Rono felt as though everything around him was pitch-black, so dark he couldn't see his own hand in front of his face. The next moment, dazzling white light filled the world. "Beep... Sea Battle Simulation... Participants... 1."
As the white light faded, Rono was surprised to find himself standing on a deck. The sea breeze blowing toward him carried a strong, pungent smell of blood that assaulted his nostrils. The sounds of battle reached his ears, bringing him back to his senses. This was way too realistic!
A tall, lanky man wearing a green bandana, two earrings, a black short-sleeved shirt, and dark jeans walked toward him, stretching his limbs as he went.
"Then, let's do this!" Bone Planting Armor activated, and Rono prepared for battle.
"Here I come~" Turban Man's flippant tone irritated Rono. He charged forward, Bone Claws springing out as he aimed for a vital spot.
Turban Man easily dodged the attack by sidestepping. "Ooh, ooh, someone's angry~" His drawn-out sing-song tone made Rono sick. Rono didn't bother responding. He spun around and threw a roundhouse kick, but Turban Man's lips curled up as he leaped backward, dodging Rono's second attack. This time, he didn't keep chattering. He tensed his legs and lunged to Rono's side. Rono had only just pulled his leg back when Turban Man drove a knee into his side. As Rono was about to be sent flying, Turban Man grabbed his arm, paying no mind to the bone spikes piercing his palm, and punched Rono hard in the bridge of the nose. A sharp crack rang out. Rono felt his nasal bone break. Dizziness washed over him, then an elbow slammed into his neck. Another crack rang out—his throat cartilage had shattered. Crack! Turban Man struck his side again, the force so great that it knocked Rono's cervical vertebrae out of alignment!
"Argh—" The pain was excruciating. His healing ability was powerful, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt. If anything, the pain was doubled because his body was regenerating.
Turban Man tossed Rono aside like a piece of trash and prepared to look for another opponent. It was strange that Rono wasn't bleeding, but there were plenty of strange things in this sea. He kept it in mind, just in case he got caught off guard. Then he took out a cigarette and lit it, watching his men and the pirates on the other side battle to a standstill with great interest. He looked completely out of place amid the battlefield.
About ten seconds later, Rono climbed to his feet, coughing. Berserker Mode activated. His eyes turned crimson, and the skin over his muscles peeled away, revealing the scarlet muscle fibers beneath (think Parasyte: the whole body). His Bone Claws retracted, replaced by beastlike talons on his fingers. His teeth all turned into fangs. Control Fruit Armament! In stark contrast to Bone Planting Armament, which focused on defense, Scarlet Armament basically ignored defense. His entire body became a source of explosive power. Put crudely, everything except his butt was for attacking!
What did a berserker need defense for? Exchange Injury For Injury, Exchange Life For Life! That was what a berserker was. That was my way of fighting!
Turban Man had naturally noticed Rono. His expression turned serious. Before Rono had even finished transforming, Turban Man stepped toward him. "If I can knock you down once, I can do it again~" He leaped into the air and launched a 360-degree spinning kick, dropping down toward Rono from above.
"Roar!" Rono let out a beastlike howl and punched straight at him. He didn't stop there—he grabbed Turban Man's lower leg as he came down, his claws sinking into the flesh.
Seeing this, Turban Man slammed his right knee into Rono's face with pinpoint accuracy. But this time, Rono didn't scream. He endured the pain of his broken nose, grabbed Turban Man's knee with his other hand, and opened his mouth wider than any normal person could. He bit down on Turban Man's knee, then jerked his head back, tearing away a huge chunk of flesh along with his pants and belt. Fine cracks appeared in the bone.
"Argh!" Turban Man screamed, but the people nearby acted as if they couldn't see what was happening and paid no attention.
"Heh... heh..." Rono panted heavily and spat out the chunk of flesh in his mouth. He squeezed with both hands and put his back into it, slamming Turban Man down so hard that his upper body crashed through the deck. With his muscles taut, Rono straightened up and smashed him into the deck in front of him again, creating another huge crater.
Amid the repeated thuds of him being slammed into the deck, Turban Man's right knee finally gave under the force and snapped... Rono looked at the right leg, hanging on by only a few tendons, but showed no mercy. He tossed Turban Man onto an intact section of deck, preparing to deliver the final blow.
Turban Man's eyes rolled back, his mouth hung open, and several of his teeth had fallen out. He made a "ka, ka" sound. The violent impacts and the pain of his broken leg had already robbed him of consciousness. He lay on the deck without even groaning.
Rono walked up beside him, curled his right hand into a claw, and plunged it into Turban Man's chest. He pulled out a still-beating heart.
With a wet squelch, he crushed it to pulp. Space began to collapse, and in the end, Rono returned to that dark space.
"System evaluation: B."
"Combat video downloaded. Please check."
"Friendly Reminder: Hell Training (II) begins tomorrow. Host, please be prepared."
"B rank... Looks like I still have a lot to improve."
The opponent generated by the system simulation had the same physical strength as Rono, but his bone strength was at a normal person's level (not an ordinary person's—read carefully). That was why Rono had been able to bite through his kneecap.
"System, Character Panel."
"Please wait... Beep."
Name: Wolf Rono Age: 15 years old (183 days) Physical Strength: 33 (original body strength) (can be enhanced) Bones: 41 (original bone strength) (can be enhanced) Observation Haki: 0 (can be enhanced) Armament Haki: 0 (can be enhanced) Skills: Self-Healing Factor, Bone Claws Devil Fruit (Control Fruit): Bone Planting Armament (Description: A crude use of the Devil Fruit Ability to control bone growth and increase defense. Its only advantage in attack is that it broadens the range of fighting styles.) Scarlet Armament (Description: A crude use of the Devil Fruit Ability that removes the protection the skin and bones provide to the body, allowing its strength to be fully unleashed. Muscle fibers thicken, greatly increasing explosive power. The drawback is its lack of defensive ability.) Combat Mode: Berserker (Passive) (Description: A mode that has a chance of activating when faced with mortal danger. Increases Combat Awareness and combat insight. Drawbacks: favors Exchange Injury For Injury and Exchange Life For Life, and can easily become consumed by the desire to kill.) Skill Duration: 5 minutes Skill Cooldown: 24 hours Chance: Depends on changes in emotion Enhancement Points: 4 Evaluation: You might as well be a berserker. But even an excellent berserker needs defense. (Note 1: Your Devil Fruit development is way too weak. Even this system is embarrassed for you.) (Disdainful face) (Note 2: Surprised to see the system updated? Heh heh, this daddy is a high-IQ AI system. How could I not know how to upgrade and install patches?)
"..." Rono looked at the system acting like it wanted praise and was speechless. Yeah, a high-IQ little kid.
Rono thought for a while, then decided to keep using his Enhancement Points on his bones. His bone strength reached 45 points.
As for why he didn't enhance Observation Haki and Armament Haki, Rono had this to say: I'm desperate too! The system won't let me add points! It says I haven't met the requirements!
Before you continue