The day after, Luffy and I started training with Naguri, while Ace and Sabo went to take the tiger down by themselves.
They were getting slapped around.
For training, Naguri had us chop trees down with an axe to help build our physique. So that's what Luffy and I did. When I took down my third tree, I heard a—
[DING] Woodcutting skill acquired
Proficiency: 0%
"Nice, this should make things easier," I thought. Then I looked at Luffy, who was hard at work too. At night, Luffy and I would duel by the fire; pine smoke curled into the cold and our breaths steamed. The snow squeaked underfoot and my knuckles stung from blocks. His Gum-Gum Pistol had increased range, while I was now faster than him. Without my katana, he was naturally stronger and getting stronger fast—and he didn't need a system. His creativity and luck were the main ways he would win our duels. In one of the duels, Luffy ran straight at me, spinning his right arm, about to use Gum-Gum Pistol. I was ready to dodge, but he slipped and still got the Pistol off, hitting me straight in the face.
After fighting Luffy, I would swing Shiro for an hour straight; my arms and back felt like they wanted to fall off. But I needed to get stronger—this world is not for the weak.
After a week of training—
Status Window
Name: Sora
Lv: 8 — 5500/6400
Strength: 18
Agility: 36
Vitality: 17
Intelligence: 17
Perception: 17
Luck: 17
Perception felt like the creak of frozen branches carrying farther; Luck like small breaks stacking my way—the axe biting cleaner, my footing holding on glare ice.
Unspent Points: 15
"System, put 14 points in Agility and 1 in Strength."
Strength: 18 → 19
Agility: 36 → 50
"Nice. I should be able to keep up with Ace and Sabo now. System, for my skills, can you rank them F, E, D, C, A, S (and above) rather than levels?"
"I can do that, Sora."
Active Skills
Dash: F
Passive Skills
Woodcutting: F
Swordsmanship: F
Physical Resistance → Tough Skin: D
Tracking: F
Wow, Physical Resistance leveled up! "Let's go—getting beaten up will hurt less," I joked in my head.
Luffy and I were chopping a big tree when we thought we heard a scream. We rushed to the end where the tree had fallen.
Luffy yelled, "Sorry, sorry… Oh, it's Ace and Sabo."
"It sure is them," I said, walking in behind Luffy.
"Ace, Sabo—long time no see!" Luffy yelled with his hands in the air, holding a small axe in his left. Naguri walked forward with us to greet them.
"How have you been?" asked Luffy.
"Well… you know," answered Sabo, suggesting they were struggling against the tiger.
We all went to the ocean side of Gray Terminal to camp. Luffy wanted to show off his new tricks. Salt wind stung our cheeks; tea steam and pine smoke tangled above the embers.
Sabo stood in the middle by the target Luffy was aiming for. Luffy swung his arm like a propeller, then shot it, going past the target and hitting Naguri, who was watching his tea heat up, knocking him down.
"Oh—ow! Sorry, shi shi shi," said Luffy after recoiling his arm back.
Sabo laughed and said, "That's awesome! You couldn't reach that far a week ago."
"He's gotten better at fighting—those punches do pack a punch as well," I added.
"You bet they do—shi shi," said Luffy.
"What kind of tips did you give him?" Ace asked Naguri as he leaned back next to him.
"Nothing special. He and Sora were just chopping wood with an axe for me every day, but it maybe helped him build up his physique," Naguri replied.
"I know you hate him," Ace said with his eyes closed.
"Hate who?"
"Because he beat you."
"You mean Roger? I felt frustrated for sure, but I lost because I wasn't strong enough. I feel rather grateful to him now."
"To someone who beat you?!"
"That's right. He was a man of quite high caliber; that's why."
"Don't lie! Dozens of people hate him!" Ace yelled in anger, opening his eyes, frustrated.
"Did they really fight with Roger?
"In the world of pirates, when you lose a fight, you lose your life—but I'm alive. Let's say those people fought him. Just think: they can talk about their grudges because they're alive!"
Luffy, Sabo, and I walked up to their conversation and heard Ace say,
"Then what if Roger had a son?!"
Naguri smiled and said, "It must be hard to be his son. Whether he chooses to live a normal life or as a pirate, he will always be haunted by his father's name. It must be quite hard. If I were his son, I wouldn't want to become a pirate, because that father's name would ruin his son's life in the end."
"Ruin his son's life? Stop talking nonsense! You don't know anything! Why don't you fight me, old man?!" Ace yelled. He saw only red and jumped at the old man sitting with his wooden hammer.
Ace swung his metal pipe with enough force to break a boulder. Naguri moved his large hammer and blocked the attack while still sitting and looking down. "Like I said, when you lose a fight, you lose your life…" Naguri said, looking up at Ace.
"I'm not gonna lose!" Ace yelled and managed to get Naguri up. Ace attacked relentlessly while Naguri dodged and defended through all of Ace's attacks, before eventually disarming him with the back of his hammer.
"I win," Naguri said, his hammer at the side of Ace's neck.
"Damn it—do anything you want with me. Damn it," Ace said in defeat.
"Pause," I thought.
"Then, I want you to come with me," Naguri said.
"Aye yo," I thought.
We all followed Naguri through a cave. Luffy and I had already seen it, but Luffy was really excited to show it off.
"Don't be shocked," said Luffy.
Eventually, they saw it—the ship—and they were stunned.
"Isn't it cool? It's a real pirate ship!" exclaimed Luffy.
It was the pirate ship Naguri had been making to set out to sea again.
Naguri asked us to help build the ship with him; in return, he would give us tips about the tiger.
"What are you gonna do with the ship?" asked Ace.
Naguri exhaled a big puff from his pipe and said, "Of course I'm gonna go out to sea and find my crew that split up."
"To the sea?" asked Sabo.
"What? An old man can't go out to sea?"
"No, that's not what I meant."
"It doesn't matter how old you are to chase a dream! I don't care what anyone says—I'm gonna go out to sea! You got any problem with that?" he asked with a smile.
It brought a smile to my face—and a big one to Luffy's.
"SHI SHI SHI—nope!"