The Alabasta desert was as hellish as ever, waves of heat distorting the horizon while the endless sands shifted under my feet. I wiped a layer of sweat off my brow and exhaled. Makes you feel like being stuck in one of those Middle Eastern or Sahara desert scenes from a Hollywood movie.
"Damn… I've really been too comfortable lately."
I had a body strong enough to make a name for myself even in the New World, but my endurance was so fucked up that just a few hours of training in the desert had drained me completely.
This wasn't the case back when I was stuck on that uninhabited island. My endurance had somehow gotten worse with my increasingly comfortable life. I should get Lunarian genes soon... I need that adaptability shit. Cheat ability. I understand why the Celestial Dragons killed those Lunarians off—they must've been jealous of them.
As for why I was here in the desert? Training. Yes, believe me, I was really training. I'm not lazy all the time. I said I'd train my swordsmanship, so here I was, training it.
I could see the future, had advanced Armament Haki at the level of emission, and yet… I still couldn't cut through iron with a sword.
What a joke.
So, to fix that, I was training. Since Alabasta was the place where Zoro learned the Breath of All Things and cut iron, I decided to learn it here too. Symbolism and shit.
I flicked my wrist, feeling the weight of my blade. It was just an ordinary sword, but it had accompanied me all my life. At least the ROB had the decency to give me something of good enough quality to ensure it didn't rust. It was a carbon steel sword, after all.
Now, the Breath of All Things wasn't about strength—Zoro had already proven that. It wasn't just a trick or some special skill. It was an understanding, a connection with everything around you.
And right now, I didn't have it.
Alright, I didn't understand it either. I was just saying meaningful bullshit, hoping something turned out right and I succeeded.
I got into stance, focusing my breathing.
The sword was just an extension of my body. I am the bone of my sword, and my sword is my boner—no, that's not right…
Anyway, I felt the flow of air around me. I swung—once, twice, a dozen times. Sand exploded with each strike, but the rusted iron slab I'd placed in front of me remained stubbornly intact. It was like I was hitting it with a hammer instead of a sword.
I frowned. There was something I was missing.
Haki was the manifestation of willpower. It let me perceive and influence the world around me, and yet here I was, unable to do something that Zoro—who didn't even have Observation Haki—figured out.
Was it really just a swordsman's technique?
No.
I tightened my grip. Observation Haki was perception, the ability to feel the presence of everything. But if I could feel them, then it stood to reason I could also understand them.
The sound of shifting sands, the wind pushing against my skin, the presence of Robin and Anna resting under the shade in the distance—everything had a rhythm, a flow.
I inhaled.
And then, I swung. Unconsciously.
A faint click echoed.
A moment later, the iron slab split in half.
I blinked.
"…Well, shit."
I stood there, processing what had just happened. That didn't feel like a normal cut. There was no resistance—no force. It was like my sword had simply passed through the iron as if it wasn't even there.
So this was the Breath of All Things.
A slow grin spread across my face. I turned my head toward the shade where Anna and Robin were sitting.
"You saw that, right?" I called out.
Anna was already making her way over, eyes shining. "Master!! I knew you'd get it! What was it like? Did it feel different?"
"Yeah," I nodded. "It's like… I wasn't cutting through it. It was as if I was phasing through it. My focus wasn't on what I wanted to cut, but on my sword itself. And everything I desired to cut… would be split apart by it. I feel like if I wish to, even iron would be cut by my sword, and if I wish to, the sword wouldn't even be able to cut through paper."
Robin tilted her head, amusement dancing in her eyes. "Sounds very poetic. Are you sure you aren't just saying that to sound cool?"
I scoffed. "Please, Robin, I was born cool."
Anna rolled her eyes. "No, master, you are overestimating yourself. You are clearly acting, and you gotta practice more, 'cause an act that bad ain't fooling me. You were spouting random bullshit you heard somewhere, right?"
My mouth twitched. "Shut up."
Robin chuckled. "Well, congratulations on your breakthrough. Does that mean you'll finally take a break? And we won't have to stay here in the middle of nowhere anymore?"
I stretched, feeling a newfound sense of motivation.
"Nope."
Anna groaned. "Of course."
"Now that I've figured this out," I said, already walking back toward my training area, "it's time for the next step."
Robin arched a brow. "Which is?"
I raised my sword, a sharp glint in my eyes. "Flying slashes."
Anna sighed. "Master, do you really have to get so motivated here? No, I'm not saying getting motivated is bad… It's just that… why the fuck do we have to stay in this hell to train? Couldn't you have just trained back on Little Garden??"
"Hey, it's symbolic. Anyway, you're too stupid to understand. Just be a good maid, prepare the bed, and wait for the night."
"Hey, you pervert! There's a child here!!" Robin shouted, her face red.
"Sorry, Robin-chan, you're so short I didn't see you just now," I said with a smirk.
Robin's eyebrow twitched. "YOU—!! Hah… I suppose we should get comfortable, then. Since our stay here is gonna be a while."
"Yes, you are correct, Robin-chan. Wait, let me handle it."
ROOM!! Excavation!
A massive boulder of redstone appeared in the sky, with quicksand forming to fill the gap.
I then cut the boulder into small cuboids, like bricks, and arranged them together to form walls. Using the Japanese kigumi technique to improvise for the lack of cement, I attached them seamlessly.
Finally, I made several large 10 cm-thick sheets for the ceiling and secured them with the same method.
And just like that, using only my Devil Fruit and my mighty brain, I had built a house in mere moments in the desert.
But just as I was about to praise myself,
"This looks like a stone cube. It's so ugly. Master, couldn't you put some designs on it?" Anna critiqued, hands on her chin.
"Shut up, Anna!"
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