"Thanks for the match," Tifa said playfully, sticking out her tongue before giving Ethan Chen a dramatic bow.
"No worries," Ethan shook his head. "We're bounty hunters. The stronger we are, the better. I'm not looking for some pretty vase who only knows how to squeal and shake her curves."
Tifa flushed, shooting him a shy but reproachful glare. She knew she had been a bit indulgent these past few days. But really, who could blame her? Ethan's skill and presence were simply too irresistible.
Through sparring with Tifa, Ethan had gained a clearer understanding of both her strength and his own.
She couldn't match him in raw power, but when it came to agility and explosive speed, she easily had the edge. Especially when she activated her technique, "Zangan-Ryu: Focused Spirit" a burst of power that dramatically amplified her combat abilities.
In the game, this skill was one of Tifa's limit breaks, boosting her momentum and temporarily increasing her attack power. It also allowed her to release stored chi in rapid strikes like the Palm Barrage or Explosive Fist, dealing heavy damage and exhausting opponents faster.
"What exactly is that Focused Spirit move of yours?" Ethan asked, curious. "You change completely when you use it."
"Pretty awesome, right?" Tifa grinned and bounced on her toes. "It's the essence of Zangan-Ryu. It boosts momentum and enhances my strikes."
"I still don't really get how momentum translates to stronger attacks," she added, scratching her cheek. "But it works. When I use it, it feels like power just floods into my fists. I swear I could punch through steel."
"Power enhanced through momentum..." Ethan's thoughts turned to the concept of Haki in this world.
That latent power within all people known as presence, aura, or willpower was divided into three types: Armament Haki, Observation Haki, and Conqueror's Haki.
Each required resolve and rigorous training to unlock and control.
Tifa's "Focused Spirit" seemed remarkably similar to Armament Haki. But Ethan wasn't certain. After all, he'd never seen an actual Haki user in action, nor had he encountered a Logia-type Devil Fruit user for Tifa to test her strikes against.
"Can you teach me your Focused Spirit technique?" he asked. "It seems pretty powerful."
"Sure!" Tifa struck a stance and began punching the air dramatically while shouting.
"Like this yell while you swing! My teacher, Master Zangan, taught me this way. Just keep doing it over and over, and one day it clicks."
Ethan remembered Zangan from the game a burly old man who could create shockwaves just by punching. It was fitting that his training method involved shouting and brute force.
Despite the absurdity, Ethan humored her, dropping into a horse stance and throwing his fists forward, shouting with each swing.
"Keep at it!" Tifa encouraged him. "I trained like this for about four years before I could pull it off easily."
"Four years?!" Ethan froze mid-punch. "That's way too long. There's no shortcut?"
"Like what, punching you a few times until you 'awaken'?" Tifa giggled, lightly tapping his chest. "Fighting arts aren't magic. You have to train, sweat, and persevere give it a thousand percent effort. Now come on, shout with me. Hee! Hah!"
Ethan understood. He had grown strong quickly thanks to the system's stat boosts. He had never experienced the grind, the blood and sweat that came with normal training. That made this kind of effort difficult to adjust to.
But even so, he kept throwing his fists alongside Tifa, trying to elevate his presence.
Just then, a voice interrupted them.
"Ethan, take a look at this."
"Hm?" Ethan turned toward Mona, who walked in holding a flyer.
"This just dropped from the sky," she said, waving the paper. "It came from one of those mail gulls. Some pirate calling himself an admiral is assembling a fleet to enter the Grand Line."
She handed the flyer to Ethan. "I checked the map. The island where they're gathering isn't far. Should we go investigate?"
"An admiral?" Ethan skimmed the flyer. It sounded like your typical recruitment pamphlet someone trying to gather a fleet and conquer the legendary sea everyone dreamed about.
The initiator was none other than Don Krieg, known in the East Blue as the self-proclaimed 'Admiral' and 'Overlord.'
Ethan remembered that name. A notorious pirate with a bounty of over ten million Berries, Krieg was infamous for leading a fleet of fifty ships into the Grand Line, only to be decimated within a week by Dracule Mihawk, one of the Seven Warlords.
Those who survived barely escaped, hunted by the Navy and forced into starvation.
Judging by the current timeline, Krieg was still in his recruitment phase assembling ships and men, not yet defeated, and still drunk on his so-called peak.
The largest pirate fleet the East Blue had ever seen was beginning to take form a nightmare for any town in its path.
Side Quest Unlocked: Dismantle Krieg's Grand Armada
Status: In Progress
Reward: 1 Summon Opportunity
(Note: Dismantling does not require total annihilation. Breaking the fleet's unity counts.)
Side Quest Unlocked: Eliminate Admiral Don Krieg
Status: In Progress
Reward: +1 Mastery Point
Hearing the familiar system chime in his head, Ethan paused for a moment before making up his mind.
"Of course we'll check it out. We're bounty hunters, remember? A fleet of pirates like this could cause real damage if left alone. We can't just ignore it."
The bounty was secondary. What mattered most to Ethan was the summon reward.
If he was going to build a name for himself on the seas, he needed powerful crew members. Four people weren't enough to call a team. Recruitment was essential.
And it wasn't just about chasing after some well-known heroine from the 3D zone, of course.
"Alright," Mona nodded. "I'll adjust the course. Come help me set the sails."
"No problem."
They left the gym and began steering the ship toward the island where Krieg was gathering his forces.
It was time to meet this so-called admiral of the East Blue.
Though they didn't plan to confront him directly just yet.
Around noon, while they were still eating lunch, the auxiliary bot issued a reminder: a small island was nearby would they like to dock for a short rest?
After so many days at sea, Ethan didn't hesitate. A night on land sounded perfect.
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