He looked at the floating sphere, which resembled a small meteorite.
Ages stretched out his left hand, curled it into a claw, and grasped at the meteorite-like sphere from a distance.
Then Ages swung his left hand toward the sea in the distance.
The meteorite-like sphere followed the movement of Ages's left hand. Having hovered in place, it now flew swiftly toward the patch of sea where his hand pointed.
When the meteorite-like sphere hovered above the sea,
Ages slowly clenched the left hand he had pointed at it.
The moment his fist closed, Ages suddenly shouted.
"Explode!"
As Ages shouted, his clenched left fist snapped open.
Boom!!!
Boom!!!
The word had barely left his mouth when his fist snapped open.
At the same time, the meteorite-like sphere exploded.
A tremendous blast that shook heaven and earth suddenly rang out.
The meteorite-like sphere burst apart from within, transforming into tens of thousands of meteorite fragments that blasted outward like buckshot.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh...
Shrill whistles rang out as the meteorite fragments tore through the air.
Bang! Bang! Bang!...
The rock fragments struck the tranquil sea, throwing up enormous sprays and columns of water in an instant.
The sea, once as smooth as a mirror, suddenly churned like boiling water.
The churning sea, the exploding rock fragments, and the columns and sprays of water erupting everywhere, set against the dark of night, made for an incredibly astonishing scene, like the end of the world.
Wave after wave rolled toward the shore...
Ages stared at the astonishing scene, his mouth hanging open. Even he was stunned.
While Ages stood on the shore, shocked by the power of his own move,
Unbeknownst to him, Fujitora had long been watching from not far behind him, observing the entire process from the moment Ages formed the black sphere.
Sensing what was happening on the sea, Fujitora also felt towering waves rise in his heart. He thought in shock,
This brat actually used celestial gravity together with celestial repulsion to make a meteorite bomb, and he even controlled the force perfectly. It's simply inconceivable!
He's completely different from the boy who couldn't control his strength this morning. I thought he'd need at least a day to master it. I remember it seemed to take me a day to master it back then... yet the brat mastered it in just a few hours?
Could this brat be a Devil Fruit genius?
As Fujitora marveled, scenes involuntarily surfaced in his mind.
One-year-old Ages toddled over to Fujitora on his little feet and played with Fujitora's cane sword, shifting it around.
A gentle smile on his face, Fujitora rubbed Ages's little head and said,
"Ages, do you like swords?"
One-year-old Ages blinked and nodded at Fujitora.
"Pops, Pops, I want to become strong like you too. Teach me swordsmanship..."
Three-year-old Ages clung to Fujitora's arm and made his request, a serious expression on his childish little face.
Fujitora ruffled Ages's hair and said kindly,
"Hehe... Ages, once you can swing this cane sword of mine fifty times in a row, I'll teach you."
(The cane sword was still very heavy for a three-year-old child, let alone to swing fifty times.)
After that, Ages held the cane sword and swung it almost every day...
"Pops, Pops, I can swing the cane sword fifty times now! Hurry and teach me swordsmanship!"
Three-and-a-half-year-old Ages ran up to Fujitora, his cheeks covered in sweat and his whole body drenched, and spoke excitedly.
Fujitora looked in surprise at Ages's youthful face, flushed from swinging the sword yet showing a trace of determination. He ruffled Ages's hair and laughed.
"Hahaha, good, good! I'll teach you swordsmanship right now."
Five-year-old Ages kept up with the tasks Fujitora gave him every day.
Two hundred chops, task complete!
Two hundred sword draws, task complete!
Two hundred sword swings, task complete...
"Pops, I finished my tasks! I finished ten minutes faster than before!"
Ages showed off to Fujitora, his face full of pride.
Fujitora ruffled Ages's hair and said with satisfaction,
"Good! Very good. Keep working hard."
Six-year-old Angus gripped a wooden sword tightly in his little hands and shouted.
"Ha!"
He charged at Fujitora.
Clang! Clang!
Fujitora remained where he stood and gently turned his wrist, sending the wooden sword in his hand straight past Ages's line of attack.
Smack.
It struck Ages's wrist, and the wooden sword fell from his hand.
"Pops, I lost again. My hundredth challenge failed..."
Fujitora ruffled Ages's hair and comforted him.
"Ages, you did well. At least my presence didn't scare you into dropping your wooden sword straight onto the ground."
Seven-year-old Ages gripped his wooden sword, unafraid of Fujitora's fierce presence in the slightest, and charged at him. Just as Fujitora swung his wooden sword,
Ages twisted his body to its limit, turning his attack toward an opening in Fujitora's defense.
Rip...
Fujitora stepped to the left and avoided Ages's attack, but Ages's wooden sword tore his clothes.
Ages said, immensely excited,
"Pops, Pops, I hit you! Hahaha!"
Smack!
Fujitora knocked the wooden sword from Ages's hand with his own, then walked over, ruffled Ages's hair, and said with a smile,
"Hehe, Ages, congratulations. Your 999th challenge was a success. But remember, you can't let your guard down before your opponent has truly fallen."
(Fujitora hadn't used his full strength while sparring back then, or Ages would have been defeated instantly. Fujitora had also been careless, but Ages's ability to catch him off guard with an attack still shocked him.)
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Nine-year-old Ages could already trade blows with Fujitora in a spar...
"Pops, just wait. I'll definitely beat you before long, hehe."
Fujitora ruffled Ages's hair, his expression gentle.
"Hehe, then I look forward to that day..."
Recalling all the moments he had shared with Ages, Fujitora suddenly realized that, before he knew it... Ages had grown.
He had grown to the point where he had a little strength to protect himself in this Great Pirate Era.
Fujitora smiled with satisfaction. Sensing Ages shouting excitedly over there after creating this powerful move, he murmured,
"Perhaps it's time to let him venture out on his own..."
To be continued.