Solian was at the edge of the merchant ship, looking out at the golden light dancing on the waves that rolled in undulating motion. In front of him, the sea stretched out to eternity, its surface shining like liquid gold. He took a deep breath, letting the warmth seep through his veins. His power had grown since he'd arrived on this world, his body altered, and his abilities grown almost god-like. Yet brute force was not enough. If he was to control his abilities, he would need to train.
He lifted his hand, focusing. A small fire dance burst into being on his fingertips, burning quietly with a golden-orange flame. He poured more energy into it, watching as the color shifted. The fire intensified, becoming hotter, until it flared with a white-gold radiance. The air around it shimmered from the sheer heat, wavering as if he was looking into a desert mirage.
Curious, he reached his hand out to the wooden deck and let the flame make contact with it. Instead of catching fire like normal fire would have, the wood immediately blackened, darkening as if it had been left in the scorching sun for hours. There was a faint hissing sound as the heat seared the surface.
This wasn't fire—this was concentrated solar energy.
That's why his flames did not have the feel of ordinary fire. Ace's Flame-Flame Fruit allowed him to transform into fire itself, and Akainu's Magma-Magma Fruit burned hotter and more ferociously than any other flame. But Solian's power was something else entirely. His flames did not burn so much as they radiated the heat of the sun, charring instead of igniting.
He smiled. This… this has real potential.
Stepping back, he focused again. This time, instead of letting the energy run wild, he tried to cleanse it. A small sphere of golden light formed in his palm, pulsing with raw heat. It was unstable at first, the energy fluctuating wildly, but he focused his attention. The sphere began to stabilize, its light intensifying as he compressed the energy.
For an instant, he held it. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he released it forward.
A thin beam of solar energy crackled through the air before dissolving. It was small—barely a controlled attack—but it was progress. If he could refine it, he could focus his energy into destructive, pinpointed blasts rather than just explosive bursts.
A shout from the crow's nest brought him back to the present.
"Be there by dawn! Land ahead!"
Solian turned, seeing the faint outline of land on the horizon. The thought of being on dry land again after days at sea was a welcome one. He flexed his fingers, the last of the heat radiating from his skin.
Tomorrow, he would set foot on a new island. Whatever lay on it, he would be ready.