Iron Eater Beast!

Looking at the large sum of Merit Points that had just been credited to his panel, Mercer smiled with satisfaction.

Merit Points were very useful. He could use them to manifest all kinds of Gifts that he hadn't yet brought into reality.

A full 50,000 Merit Points—it was a windfall from heaven. At that moment, Mercer even found himself warming to the Walpo brothers.

"I hope more good things like this happen in the future. I'll never get tired of this kind of luck, no matter how often it comes."

Glancing at the [Luck: C-] on his panel, Mercer had reason to believe this incident had been more than ordinarily lucky.

Besides, he had used the "Appraisal" property of the "Light Orb" on Kureha, too, and her Luck attribute was only D.

Just one grade above Luck E.

Garp's Luck attribute was only D+, while ordinary people generally had Luck F-.

Mercer didn't know much about Luck yet. He only knew that he'd been pretty lucky ever since he was born.

Next, his attention turned to the several Gifts grayed out on the panel, focusing on [Breathing] and [Precision].

There was no need to explain Breathing. He had been using Diaphragmatic Breathing ever since he was born.

Even now,

Though he hadn't grasped any supernatural techniques, judging by the breathing method Kureha had summarized, it offered considerable benefits for both physical and mental development.

As for Precision, even its name made it clear that this was an extraordinary Gifted Ability.

So,

Mercer used all 50,000 Merit Points. The next moment, his consciousness became clear and still, and a jumble of insights appeared in his mind.

At the same time, his body began to change in unexpected ways.

His breathing changed, yet somehow seemed unchanged. Each breath became more nuanced, while his sense of time slowed dramatically.

At that moment, Mercer felt as if he had returned to the womb, with a new "umbilical cord" attached to him, as though he were floating once more in amniotic fluid.

It was as if every pore on his body had opened. Sitting quietly in his chair, Mercer's breaths seemed to follow an entirely new rhythm and frequency.

With each breath, oxygen from the air flowed down his windpipe and into his lungs. After being processed, it was delivered to every corner of his body.

Time passed without him noticing. That special rhythm gradually became instinctive, and everything changed without him realizing it.

Mercer opened his eyes. He had finished absorbing the novel insights about breathing. Using his breathing and Observation Haki to sense the changes in his body, he completed one breath after another before reaching a conclusion:

"My body hasn't gotten any stronger. I've just gained a more refined awareness and control of it. That's not bad, either."

He then opened the Gifted Abilities section of the Light Orb's panel and looked at the new Gift he had obtained:

[A-Rank Gift: Breathing] (Can grow freely)

[Gift Effect: Qi Flowing Through the Whole Body. Greatly improves control over one's own body and permanently accelerates the growth of the "Physique" and "Soul" attributes to A-grade quality.]

[Gift Evaluation: Is this a Breathing Technique? No, it may be the foundation of some kind of cultivation method.]

"No wonder it felt like oxygen was being carried throughout my whole body. That must be the effect of Qi Flowing Through the Whole Body. And that massive boost to attribute growth and control over my body—it's practically like having an experience-point cheat."

Mercer didn't fully understand the subtle changes in his body yet, but he could imagine that his already exceptional talent had now been boosted by the Breath Gift. He was bound to become insanely powerful.

He opened the attribute panel and saw his current stats:

[Physique]: Strength: F→F+ Durability: F→F+ Agility: F→F+

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

[Special. Mystery (Energy)]: F→F+ (Observation Haki growth bonus active.)

As his body naturally developed, Mercer's base attributes had reached the limit of F rank over the past year and a half. His Perception attribute had even advanced to E rank.

By ordinary standards, he could now stand in the street and shout, "I can take on ten people at once!" without even using Observation Haki.

Just then, Mercer heard a series of "crunch, crunch" sounds. He turned his head and saw a black-and-white ball sitting in the corner, its round face puffed up like a bun.

Mercer got up and walked over quietly, peeking at Bear Cub from behind.

What he saw made Mercer's eyes widen. The weapons, firearms, and treasure he had seized from Walpo's men had mostly been eaten by Bear Cub.

The little guy picked up a gold bar and shoved it into his mouth, eating it like a wafer. One after another, he crunched them down with relish.

The gold bars weren't very big—at least 100 grams each, by Mercer's estimate. With gold going for around 10,000 Beli per gram, that meant the little bear had just swallowed at least a million Beli.

And Mercer had brought back gold bars by the kilogram. He felt an indescribable pang as he slowly wrapped his right hand around Bear Cub's head.

"What are you doing? Eating everything by yourself isn't what a good kid should do. Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Mercer spoke coolly, kneading Bear Cub's head with his fingers. He could clearly feel the little bear stiffen.

Mercer was curious to see what Bear Cub would do next. Then he watched as Bear Cub held out the gold bar in his other paw—the one he'd been about to stuff into his mouth.

Those round, dark eyes seemed to say, "Mercer, you can have this one. It's really tasty."

Mercer smacked Bear Cub on the head, exasperated. "You shouldn't eat gold bars like these. They're incredibly valuable. You can eat the other stuff, but not these."

Bear Cub looked confused and let out a questioning "Ying?"

"One of those gold bars you ate could buy a whole room full of big ribs. It could get you a huge bamboo forest and keep you eating for a long, long time. Got it?"

As Bear Cub listened to Mercer explain, his eyes grew wider and wider, and his mouth gaped open.

"Yingyingying!!!"

Bear Cub cried out anxiously, then opened his mouth wide and stuck his right forepaw inside to rummage around. A few seconds later, he pulled out an irregular lump of gold.

Its color was clearly better.

It had evidently been purified.

Mercer helplessly patted his forehead, speechless at Bear Cub's goofy expression.

Bear Cub held out the gold. Mercer saw that there was no saliva or anything else left on it, as he'd expected.

The powers of a Devil Fruit really were amazing.

However, Mercer didn't take it. Instead, he thought for a moment. "You should be able to turn what you eat into part of your body, right? Show me."

Bear Cub tilted his head in confusion, not quite understanding. "Ying?"

"You just ate a knife and a gun, didn't you? Turn your paw into a knife and show me. Like this."

Mercer explained further, then drew one of the remaining standard-issue military knives and showed it to Bear Cub.

Bear Cub scratched his head with a paw, then held it in front of himself and studied it. His left paw repeatedly clenched and opened. A dozen seconds later, Mercer saw Bear Cub's left arm begin to change, starting at the forearm.

The process was slow, but the change continued steadily. Bear Cub stared blankly at his left forearm as it transformed from the elbow down into a blade. He raised it to his mouth and bit it with his snow-white teeth.

Crack, crack.

Bear Cub stared at his own arm in terror and shook it vigorously.

At the same time, Mercer leaned sharply backward, dodging the blade as its tip swept past his eyes.

He braced his right arm against the floor and flipped away from Bear Cub, sighing, "Whew, that was close. You almost cut me."

Just then, Bear Cub let out a plaintive cry. His eyes fixed anxiously on Mercer as he shook his left arm hard, as if trying to shake the blade off.

Mercer sighed and called to the goofy bear, "Calm down first."

Seeing Bear Cub steady himself at his command, Mercer stepped forward, pinched his chubby cheeks, and said gently:

"Think carefully about what your arm looked like before. Then concentrate hard on making it change back."

Mercer gently rubbed Bear Cub's head, soothing him as he spoke. A few seconds later, Bear Cub's arm changed back.

Bear Cub immediately rolled around on the floor in delight, making happy "quack-quack" sounds. Once he settled down, Mercer said:

"Now turn your arm into a knife again, then change it back. Go on."

At Mercer's words, Bear Cub plopped down on the floor and began changing the shape of his arm. His movements became visibly more practiced with each attempt.

As expected.

Once acquired, a Devil Fruit ability was like a brand-new limb or organ added to the body. With enough practice, it could be used as nimbly as one's own hands and feet.

Mercer had read this in the introduction to the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia. The words were quite profound: "That is precisely why Bear Cub was able to adapt to his ability so quickly."

"If he can transform the weapons he's eaten into parts of his body, then what about creatures from nature? An eagle's eyes, a dinosaur's tail, a tiger's skeleton? Could he create a hybrid without any side effects?"

There was a good chance all of this was possible, but Bear Cub would have to understand and develop his ability. Mercer would also need to keep guiding him.

It was a promising project.

That meant he needed the Gift related to taming, too. But he was broke.

And there were only so many ways to earn Merit Points. Mercer scratched his head. "Isn't this basically forcing me to stir up trouble? The easiest, most reliable way is to raise my Legend Status, isn't it?"

After thinking it over, Mercer shook his head. He'd leave it to chance. At his age, stirring up trouble could easily cause problems.

He stopped thinking about it and watched Bear Cub play with his ability. Before long, the little bear grew tired and started eating the leftovers again.

At least he didn't eat much gold.

The sight of the food lover smacking his lips made Mercer hungry, too.

Smelling the big ribs in the kitchen pot, Mercer went to get himself a bowl. Seeing Bear Cub drooling, he got a basin for him as well.

The boy and the bear ate happily.

After they finished, Mercer cleaned up.

He gave Bear Cub the task of recasting the gold lumps into gold nuggets, then sat at the desk and returned to his book. The room grew quiet.

Only Mercer's pages rustled softly, while Bear Cub chewed and ground his teeth.

Breathe. Inhale.

The Secret Language of Cells

Mercer was reading a book about cell theory. It was no longer a basic text, but an advanced one.

It discussed the communication methods among human cells, brain cells, microorganisms, and the various compartments within cells.

There was all sorts of interesting information about the immune system, blood vessels, intestines, brain tissue, microorganisms, and more.

Some of it had been proven; some was still conjecture.

He learned about the human body through books and improved himself through reading.

With Observation Haki and his new Breathing ability working together, he could sense, compare, and think from different perspectives.

Mercer's knowledge continued to grow.

All kinds of things.

The books on the shelves in the room were mostly about medicine, but there were also books covering other subjects.

At some point, Kureha came down from the second floor, a smile on her lips. She seemed to have made some progress.

As soon as she reached the bottom of the stairs, she saw Mercer asleep over the desk again, with a black-and-white ball snoozing beside his feet.

Every so often, Bear Cub smacked his lips.

Kureha sighed helplessly and walked over. When she reached them, her expression stiffened as she stared at Mercer in disbelief.

"Hm?" She released Observation Haki and pressed a finger against Mercer's body, checking him inch by inch. "That boy's breathing has changed."

"Interesting. Very interesting. Hehehehe."

Using her special application of Observation Haki like a cutting-edge diagnostic machine, she kept checking Mercer's condition and breathing rhythm.

She flipped the breathing journal to a fresh page and began organizing her notes. Drawing on her control over her own body, Kureha also began refining her breathing method, making slight adjustments to its rhythm.

Half an hour later, Kureha stretched, stripped Mercer of his clothes, and tossed him onto the bed. After a quick wash, she climbed into bed herself.

She'd have plenty of time to study and adjust to Mercer's changed breathing. There was no need to rush.

The next day.

Mercer woke naturally. After washing up, he went outside to begin his daily morning breathing and running practice.

A round little figure followed behind him, in hot pursuit the whole way.

Inhale, exhale. Oxygen circulated through his body, and useless gases were expelled.

He sensed the movement of the air through his body, using it to gain a deeper awareness of himself.

He jogged at a steady pace, matching his breathing rhythm. As he kept moving, Mercer felt something new for the first time—a sense of ease. He could immerse himself completely, and his whole body brimmed with energy.

He inhaled the fresh air, surrounded by the vast world. Then he picked up speed and ran freely, feeling his heart beat as the oxygen he inhaled flowed through his body with his blood.

Hearing Bear Cub's anxious "woof, woof" behind him, Mercer couldn't help slowing down. He turned to look at the goofy, adorable panda, panting for breath, white vapor puffing from his mouth as he lolled his tongue out.

Mercer slowed to a walk, swinging his arms, kicking his legs, twisting his waist, and taking strong, deep breaths.

The chilly air entered his body through his nose, warmed inside him, then poured back out through his nostrils in two pale streams.

It was just like watching a smoker breathe smoke out through his nose.

"But mine's completely natural."

A familiar request: big shots, please give the new book a Follow-up Reading. Don't put it on hold!

Please give it a recommendation, add it to your favorites, follow along, and support it!

P.S. Comparing the value of Beli and gold. (Assuming Beli and yen are equivalent, the yen-to-yuan exchange rate is 20:1, and gold costs 620 RMB per gram.)

One gram of gold is worth about 12,400 Beli. Rounding that down, one gram of gold is equivalent to 10,000 Beli.