Rojen squinted his eyes, smiled, and waved his hand.
"These are just my suggestions. The specifics, how you execute them, fuse them, and make progress, that's all up to you."
"These are invaluable suggestions, Captain."
Crocodile naturally understood how precious Rojen's words were. So many people wanted to develop their Devil Fruit abilities but had no clue where to start. Yet this man had dissected it clearly for him, giving him a clear direction.
"Form and characteristic! As long as I master these two aspects, my strength is sure to take another leap forward!"
Crocodile was absolutely certain of that.
He wasn't a fool, once Rojen explained it to him and broadened his horizons, Crocodile immediately began to draw inferences and came up with a complete plan.
After that, Crocodile left.
And so, in the early morning with beautiful sunlight and a bright mood, Rojen sat cross-legged in front of a rapeseed flower field, watching Jason and the other two dripping with sweat, training their bodies and willpower.
Jason definitely had his own unique approach to cultivating strength.
He had apparently chopped down a thick tree over a meter in diameter and more than ten meters long from somewhere, shaved it into a cylinder, then tied it tightly with rope for Trens and Crocodile.
"You two, your current quest is to drag this big tree for me! Only when you can drag it will we proceed to the next phase of training!"
Jason crossed his arms, grinning as he spoke loudly.
Trens's face immediately changed. Looking at the massive log that was thicker than his own waist, he couldn't help but wonder, was Jason joking?
But Crocodile only twitched slightly. Behind him, grains of sand began to float into the air.
"Oh, right, Crocodile, you can't use your fruit ability."
Hearing that, Crocodile twitched again, his face twitching too.
Using his Devil Fruit powers, he could easily lift that tree. But if he had to rely solely on physical strength, dragging that thing... that was just too hard!
"That thing is solid wood!" He took a drag of his cigar, trying to keep calm.
"Yeah, what's the point if it's hollow?" Jason smirked.
Then he stepped up to the log, made a claw with his right hand, and stabbed it down hard.
"Ssshhh!"
The solid wood was pierced clean through by his hand. Then, with a shake of his arm, and to the shock of Trens and Crocodile, he lifted it up in one go.
"Voom!"
The massive log was hoisted right over his head. This pure display of brute force was utterly awe-inspiring.
"See? I can lift it easily."
"Why can't you two?"
On the side, Rojen was nearly laughing out loud.
Jason, with his innate monstrous strength, a body honed through physical training, and having eaten the Riki Riki no Mi (Strength-Strength Fruit), showing off in front of these two, he was just way too good at it.
Crocodile's eye twitched. He now had a very clear impression of just how insanely strong this rough man was.
"Perverted."
He spat out the word with a deadpan expression, completely speechless inside.
Trens was on the verge of tears. With his scrawny frame, reaching Jason's level was practically impossible.
After hesitating for five seconds, Crocodile finally removed the cigar from his mouth, tied the same thick, sturdy rope around his own body, bent forward, and began trying to move the log.
He was a proud man. Since someone else could do it, why couldn't he?
Besides, if this could make him stronger, then it was worth the effort!
"Trens, even Crocodile's already on it. What are you standing there for? Get moving!"
Seeing Trens still spacing out, Jason's expression darkened, and he shouted loudly.
Trens gave a bitter expression and, trembling, stepped forward to tie the rope around himself.
Soon after, Jason's loud cadence rang out:
"One, two, pull!"
"One, two, again! Pull!"
Rojen watched with a smile. Seeing his companions so full of energy, he closed his eyes with satisfaction.
Keep this momentum going, and becoming a powerhouse won't be too far off.
Shifting his attention back to himself, Rojen began to introspect. As he cultivated, the vitality of the One Piece world was abundant, and his speed in cultivating true qi was astonishing.
Out of the 365 acupuncture points throughout his body, he had already opened over 200. The whirlpool of true qi in his dantian was surging and full.
As he circulated it, flashes of purple lightning occasionally appeared, rumbling with power. The aura was overwhelming, shaking the soul.
Reflecting on all he had learned, Rojen couldn't help but marvel. In less than a year, he had completely transformed from an ordinary person into a true powerhouse, it was hard to believe.
At this moment, the internal martial arts he practiced included:
Heavenly Star Hole Merit
Dragon-Elephant Prajña Merit
Changing Muscles Classic
Washing Marrows Classic, for strengthening his physical body.
His sword techniques came from famous swordsmen across various wuxia worlds, totaling 108 different sword arts, ranging from shallow to profound.
For fist techniques, he had learned:
Arhat Fist
Form-Intention Fist
Taiji Fist
Eight Extremities Fist
In total, there were 13 disciplines.
For palm techniques, he practiced:
Subduing Dragons 18 Palms
Tathagata Divine Palm
His movement technique was Shunpo, fast, simple, and direct, like teleportation.
He also possessed a Kekkei Genkai, the Sharingan, which had currently evolved to the two-tomoe level, granting insight and the ability to copy. Though it lacked direct attack capabilities, it was an excellent support ability in battle.
Other skills, such as cooking and bird control, need not be mentioned here.
In summary, Rojen now had broad knowledge and a solid foundation as a true powerhouse.
He was no longer just the "three-second man" who was only strong for one hour when using the system, he was now a man who could hold his ground and last, even without relying on system buffs or facing a tough opponent.
As his personal training improved, his dependence on the system gradually lessened. This was precisely what he had hoped for.
After all, external power is still just that, external. True strength lies within.
Of course, this didn't mean Rojen had abandoned the system. In the face of unbeatable enemies, the system's power was still obvious. And if he wanted to obtain stronger bloodlines and training methods, he still had to rely on it.
To him, the system was a support, not the main force, and that was exactly how Rojen defined it in his heart.
Time quietly passed, and Rojen's group lived a temporarily peaceful life in this golden rapeseed flower field.
They were all waiting, waiting for the birth of a new life.
In the blink of an eye, a month had passed.
With this quiet period, the changes within Rojen's group became increasingly noticeable.
First, Rojen had now opened 300 of the 365 acupuncture points in his body. He even discovered that his true qi could now exit his body, forming a Qi Gang (气罡)!
This was a highly condensed form of energy known as astral qi, possessing strong offensive and defensive power.
After careful observation, Rojen found that it even had similarities to Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki) in its characteristics, which brought a smile to his face.
"Now this... is getting interesting."
(End Of This Chapter)
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