About half an hour later, Aaron once again climbed to the summit of the mountain using only his feet. Upon reaching the top, he was greeted by the people waiting there, who handed him large quantities of food both to replenish his own energy and to restock the supplies stored in the alternate space of the Munch Munch Fruit.
"Lord Aaron, Lord Gilbert requests your presence," said Watt respectfully once Aaron had nearly finished eating.
Since the last time he took the "Fury Drug," Watt: The Zoan-type Devil Fruit user who had eaten the Cow-Cow Fruit, Model: Goat had aged dramatically. Once a middle-aged man with a full head of black hair, much of it had now turned white, and wrinkles had deepened at the corners of his eyes. He looked as though he had aged more than ten years overnight.
It was clear that the Fury Drug's side effects were still extremely severe at this stage far worse than how mild they would become more than a decade later.
"Do you know what this is about?" Aaron asked politely with a light smile.
Watt, fully aware of the young man's terrifying strength, didn't dare hide anything. He had witnessed Aaron's capabilities firsthand just the fact that Aaron could climb this 6,000-meter Drum Peak using only his feet was enough to make him feel both admiration and fear.
"It's about the Bird-Bird Fruit," Watt explained quickly. "We've located it."
"So, there's finally some news, huh?" Aaron said with a faint smile. "Looks like the time for the trade isn't far off."
"Yes, Lord Aaron," Watt said, eager to flatter him. "Once you capture that damn invisible man, you won't have to go through so much trouble anymore."
He spoke with feigned camaraderie, not realizing his words were actually out of place.
Aaron merely chuckled and said nothing more. He turned his gaze toward the massive port city in the distance, a glimmer of anticipation in his eyes.
Two months passed since Aaron and Gilbert had completed their secret transaction. The calendar now read June, Year 1508 of the Sea Circle Calendar.
During these two months, Aaron had devoted himself to four main goals:
Increasing his stamina,
Enhancing the quantity and mastery of his Armament Haki,
Developing the Snow-Snow Fruit, and
Learning "Moonwalk."
To train more efficiently and to fulfill his agreement with Gilbert, Aaron decided to practice extreme climbing on one of Drum Island's giant peaks. It was the perfect way to strengthen his body and leg power.
Aside from his daily Kuja-style body conditioning and sword training, all his remaining time went into climbing practice.
From what Aaron recalled from his previous life, "Moonwalk" (Geppo) was described as an advanced application of "Soru," one of the Six Powers of the Marines. It was somewhat like the martial art technique "Leaping Clouds," where one uses tremendous leg strength to kick the air itself, generating enough force to stay aloft for a short time and even move as though climbing invisible stairs. However, it couldn't maintain flight indefinitely.
To perform it, one must first possess incredible leg strength.
And before learning Moonwalk, one had to master Soru.
That was precisely why Aaron chose to climb mountains using only his feet. It allowed him to train both endurance and leg strength efficiently. Moreover, each time he reached the summit, he would leap off to practice Moonwalk. Thanks to his Snow-Snow Fruit's elemental transformation, he never worried about falling to his death.
During these climbs, Aaron also trained his Armament Haki, killing several birds with one stone.
The method for improving Armament Haki differed from Observation Haki. The latter grew best under crisis and pressure, while the former could be enhanced through consistent, everyday training. It required patient, steady effort much like building stamina.
As for the Snow-Snow Fruit, Aaron's development centered around the Drum Peaks themselves. He continually expended stamina to create snowy paths, refining their spiral shape and structural solidity with each attempt.
He also used his powers to battle the fierce mountain beasts massive rabbits known as Lapins and enormous wolf packs to hone both control and combat application.
At other times, he immersed himself in the freezing wilderness, attuning his senses to the essence of snow itself.
After nearly two months of monk-like discipline, Aaron's power had advanced significantly. His physical stats, in particular, had all broken past the "40-point" threshold.
Stamina: 45
Strength: 43
Agility: 45 (having surpassed Strength due to his leg-focused training)
His Armament Haki had also grown considerably. Previously, he could coat only half of his fist at most; now, he could fully cover an entire arm or even his entire blade in hardened Haki.
The Snow-Snow Fruit's development had also yielded impressive results. Aaron could now condense snow into material as hard as steel, and he had created six original combat techniques:
Snow Prison:
Instantly forms a solid triangular snow cage to trap enemies. If they can't break free quickly, they'll either freeze or suffocate to death. Inspired by the destructive force of avalanches.
Snow Armor Warrior:
Forms a light yet highly durable suit of snow armor for himself or allies. It also provides camouflage in snowy terrain, inspired by the Drum Kingdom's unique "snow makeup" traditions.
Snow Beast:
Creates one or more snow constructs resembling full-grown Lapins. These snow beasts, based on Aaron's deep study of the creatures' combat patterns, surpass the real ones in strength and are impervious to blades or bullets. He could also summon packs of snow wolves to fight alongside them.
Snow Escape:
By creating snow around himself, Aaron could consume stamina to instantly shift his elementalized body through the snowy terrain essentially teleporting within snow.
Art of the Snow Tiger's Freedom:
Aaron dissolves into a flurry of snowflakes, each acting as his temporary senses. Combined with Observation Haki, this dramatically expands his detection range.
Blizzard (Bōfūsetsu):
A powerful move inspired by Monet's attacks in the anime. It required significant buildup; first condensing vast cold energy inside his body, then exhaling it as an ultra-low-temperature snowstorm. The whirling snow formed a massive blizzard vortex, allowing Aaron to conceal himself within it and strike at the perfect moment.
Meanwhile, his mastery of the Munch Munch Fruit had also improved. Since he had to use its powers to release the Snow-Snow Fruit's abilities, developing one naturally strengthened the other.
So far, the two primary aspects of the Munch Munch Fruit that Aaron had mastered were Fusion and Devour.
Fusion allowed him to temporarily merge items stored in his alternate dimension, gaining their combined properties.
Devour enabled him to consume any form of matter.
Through this progress, Aaron had reached the point where he could wield two Devil Fruit abilities at once or maintain his Swallow-Swallow abilities while using another Fruit's power though the stamina drain was immense and unsustainable for long.
Furthermore, he had refined the Devour ability beyond using just his mouth. His modified hands could now absorb enemy energy-based attacks, such as flames, sword waves, or shockwaves.
However, this absorption required that his internal space be large enough to contain the incoming energy. Once absorbed, Aaron could either "digest" the energy to neutralize it or release it back through his hands, reflecting the attack toward his foe.
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