Ever since Bogard become responsible for the rookies, dealing with their training and such, I could once again focus on my own training, without any distractions. Bogard doesn't need to worry about us as much, as we still are trying to perfect a new technique he taught us about a month ago. He told us our bodies were strong enough to start learning new, harder moves so he showed us something they teach in the elite marines, the Rokushiki techniques. He performed all six techniques: Geppo, Tekkai, Shigan, Rankyaku, Soru and Kami-e, as he gave several descriptions and explanations on how they work.
It has been a month since we learned, but most of us are still having some problems executing them. I can already perform Geppo, where I can jump on the air itself, Tekkai, being able to harden my muscles to the level of iron, and Soru, where I can travel small distances at extremely high speed. I can already perform these 3 techniques pretty well, but I still need to improve them by a lot. I can only get about 2m high when I use Geppo, my Tekkai is not as strong as it should be and I still can't perform Soru repeatedly.
Laxus and Urek are also improving the Rokushiki techniques but each of us chose a different way. Laxus focus more on Geppo, Tekkai and Rankyaku, where he can perform a powerful projectile by kicking at very high speeds. On the other hand, Urek is trying to perfect his use in all six techniques, including kami-e, where he can turn his own body extremely flexible to make it easier to avoid several attacks, and Shigan, in which the user hardens their finger and moves it at very high speed.
All 3 of us are the best Rokushiki users overall, but there are certain members that focus on only one technique, so they surpass us in that specific one. Heracles, Brolly and Lee focus more on Tekkai; Gon, Yami and Erza focus more on Rankyaku and Killua focus more on Soru. I need to make sure every combat and mixed member eventually learns soru and Geppo, as I wanted to try to make most of the crew gain the ability to fly, but to do so it's easier if they learn Soru first. However, it's a hard technique so most of them aren't having much progress with it. Even so, I made sure they kept training it as it was also a good way to also strengthen their body.
Today is the first time I can finally go outside. I have remained in this house for more than 2 years now. This is a big house, but the world is much, much, much bigger. It is not that I can't experience the rest of the world, but Gigi said that I am still too weak and, if I need to go anywhere, then I need to be accompanied by at least him, Gil and the remaining guards. Now he acknowledges that I am strong enough to only require being accompanied by him and Gil… This time we are using Rias powers to travel and we aren't going anywhere too dangerous, so there shouldn't be much danger, but Gigi still insists that I need to be followed by both of them. I don't know who he thinks I am going to find that I would need both of them but, as he is really stubborn, I have no choice but to accept.
I told Merlin some of the things I wished to do, so she and Kendrick calculated the easiest route for us. Merlin was, without a question, the one with the most brains and knowledge inside our whole house. Not even the teachers, doctors or elders could compare. After 2 years of restless reading, she knew quite a bit about almost everything, especially the useful stuff such as navigating, geography, customs, tribes, etc. and because she was always exercising her brain and had read a lot of books about strategy, she was able to come up with the best ideas. She was already the strategist of the group. Kendrick was her number two, as he was somehow in the same wavelength as her and can mostly understand her line of thought. He also knows a lot about sailing, seas, currents and geography, so when I leave home to sail around the world, they would both be responsible for our routes and navigation. Merlin already had spoken to Rias about the locations of her portals so that she could think of the best and easiest way to succeed.
In this trip I had two goals I wished to accomplish:
The first one was to get to somewhere in the New World and have Baki and Olga deliver a message to their parents.
The second one was to get myself a pet.
When Kunou joined us, I realized how much I wanted to get one. My first idea was to ask Gigi, but I feel like that he would get me a trapped animal that would be pretty aggressive towards me. Even if we could find a baby tiger or lion, they would just feel attacked, so I want to first try to get one on my own. I really hope to find an abandoned lion, tiger, wolf, bear or any kind of big cat or big dog that would be willing to come with me. It is first time in a long time that I want something for myself without any rational reason. Something that I don't necessarily need. It's not like my life doesn't have several pointless privileges and perks, that I still definitely appreciate, but I don't usually ask for superfluous things. I don't think I ever wanted anything that wasn't related to making us stronger. The only exception I can think of was right after Gigi told me who I was, as he was taking me home, I told him I refused to wear tenryubito robes, but he wasn't into them either, so that wasn't even a problem.
All of this to say I really want to get a pet. It was my previous life dream and my current childish mind keeps screaming how much I need find one ... How I must get one!
From time to time, I really can't control myself. At least I was able to keep the screaming on my mind, preventing me from embarrassing myself in front of others. I don't know why this influence becomes so strong all of a sudden. Most of the time, I can easily suppress it, but there are times when it becomes too strong to resist.
We finally got to the island!
It took us a whole month to get here because Rias was never anywhere near the New World. As such, Rias, together with Gil and Merlin, travelled throughout the whole month using only her powers. She didn't have enough energy to create a portal big enough for all of us so we decided that the quickest option would be for her to use her powers to reach the desired place, which not only would be faster than going by a boat as it would also help her improve her abilities. In the beginning, she had only enough energy to create a portal big enough for three people so she could only be assisted by two others. They started with the portal that was closest to the New World. Merlin would direct Rias towards the next closest destination, telling her exactly where she had to look. Rias would create a portal towards that direction and Gil would be carrying both of them as he uses skywalk, to avoid them falling in the ocean. He was also going there instead of Urek or another angel to make sure both of them remain safe.
They would travel as far as they could, until Rias lost all her energy. When that happened, they would rest for a little bit and when she got enough energy, Rias would create one more portal to take them back home. In the next day, they would start where they left off. Rias needed to create as many portals as she could in a day, in order to reach our destination and to improve her devil fruit capabilities. Just as Merlin predicted, it took about one month for Rias to reach the desired place and have enough strength to take quite a few of us. By then, we already had a "save point" in almost every island in the area, which could be useful in case we need to make a quick escape.
When everyone that was supposed to go was fully prepared, we decided to get the journey start. Rias opened the portal and the first one to go through was Gin. Later went Laxus, Urek, Baki, Kendrick, Merlin, me, Gigi and Rias herself. We only took whoever was necessary as more people would only make it harder for Rias. Laxus and Urek were my right and left arms, so they would always try to follow me. Kendrick and Merlin were entrusted with our locations and Baki needed to deliver the message. As soon as we get there, I tell Rias, Baki, Kendrick and Merlin to keep going while the three of us stay in one of the islands they found. This island is similar to Rusukaina, as it has extremely harsh conditions and it is habited by extremely dangerous animals. It was too dangerous to have the four of them here, as we would have to protect them.
Me: Make sure you don't take stupid risks and if anything happens either contact us or escape right away. When you are done send a message through the special mushi as we might be busy or hiding.
Rias: Very well Boss, don't worry, I won't make any mistakes.
And the four of them went through another portal. I wanted to send Gil with them, but Rias assured me it would be pretty easy and safe, as she already had been there before.
Gigi: Very well, I will leave you be for now but if I see that any of you are in danger, Gin or I will intervene.
As soon as he finished speaking, him and Gil disappeared, so quickly that our eyes couldn't even follow where they went. We were in an island with dangers all around us, possibly on the level of Rusukaina, if not even worse as Gigi told me there are some creatures in here that even he would rather not encounter. Usually nobody dares come anywhere near this island, but since I got two strong bodyguards defending me, might as well. Besides, everyone here has good observation haki and if we fight together, we definitely should be able to defeat one of the weakest creatures around here! My only goal coming here is not to fight but to find a pet.
My haki has improved a lot and I have the biggest range among the three of us, so I go on the front. We are all as focused as we can be, walking forward very slowly, paying attention to any detail. Sometimes I had to give a sign to make everyone stop moving or to hide, depending on the moves of the creatures around us. All of a sudden, I hear some weak voices reaching my ears. It's not words that are coming but I can still understand its meaning. It's a small animal asking for help. I can tell that it's really far away, but I start approaching the voice, moving a little bit faster until I can finally start reaching it with my haki. I can see that a big group of hyena like creatures seems to be surrounding a small creature hidden inside a tree. I see that the hyenas are giving one of the weakest auras I have sensed since I got in the island so they should be perfect to test ourselves. I give the sign to prepare to attack and all of us get ready. As soon as I jump out, Laxus and Urek do the same.
I use my recently learned technique, Geppo, and immediately close the distance between me and my target. I might still not be able to fly, but Geppo still helps me move tremendously faster in a straight line. I grab the tail of one of the hyenas, circle the animal around me and throw it against the one next to it. While they are still confused, I take my sword from its scabbard and slash both of them at once. I use my haki and I can see that both Laxus and Urek already took care of another two each. Things are going better than expected, but this was a surprise attack, so the remaining ten probably won't be as easy to deal with. As the leader, I decide to take on four while Laxus and Urek only have to defeat 3 each. This was all agreed through quick looks in less than a second, as we were already pretty familiar with each other. After so much time together we don't even need to speak to communicate.
I dive right into the hyenas and slash in their direction. I am only able to graze two of them and the remaining eight jump at me. I use soru right when they are about to reach my location and am able to dodge them all perfectly. Right now, they are with their backs towards me, so I take this opportunity and slash at the two hyenas in the middle. I try to cut the legs of each of those two, but I am only able to cut through one of them. My attack seems to have lost too much strength to do the same to the second one, so I only graze it. While these two fall to the ground, the other six face towards me and get ready to attack, however Laxus and Urek slam all of them to the ground. Before I can try to injure them some more, the ones I grazed before jump at me and stop my attack.
We keep moving and dodging the hyenas until we are finally able to separate them. I was facing the four that I had attacked, meaning 3 of them were slightly injured and one of them had lost one of his back legs. Hyenas are usually animals that run with their tails between their legs when they face a stronger opponent, but they should be pretty enraged about us killing so many of them. Either that or they think that they have a better chance of defeating us compared to other creatures in this island. Either way, they are about to die. I start getting a little more serious and increase my speed and strength. I was trying to conserve energy before, as these were supposed to be the weakest animals in the island, but they are still pretty tough. I guess the best way to save energy is to finish this quickly. I use soru, move to the side of one of the hyenas and slash downward, separating its head from the rest of its body. While the one next to it looks at its companion's head falling on the floor, I pierce my sword through its skull. The one next to this one loses all hope of surviving and jumps towards my arm, trying to bite it off, leaving the rest of its body unprotected. Instead of tearing through my flesh, all of his teeth brake as I activate Tekkai. With that same arm, I then smash its head on the ground. The remaining hyena is the one missing a leg, which is why I left it for last. It seems to wonder whether it should try to attack me or run away, but before it reaches a conclusion, I slash diagonally and its head falls on the ground. I take a large leaf from a nearby tree and use it to clean my blade. While I am still cleaning it, I look around and realize that Laxus and Urek have finished as well. As expected, these creatures were perfect for us to get used to this island. We were pretty strong, but we were mostly used to fighting humans on one on one duels rather than facing a group of several enemies. If we had fought against other creatures, we might have gotten injured. Hyenas are cowardly animals, so they take twice as long to attack as others because they are always considering running away.
I remember that they were trying to attack something in the tree, so I go there and see if it's still hiding. I get close and try to call the creature to come out, but it seems like it's still too afraid. I use my haki and see that it looks like a scared cat, so I ask Laxus and Urek to establish a safe perimeter and to let me know if anything is coming our way. I seat next to the tree and try to convince the little guy to come to me. He seems too afraid, so I simply sit next to the tree and train my haki, trying to understand everything that is happening on the island. After 10 to 15 minutes, the little cat gets out of his hole and lays down on my lap. It seems to trust me a little bit more now. I stay quiet for a little bit and eventually start petting it. Some sort of electricity runs through me and the cat. Kind of like we both got shocked. It was only momentarily, so it probably was just something like a simple static charge. It seems the cat is actually a female and that it is really doubtful and distrusting. That was why she didn't want to come out for so long even after I saved her. I could perceive that the creature understood what I did and that it was thankful for it. In my past life, I sometimes understood a little bit of what my cat wanted, but never liked this. It's like I can hear its intentions without actually hearing proper words. If I had to compare it to something, Haki emotion sensing would probably be my best choice.
As I am wondering what is happening, Laxus and Urek both show up, saying something dangerous is coming our way. I put the little cat inside of my shirt, to avoid having her fall down, and start running. The cat seems to understand that we are in danger, so she accepts going with me and doesn't struggle at all. We were going as fast as we could, but it didn't take long for the destruction noise to catch up to us, as a giant figure jumps from behind me and blocks our path. It is a giant white tiger. But why is this creature following us? I made sure we passed creatures both weaker and stronger than ourselves while we hurried to escape, in case this beast was looking for an easy prey or for a tough challenge. If the tiger wanted an easy meal, then the wild boars we passed by would be a better option. If he wanted a challenging opponent, then the giant ape we passed not to long ago would be a more fitting one. So why? And as I kept wondering what the reason might be, the little cat peeked out of my shirt and meowed. I could feel that it was familiar with the figure in front of us, so I put her on the floor and let her go. It seems that the big tiger is related to the small cat... wait, would there be a cat in this forest ... unless... but how could that little figure be a tiger, it looks so much like a small cat. It doesn't even have any stripes. It's all white. But after seeing how the big tiger licks and cuddles the little cat I lose my doubts. Well, I guess that this means I can't take this one with me.
Me: Ok guys. Let's go search a little bit more shall we?
And, as I disappointedly turn around, the little cat pulls me by my pants. I don't exactly understand what is going on, but it seems like the cat doesn't want to let me go.
Unknown: It seems like that little creature is telling you that you can't leave her behind. Oh, she actually says that you two created a soul bond? Impressive.
A bengal tiger mink comes out of the shadows with his hands up, showing either me or the giant tiger that he means no danger. He has big mane like hair and strong muscles. His clothes seem a bit dirty and worn out, so I suppose he has been in this island for quite some time.
Me: And you are?
Unknown: My name is Tie. Nice to meet you. I felt a new strong presence in this direction, so I came to make sure there were no problems. A lot of the creatures can also feel it and are afraid to come out of hiding. I see that figure seems to be, somehow, related to you, so I just wanted to ask if there was any way to calm him down.
Me: Oh, Gigi? Don't worry, he won't start any confusion unless he has to. Do you live here?
Tie: Well, kind of. My boat crashed so I just swam to the nearest island, which happened to be this place. I could try to make a boat or a raft and struggle to reach the next nearest island, but I prefer to simply remain here instead of taking that risk. Besides, I don't have to deal with prejudice here, as most humans look at me with fear or disgust in their eyes. But you seem a little different ... am I not the first mink you see?
Me: Well, actually you are only the second one, although I do know a lot of individuals you wouldn't find in a normal village. But you would be the first person I know from the mink tribe, if my guess is correct and that's where you're from... I will have to introduce you to Kunou then. But, back to the main business, how can you understand them?
Tie: Actually, I am able to freely communicate with certain animals, namely four legged mammals. But you seem to have understood a part of what they were saying didn't you?
This made me think of certain mermaids that could communicate with fish. Even in my own crew, Baki and Lucy were able to speak with most sea creatures, but they still couldn't speak with land animals, so I guess they have some restrictions, same as Tie. I just wonder if he could teach this ability to Kunou or if it is simply something you are born with.
Me: Yes, but I don't really understand why? I can only understand parts of what they are trying to say, but nothing too complicated.
The tiger seems to interrupt me and say something, but I really can't understand what he wants.
Tie: ... oh... according to him, you can understand most of what he says because you should possess a special power, the Voice of All Things ... but you still are too weak to use it. I don't really know what he means, but if you ask him questions, I can translate his answers.
I remember that, in the original version, both Luffy, Roger, Momonosuke and Oden had it. It was an extremely unique power that only a few people in the world possess. Who would have thought I also have it? But now, it makes sense! That's why I couldn't exactly hear the voices but more like perceive and understand them.
Me: oh thanks, but I think I already heard a little about it. So, you said that this cat doesn't want to leave me and that we created sone sort of bond?
Tie: Oh right, I almost forgot. Yes, he says you two have created a soul bond, a special connection between man and beast. It is sad that after this connection happens, the beast will never betray their partner and always be by their side. It usually is the dream of every beast tamer, and for a simple child to get it just like that. You must have really opened your heart and soul to have her choose you just like that … and you are still so young ...
I pet the little cat with the greatest joy. She seems happy too, as she purrs while I do it.
Me: So, if she can't leave my side, what am I supposed to do? It's not like I can just stay here.
The tiger roars and Tie gets ready to translate.
Tie: Hmm. It seems the tiger will give you permission to take his daughter away if you pass his trial. You must defeat an opponent of his choice by yourself, without the aid of anyone else. He wants to make sure that you are strong enough to protect his child.
I agree and jump on his back, as this seems to be what he wanted. At the same time, I tuck the little cat on her dad's big fluffy fur. He starts sprinting and I can tell that everyone except Gigi is left behind. I can tell that the creature seems to be a little worried about Gigi, but I assure him that he won't intervene in his trial, as he simply wishes to protect me as best as he can.
We finally reach our destination as the tiger suddenly stops and uses his paw to point to the figure. He seems to be pointing to a 6 meters high gigantic white gorilla. The figure had long white fur along its arms, legs, head and back, showing its silver skin only on his chest, abdominal area, face, fists and feet. It was an intimidating figure and if we were comparing pure strength alone, then he should have more than twenty times my own. I am not sure if I would be able to resist that giant fist, even with Tekkai... but I will definitely get that cat, so I won't let a simple monkey ruin my hopes.
I get off the tiger and get ready to attack, but I realize that the monkey already seems to be on the lookout. Apparently, the arrival of the tiger and Gigi made him extremely nervous. He didn't want to die so he was carefully observing every move from the two of them. I ask the tiger to go back and Gigi to hide his presence, so that I can have a proper fight. It takes about half an hour until the gorilla finally calms down. Since he felt the tiger's presence, he was ready to start running, just waiting to see whether or not he would have to abandon his home. He must have liked this place, or else he would immediately escape, as he had no chance of defeating it. But as the tiger didn't show any signs of hostility, he decided to wait and see whether or not he had to run away.
As he was finally relaxed, I took this chance to get ready to attack. As I was still hiding my presence, I moved towards its blindside. I first need to come up with a plan and decide what would be the best first move. I should move with Geppo, because even if I can't use it to fly, I can boost my speed with it. Afterwards, I will use the momentum to cut his whole leg and while he cries in pain I will either injure his other leg, one of his arms or go directly for the kill, depending on the situation.
The plan is made, it's finally time to put it to action. I take a big breath and start moving with Geppo, making as little noise as possible. It was a big forest, with a lot of creatures, distractions and noises so the gorilla didn't notice me until I slashed away at his leg, hitting the spot behind its knee. My first goal was to cut the whole thing, but his skin and muscles were so hard that I couldn't do it. But I am still pretty sure I cut his tibial nerve, so that leg should be pretty useless from now on. Before I can do anything else, the gorilla turns his body, screaming in pain. He may be hurt but he still tries to hit me with the side of his fist. His movements and reactions were so fast that I had to use soru to move away. I would rather avoid using any of the Rokushiki techniques as they are way too taxing for my current body, but it seems like this gorilla isn't giving me a chance. Just now I felt that I would die if I didn't use it. The only reason I have the advantage in this fight is because I decided not to rush and injured his leg. If his movement wasn't heavily restricted, I am not sure what the outcome would be.
As I have the advantage, I try not to rush and take pointless risks, so I plan to tire him out and avoid direct confrontations. Basically, a hit and run tactic.
The gorilla faces my direction. He seems to be extremely enraged, as he keeps punching the ground to relieve his fury. Well, I guess it makes sense since I permanently injured one of his legs. He starts galloping in my direction, dragging his useless leg through the floor. The beast is quite gigantic, so it will be difficult to dodge him, even if I take advantage of his destroyed leg.
He punches in my direction, and I decide to use a recently learned technique. I take deep breaths, exhaling right as the fist comes within my range. The moment it does, I take the katana in my hands and use it to hit the side of the fist coming my way and change its direction. Instead of hitting me, the fist hits the ground next to my feet. It was a parry technique that is most useful against big opponents or strong attacks. The technique itself was much more complicated than a regular parry, as it involved several swift movements in a single breath. With enough experience one could even direct the attack towards a specific direction. I had only used it in training against some machines or training mechanisms, so this is my first time using it in an actual fight, justifying my lack of control.
The gorilla only seemed to get angrier, so he just kept punching one fist after the other. This was actually perfect for me, as it allowed me to perfect the technique. Little by little, my control kept improving and, after only ten breaths, I could already make full use of the technique. Now, not only could I redirect his attacks as I could also perform an attack of my own immediately after. This was originally a countering technique, but I still couldn't do it the right way. Offense is the best defense, after all so, after every punch he threw, the one getting hit was him. He threw a left punch. I redirect it to hit the tree on my left and kicked him straight in the face almost at the same time. He doesn't even take a step back before he tries to hit me with his right fist, aiming for my head. His accuracy is on point, so this time I need to dodge under the fist, as it passes slightly over my head, and use my knee to hit its unprotected chin. Once again, he doesn't even flinch and tries to hit me with his other fist. I use my sword to redirect it again and go for the injured leg this time. I use quite a bit of strength now, as I had a little bit more time to charge up, and kick the same spot I slashed before.
I finally make him fall to his knees, as he screams as loud as he can. It was so loud that it would make me disorientated, had I not been completely focused on the fight. He uses both his arms to smash downward. His arms were gigantic, so they covered most of my escape routes. I decided to use soru to fall a little back. He is already heavily injured and the result should be pretty obvious, as long as I don't take unnecessary risks. But this didn't mean I was interested in prolonging the fight, so, right after I used soru I use Geppo to throw my whole body against his head. My feet make perfect contact with his face. I use it as a platform and jump up, trying to push him back with all of my strength. He falls to the ground and seems badly injured. I take this chance to take a breath before I get ready to end his life, a little bit proud of my accomplishments.
Before my sword connects, I feel a strong presence coming my way. I pull my sword up and use it to block an incoming white giant fist but just at the same time, another fist surges behind him aiming at my whole body. This fist seems to be undodgeable, as I still am using my sword and all of my strength to try push the other figure away. This is my mistake ... I was so focused on this fight that I didn't even take notice of what was happening around me. If I had felt that someone else was coming, I would have done a better job getting prepared to deal with them. And if I used my haki the moment I felt the presence, I would see that there were two figures instead of one, meaning that I would have tried to dodge rather than block. My only choice now is to take the hit head on...
Me: TEKKAI!
Bummmmmmmmmm
The fist hit my body and everything stopped for one second... I stood there trying to push both punches away, one with my sword and another with my body. We seemed to stay the same way for an eternity, but it only took about a few seconds for my figure to fly in the opposite directions of their fists. The hit was so strong that I flew several kilometers in only a couple of seconds, destroying several trees in my way. The impact was so strong that I couldn't stop myself, as I had to wait until my body hit a strong enough boulder to finally stop the momentum. I try to get up, but I am buried under a bunch of broken rocks and trees. My whole body hurts and I can feel blood dripping from my mouth. For the first time since I came to this world, I feel real pain. I suffered a little bit on our spars, but nothing on this level. Somehow, I get my strength back and get up. I jump out of the hole, but the moment I land, I feel all this blood coming into my mouth. I spit it out and start sprinting in the direction I came from. I didn't even need to look around to figure out where I came from, as there was a destruction trail leading the way towards my previous location. In only a couple of seconds, I am able to get in range, as I can already sense the enemies in front of me. They seem to be somewhat terrified, almost afraid to move and it didn't take long to figure out why. I could feel Gigi's aura restricting them and I am pretty sure the only reason he didn't attack them is because he came to check on me. He finally appears in my sight and I give him a sign to stand down. He nods and pulls back his aura, trying his hardest to control his anger.
I still couldn't see the gorillas, but I could sense them with my haki. The moment Gigi pulled back his aura, they seemed to have calmed down. They could tell that if Gigi felt like it, he could easily destroy a whole army of these beasts, never mind the three of them. I finally get close enough for them to notice me but, before I am in their range, I use Geppo and soru to speed up and appear right next to the third gorilla, the one that punched me away. I have never been as mad as I am right now. This is my first real fight after creating our Sect, and this goddamn ape made me puke blood? I still have my pride, so I need to show him that I am superior. Right now, I am the strongest member of the our crew, so I cannot lose face against a little monkey. I appear right on his blind side, kicking the back of his head with as much strength as I could.
Buuuuuuuummmmmmm
A strong sound rings, similar to an explosion. I could have used my sword to simply cut his neck, but it was a matter of pride. I wanted to show him that I could destroy him without even using my weapon. His eyes turn white and his neck seemed to brake, as he falls face first on the ground. It seems this one will never trouble anyone ever again. The second gorilla, whose fist I blocked, tries to get revenge for its fallen comrade and jumps at my direction. I look him dead in the eyes, pull my sword but, instead of slashing in its direction, I use soru and appear next to the first gorilla. I look at him and I see that he is barely alive, supporting his body with one knee on the floor and one useless leg. He doesn't seem to even have the strength to get up. I simply put an end to his suffering, using my sword to separate his head from the rest of his body. Only one gorilla remains, but he does not seem afraid. Instead of running away, he simply looks in my direction and seems to want to put an end to all of this. He wants to end this fight once and for all.
I was able to kill the other two with a certain easiness because I did a quick attack on one of them and the other could barely move. However, this gorilla is still in top condition as I am incredibly tired and injured, with blood dripping from the corners of my mouth and, possibly, several internal injuries. Before the fight I was planning on avoiding a direct confrontation, as these creatures have a lot more physical strength than me, however, now that seems to be the best option. I have used Geppo, soru and Tekkai more times than my body can handle and put together with the hit not too long ago ... my body won't hold out for much longer.
We both look at each other, recognizing that, no matter what, this will be the final moment. I put my katana back on its scabbard and leave my hand on its hilt, ready for the fight. The gorilla pounds his chest. Without the need for a countdown, we both sprint towards each other at the same exact time. We both start screaming as we get closer and, in the end, he throws his best punch, and I let lose my strongest slash. We both start walking away from each other, with each step taking longer than the last one. After 10 steps, we both stop and time seems to freeze as we are both looking forward, without performing any kind of movement. I destroy the silence, by putting the sword back in its scabbard. As soon as I do, I puke a little bit of blood and lose my balance, using one knee and my fist to support myself on the floor. On the other side of the battlefield, the top half of the gorilla falls on the floor, as his bottom half slowly loses its strength and falls down. It seems I was the final winner of this duel. I performed a move similar to Zoro's Shishi Sonson, but adapted to my own style, making it my own high speed horizontal slash. I called the move Nova Horizon.
I might have won, but this fight took everything I had so, the moment it is over, the rest of my body falls to the ground. Laxus and Urek finally jump out and help me get up. I felt their presence a long time ago so they must have been holding back all this time. We are usually always helping each other, so it must have been hard for them to hold back and not join the fight. I can even see blood on Laxus mouth. He probably bit his lip too hard from holding back.
Me: Good job controlling yourselves guys… ah … It would all be for nothing had you intervened.
They nodded but still didn't look too pleased with themselves. They helped me get up, give me one of the heal infused snacks Erina had previously prepared and help me move towards Tie and the giant tiger.
Me: So... how did I do?
I can tell the tiger feels a little conflicted, but I can't tell what he is thinking. Tie translates and it seems I did better than expected, but I can feel that the tiger seems reluctant to let his daughter go. Well, I guess that makes sense even in the animal kingdom. He starts looking at the little cat, which is currently in my feet, asking me to pick her up. He finally gives me the ok sign and gives his daughter one last lick, before turning away.
Mink: He says that he feels that she would be happier with you and that he doesn't want her to have the same fate as her mother ... here is too dangerous and he can't keep protecting her 24/7.
Me: Don't you worry, I will take good care of her and bring her here often, so that you can see how much she grows.
The tiger seems happy to hear that this is not the last time he will see his daughter, before he finally disappears into the forest. The little cat finally stops being so happy as she realizes she was saying goodbye to her father. She is sad about leaving her dad, but she really wants to get out of here. As it is time to go, I ask Tie if he'd be willing to join us. After our interactions, I can see that he would be a great teacher, and it would be pretty good to have someone to teach Kunou about the mink culture. Perhaps I can even get him to teach him electro or how to speak with mammals. He seems to consider it but, before he answers, I assure him that if he goes there and regrets it, I can easily send him back to this place or some other island. He eventually agrees and comes with us.
Before we all leave, I can feel that Fate, the name I gave to my pet tiger, has some lingering feelings. At the beginning, I assumed it was correlated to her dad but that does not seem to be all of it. I asked her what's wrong and she asked me to follow her. She kept talking but I had to ask Tie to translate the rest, as I was feeling several of her emotions at once.
Tie: Well, she says she has a best friend that is about the same age as her and he only survived this long because she shared some of the food her father gave to her. If she leaves, the little guy won't survive as her father does not like him. His pack abandoned him, as they think of him as some kind of freak.
I tell her not to worry and that I would try to take him with us. When I finally see the creature, I understand why he was pushed away. However, from my point of view, his looks are phenomenal! He looks like he is part Bengal tiger and part Golden wolf. No wonder other creatures would consider him a freak. The animal world is not kind, especially for those that look different than the rest. Even Chopper was cast aside simply because of his different nose. This creature with the overall shape of a wolf but with the colors, eyes, tail and claws of a bengal tiger might look extraordinary to me, but to both wolfs and tigers he is only a freak. After Fate approaches him, the wolf seems to be willing to come with both of us. I pick up Fate and Sprite, the new fellow, and put them both inside my shirt, as they seem to like it.
We dealt with everything that needed to be taken care of, so we start moving towards the highest tree. We were too far away from our starting point so we decided it would be quicker to simply move towards a visible spot and ask Rias to go there. Laxus and Urek took care of whatever beasts tried to attack us, as any creature with enough strength could feel Gigi or Gil's aura. They knew if they got too close to us, they might seal their fate, so they chose to avoid us and walk away. The only ones that approach us where around the same level as the hyenas we initially encountered. We climb to the top of the tree, which normally would be dangerous due to the strong birds that flocked in those areas. However, they didn't even dare showing themselves, afraid they would be killed. It really is useful to have Gigi and Gin by our side.
Perepereperepere perepereperepere pereperepe__gotcha
Rias: Boss? Are you all done?
Me: We are all ready. Please come to the highest tree so that we can get out of …
And before I even finish my sentence, a portal appeared above us and Rias, Merlin, Kendrick and Baki jumped out. Immediately as one portal closed, another one opened and we all jumped in. Tie seemed a little confused about what was happening, but he still tried to imitate everyone else and jumped in. He looked really surprised as he looked around and realized he was in a completely different place. But now he seems to understand what I meant when I said I could easily take him back.
When we got there, everyone was already waiting for us. As predicted, it was a short journey as we didn't take more than six hours. Even so, a lot happened on this little trip. It was only my second fight and my first time getting seriously injured ... although that was a little embarrassing to say. These made me realize there are still a lot of points that my training doesn't cover, so I need to come up with some new exercises. My first idea was to create some sort of training where one had to fight against several opponents, however, our levels weren't that different, in most cases, so we couldn't do it so easily. The only ones able to accomplish it would have to be Laxus, Urek and I, and we would have to be fighting against the weakest members of the group, if we were fighting by ourselves. We were strong but, let's say, if Killua and Gon fought Laxus, two on one, then they could easily win. So, to make it one vs many, I would have to choose the weaker members, but then they would probably get hurt way too many times. We do have the heal heal fruit, but broken bones and internal injuries don't heal as quickly, besides, even if we could heal it immediately, they would still suffer. After much consideration, I came to two conclusions:
Starting this year, we will have several trips to the Roku Island, the one we just came from, and spend a whole week there without bringing anything other than our weapons. The main goal will be survival, but we will have the supervision of both Gil, Gigi and the strongest executives, so that they can intervene in case we need them to;
The second event will start in about 2 years, where we will find a random group of pirates or bandits and challenge them.
All members of the combat group must go to both camps, but everyone else may choose if they wish to stay in here or come with us. But before all of that, time to introduce the new members.
Me: Hello there everyone! We are finally back and, as you can see, this trip was a little bit rough, but I believe it was all worth it, as we were able to deliver the message and get new allies and new knowledge. So, this is our new teacher, Tie, and his main function will be to help us understand a little bit more about the mink tribe, but he can also give a couple of tips on botany and what ingredients we might find in our journey.
Tie: Nice to meet you everyone. Hope I can get to know all of you. Please take good care of me, as I have never taught anyone before.
Me: Our other two new members are these two. Fate! Sprite! Say hello.
As I call by their names, both the tiger and the wolf peak through the top of my shirt.
Me: They are a little shy, so you will have to wait a bit to properly get to know them. I can feel that they are pretty scared and suspicious now, but they will eventually settle down. Now, I need to go rest just for a little bit, but if you ask Urek or Laxus then I am sure they can explain how exciting the real world is. In the meantime, Erina, if you could give me some help, I would appreciate it.
Erina: Yes, Boss! I will fix you right up.
I was a little injured, but nothing too serious when you have the help of the Heal Heal fruit. In normal situations, I would take about a week to recover, but with her powers, in only a couple of minutes I was back to almost tip top condition.
As we got some new members, today was a day to celebrate and relax. After some time, Sprite got enough courage to meet everyone else, but Fate still remained suspicious, as she didn't let anyone else pet her. The moment they got too close she would hide inside my shirt or behind me. She was exactly the same as my former cat, the only difference was that this one would grow up to be much, much, much bigger.
For that whole night Fate didn't get out of my lap and even though Sprite would play with everyone, he would start acting weird if he moved too far away from me and come running back to lick my face or rub his fur on my leg. He also created a soul bond with me, so it almost looked like he was wearing an invisible leash because as soon as he reached a certain distance, he would turn around and run towards me, almost as if he was being pulled. After a couple of hours, the party was over, and I showed Fate and Sprite what our room looks like. I was already pretty tired, as it was an extremely exhausting day but those two were so happy, running around the place, asking me to play with them. I understood that, when we are alone, Fate is even more playful than Sprite, as she didn't stop jumping from one side to the other. Eventually, I am able to calm them down and to go to bed. They each lay down on one of my sides.
Six months later, I wake up and a much bigger wolf and tiger are on top of me. Fate likes to sleep above my legs, warming up my feet, and Sprite sleeps over my chest. Right now, they both are about one year old, and they shouldn't be any bigger than normal dogs. They didn't grow as quickly as I thought they would. Normal tigers and wolfs reach their full size in their first two years, but according to Tie this means that they should have longer lifespans. Most tigers and wolfs live for about 15 to 20 years, but these two should have the same life expectancy as humans.
Right now, they are a lot more friendly, as they let everyone pet them. Sprite is still much more friendly as Fate is still very behaved when she is around other people. It is not like she doesn't trust them, but she is just not that sociable with other people. But at least they both can finally call this place home.
Every day those two follow me everywhere, even doing a training similar to mine. They actually like to run, do push-ups and swim with me. Even when I am sparring, they fight with each other and when I am doing other exercises, such as muscle training or perfecting my Rokushiki, they find other ways to entertain themselves such as playing the games of pull the rope or tag, although they also love to sleep. They must have the best muscles I have ever seen on an animal, but I guess that makes sense when I myself am a muscle building fanatic. I guess it is true when they say that a lot of animals are similar to their owner.
We kept training like this and only now, after another six months of continuous practice, could we finally say we mastered the Rokushiki techniques. There were still a lot of ways to improve it, but all of us already reached a decent level in at least one of the techiniques. Urek was the one having the hardest time, as he tried to learn all of them at once, but he still managed to do it.
The combat rankings changed a little bit, but nothing too special. After we started learning the Rokushiki, Laxus gained a significant boost and became much stronger than Urek. For some time, Urek was having trouble even remaining as the third best, but in the last tournament he was able to show that his training wasn't any worse than theirs, as he regained the second place. Even I only won by luck, as his use of all 6 forms of Rokushiki complement each other... if we fought now, I am not sure I would be able to win. And that is why I am trying to strengthen even further my Geppo, Soru and Tekkai. I feel that this three are the most useful ones to me.
Laxus decided that he should also improve his soru, in order to become strong enough to take back the number 2 title. He has remained as my number 2 for quite some time now, with only two exceptions. The first one was right after Urek joined us, and it took quite some time till he could surpass him. The second time occurred last month. He probably let the results 4 months ago get to his head, as the difference between him and Urek increased significantly. It is not like he stopped training or took it easy, but Urek was not satisfied with the results, so the remaining three months he went the extra mile, always giving 120%. That showed in the last tournament. Urek didn't make fun of Laxus, but that fight was almost a slap on his face. But as they are proper rivals, they will always do their best and try to become the stronger one. That is probably what has made all of us so strong. Nobody wants to be left behind...