Ox Talisman / The Secret of the Talismans and Setting Out

The lookout watched the pirates draw closer, his face grave.

But he wasn't particularly worried. Garfield, the strongest member of the Garfield Pirates, had a bounty of only thirty million.

Their lieutenant commander had already killed several pirates like him!

"Oh, bring us alongside! All hands, prepare to board!"

The moment Atlas spotted the pirates, she sheathed her sword, sprang to her feet, and gave the order.

Meanwhile, aboard the Garfield Pirates' ship, a thickset middle-aged man was holding forth about his supposed "glorious" exploits. He was Anthony, the crew's first mate.

"That town we raided last time? I killed more than a dozen people. You should've seen the way the townsfolk looked at me..."

Garfield stood beside him, listening with a smile. A cruel look flickered across his face now and then.

"Th-the Marines are here!!"

Grant, the second mate, had been enjoying the view from the bow when he spotted the approaching warship. He shouted in fright.

"Too late!!!"

Atlas glanced at the distance between the ships and drove her legs down, punching a hole through the deck. She shot toward the Garfield Pirates like a cannonball.

"You've got to be kidding!!"

The sight struck the pirates with terror.

Atlas landed steadily on their bow and drew Sandai Kitetsu.

Whoosh!

The blade flashed. Grant felt a sudden lightness at his neck, then watched blood gush from it.

The cursed blade drank blood!

Atlas flicked her sword, sending the warm blood sliding off its edge and onto the deck. The sight left the pirates in a cold sweat.

"Charge!!!"

The warship pulled alongside, and squads of Marines poured over the rail onto the pirates' ship.

Atlas had planned it this way. She could have dealt with every pirate aboard by herself, but she wasn't the soldiers' nursemaid. They needed to be tested in battle to grow stronger. And in a battle... people died.

Her gaze sharpened as she turned to Captain Garfield and First Mate Anthony. She held Sandai Kitetsu upright before her, one hand gripping it normally, the other in a reverse grip.

One Sword Style: Blade Reversal!

Her blade flashed like lightning. Before either man could react, she had severed the arteries in their necks!

"Ah!! He killed the captain and the first mate!"

"Damn it!"

"What do we do? We're going to die!"

The pirate underlings wilted, their morale collapsing. The Marines, on the other hand, surged with confidence, hacking away with growing ferocity!

Soon, every remaining member of the Garfield Pirates had been killed!

As for the Marines...

Not one had died!!

Only a few had suffered minor injuries. Atlas wouldn't shelter them like a nursemaid, but she wouldn't stand by and watch them die, either...

The Ox Talisman

The clear blue sky reflected off the deep sea as Atlas and her crew sailed slowly back toward Loguetown...

"Hey, what did you think of that slash? Pretty cool, right?"

"Not as cool as me. I killed several pirates. I'm definitely getting promoted when we get back."

"Lieutenant Commander Atlas really is incredible. She took out the Garfield Pirates' main fighters in just two strikes."

"Of course! Someone like Lieutenant Commander Atlas would be a monster among monsters even at Marine Headquarters!"

The Marines aboard the warship were still caught up in their victory, their excited chatter never letting up. After all, they had won without a single death. Many of them would be rewarded for their contributions when they returned.

"Marine Headquarters, huh..."

Atlas, lying on the deck in the sun, smiled at their words. She slowly raised a hand before her eyes. Bright sunlight fell through the gaps between her fingers and across her face, softening her usually sharp features...

The Marine Training Ground in Loguetown.

A white-haired youth with his muscular upper body bare was frog-jumping around the Training Ground. Sweat streamed down him, but his determined eyes stayed fixed ahead. It was Smoker.

Ever since Atlas had knocked some sense into him, Smoker had pestered her every day to train him. But the gap between their physical abilities was too wide for him to keep up, so Atlas suggested he start by building his stamina.

Smoker was talented to begin with. As he grew stronger, using and developing his Devil Fruit powers became much easier. That only strengthened his resolve to train his body.

"Lieutenant Commander, we'll be arriving at Loguetown shortly—"

After two days at sea, Atlas and her crew were finally nearing Loguetown. Several days of sailing there and back had left her desperate for a good meal. She decided to treat herself properly once they reached town.

"All hands! Prepare to dock!"

Atlas rose and gave the order, gazing toward Loguetown as it drew closer...

"Hey, Smoker, kid. Working out?"

Atlas had just left the colonel's office and come to the Training Ground for a little pre-dinner exercise when she spotted Smoker drenched in sweat. She couldn't resist teasing him.

"Huh? Yeah, Atlas."

"And, uh... could I trouble you to give me some pointers later?"

Smoker froze for a moment when he saw her, then made his request a little bashfully.

"Hahaha! Sure. It's a good chance to see how much you've improved."

Atlas agreed readily.

An hour later—

Atlas stood over Smoker with her arms folded. He lay on the ground, looking utterly drained. "Not bad, Smoker. Your stamina's improved quite a bit."

"But I'm still nowhere near you, Atlas!"

Smoker was clearly discouraged. Atlas seemed bottomless; no matter what he did, he couldn't gauge the limits of her strength.

"Come on, don't worry about it. I'll buy you dinner. Cheer up."

Atlas brushed it off and pulled Smoker toward the base's exit.

At a restaurant in Loguetown.

Atlas and Smoker took their seats and ordered everything on the menu. Atlas immediately began devouring the food, while Smoker ate with considerably better manners. Apparently, the young Smoker had yet to become as rough and unrestrained as he would be a decade or so later.

"Atlas, how can I get as strong as you?"

After they had eaten their fill, Smoker produced a cigarette from somewhere and started smoking right in front of her.

"Burp~ Smoker, what does justice mean to you?"

Atlas gave a satisfied belch. Rather than answer his question, she asked one of her own.

"My justice..."

Uncertainty clouded Smoker's eyes.

"Hahaha, don't overthink it. You'll find your own justice someday!"

Atlas patted his shoulder reassuringly, then went straight to the counter to pay.

Conviction was a strange thing in this world of pirates. Almost everyone who stood at the top of the seas had a conviction of their own.

It didn't have to be anything grand. Whitebeard's conviction was to have a family, while the Marines' was justice!

But every Marine had lived a different life, so each believed in a different kind of justice.

Akainu believed in Absolute Justice. Kuzan's justice was laid-back, while Kizaru's was ambiguous. But there was no doubt that conviction was vital to becoming one of the strongest.

Take Zephyr, the former Marine Admiral. Though he had been hailed as the youngest ever to reach that rank, he had been nothing more than an ordinary soldier until he was twenty-eight. Could someone like him truly have spent twenty-eight years in obscurity?

Atlas suspected conviction had something to do with training Haki.

In her memories of her previous life, Rayleigh had said that Haki was a power hidden within everyone in the world, though most people went their entire lives without ever bringing it out.

Conviction meant an unwavering belief that a person held to from beginning to end. It wasn't a matter of good or evil. Perhaps conviction was the key to drawing out Haki.

Of course, that was only Atlas's theory. She couldn't say for certain how it worked.

Night fell, shrouding everything in darkness—even the human heart...

Atlas sat cross-legged on her bed and focused her mind on the unlit Talismans in her head.

She was ready to awaken her next Talisman. Four years had passed since she awakened the first, and her current physique could easily bear two. She had delayed choosing only because she'd been torn between the Ox Talisman and the Rabbit Talisman.

But if the Talismans worked as she imagined, the Ox Talisman was her best choice right now!

Without hesitation, Atlas focused her mind on the Ox Talisman.

Soon, she felt the power it bestowed flowing slowly through her body...

The Secret of the Talismans and Departure

East Blue, Loguetown.

On the far side of the island where Loguetown stood, a wooden post had been driven into the shore. A Marine soldier stood guard beside it.

A thick hemp rope was tied to the post. Its other end ran into the sea, where a human figure could just be made out... hanging limp?

Splash!

The Marine on shore suddenly hauled on the rope, struggling to drag the figure out of the water. It was Smoker!

Atlas had taught him this training method. She hadn't made it up out of thin air. She had originally wanted him to train while weighed down with Seastone, but that strategic resource was too scarce in East Blue, and Marine Headquarters hadn't supplied Loguetown with any. Seawater was the only option.

The pressure of the deep sea could temper his body and increase his resistance to Seastone's effects. That way, if someone caught him off guard with Seastone in the future, he wouldn't be left completely helpless.

"Captain Smoker, you lasted a minute longer than last time."

The Marine beside him sounded delighted.

Smoker had been doing this training for months. At first, he had come out of the water limp. Now... he still came out limp.

The Marine standing guard was there to help in case Smoker lost his strength underwater and couldn't surface.

Smoker didn't answer. He slumped against the post and stared out at the distant sea, still shaken. His gaze seemed to pierce the cold water...

He could almost see that heavily muscled figure.

"Captain Smoker, you shouldn't compare yourself to Lieutenant Commander Atlas. She's a monster among monsters!"

The Marine hurried to console him.

Meanwhile, a thousand meters beneath the distant sea, Atlas hung motionless in the icy water.

Darkness surrounded her. Only the occasional small Sea King swimming past showed any sign of life. Pressure bore down on her from every direction, but her expression did not change.

With her current physique, Atlas could hold her breath underwater for half an hour. The pressure of the deep sea could also forge her body like steel.

Atlas carefully felt the changes in her body and compared them with her theory. Just as she thought...

After fully "digesting" the Horse Talisman, Atlas had found that its power had effectively become an innate part of her body. She could now repair herself simply by expending energy.

That had given her a bold idea: perhaps the zodiac Talismans resembled Paramecia Devil Fruits, with some granting physical traits and others granting supernatural abilities. She divided them accordingly. The Rat, Tiger, Dragon, Snake, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig Talismans would grant her supernatural abilities, while the Ox, Rabbit, Horse, and Sheep Talismans would enhance her body.

Atlas had trained beneath waterfalls and had her body struck with wooden poles, but she had found the deep sea most effective. Its pressure surrounded her evenly, leaving no part untouched.

Since awakening the Ox Talisman and training with it, Atlas had noticed the density of her muscles and bones, as well as the strength of her organs, increasing slowly. In other words, the Ox Talisman was transforming her body's potential!

By the time the Ox Talisman vanished completely from her mind, she might possess the World's Strongest natural physique!