Visiting Family!

"Haki is a latent power innate to all living things in this world. It's equivalent to [aura] and [intimidation], and exists just like instinct."

In Mercer's view, [haki], put simply, was just one way the human body expressed its "essence, qi, and spirit."

Years of breathing practice and studying medical skills had given Mercer a far deeper understanding of his own body than most people had.

Observation Haki was a unique power of perception, a capacity for perception on the level of the "spirit."

Mercer was a natural-born Observation Haki user.

Unlike other natural-born Observation Haki users, who had special abilities like "mind reading," "emotional resonance," "visual prediction," and "hearing the Voice of All Things,"

Mercer's Observation Haki had only the most basic perceptive effects.

However, under his unique breathing method, honed over many years, Mercer's Observation Haki had gradually begun to change as it continued to work in tandem with his breathing.

He sensed his own breathing, then followed it to perceive his body from every angle.

After the gift of [Breathing] manifested and rose straight to A-rank, reaching the point where qi flowed through his entire body, Mercer's Observation Haki suddenly gained a unique "Internal Vision" effect.

He could sense through his own skin, flesh, bones, and organs. At first, Mercer often found it hard to adjust and felt nauseated.

But over the past year, since he couldn't change it, he had no choice but to get used to it. There was no way he'd give up using Observation Haki just because of a little discomfort.

Observation Haki was meant to project one's perception outward. Naturally, this ability to project "Internal Vision" outward became a kind of "X-ray Vision."

However, Mercer's Observation Haki wasn't high enough yet, so its outward-projected X-ray Vision wasn't nearly as clear as his Internal Vision of his own body.

And now,

the gift of [Breathing] had gained the effect of Unity of Heaven and Man as it improved. Mercer had a feeling that, barring any surprises, his Observation Haki would develop further special traits in the future.

With long-term use and steady accumulation, Mercer's Observation Haki had already grown considerably.

And now.

[C+ Rank Gift: Observation Haki] (can grow freely)

[Gift Effects: An innate perceptive ability, the power of "perception." It grants a powerful ability to sense the auras around you, along with the special effect "Visual Sense." It permanently accelerates the growth of perception/agility/mystic attributes of C+ rank and below by a moderate amount.]

[Gift Evaluation: Among the three treasures of "essence, qi, and spirit," this is a power of perception belonging to the "spirit"—perception is the prerequisite for everything!]

Observation Haki had risen from C-rank to C+ rank, without breaking through to a higher major rank. Mercer didn't think there was anything wrong with that.

After all,

everything was interdependent and closely intertwined. Observation Haki could accelerate the growth of perception/agility/mystic attributes, and, in turn, those attributes also affected the growth of Observation Haki to some extent.

As things stood, Mercer's various attributes hadn't changed much, only shifting by a negligible amount.

Attributes:

[Physique]: Strength: F+→E- Endurance: F+→E- Agility: F+→E-

[Soul]: Will: F+→E- Perception: E-→E Spirit: F+→E-

[Special. Mystic (Energy)]: F+→E- (growth bonus from Observation Haki in effect.)

Over a year, his basic physical attributes had risen from F+ to E-. That was neither especially fast nor especially slow. Mercer was still growing, and he hadn't done any particularly grueling training.

Each day, he simply stuck to a routine of long-distance running, breathing perception training, and occasionally hunting various wild beasts.

Even so, Mercer figured that his current physical abilities were better than Ace's at nine or ten in the original timeline.

After all, on the East, South, West, and North Seas—the Four Great Seas—the ordinary yet "powerful" pirates were, at most, only at this level in terms of physique.

Brushing the jumble of thoughts from his mind and closing the screen, Mercer quietly took in the magnificent beauty of nature before him.

In Mercer's perception, everything around him had changed. The spiritual insight of Unity of Heaven and Man had imbued nature's beauty with a unique "soul."

"No, it's more like today—right now—is the first time I've truly seen the natural world around me. Everything has come 'alive.'"

[Breathing]

The breathing of earth and stone.

The breathing of pine trees.

The breathing of water vapor.

The breathing of ice and snow.

All things possessed their own unique breathing, their own special life frequency.

Mercer pursed his lips.

"What Breathing of All Things? What Power of To Cut or Not to Cut? In the end, they're just insights related to Unity of Heaven and Man."

"Once you have the right understanding, a lot of complicated, high-sounding things are really nothing special."

Now that he'd figured it out and gotten what he wanted, Mercer had no reason to stay there any longer.

As for contemplating nature?

What a joke.

"You can't get fat by eating a whole meal in one bite. You have to eat slowly, walk steadily, and take one step at a time. That's the safest way."

The loftiest insights and powers were often built on the most basic attributes—in other words, the body.

He reached out and ruffled Bear Cub's ears, then turned him around by the scruff. When Bear Cub looked up at him in confusion,

"Come on, let's go home."

Bear Cub shook himself and cheerfully ran toward the cave entrance. Mercer followed behind him.

He put the stone slab back exactly as it had been.

The broad mountaintop fell silent again, with only a row of footprints showing that other creatures had visited.

The way down was harder than the way up. Braving the cold wind along the cliffs, they crossed through the damp, chilly clouds halfway down the mountain, then made their way step by step to the foot of the mountain.

Bear Cub shook his fur hard, scattering the moisture that had gathered on it. Mercer had already stepped out of range and avoided getting soaked.

Apparently bothered by his damp fur, Bear Cub opened his lower jaw extremely wide, then bit down on his own head. After a few bites, like he was chewing bamboo, he had finished eating himself. All that remained was a ball of white fur. A few seconds later, it unfurled, and Bear Cub's coat was dry.

Mercer didn't bat an eye. He'd taught him that trick, after all. Once Bear Cub had regained his footing, Mercer climbed onto his back, and the swaying bear set off toward home, his feet turned inward.

When they got home, Mercer washed and butchered a deer they'd caught on the way back and already prepared.

He heated oil in a pot, added scallions, ginger, garlic, and the right herbs, then stir-fried them for a few minutes before adding salt, MSG, and other seasonings.

He added potato chunks and water, brought it to a boil over high heat, then simmered it over low heat.

As Mercer called out each step, Bear Cub stood upright and followed them one by one with a spatula in hand. The two of them worked together flawlessly.

He left Bear Cub to watch the kitchen and went back to reading at the desk. Mercer had nearly finished the books on this side of the bookshelf. Only the last dozen or so remained. Once he finished them, he could declare "graduation."

Kureha was doing experiments on the second floor. After she'd taught Bear Cub—no, Mercer—to cook, Mercer had taken over making breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

As a result, a gift representing [Culinary Skills] had manifested not long afterward.

And today, Bear Cub seemed ready to graduate from his cooking lessons too.

Congratulations!

From then on, whenever Kureha was home, Mercer only saw her at mealtimes. The rest of the time, she was upstairs working on her experiments.

These days, aside from mealtimes and the occasional check-in on what Mercer had been learning, Mercer and Kureha mostly kept to themselves.

Once, when Garp came by and saw how the two of them got along, he'd looked astonished and said, "If Ace were half as easy to deal with as you, I'd be over the moon."

Two weeks later.

Mid-September.

He'd just finished his morning run and returned home to find a burly figure sitting in the living room,

drinking tea at his leisure.

As soon as Garp saw Mercer, he grinned. "Well, Mercer! Your grandpa's here. Aren't you happy?"

Mercer sighed. Why did Garp's words always sound so strange? For some reason, they always sounded like an insult.

"If I'm not happy, will you beat me up?"

A vicious grin tugged at Garp's mouth, though his expression was otherwise quite friendly.

"What do you think?"

As he spoke, he raised his fist and cracked his knuckles.

"I'm happy." Mercer gave Garp a big smile. "Old man, what brings you here today?"

Garp's face darkened. This brat was so rude he wouldn't even call him Grandpa anymore. He was just about to teach the boy a lesson when—

Kureha came out of the kitchen carrying breakfast, her expression displeased as she looked at Garp.

"If you were coming, you could've waited until after breakfast. Now I have to make you a meal too. Why are you so inconsiderate?"

Garp took a bowl of porridge and ate it with a steamed bun and some side dishes. His expression grew complicated. He was almost sixty, yet someone was calling him inconsiderate and treating him like a kid.

Only then did Garp realize why, despite getting along with Kureha, he'd rarely visited her before.

But now—

He let out a "heh, heh" and felt his mood lift. As he got older, more and more familiar faces passed away. Having a friend like Kureha was a blessing.

His Observation Haki flashed briefly. Sensing that Kureha's vitality was still vigorous—she seemed like she could live another twenty or thirty years at least—he breathed a sigh of relief.

He'd just taken a mouthful of porridge when Kureha said coolly, "Are you looking to get beaten again?"

Garp waved his hands repeatedly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to."

Realizing she'd noticed him using Observation Haki, he immediately lowered his guard and apologized.

Kureha shot him a sidelong glance, then looked at Mercer. "That old bastard came by today to take you to the East Blue to meet your younger brother. Once you've finished eating, you can go with him."

Mercer stopped eating and rolled his eyes. He immediately put on a "hurt" expression. "Doctor Doriel, are you trying to kick me out? I don't want Grandpa. I only want you."

Garp's eye twitched. Suddenly, his food didn't taste so good.

Kureha glanced at Mercer. Though she was secretly pleased, she scoffed. "You little brat, why are you putting on an act? When did I say I didn't want you? I'm just giving you a little time off. After you've met that kid named Ace, hurry back."

"Oh!" Mercer went back to eating, nodding as he said, "Sure! Then I'll leave Bear Cub here with you. He can cook now, so he can take care of your daily needs."

"Whee!"

Bear Cub looked reluctant to part with Mercer, but that didn't slow down his eating one bit.

Garp stared in astonishment at the panda sitting at the table with them. "This little guy's so smart."

As soon as he finished speaking, Bear Cub pulled his bowl closer and eyed Garp warily, as if to say, This is mine. I'm not sharing.

Garp's face darkened.

He continued eating and drinking in a foul mood.

Nobody in this family was decent.

After the meal, Bear Cub cleared the table, while Mercer packed a few things.

He mostly took some gold nuggets, a few changes of clothes, several silver needles, a surgical knife, and his axe.

There was no need for a farewell. Kureha had gone upstairs as soon as she finished eating.

Walking through the Deep Forest with Garp, Mercer wasn't wearing his usual Laboon Coat. He had on a simple padded jacket instead.

Garp had said the weather would warm up once they left Drum Island's Sea Area.

From the second-floor window of the Treehouse, Kureha watched the two figures, one big and one small, walk away. A flicker of reluctance passed through her eyes, and then she murmured to herself,

"What's gotten into me? It's not like he isn't coming back. Why do I feel reluctant? Since when did I get so sentimental? This isn't like me."

She watched until they disappeared from view, then turned back to her experiments.

After walking for half an hour, they reached a wide river channel in the island's interior, where a medium-sized warship was moored. Figures moved busily across its deck.

On the riverbank, Mercer could also see seven or eight Marines with "Cook" written on their backs, processing more than ten wild beasts.

Some had already been butchered.

Others were still being processed.

Mercer had excellent eyesight. He spotted the Laboon at once and couldn't help remarking, "You're pretty impressive. You managed to hunt so many Laboons."

Garp reached out and ruffled Mercer's hair, laughing heartily.

"Of course! The Marines on my ship are all skilled fighters. What, are you jealous? How about joining my crew and becoming a Marine with your grandpa?"

Mercer pretended not to hear.

Garp looked dejected.

As they approached,

the Marines greeted Garp, some with reverence and others with cheerful smiles. One by one, they watched the little kid at Garp's side with curious eyes.

Mercer followed Garp up the gangplank and onto the ship. The warship's deck was spacious, clean, and tidy, with open areas at both the bow and stern.

At that moment,

quite a few Marines were training on deck. Some practiced with swords, some worked on their physical conditioning, and a few leaned against the railing, smoking and chatting.

When Garp returned, the ones who'd been training stopped to salute before resuming their practice, while those who'd been chatting quieted down, stubbed out their cigarettes, and greeted him.

They all held official posts. When Garp noticed Mercer looking at their epaulets and cloaks, his expression shifted, then he smiled.

"You think those epaulets and cloaks look cool too, huh? Those lads are all commissioned officers from Marine Headquarters. They're pretty strong, and can easily handle pirates with bounties in the tens of millions when they're out at sea."

The officers blushed at Garp's praise, all looking a little bashful.

Mercer remained silent, just listening.

Then footsteps approached, followed by a voice tinged with curiosity. "Vice Admiral Garp, you're back. Shall we set off now?"

The man's eyes gleamed with curiosity as he surreptitiously sized Mercer up. Bogard thought, This little guy must be the baby from a few years ago. I can't believe he's grown so much.

Garp nodded and replied casually, "Let's go. We'll cut straight across the Calm Belt. It'll be faster."

Bogard looked concerned and said plainly, "Is it wise to cross the Calm Belt?"

Garp laughed nonchalantly. "Don't worry. I'm here."

New book! Please give it a follow-up read, everyone!