Meditation Method

Half a year later.

There were no city lights, no skyscraper shadows, no smell of steel and concrete... Tower Forest Island's night sky possessed a layered beauty, along with the intoxicating sparkle of countless stars.

Beneath the vast glow of the Milky Way, only a half-grown child sat quietly cross-legged atop a snow-covered tower... admiring the tranquil scenery alongside the plum blossoms standing proudly amid the snow.

Over the past six months, Colin had only one elective student: Reg... who had persisted without fail, rain or shine, beneath Colin's harsh instruction.

Jabra was as fierce as a lone wolf in battle, yet so poor at learning knowledge that it was almost pitiful... Fortunately, Reg temporarily acted as his teacher, assigning him the so-called tactic of drowning in exercises to deal with Elder Joey's assessment. Thus, he had withdrawn from Colin's training after the first month.

As for Kumadori, Mountain Hag had taken him away for special meditation training two months ago... because there was nothing left for him to teach Reg.

Meditation was not complicated: all appearances were illusory... In plain terms—eliminate distracting thoughts.

On the first day half a year ago, the method Reg encountered was the "breath-counting method": silently counting each breath and gradually removing the distracting thoughts in one's mind.

He completed that directly... That was the benefit of having a powerful soul, though it did not bring much further improvement.

So Kumadori taught him the "breath-listening method": by listening to the rhythm of his own breathing through his nose, lungs, and even pores, he could quickly enter a meditative state.

Reg took a month to master this step... and the corresponding reward was a further enhancement to his ability to "hear."

Previously, Reg could only use hearing to identify the source of surrounding sounds. After learning the breath-listening method, he could vaguely sense the movements of nearby living creatures, though it was still very unclear.

In the second month, Kumadori taught the more advanced "breath-observing method": not looking with one's eyes, but closing them and using images simulated by the brain to observe the breathing of one's entire body.

Reg did not fully master this meditation method until the fifth month... The reward was substantial. He could even use the power of "hearing" to simulate the traces of nearby leaves swaying in his mind.

However... he had to remain cross-legged in a meditative state.

Just like Enel's priests... They could use Observation Haki in a calm state to evade attacks, but could not use it when disturbed by other factors.

If Reg continued practicing, he would be able to break free of the meditative state... and reach the priests' level, which was the most basic application of Observation Haki.

The meditation method Reg was currently using was Kumadori's "breath-stilling method": a meditation technique that could only be learned after mastering the previous three.

By combining the three meditation methods, the body's entire breathing rhythm would become... soft, slow, faint, and long.

More specifically: his breaths became as thin as gossamer, seemingly present yet absent... like the "embryonic breathing" described in the novels from his previous life.

If he used it to fake death, it would be difficult for others to detect his vital signs.

Having reached this stage, the power of "hearing" became further amplified... Reg's entire body would grow increasingly coordinated, and both his output of strength and defense would improve noticeably.

It was like the difference between an ordinary person and a professional boxer: the former's punch might have an impact of only 100 jin, while the latter's could reach 00, or even 00 jin.

Recently, Reg had even been able to exchange a few moves with Colin for a short time... Colin was still the same as ever. Once he noticed that Reg could keep up with his attack rhythm, he would raise his strength without hesitation.

This method of "pulling up seedlings to help them grow" left Reg in pain, yet happy... There truly were no shortcuts in physical training. The harder one worked, the greater the reward one received.

Even Luffy had endured all kinds of training under Garp before setting out to sea... wilderness survival, being thrown from great heights, education through the Fist of Love, and so on.

Though it looked chaotic, it was astonishingly similar to the training methods on this island... perhaps even more excessive.

Reg's current goal was the first method Luffy used to deal with Enel's Mantra... closing his eyes and relying on his body's instincts to evade attacks.

As long as he could achieve that, he could begin learning the next stage of meditation: the "breath-following method."

This method demanded a high degree of control over the body: letting one's intent allow the breath to flow naturally in and out, mind and breath relying on each other, intent and energy following each other without interference—that was called following the breath.

This was the "unity of mind and intent" that he had longed for. Once he achieved it... he could control the growth and hardening of his hair like Kumadori in his memories, make his body more coordinated, and, with enough proficiency, rapidly convert the energy in food into physical strength.

Mountain Hag had told him that, in his current condition... he would need at least one year of training, perhaps as many as years, before he could learn the "breath-following method."

Kumadori had been undergoing meditation training since childhood, which was why he could begin learning it now.

Exhale... inhale... exhale... inhale... Each breath Reg released formed a warm white mist in the air as he sat in a thin padded jacket.

He could have meditated indoors, but in order to make his body more resilient, Reg had still come to the top of the tower in an almost masochistic fashion.

To catch up with the opening of the Great Age of Pirates, he had been giving it everything he had... Reg did not want to miss out on the Rumble-Rumble Fruit because he lacked the strength to obtain it.

Besides... nothing in this world was ever perfect.

What if he failed? What if Enel had already eaten the fruit? It was not as though Reg had never considered such possibilities... He had mentally prepared himself to a certain extent.

If he could not obtain the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, then he would follow Garp's path—focus purely on physical arts, throwing punch after punch as he steadily walked the road toward becoming strong.

The edge of a treasured sword emerged from sharpening, and the fragrance of plum blossoms came from bitter cold... Accompanied by proud snowbound plum blossoms, piercing winds, and brilliant stars, Reg quietly waited for the arrival of the next day.

"Whew..."

Reg opened his eyes after taking a deep breath. The sky was still somewhat dark... but he had to leave.

Today was the day every P9 member would be assessed by the three teachers... Once they failed, the interrogation room's doors would open for them.

Even Eileen, who was usually carefree and liked treating Reg as a good-luck charm, spoke of it with dread and did not dare be the slightest bit careless.

After returning to his room, Reg immediately opened the refrigerator and entered the kitchen to heat up some food... Although Joey usually looked like a washed-up middle-aged man, his test was truly difficult to pass.

After all, Reg had been here for half a year... and had not trained with him even once.

For Joey, an instructor of the Ninth Tower, this treatment was a first in his life... Colin had specifically warned him: Joey was someone who held grudges.

"Power Level 180..."

Reg muttered to himself as he lifted dumbbells during his spare time... Once one's Power Level reached a certain point, progress became increasingly difficult.

Over the past half year, he had risen earlier than chickens, eaten more than pigs, worked harder than oxen, and slept later than dogs, yet he had only raised his Power Level by 50.

There were still two and a half years left. He needed to raise his Power Level to 400 within a year and a half... then spend one year learning the Six Powers.

Of the six, Shave, Moon Walk, Paper Art, and Tempest Kick were the four Reg had chosen to master first... As soon as his Power Level reached 100, Colin would help him apply for a gravity vest for his upper body and select gravity pants for his lower body.

As an instructor, Colin naturally had that authority... Though it would be exhausting, Reg welcomed it wholeheartedly.

More than exhaustion, he feared letting his life drift with the current... He had already had enough of that kind of life in his previous life.

What Reg wanted now was... in this life, to become the king of his own destiny!