[Ding! Today's gain multiplier is complete. Multiplier: 25.]
[Ding! One of the host's attribute achieved the experience points required for level up. Level up achieved. Please check the attribute panel for details.]
"Open attribute panel!"
[Sean Campbell]
[Zanjutsu: Lv.6 (0/10,000)]
[Hakuda: Lv.4 (1,250/2,000)]
[Hohō: Lv.5 (2,785/5,000)]
[Kidō: Lv.4 (150/2,000)]
[Reiryoku: 12,880]
[Physique: 1,980]
[Zanpakutō: Hekireki (Shikai attained)]
'The upgrades are getting slower and slower.'
The progress for the first four levels of Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hohō, and Kidō had been rapid since the experience requirements were low. However, upon reaching Level 5, the requirement jumped to 5,000, and Level 6 saw it skyrocket to 10,000.
Take today as an example: Sean had spent the entire day practicing swordsmanship, but his base growth was only 2 points. Even with a massive 25x multiplier, that only amounted to 50 points.
Most of the time, the multiplier was below 10. Consequently, further progress had become an agonizing crawl.
As for the Haki of the pirate world, Zephyr had provided him with training methods. The problem was...
Whether he practiced Armament Haki or Observation Haki, the final multiplier always added the gains to his Reiryoku.
This left Sean utterly speechless.
'Am I seriously never going to learn the two types of Haki?'
While it was true that manipulating Reiryoku allowed him to sense his surroundings—similar to Observation Haki, and in some ways, even more precisely—there was a bigger issue. Without Armament Haki, could he attack Logia ability users using only Reiatsu?
Logically, he should be able to. Logias were immune to physical attacks, but attacking with Reiatsu wasn't purely a physical strike.
Of course, Sean couldn't be certain; he needed to test it in practice.
As he was pondering this, a massive pillar of fire suddenly erupted into the sky from the other side of the island, carrying an overwhelming aura.
'That's... the direction of the training camp. What the hell?'
Worried that something had gone wrong, Sean rushed over immediately.
When he arrived, he found a large circle of Marines surrounding something. Exclamations of awe, envious whispers, and whistles filled the air.
In the center of the crowd stood a man of fire!
Indeed, he was a man completely engulfed in flames.
"What's going on here?"
"Commodore Sean!"
At Sean's shout, the recruits instantly fell silent, snapping to attention and saluting.
The fire-man in the center immediately extinguished the flames surrounding his body.
'Oh, it's just Ace.'
'Never mind then.'
Since Ace was the user of the Flame-Flame Fruit, everything made sense. Sean breathed a sigh of relief.
But then a thought struck him. 'Wait, this isn't the original story. Ace isn't supposed to have eaten the Flame-Flame Fruit, right?'
At that moment, Sanders walked over quickly.
"Commodore Sean, I previously had Ain take a squad of the most capable recruits to a deserted island for survival training."
"The deserted island? The one where Kuro is?"
Sanders nodded.
Sean remembered now. When Sanders had asked him to confirm the training plan, one of the stages was survival training, and Sean had recommended the island where Kuro lived. According to the plan, they weren't supposed to go there until after three months of recruit training.
Apparently, Sanders had handpicked the strongest recruits and moved this stage up for them.
Still, what did that have to do with Ace getting the Flame-Flame Fruit?
"Actually..."
Sanders soon explained the situation. After listening, Sean was completely floored.
The Flame-Flame Fruit had just happened to be on that island, and while Ace was conducting survival training, he had accidentally found it and eaten it, thinking it was just a regular piece of fruit?
So, this guy had become "Fire Fist" Ace after all?
Sean had lived on that island for three years and had explored nearly every inch of it without ever finding the Flame-Flame Fruit. Yet, the moment Ace arrived...
'Is this really just destiny?' Sean complained inwardly.
But after the complaint, a smile crept onto his face—a smile that looked distinctly mischievous.
"Ace... come here!"
"Sean, what are you planning?"
Seeing Sean's expression, Ace's intuition screamed that something was wrong. However, he quickly relaxed. He was now a Logia user; he was invincible!
What was there to fear?
"Don't worry. I just want to see if Logias are as legendary as they say—that every attack is useless unless it's Seastone or Armament Haki."
"I see. And how do you plan to test that?"
"Like this..."
In the next instant, Sean's fist smashed straight through Ace's chest, his arm protruding from the man's back.
However, there was no spray of blood. Instead, wisps of fire flickered where the punch had connected.
As Sean withdrew his fist, the hole in Ace's chest rapidly sealed itself. If it weren't for the holes in the front and back of the Marine uniform, everyone might have wondered if the scene had been a hallucination.
"Well, Commodore Sean? If we fought now, I'd be naturally invincible!" Ace grinned.
He had heard plenty about Haki from Sanders and knew that Armament Haki could bypass a Logia's elemental intangibility. However, he had also heard that Sean hadn't learned Haki during his time at Headquarters.
Therefore, his claim was perfectly accurate. He might not necessarily beat Sean, but he definitely wouldn't lose!
He even started rubbing his hands together, eager to go a round with Sean.
"Hmm, not bad. Let me try one more time!"
"Go ahead! Try as much as you want. Once, a hundred times—it doesn't matter!"
Ace was brimming with confidence.
What he didn't know was that back in Sean's hometown, there was a saying for people like him...
The bigger they talk, the harder they fall.
Immediately after Sean threw his next punch, Ace was sent flying over a hundred meters. With a loud splash, he crashed straight into the ocean.
After all, the training camp was only a few dozen meters from the coast.
Everyone stood there, stunned.
Even Sanders was baffled. He was certain that Sean hadn't used Armament Haki just now. So why had Ace been blasted away?
'Did Ace... forget to turn elemental?'
'That's impossible... right?'
'Wait, is now the time to be thinking about that?'
"What are you all staring at?! Hurry up and save him! Devil Fruit users are anchors in the water!!!"
Suddenly remembering something, Sanders began shouting orders at the nearby Marines.
Chaos immediately ensued.
A few minutes later, Ace was hauled out of the water. Judging by his bloated stomach, the guy had clearly swallowed a significant amount of seawater. Left with no other option, a Marine had to repeatedly press down on his distended belly. Ace practically became a human fountain, with jets of water spraying out of his mouth time and time again.
As for Sean... he walked out of the training camp with a look of complete satisfaction.
After all, the test he had just conducted provided the confirmation he needed. Attacking with Reiatsu produced the same effect as Armament Haki—it allowed him to make physical contact with Logia users.
That was all he needed!