Reverse Mountain

A pirate ship sailed alone across the sea.

This was the tenth day since Ryan and the others had left Goth Kingdom. They had passed through a small town along the way, briefly replenished their fresh water and food supplies, then continued onward.

Ryan and his group's destination was Reverse Mountain. Anyone from the Four Blues who wanted to enter the Grand Line had to either cross the Calm Belt or pass through Reverse Mountain.

Crossing the Calm Belt without a suitable ship was definitely impossible. As its name suggested, there was not the slightest breeze there, so a ship needed its own independent power system.

Moreover, beneath the tranquil Calm Belt lurked countless Sea Kings. As far as Ryan knew, only the Marines possessed the technology to cross it.

Their specially made warships had independent power systems and could sail without relying on wind. On top of that, Seastone coated their hulls, preventing attacks from Sea Kings.

That was how Marine warships could safely pass through the Calm Belt. Ryan's ship certainly could not do that yet.

So they could only take the other route to the Grand Line: Reverse Mountain.

Actually, Ryan had another bold idea in mind, but he would have to reach Reverse Mountain before seeing whether it could be carried out.

Ryan lay on the deck with his eyes closed. To outsiders, he looked as though he were asleep. In truth, he was examining his status panel and hesitating over how to allocate his points next.

During their trip to Goth Kingdom, Ryan had gained a total of 43,214 attribute points. Added to the 20,000 points he already had, he now had more than sixty thousand. It was time for another major boost.

Attribute Panel

Host: Portgas D. Ryan

Current Attribute Points: 63,214

Host: Portgas D. Ryan

Physique: 51,500/100,000 Advanced

Martial Arts: 31,214/100,000 Advanced

Swordsmanship: 99,999/100,000 Swordmaster

Conqueror's Haki: 20,600/100,000 Advanced

Armament Haki: 25,700/100,000 Advanced

Observation Haki: 54,060/100,000 Advanced

Devil Fruit Ability: None

Skills: Kamusari, One-Sword Style: Iaijutsu

Weapon: Supreme Grade Sword Ace

Mission: Reach a bounty of 500 million Beli [Incomplete]

This was Ryan's current strength. His swordsmanship had already reached the pinnacle of the Swordmaster level.

Ryan still did not know how to break through this bottleneck. Perhaps he needed a life-or-death battle, or perhaps he would suddenly attain enlightenment one day.

Ryan was not in much of a hurry. After all, he was still three months away from turning twelve.

As usual, Ryan kept 20,000 attribute points in reserve. His strongest abilities were swordsmanship, Observation Haki, and physique. Those were the two directions he needed to improve next.

After hesitating for a long time, Ryan decided to improve his physique first. Enhancing it would increase his current combat power to the greatest extent.

As always, only a powerful physique could perfectly bring out Ryan's swordsmanship.

"System, add 43,214 attribute points to physique."

The next second, Ryan felt the changes in his body.

A warm current entered his body, continuously strengthening his physique.

It was Ryan's first time enhancing his physique by so much at once, and he was somewhat unaccustomed to it. As he carefully sensed the changes in his body, he estimated that it would take a while longer to finish.

If anyone had seen the changes within Ryan's body, they would definitely have cried out in astonishment. His cells, muscle tissue, and bones changed every second, while his metabolism proceeded at an unbelievable speed.

Suddenly, Ryan felt hungry. He desperately wanted to eat. He understood that his body needed energy to complete its evolution.

"Beli, help me get some food from the storeroom. Bring two bottles of liquor too."

Ryan opened his eyes and spoke to Beli, who was currently beating up Kid nearby.

"Then have Lory make some hot food."

After hesitating for a moment, Ryan added.

The moment those words left his mouth, Beli, Beli, and Kid all stared at Ryan in disbelief.

Even Killer, who had been seriously practicing his basic swordsmanship nearby, stopped moving.

During the ten days they had spent sailing at sea, all the meals aboard the ship had been made by Lory. As for the taste, it was truly indescribable. Ryan had tried cooking for himself along the way, but what he made had somehow tasted even worse than Lory's food.

Ryan eventually gave up on the idea, and Beli and the others were no better.

Thus, Lory had become the chef of the Ryan Pirates. But unless they were sick of dry rations to the point of vomiting, none of them would eat food made by Lory.

Yet Ryan had actually volunteered to eat Lory's cooking.

"Ryan, are you okay?" Beli asked worriedly.

Seeing everyone's expressions, Ryan said irritably, "What are you all thinking? I made a breakthrough while training just now, and now I'm starving. Hurry up!"

"Captain Ryan was training just now? Wasn't he lying there with his eyes closed, sleeping?" Kid quietly asked Killer.

"Maybe that's Master Ryan's special training method."

"I'll try it next time too."

Ryan heard every word they said, but he was far too hungry to bother with them now.

Before long, Beli brought over the food. The moment Ryan saw it, his eyes lit up, and he hurriedly began eating.

Seeing Ryan wolfing down food before her, Lory was overwhelmed with emotion.

"So Ryan, you like my cooking that much? I'll make food for you every day from now on!"

At that moment, Lory felt that Ryan was the best person in the world.

The moment Ryan heard that, he immediately wanted to tell Lory, "No, I don't want to eat your food at all!"

But in his rush to speak, food got stuck in Ryan's throat. He could not swallow it, and tears of discomfort streamed from his eyes!

Lory stood frozen at the sight, murmuring to herself.

"Are these tears of happiness?"

Lory stepped forward and hugged Ryan tightly, making him feel even worse as tears poured down his face.

When Lory saw that, she hugged him even tighter.

"Thank you, Ryan. I can feel your feelings."

Killer quietly said to Kid, "Kid, doesn't Master Ryan look like he's choking on his food?"

"Really? But the captain really does seem to love Lory's cooking." Kid looked at the two embracing tightly and sighed.

"Yeah, Ryan is just that kind of person—always thinking of others!" Beli said from the side.

"Oh, so that's how it is. Master Ryan is so great!"

And just like that, the only person who had guessed the truth was led astray as well.

In the end, Lory released Ryan, whose eyes were full of tears.

Ryan's body still carried the unique fragrance of a young girl.

Seeing Lory still immersed in emotion, Ryan ultimately did not tell her the truth.

After finishing all the food Beli had brought, Ryan patted his stomach in satisfaction. For the first time, he felt that Lory's cooking was not all that bad.

After eating and drinking his fill, Ryan asked Lory, "How much longer until we reach Reverse Mountain?"

Lory took out a map and pointed at a spot on it. "We're probably around here right now. It should take another two days."

"I'm really looking forward to Reverse Mountain."

Unlike when Ryan had watched One Piece in his previous life, he was now going to see Reverse Mountain with his own eyes. Was it truly as miraculous as the legends said?

Ryan looked at Killer, who was seriously practicing his basic swordsmanship nearby.

"Keep your hand steady. Don't move it. No matter what you do, the basics are the most important."

"Yes, Master Ryan."

"Keep it up. Believe in yourself—you can do it. Perseverance is victory," Ryan encouraged Killer.

Hearing Ryan's encouragement, Killer felt an endless stream of strength surge through his body.

"Yes, Master Ryan. Perseverance is victory!"

Meanwhile, Beli and Kid had a completely different dynamic.

"Useless. Didn't you eat? Are you trying to hit me with a woman's fists?"

"Shut up! I'll beat you to death!"

"You're far too weak. And you still want to become strong?"

"Bastard!"

Then Beli knocked Kid onto the deck with a single punch.

It had to be said that Kid and Killer were both extremely talented. Over these ten days, Ryan and Beli had given the two of them systematic training every day.

Their strength had already improved compared to before. They were making progress almost every day.

As for Kid's Magnet-Magnet Fruit, Ryan was only having Kid try to control more weapons for now.

The two of them were still laying their foundations. Before this, they had fought entirely by relying on instinct, with almost no development or exploration of their bodies.

Kid's unyielding nature meant that having Beli train him would better ignite his fighting spirit and potential, while Killer needed encouragement and recognition.

As long as they persisted, the seeds of effort had already been planted. Ryan believed that one day, they would surely bloom into beautiful flowers.