"Roar…"
"Roar…"
The moment Ethan Hale stepped into the jungle, deafening roars echoed across the entire island.
Ethan squinted, feeling a twinge of nervousness. The sheer force behind those roars pressed down on him.
The endless jungle was like a luminous black hole stretching endlessly while hiding countless deadly dangers.
Crack…
Ethan stopped, the hairs on his arms standing on end. His Observation Haki spread rapidly, but he detected nothing amiss.
Still, his instincts told him that someone or something was watching him.
"My Observation Haki is still too weak," he thought, standing perfectly still. Realizing it might fail, he relied solely on his eyes. Slowly, he moved, scanning his surroundings, and finally spotted something unusual.
To his left, hidden in the dense foliage, a pair of blood-red eyes glared at him with ferocity.
"Roar…" A thunderous, visible roar tore through the air, and the grass at Ethan's feet was lifted, revealing damp, freshly-turned soil.
Massive fangs, needle-like whiskers, muscular limbs, terrifying claws, and a thick tail all signaled the creature's raw strength.
Even more unsettling was the unique, bloodstained aura radiating from the beast, making Ethan shiver.
"Incredible. I just stepped onto this island and already faced a creature on par with a Lieutenant Colonel. This place really lives up to its reputation. Let's make you my stepping stone," he muttered to himself.
Ethan launched the first strike, his form blurring like a cannonball, kicking up clouds of dust as he charged toward the savage beast.
"Roar…"
The beast opened its massive jaws, teeth gleaming sharply, and lunged at Ethan without hesitation.
Bang… A shockwave burst outward. Ethan's eyes widened in surprise this monster could anticipate his attacks.
"Weapon: Flame Claws."
Instinctively, he spread his five fingers, intertwining invisible Haki with fire, and struck out fiercely.
Boom… Dust and debris flew as Ethan quickly stepped back, his expression grim.
"Roar…" The beast shook its head with a low growl, unscathed, and continued attacking.
"If that strike had hit a normal Army Lieutenant Colonel, he would have collapsed. Seems I can't hold back my true strength."
"Soru…"
Boom… Bang… Rocks scattered as a shockwave erupted. Human and beast collided in a brutal, primal melee.
Ethan fought without using his Devil Fruit powers, relying entirely on the Rokushiki techniques. Strike after strike, he treated the beast as a sparring partner, testing his own limits.
Minutes later,
Huff… huff… Ethan panted, his shirt torn and bloodied, revealing fresh, gruesome wounds.
Opposite him, the dying beast took its last breath, reduced to a mangled heap of flesh and shattered bones.
Ethan assumed a wooden stance, venturing deeper into the jungle, his excitement growing. The battle had shown him progress. Though incremental, it was real, and he felt elated. Combat was indeed the best path to improvement.
Time slipped by like sand. Ethan had now spent a week on the island. At first, he practiced only hand-to-hand combat, not hunting the beasts seriously merely testing his skills. Yet his aura now felt drastically different from before.
Ah… A reluctant roar came from a massive creature collapsing like a small mountain.
Atop it, a young man with short-cropped hair, bare-chested, and covered in scars, breathed heavily.
"Whew… The further I go, the stronger they get?" Ethan sat down, wiping cold sweat from his brow. He had fought the creature for an entire hour.
He nearly used his Devil Fruit powers.
"No, it's too dangerous here. Night is coming I'd better find a safe place to rest."
On the first night, unfamiliar with the terrain, Ethan was surrounded by a group of savage beasts and nearly killed. Without using his Devil Fruit powers, he likely would have perished.
Nightfall here was far more terrifying than daytime.
As Ethan was about to rise, his body tensed. He looked up to see a black dot streaking across the sky like a meteor.
"Damn, a flying beast spotted me."
Rough estimates put the creature at nearly thirty meters wide. Its sharp beak and solid claws forced Ethan to remain constantly alert.
"This aura… almost Vice Admiral-level." His expression darkened, and he activated his powers hesitation could cost him his life.
Huff… huff… Flames surged skyward, instantly turning a hundred-meter radius into scorched earth.
Infinite Arrows. Behind Ethan, nearly forty swords, spears, and halberds shot upward like a raging flood.
Gah… With a terrifying scream, the giant bird's claws turned black, barreling straight at Ethan, ignoring his attacks completely.
Boom… Two massive wings, blotting out the sky, slammed down with a metallic crash. Ethan's assault was nullified.
"I…" His pupils shrank, and his form blinked a hundred meters away.
The ground shook violently as rocks flew skyward. The giant bird circled a massive crater, its fierce eyes fixed on Ethan.
"Hmph… Let's see who's stronger."
Ethan snorted, catching the disdain and challenge in its gaze.
"Temperature: 100,000 degrees Celsius."
Boom… Waves of heat exploded, thick smoke rolling, the entire space erupting in chaos. Ethan was engulfed in golden-red flames, and the outline of a massive winged bird loomed behind him.
This temperature pushed Ethan to his limit, but he believed one day his flames would destroy everything.
He didn't even notice the ground beneath him melting into liquid.
Gah… Ethan surged forward, eyes glowing gold and red, striking first.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The earth roared as man and beast clashed mercilessly.
Along the coast, on the horizon, many trainees watched from the warships. These were the ones who had failed some from exhaustion, some terrified beyond endurance, others simply giving up.
Some never returned at all, having perished without leaving a trace.
"Only the first week, and many have already returned. This island really lives up to its reputation," Garp said leisurely from a deck chair, truly enjoying himself.
"Perhaps it's still too soon for them," Zephyr replied expressionlessly.
"The rest is up to their own choices."
As time passed, more trainees were rescued, leaving fewer than twenty remaining. These survivors would later rise to Rear Admiral and Vice Admiral.
Deeper in the jungle.
Since battling the flying beast three days ago, Ethan had become far more cautious. Even with his powers, he nearly died.
Three deep claw marks still scarred his chest. Without his Devil Fruit's extraordinary healing, he might still be recovering.
Ethan perched carefully atop a towering tree, closing his eyes to rest. He had just battled a monstrous hybrid of a colossus and mammoth. Bloodied and battered, he had ultimately slain it.
"Ten days have passed. Time's running out I must fight hard in the remaining five days," he breathed deeply, realizing how fast half a month was passing.
"I guess I can only go all in."
…As for the exact temperature of the flames, it's not necessary to take it literally think of it as comparable to Goro Goro no Mi-level heat.