Bullet cracked his wrists, the joints popping.
"Perfect timing. I feel my Armament Haki and physical abilities have improved recently. If I could stay here a little longer, that would be great."
Hawk Eyes nodded silently. Although he didn't need to undergo resistance training with Seastone, the environment of Raijin Island was still very helpful in honing his swordsmanship.
Tesoro gazed towards the core lightning pool, his eyes gleaming with longing.
"Boss, I want to try entering the forbidden zone."
The Lightning there is older and purer; perhaps it can help me reach the threshold of Awakening the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
Roy pondered for a moment, then agreed to Tesoro's request, but on certain conditions.
"You can try it, but you must proceed gradually. If any abnormalities occur, quit immediately."
"Clear!"
Tesoro nodded excitedly.
Training continues.
With the doctor encountering a bottleneck, everyone focused even more on their own cultivation.
After all, the most reliable way to improve one's strength is always through one's own efforts, not through external assistance.
Over the past few months, the violent environment of Raijin Island has established a strange "connection" with everyone.
Tesoro, in particular, as Devil Fruit User the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, practically became an integral part of the island.
Every morning, Tesoro would appear precisely at the edge of the Thunder Pool.
Deep purple Lightning cascaded down like a waterfall, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of ozone and violent electrical energy.
Tesoro sat cross-legged on a charred rock that had been struck by lightning for countless years, slowly closing his eyes and continuously drawing upon the Lightning in the lightning pool.
"Come on..." he murmured to himself, releasing the pressure on the fruit.
In an instant, he transformed into a humanoid bolt of lightning, resonating with the surrounding raging Lightning.
Initially, Tesoro could only absorb free ions at the outermost edge of the Thunder Pool, carefully guiding them into his body.
But as time went on, he gradually delved deeper and began to come into contact with those ancient and violent sources of Lightning.
This process is extremely dangerous.
Those deep purple Lightning contained energy far beyond the ordinary; each absorption felt like countless sharp knives cutting through the body.
But Tesoro gritted his teeth and persevered, because he could clearly feel that with each instance of such pain, his control over the Rumble-Rumble Fruit deepened.
"Not enough... not enough..."
In the second month, Tesoro was able to stay in the middle of the lightning pool for half an hour. The Lightning there was purer, even carrying a faint "will".
"Will?"
This discovery excited him.
If that's the case, then he's not only absorbing energy, but also "inheriting" the insights of his predecessors!
With this in mind, Tesoro's training entered a new phase.
He began to actively "listen" to the "voice" within the Lightning, trying to understand the rules and will behind that violent energy.
This process is more difficult and more dangerous than simply absorbing energy.
Several times, Tesoro was nearly overwhelmed by the lingering rage within the Lightning, only being pulled back by Roy's mental power in time.
"Boss, I feel... I'm almost there."
One day in the middle of the third month, after finishing his training, Tesoro excitedly said to Roy,
" The Awakening of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit... I can feel it right before my eyes."
Roy carefully observed Tesoro's condition.
At this moment, he was surrounded by deep purple lightning.
A glint of silver light occasionally flashed in his eyes, and his entire aura was almost one with that of Raijin Island.
"Indeed, your control over the fruit has reached a critical point."
Roy nodded, equally pleased with Tesoro's progress, but still remembered to offer some words of advice.
" Tesoro, the Devil Fruit Awakening isn't simply a matter of accumulating power. Don't be impatient; let it happen naturally."
Roy knew that Devil Fruit Awakening came with risks, although he didn't know what would happen Logia Awakening.
However, considering that Awakening Zoan Fruit is susceptible to corruption by the will within the fruit, and failure results in turning into mindless Jailer Beasts within Impel Down, this suggests that...
Failure to Awakening Logia could be even more dangerous.
Roy gazed at the distant Thunder Pool, wondering if it might have been formed after a previous user of the ' Rumble-Rumble Fruit ' failed.
"I see."
Tesoro took a deep breath, suppressing his anxiety.
Meanwhile, the others also made significant progress in their cultivation.
Savi, Enel, Pea's adaptability under the suppression of Seastone has greatly improved.
Now, even wearing 70% pure Seastone bracelets, they can maintain basic mobility and about 30% of their combat strength.
More importantly, under Roy's guidance, the three have mastered " Internal Forging " to a high degree.
The density and intensity of his Armament Haki increased by at least 50%, and his physical strength also rose accordingly.
"Boss, I think I can now try making an 80% pure Seastone bracelet!"
Savi patted his chest, full of confidence.
Roy didn't agree immediately, but instead had him undergo a series of tests first.
Only after confirming that Savi's body could indeed withstand greater pressure did he nod in agreement.
"You can try, but you must proceed gradually and within your capabilities."
"Yes!"
Bullet and Hawk Eyes's progress is even more astonishing.
He already possessed a very large reserve of Armament Haki, and after being honed through ' Internal Forging ', the intensity of his Haki increased rapidly.
In battle, he can perfectly fuse Armament Haki with his Devil Fruit abilities.
This forms an integrated offensive and defensive mode that combines the power of wind and the properties of metal.
Even if Roy wanted to break through his ' Wind Armament ' in a short time, it would take him a lot of effort.
This does not include Roy's use of rule-altering attacks.
Hawk Eyes honed his swordsmanship in the Lightning environment, adding to his swordsmanship insights gained during his exchanges with Wano Country.
Now, with a casual wave of his hand, his strikes seem capable of tearing through space itself.
To split Lightning in two without causing an explosion—this is the ultimate, precise control of power.
Although both are Great Swordsman, Hawk Eyes's swordsmanship is now far superior to Roy's.
" Mihawk, your swordsmanship is becoming increasingly 'sharp'."
Roy commented after a practice session.
"Not bad," Hawk Eyes said, sheathing his sword.
"If you had focused all your energy on swordsmanship, your achievements wouldn't be any less than mine."
Roy remained noncommittal in response to Hawk Eyes's answer; he wouldn't place all his hopes on swordsmanship.
Roy's goal is to achieve comprehensive strength.
While Stella, Moria, Vera, and others didn't show the same dazzling progress as the previous ones, they still made steady improvements.
Vera, in particular, has finally mastered the Life Return through special training and is now beginning to experiment with " Internal Forging."
"Boss, I did it!"
On the day she completed her first cycle, Vera was so excited that tears welled up in her eyes.
As the weakest member of the team, she finally caught up with everyone else.
Of course, Jack and his Beasts Pirates didn't let their guard down either.
Their strength has improved significantly compared to a year and a half ago.