The flames wrapped around the blade didn't make it much stronger; they just made it look cooler.
Dunn summoned his Body Digitization panel.
[Body Digitization: Your body's vital points have disappeared. When attacked, damage is converted into lost health; panel attributes change according to your strength; you will not die as long as your health remains above zero] [Current age: fourteen] [Constitution: 21 (undergoing rapid transformation due to certain effects)] [Current health: 100% (recovering; eating can speed up recovery)] [Innate Talent (Indomitable): When your health reaches zero, you enter a brief enhanced state; all your physical attributes increase tenfold; your health will no longer decrease; all negative status effects are cleared; current duration: ten minutes; cooldown: one day] [Abilities] [Flame-Flame Fruit (Proficient): A powerful Logia Devil Fruit that grants the ability to become and control fire; continuously strengthens the body; the fruit's drawbacks have been removed (weaknesses and a resident soul); current fruit development (13%)] [Swordsmanship (Proficient): You have mastered the basic sword techniques and training methods]
The fruit's improvement wasn't much, only increasing by 4%. His constitution, on the other hand, had risen by a full 11 points compared to a month ago, and the notice that he was undergoing rapid transformation still hadn't disappeared.
That meant his constitution was continuing to improve rapidly.
This was a good thing.
However, at least here, it wasn't convenient to go all out developing his Devil Fruit abilities.
Once the flames on the sword in Dunn's hand had completely subsided, he sheathed it, and the stuffy heat in the room gradually faded.
"Looks like I'll have to make other plans."
Simply imagining things wasn't enough to quickly develop the power of a Devil Fruit. He needed somewhere he could use his fruit abilities to their fullest.
His original plan had been to train here until he became a sword master. By Dunn's estimate, that might take several years.
But if staying here would hold back his fruit's development, he couldn't remain for that long.
Once he mastered Two-Color Haki, he should head out and see the world.
Still, not many people should know about his fruit's abilities.
Dunn narrowed his eyes as he thought of the pirates he had sent to the 16th Marine Base.
Of course, he didn't think too much of it.
The next day.
At Isshin Dojo, Dunn gripped the long sword he had named Flame and diligently practiced the basic sword forms.
Although the sword in his hand had a dull sheen, it looked extremely imposing and drew plenty of attention.
Kuina and Zoro kept glancing at the sword in Dunn's hand.
Not far away, Shimotsuki Koshiro nodded to himself.
This was also why he thought Dunn would achieve great things in the future.
He was neither arrogant nor impatient. Though far stronger than the others, he never slacked off in his basic training.
"How many times have you beaten Zoro now?"
Kuina was swinging her Bamboo Sword beside Dunn when she suddenly heard him ask.
"1,995 times!"
Kuina answered.
Nearby, Zoro's face flushed red, but a loss was a loss.
Dunn nodded.
It seemed Kuina's death was drawing near.
Since he was here, Dunn would naturally stop it from happening. It wouldn't be difficult; he only had to keep an eye out.
That was also why he wanted to master Observation Haki first.
As soon as training ended, Zoro, who clearly still remembered Dunn's question, challenged Kuina again.
Dunn also began training in Observation Haki.
In a quiet room, Shimotsuki Koshiro watched Dunn with a smile.
"Since you know about Haki and know one way to train it, you should know what Observation Haki is, right?"
He didn't begin explaining right away. Instead, he asked a question first.
What was Observation Haki?
Dunn lowered his head and thought.
His understanding of Haki came from what he had learned about it in the series before he crossed over. But for someone like him, who had never encountered this power before, it was rather abstract.
All he could do was try his best to sense it.
Still, Dunn could answer Koshiro's question.
"Perception?"
Dunn fell silent for a moment, then offered his answer.
"Heh. Perception? Is that how you think of Observation Haki? That's not a bad way to understand it."
Koshiro said with a smile.
"Everything has a breath. Whether you listen or feel, you can sense their breathing—the wind, the water, even trees and steel.
"Of course, people too.
"After all, Observation Haki isn't only for sensing living things. It can also detect things without life. And you'll need to understand this when you train in swordsmanship later on."
Dunn nodded lightly. He understood, though he still found it somewhat abstract.
As if he had seen what Dunn was thinking, Koshiro smiled and spoke. "Actually, everyone possesses Haki, but this power lies dormant within the body. Training is needed to draw it out.
"Of course, once it's awakened, you also need to train to make your Haki stronger."
"I know all that," Dunn said with a nod. "So is Conqueror's Haki the same?"
"Conqueror's Haki is different. It's a truly rare gift, one in a million. Not everyone possesses it."
Koshiro immediately shook his head. Perhaps realizing that this contradicted what he had said about everyone possessing Haki, he explained further.
"I don't know all that much about Conqueror's Haki myself, but I do know that very few people in this sea possess it."
What he really meant was that Dunn was getting ahead of himself by asking about it now.
Dunn nodded without interrupting Koshiro.
"Actually, you've already awakened Observation Haki. You just haven't realized it yet—or perhaps you haven't sensed this power."
Koshiro's words made Dunn pause. He looked down at his hands.
"You said Observation Haki is perception. So, according to your understanding, try to sense everything around you. Try to sense the breath of everything around you."
At those words, Dunn closed his eyes and tried to focus.
Suddenly, a murderous intent surged toward him.
The overwhelming bloodlust instantly raised goosebumps across Dunn's body.
Almost instinctively, Dunn was about to turn into fire to fend off the killing intent.
But the killing intent came swiftly and vanished just as quickly.
Its source was Shimotsuki Koshiro, seated not far away.
In Dunn's perception, it was as if a blood-red figure had suddenly appeared before him, sitting cross-legged on the ground like a demon drenched in blood.
He abruptly opened his eyes and looked at Shimotsuki Koshiro across from him.
"Did you feel it?"
Shimotsuki Koshiro asked with a smile.
"The aura I released was very subtle. If you weren't sensitive to auras or breathing, you wouldn't have sensed it. Do you remember what it felt like?"
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