— — — — — —
Seeing that new trait pop up on his status screen, Veyron raised an eyebrow.
Training in "magic cannon" with Kazami Yuuka … and the trait Veyron ended up unlocking wasn't even [Magic Cannon], but [Energy Release]?
Gotta try this new trait.
...
"Looks like you've gotten the hang of it?"
Yuuka watched as Veyron—who'd been focusing on firing one cannon blast at a time—suddenly went full auto, magic bursts flying from all ten fingers. And each one still carried the same force and precision as before.
"I've only scratched the surface," Veyron replied modestly. "Still a long way to go before I can say I've really mastered it."
Okay… maybe not just modesty.
Based on his experience with basic swordsmanship and Haki, even with bonus perks unlocked every ten levels, a trait didn't become actually impressive until it hit level 20 or beyond.
"Well, I'd say you've got it. From here, it's up to you what path you want to take. But if you keep copying me step for step, all you'll…"
Yuuka paused mid-sentence, noticing the weird look in Veyron's eyes.
"What? You got something to say?"
"I remember you mentioned something the other day… that besides my lack of energy skills, my other weak point was close combat when I don't have my sword, right?"
After spending the past few days with her, Veyron had figured out that Yuuka appreciated honesty and directness. No need to beat around the bush.
Their first meeting? She offered him sunflower seeds and helped him unlock the [Photosynthesis] trait. Sure, it started with that noisy little sunflower, but Yuuka's guidance took it from white rarity to purple in one leap.
Second meeting? Three days of magic cannon bootcamp and boom—new trait: [Energy Release].
Once might've been luck. Twice? There was something special about Kazami Yuuka when it came to "grinding traits."
"…You've never really been in a close-combat fight before, have you?" she asked bluntly.
"Nope," Veyron nodded.
Early on, he'd been chilling in Kaguya's safe zone, so there wasn't even a chance to fight.
After joining the chat group, the safe zone wasn't an option anymore, but then Kaguya gifted him the Bloodwing Blade. The first time he used it, a full-power slash awakened the blade's spirit and gave him that iconic crimson slash.
Then he learned Haki. With [Comprehension (Red)], he could feel the "breath" of all things—basically unlocking the swordmaster's flying slash move.
After that? Yeah, hand-to-hand fighting never really came up again.
"…Don't tell me"
Yuuka calmly rolled up her sleeves, revealing her jade-like wrists. "Yeah, probably what you're thinking. Close combat isn't as technical as energy attacks."
"You just have to fight a lot. Eventually, your body learns by taking enough bea— uh, anyway, let's just start."
"…"
Just say the whole sentence.
You were about to say, 'By taking enough beatings, you'll learn eventually,' weren't you!?
"I'll keep my strength and speed at your level," Yuuka added. "Bare-handed or with a weapon, your call. But if you draw your sword, I'll be using my umbrella."
"Ready?"
"...Can I say no?"
Veyron could already tell he was about to suffer. He even started considering using the chat group to escape.
— — —
After a few days - One Piece World
"Hahaha!"
"Veyron, you got your ass kicked again, didn't you?"
As soon as he stepped into Ruskaina, Veyron heard Merlin call out from the beach, lounging in the sun with a smug grin.
"…You think that's funny?"
Veyron didn't even bother trying to defend himself with a "training isn't the same as getting beat up" line. He just shot her a blank look.
"It's veryfunny," Merlin said with a totally straight face, nodding like she meant it.
"Tch…"
Rolling his eyes, Veyron darted off into the jungle and came back shortly dragging a massive beast—probably 30 to 40 meters long.
As usual, he asked Merlin to light it up with her fire magic so they could roast the entire thing.
He tore through the meat in record time.
Thanks to the second-stage Gene Lock, Veyron had full control over his body. That meant speeding up digestion on command, converting food into energy fast when needed.
Once full, he headed over to the gravity chamber that had been installed on a seaside cliff. Slipping on the control wristband, he adjusted the settings for his preferred level of gravity compression and stepped inside to begin his nightly workout.
His daily routine lately had looked something like this:
Daytime— in the main world, doing high-intensity close-quarters sparring with Yuuka under the constant healing buff of [Photosynthesis (Purple)]. That helped him level up his Armament Haki, Observation Haki, spirit power, and more.
Nighttime— in the One Piece world. After a feast like just now, he'd jump straight into Hancock's prize draw–acquired gravity chamber and push his body to the limit.
It was a grind, no doubt. But the payoff? Absolutely worth it.
---
[Trait System Overview]
→Talent Traits
•[Comprehension (Red)]
•[Gene Lock (Gold)]
•[Destined Death (Gold)]
•[Photosynthesis (Purple)]
•[Swordmaster (Blue)]
(Talent Traits: Ranked white < green < blue < purple < orange < gold < red.)
→(Skill Traits)
•[Basic Swordsmanship (Lv.39)]
•[Armament Haki (Lv.35)]
•[Observation Haki (Lv.42)]
•[Conqueror's Haki (Lv.61)]
•[Spiritual Power (Lv.28)]
•[Energy Release (Lv.21)]
•[Martial Arts (Lv.27)]
(Skill Traits: These are more like game skills. They level up with use. Every 10 levels gives a bonus (Buff).)
---
That last one—[Martial Arts]—was the new skill trait he'd gained thanks to Yuuka's "intense sparring" (getting beaten).
It was all about mastering your body as a weapon: knowing when to punch, kick, strike, or knee based on the flow of battle.
In other words, Veyron was finally learning to fight with more than just his blade.
And Kazami Yuuka? She was turning out to be the best sparring partner he could've ever asked for.
.
.
.