The apples tasted so sweet that Ryu's eyes brightened. He quickly grabbed another and ate it without hesitation.
Ryu devoured apple after apple without a second thought. Suddenly, his eyes landed on a strange, unfamiliar fruit. Deep brown with intricate swirling patterns across its skin, it resembled a pear—but it was way larger than any pear he had ever seen. Hesitation flickered for only a moment before curiosity got the better of him.
He plucked the fruit and looked at it in interest.
'This has to be the Devil Fruit Grandfather talked about… how interesting!'
Ryu eyes shined in interest as he looked at the fruit.
'I can't believe this fruit can grant supernatural powers. For now, I'll keep it with me and later show it to my grandfather—it might prove useful to us in the future.'
Ryu tucked the Devil Fruit into his kimono and continued eating the apples.
Once he had eaten his fill, Ryu descended the tree and disappeared into the heart of the forest.
_____
As Ryu ventured deeper into the forest, his thoughts lingered on the fierce battle he had just fought against the monkeys.
'Moving continuously while attacking is an interesting sword style concept. I must train my legs to endure the strain, and strengthen my arms to add more power to my swings.'
Ryu smiled as he spotted a sturdy tree with a thick trunk nearby and walked toward it.
He came to a halt before the tree trunk and muttered aloud to himself.
"This tree trunk will help strengthen my arms. I should start punching it."
"The stronger my punches become, the stronger my arms will get, which will lead to even stronger sword swings."
Ryu assumed the Karate stance Musashi had drilled into him and thrust his fist toward the tree trunk.
"Bam."
"Ouch."
Ryu groaned in pain, and started rubbing his fist and wrist desperately to ease the throbbing ache.
Seething with rage, he unleashed a relentless flurry of punches, pushing through the pain without a moment's hesitation.
"bam, bam, bam, bam, bam."
Musashi perched on the branch, a small smile tugging at his lips as he watched Ryu atop the tree.
'Good. He is using this forest effectively. I was worried he might eat that Devil Fruit he found, but it seems the brat listened to my warning.'
Musashi disappeared silently from the top of the tree, touching down on the ground with the grace of a shadow.
"I guess I should go visit that old geezer. Haven't seen him in ages, and Shimotsuki Village isn't too far from here."
A smirk crossed Musashi's face at the thought of finally seeing his longtime friend again.
Calmly, he made his way to the shore and let out a soft sigh.
"Damn it… I'm getting old. I forgot I don't even have a ship to sail to Shimotsuki Village."
The corners of his mouth then curved into a bloodthirsty smirk
"I'll just hijack a pirate ship and demand a lift; if they refuse, I'll cut them down."
Having made up his mind, Musashi began swimming away from the Crescent Moon Forest, eyes fixed on the horizon in search of a pirate ship.
______
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