If his strike truly carried the same destructive power as the Sun Blade, then the devastation it could unleash was beyond Don's imagination.
Yet the technique he had just displayed wasn't the genuine article. It was merely a simulation—born from the surge of strength he gained after activating Undying Will. It only looked similar on the surface, but in truth, it bore no real connection.
Strength might only last for a moment, but style? Style lasts a lifetime.
Aboard the ship, Koushirou glanced at Don, who had gone still after sitting down, then turned to look back at the island now left in ruins.
Even now, he could sense the terrifying power lurking inside Don's body—ready to erupt again at any moment, capable of shattering the heavens and the earth just like before.
After a brief silence, Koushirou steadied himself and steered the ship back toward port.
Meanwhile, Don sat with eyes closed, meditating, feeling the force coursing through him.
His entire being—physique, Haki, even his affinity with the Devil Fruit—had been amplified tenfold. He could even feel a strange new energy flowing inside him. His Devil Fruit powers too seemed to have undergone a subtle transformation.
Fifteen minutes—short yet long. In battle, that span would be enough to kill an enemy hundreds of times over.
He had tested his strength briefly on the island, then sat for a while aboard the ship. Now, Don could feel the power of Undying Will fading from his body.
[HP: 23% (Recovering; eating will accelerate regeneration)]
The ability had activated when his health dropped below the threshold. Even as it boosted him, his vitality had been slowly restoring itself. In just fifteen minutes, he had already climbed back to 23%.
Undying Will was terrifyingly strong.
As Don's trump card, it was more than enough.
Having tasted that surge of power once, Don's confidence grew steadier.
"But that strange energy I sensed just now…"
Even after Undying Will had faded, he kept his eyes shut, pondering the peculiar aura.
It was unlike Armament Haki. Instead, it felt more like an unusual kind of spiritual force.
Wait… could it be?
Conqueror's Haki?
Do I actually have that potential?
Don's eyes snapped open, his gaze falling to his hands.
The descriptions of Conqueror's Haki in the original world had always been vague. It was said to be innate—either you were born with it, or you weren't. Some even claimed it was bound to bloodline.
But could he, a traveler from another world, really possess such a gift?
Or perhaps Conqueror's Haki was simply an incredibly potent form of spiritual energy—and when Undying Will elevated him, it enhanced even his mental power?
Either way, he would try to draw it out. Training would tell him the truth.
As for the other discovery about his Devil Fruit…
He wasn't sure if it was awakening, but there was no doubt—the flames he controlled now burned far hotter, vastly more intense than before.
Still, Don couldn't confirm whether this was true awakening, or simply a matter of quantity evolving into quality.
After all, poison is the same way—debating toxicity while ignoring dosage is meaningless.
That, perhaps, explained why Sabo had been able to unleash overwhelming power so quickly after claiming the Flame-Flame Fruit in Dressrosa.
Whether awakening or not, for Don, it was good news.
The sheer strength of Undying Will stirred something in him. His mindset had shifted, and though he was aware of it, he saw no reason to resist the change.
But one thing was clear: Undying Will's amplification scaled with his base strength.
The stronger Don was normally, the more monstrous the boost would become once activated.
"Keep getting stronger," he whispered to himself.
Hearing the murmur, Koushirou, still guiding the ship, stiffened. He turned to see Don in the same pose as before—unchanging, yet somehow resolved.
A decision had been made.
Koushirou thought so, anyway. Remembering the scene they had just endured, he couldn't help but feel awe.
He had already rated Don's talent highly—on par with the true monsters of the sea.
But witnessing it firsthand had made him realize: he had still underestimated him.
The power Don kept hidden was terrifying.
One day, Don would surely be a man who could sway the entire world.
Silence returned to the ship until they neared Shimotsuki Village. Only then did Don rise to his feet.
[HP: 31%]
His recovery was remarkably fast—another thing worth testing.
His regeneration now far surpassed what it had been when his stats had first become digitized. Even without food, he could fully heal within hours.
Zoro and Kuina were already waiting at the harbor.
The earlier tremors had been felt even in the village. They had seen the sudden mist shrouding the sea and the distant blaze that looked as if the ocean itself had been set on fire.
When Don came down the gangplank shirtless, the two scrutinized him.
Koushirou, meanwhile, looked far worse for wear—his clothes tattered and scorched, hair singed and twisted yellow at the tips.
But the children weren't surprised. In past sparring matches between Don and Koushirou, the teacher usually came out in worse shape.
"Who won?"
Zoro couldn't help blurting out the question, curiosity plain in his eyes.
Koushirou gave a wry smile and shook his head.
"I lost."
"This match had no real outcome," Don said truthfully, shaking his head.
"But I still lost," Koushirou insisted, striding toward Isshin Dojo.
"Don! Slow down! At this rate, how am I ever supposed to catch up to you?"
Zoro glared as he called out.
"Kid, if you want to match my strength, you're still eight hundred years too early," Don replied, slinging Flame across his shoulder and walking toward the Dojo.
Watching his broad back, Kuina whispered, lips trembling slightly,
"Zoro… we have to work even harder, or Don will leave us far behind."
"Yeah!" Zoro nodded firmly, his eyes alight with determination.
Don caught their words, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
In the original tale, Kuina's early death had cut short her journey—no one knew how far she might have gone.
But Zoro's future was certain. He would become a great swordsman, wielding Conqueror's Haki, his talent and drive both unmatched.
Don had once wondered whether he could ever defeat Zoro.
(Of course, his recent habit of pounding Zoro into the ground had nothing to do with that question.)
But now?
No problem at all.
With Flame resting on his shoulder, Don's steps grew lighter, his eyes carrying an eager gleam.
He had once planned to spend years training in East Blue before venturing into the Grand Line. But now… maybe he didn't need to wait so long.
First, though, there were a few small matters to settle.
For instance, that fish-man who had crawled into East Blue, trying to carve out a domain here. Nearly ten years had passed, and all he had managed was to subjugate twenty villages.
Of course, Don wasn't doing this because he suddenly craved oranges.
Still, he couldn't forget the events etched in his memory: Kuina's untimely death, Nami's adoptive mother Belle-Mère gunned down by Arlong, Zeff sacrificing his own leg to keep Sanji alive.
Maybe that was part of why he had come to Shimotsuki Village. Learning the sword was another reason, and that had turned out well—but his plan to keep the Flame-Flame Fruit as a last-resort trump card was starting to feel… insufficient.
Compared to Undying Will, the fruit alone no longer felt worthy of being his ace.
After leaving Shimotsuki, Don intended to head for Cocoyasi Village.
To him, Arlong wasn't much of a threat.
And besides—setting out to sea required funds.
Arlong's bounty was nothing to scoff at. Later on, he'd even been worth more than Krieg with his fleet of gold.
A few million berries would be plenty to cover Don's startup costs.
Back at the Dojo, he sat in silence, tapping his fingers on the table as he mapped out his future.
Kuina and Zoro obediently brought over the food they had prepared.
Perhaps because Don would be leaving soon, even Zoro seemed unusually subdued.
Once his HP had fully recovered, Don swallowed the last bite of roasted meat, then set down his chopsticks.
The others stopped eating too, all eyes on him.
"It's time to go."