I'm Tired of Rasengan!

That said, Dunn had no intention of leaving Shimotsuki Village immediately.

After all, he had already paid, so wouldn't it be a loss to leave now?

"Are you sure what you're describing is actually possible?"

A few days later, Koushiro looked at Dunn with a headache-inducing expression.

He had seemed so composed before, so how had he suddenly become so erratic?

Controlling fifteen million degrees of high heat to wear like a cloak, or to coat a blade with it?

What kind of sword could withstand such extreme temperatures?

Besides, how could such high-temperature flames even exist?

"That is why I am asking for your guidance!"

Dunn looked at Koushiro, his expression earnest.

Hm?

Koushiro took a sharp, deep breath, suppressing his speechlessness.

"I apologize, I cannot comprehend what you are describing either. However, regarding the Nadeshiko Slash you mentioned, I can tell you that it is indeed possible. Many great swordsmen on the sea can coat their blades in Armament Haki to unleash powerful slashes. Such slashes might be similar to what you call the Nadeshiko Slash."

After hearing Koushiro's words, Dunn scratched his slightly overgrown hair and stood up with a sigh.

"Thank you, Master!"

"No need for thanks; I haven't really helped you. However, I can demonstrate the Nadeshiko Slash for you. Of course, it certainly won't reach the level of power you described."

With that, Koushiro stood up and left, returning a moment later clutching a sword with a pure white hilt and scabbard.

"Let's go, this place isn't suitable!"

Koushiro turned and walked away, and Dunn followed.

Before long, the two stood upon a cliff on the other side of the island, gazing out at the endless sea.

Koushiro took a deep breath and assumed a stance, his right hand resting on the hilt of the Wado Ichimonji. The next moment, Armament Haki coated his hand and spread along the blade of the Wado Ichimonji.

Dunn watched in silence.

In an instant, a draw-slash combined with an incredibly swift strike was unleashed, followed by the sound of the sword sliding back into its scabbard.

The flying slash carved a hundred-meter-long trench into the sea, which vanished in an instant.

"That wasn't quite right. According to your description, it should have been a vertical slash."

Koushiro shook his head slightly.

What he had just performed was actually a diagonal slash.

"That's enough, I think I understand now."

Dunn called out to Koushiro, who was about to try again.

The worlds were different, so the power exerted by techniques would naturally differ as well.

The kind of flames that reached tens of millions of degrees, like those of that old man Yamamoto from the other world, were still far too difficult to achieve in this world.

Especially since he had to rely on his Devil Fruit ability to reach that level.

Of course, if he could truly reach such high temperatures, he wouldn't need any techniques at all.

No one could withstand temperatures of tens of millions of degrees.

No, he didn't even need tens of millions; temperatures of a hundred thousand or even tens of thousands of degrees would be enough that no one could survive.

Even the Magma-Magma Fruit, the superior version of the Mera Mera no Mi, only reached temperatures of one or two thousand degrees.

A few thousand degrees of heat would be enough to vaporize magma.

Currently, the flames he controlled were only five or six hundred degrees. Of course, by manipulating the flames and adding other forms of control, he could increase the temperature.

Since it was the Mera Mera no Mi, the focus of his development should be on increasing the temperature.

Dunn sighed.

So many techniques were useless; if the temperature didn't reach the required level, the power would remain very limited.

Thinking of this, Dunn's gaze fell upon the digitized panel he had summoned.

Mera Mera no Mi (Fully Mastered): A powerful Logia-type fruit ability; grants the ability to transform into and control flames; continuously strengthens the body; fruit drawbacks removed (weaknesses and soul-possession); current fruit development (25%)

Fully mastered?

So the method he was thinking of was correct?

Seeing the change on the digitized panel, Dunn was struck by a realization.

But with only 25% development, and the fact that it was still just an idea—he hadn't even found a specific way to increase the flame's temperature yet—how could it be fully mastered?

Perhaps this "fully mastered" didn't mean what he thought it meant.

Dunn felt a bit puzzled.

Koushiro lowered his stance, watching Dunn, who was lost in deep thought with a furrowed brow. Choosing not to disturb him, he quietly took his leave.

Dunn sensed Koushiro's departure, but he did not withdraw his focus.

The changes to his status panel had plunged Dunn into contemplation, leading him to ponder how he might increase the temperature of his flames.

Compression!

That was the simplest method.

By compressing the flames, their temperature would undoubtedly skyrocket.

Dunn raised his hand, and a fireball the size of a watermelon hovered above his palm.

How to compress it?

With Haki?

Dunn looked at the fireball in his palm and attempted to coat it with Armament Haki.

The result, however, was less than satisfactory.

The Armament Haki could not make contact with the flames in his hand.

After several failed attempts, Dunn flicked his hand, extinguishing the fireball.

Either Haki could not coat something like fire, or his current mastery of Armament Haki was simply not up to par.

If it were a physical elemental form, perhaps it could be coated with Armament Haki.

For example, the Numa Numa no Mi, the Magma-Magma Fruit, or the Hie Hie no Mi.

But the Mera Mera no Mi and the Pika Pika no Mi, strictly speaking, lacked a physical form once elementalized.

However, the Mochi Mochi no Mi, which was very similar to Logia fruits, allowed for Armament Haki to be applied after creating mochi arms.

If that method wouldn't work now, was there another way?

A thought stirred in Dunn's mind as he considered an alternative.

In an instant, a fireball reappeared in Dunn's hand.

When he had first eaten the fruit, he had manipulated the flow—or rather, the rotation—of the flames to speed up the roasting of bird eggs.

Increasing the flow would draw in more oxygen to accelerate combustion, or, in other words, make the plasma forming the flame more active, thereby creating a higher temperature.

The fireball flowed in Dunn's hand and began to rotate.

Streams of orange-red flames, or plasma fluids, formed several blade-shaped ribbons. The orange-red color of the flames faded, and as the speed of rotation increased, a fireball appeared in his hand that was orange on the outside, with searing white flames encased within.

Damn!

Isn't this just a Rasengan?

This actually works?

The white flames were at least a thousand degrees, meaning this method was a success.

However, the rotating fireball in his hand looked far too much like a Rasengan infused with fire.

With that thought, Dunn threw the fireball directly toward the sea.

But the shocking scene he expected did not occur; after flying only a dozen meters, the rotating fireball burned out completely.

Well, there was still a long road ahead.

Dunn was not disappointed, nor did he continue to experiment; he turned and headed back.

On his digitized panel, another change had occurred.

[Mera Mera no Mi (Initial Mastery)]

The development progress had also increased to 31%.

Did this count as an advancement?

So, as long as he found new ways to develop the Mera Mera no Mi, the progress would eventually shift to Proficient Mastery and then Complete Mastery—and what then?

It wouldn't be Awakening, would it?