Yeah… interesting. If only I could grab that last bit of experience before the storm hits.
Roy stood with his back to the crowd, holding a stick-blade like a fishing rod, perfectly still.
Countless strands of Armament Haki-infused thought lines spread out from him, probing and mapping the sea beneath the ship with precision.
Hula~
The sea breeze grew fiercer. Seeing the flames from Santo Airu flicker violently, Hayden Maxey summoned the sailors to pull up the sails and prepare for the storm.
But compared to the might of nature, any ship built by man was laughably small.
Boom!
The tsunami roared like a wild beast, relentlessly battering the Poseidon.
Riding atop massive waves, the ship bucked and swayed like it was dancing on thin ice—jolting, shaking, and groaning.
"I'm gonna puke up my intestines…"
Blegh~ came wave after wave of vomiting, as the crew on deck bounced around like ragdolls, flung back and forth by the chaos of the storm.
Only a few remained steady: Roy, Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio.
Kurapika leaned against the mast, eyes closed in meditation.
Leorio sat cross-legged on the deck, gnawing on an apple.
Gon stood atop a wooden barrel, gleefully "surfing" the rolling motions.
Roy stood like a meditating monk, feet seemingly nailed to the deck, completely focused.
Tick-tock~
Soon, dark clouds rolled in over the Poseidon. The drizzle became a downpour, and within moments, a torrential rain engulfed the deck.
Crack!
A lightning bolt split the sky.
"Hey! What are you four still doing? Get below deck!" Hayden Maxey shouted over the storm, his neck craned toward them.
Leorio casually tossed the apple core into the sea and yelled, "Yo, Gon! Let's go!"
"Coming!"
Gon ran to Roy's side and waved a small hand in front of his face.
"Uncle, it's raining. Aren't you going below?"
Roy's blind eyes moved slightly. He tilted his head up toward the sky—toward the ominous storm clouds pressing down like a ceiling.
Now, what was that next line again?
"It seems… the golden light of armor is shining beneath the clouds…"
"So beautiful… so beautiful… hahaha…"
Roy suddenly grinned. A familiar thrill ran through him—
A sound rang in his mind, the long-awaited notification from the panel!
[Reminder: Experience +1]
[Current Accumulated Experience: 10]
[Do you wish to unlock the "Fujitora Smile" Template?]
Do I even need to think about it? Yes. Add it.
[Confirmed.]
The experience bar dropped to zero.
On the panel, the "Fujitora – Issho" template progress jumped from 40% → 50%!
And then…
That familiar figure appeared before Roy's eyes once again.
Wearing a purple kimono, the Marine admiral's white cloak with the word Justice emblazoned on the back, clogs on his feet, a staff-blade in hand…
But this time, there was one difference—his eyes were open.
He stepped beside Roy, now seemingly alive, and stood shoulder to shoulder with him, gazing at the raging tsunami, the descending dark clouds, and the groaning ship.
With emotion in his voice, he said,
"Boy, looks like the sea here isn't calm at all~"
Roy blinked in surprise, then smiled.
"It's alright. If the sea's too angry to swallow us, then we'll just walk around it."
"Haha, well said."
Fujitora leaned against the ship's side and looked at Roy. It was like looking back in time—at a younger version of himself.
The same blindness, the same youth, the same sea…
But it was a different world, a different spirit, a different fate.
Roy wasn't his copy—but he bore his shadow. The world… truly was mysterious.
Fujitora couldn't quite describe how he felt. Absentmindedly, he stretched out his hand, trying to catch a raindrop.
Plop.
The rain passed straight through his palm and splashed onto the deck.
He stared in silence. Roy stood silently beside him.
After a while, Fujitora asked,
"Boy… what's your purpose for becoming stronger?"
He turned to Roy, his gaze piercing despite his blindness.
"I blinded myself… because I didn't want to see the ugliness of the world.
But what about you?
What are you fighting for?"
Me?
Was it because I wanted to see clearly at first?
Or because I didn't want to be pitied, so I became a cold-blooded killer?
No.
It wasn't that.
I guess… I've just never been willing to accept it!
Why should I live life according to someone else's design?
In my past life and in this one—
As a child: I listened to my parents.
In school: I listened to my teachers.
At work: I listened to my boss.
Married: I listened to my wife.
Middle-aged: I listened to my son.
On my deathbed: I listened to death.
Not once… did anyone ever ask me what I wanted.
So—
"Mr. Fujitora, if you insist on asking why…"
"I can only say this—
I want to live for myself."
Roy opened his arms, letting the rain strike his face.
He faced the storm, calm and unafraid.
"I—
I want a world where not a single cloud covers my eyes."
"I'll do it! I'll see! I'll conquer!"