"Shave."
The moment the moss-green giant elephant lunged to gore Kuma, Jin's silhouette blurred. In less than a breath, he fired off two consecutive bursts—Shave—and reappeared right in front of the massive tusks. His leg snapped sideways in a brutal whip kick.
THUD!
The force was monstrous; the elephant's charge veered off, tusks scraping earth instead of bear flesh.
"Shave!"
Jin's form blurred again, now airborne above the elephant's broad back. The black warblade was already drawn, his body twisting midair to torque every muscle into a single, savage slash.
"Moon Slash."
But Jin didn't stop there. He chained the technique—Shave, draw, slash—again and again. Seven times in two heartbeats, seven arcs of cold steel ripped across the monster's limbs, skull, and torso.
Clink.
Blade met scabbard as Jin landed, his back to the beast.
"Cheap navy steel. Should've replaced this blade already," Jin muttered, feeling the slight vibration of edge damage.
Behind him, the elephant let out a single strangled trumpet.
CRACK. SPLAT.
Blood exploded from seven deep cuts. The monster's body buckled under its own weight, limbs folding in ruin. It toppled with a final groan.
Jin turned, expression flat as he wiped flecks of blood off his cheek.
"Kuma! Quit gawking like a virgin. Get your furry ass over here and show me where that Bloodvine is!"
The bear startled as if yanked from a trance.
"Ah—yes, boss! This way," Kuma rumbled, plodding over. He pointed with a huge claw at a boulder cluster.
"It's in the crack over there, boss."
Jin stepped closer, hand bracing against the damp stone.
"Perfect spot for it… shaded, humid."
Peering into the crevice, his eyes flashed.
"Hell yes. Good eye, Kuma."
The vine coiled inside the crack: thumb-thick, crimson veined with black streaks, oily sheen glistening under stray sunbeams, and a nasty fishy stench—Bloodvine. Priceless for high-grade body-tempering brews.
With measured care, Jin worked his blade under the vine, slicing it off about five inches above the root. He laid it gently into a blackwood box, then eased the stone back.
"Regrow, little bastard. I'll be back for seconds."
On the way back…
Jin reclined on Kuma's broad back, arms behind his head, gaze on shifting patches of sky.
"Half a year of grinding and near-daily sparring… now eight out of twelve main meridian channels opened. Flesh and bone way tougher than before. And this haul of Bloodvine? Should let me craft top-tier potion stock."
A grin tugged at his lips.
"Once this batch runs out, I'll likely be ready to break into Refined Force stage… real shit. Fuck, can't wait."
His mind replayed the earlier fight.
Shave was finally polished to mastery: instantaneous leaps up to 23 meters, three bursts per second. Combine that with explosive bladework, and even an armored beast couldn't react in time.
"All I'm missing now is a real opponent… and maybe the spark to unlock Armament Haki. After that? Time to see the damn world."
Jin's blood thrummed at the thought of open seas, pirate flags, unknown islands.
"Hey, Kuma," he drawled, masking his excitement with a smirk, "take us to that cliff orchard next. Need to restock on Icefruit. Tell your 'big sis' it's for her."
The bear snorted, voice heavy and skeptical.
"Boss, even I know you're full of shit. She barely eats them—you finish half the stash every time."
"Details, details," Jin retorted, unashamed. "Anyway, you wanna get strong enough to beat that green elephant next time? Help me harvest and I'll brew you another batch. Might even keep your fat ass from shitting yourself this time."
Kuma's ears drooped in embarrassment.
"Last time's batch nearly killed my guts…"
"That was detox, genius," Jin scoffed. "Flushed out half your internal gunk. Don't bitch."
Despite the teasing, both of them chuckled. Jin found he liked these simple conversations—unfiltered, honest, nothing scheming beneath.
By late afternoon, the familiar yard came into view.
"Kuma, do me a favor," Jin called, hopping down. "Check the cliff path—see if Kuina's training there. If she is, tell her to drop by. Got something to show her."
"Roger, boss," Kuma rumbled, loping off.
Jin headed to his small wash shed, peeling off sweat-soaked clothes.
Cool stream water, the scent of moss and ironstone.
Leaning back against a sun-warmed rock, eyes half-shut, Jin whispered to himself:
"Almost eight… just two more years. At ten, I'm out. East Blue won't know what the fuck hit it."
The water rippled gently around him as the sun lowered over West Molzhiki's cliffs.
This story is inspired from various fanfics i have read from around the world so if you find any similarities please dont mind . Thank you
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T/N :
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