Six months is neither a long nor a short time.
But on Hachinosu, six months is enough for a person to undergo a complete transformation.
Before the morning sea fog had even dissipated, the first roar echoed around Hachinosu.
In addition to the main Hachinosu, six newly relocated uninhabited islands connect to Roy's training grounds.
This greatly expanded the training grounds on Hachinosu.
At this moment, a fierce battle is raging in one corner of the training field.
Bullet activated his White Tiger: Human-Beast Form, his snow-white fur standing on end like steel needles, and his tiger tail swept across the ground, creating a crack more than ten meters long.
With a roar, the surrounding inorganic matter transformed into a purple torrent, surging towards Bullet and condensing into a suit of armor around his body. He was surrounded by Demonic Aura, making him resemble a white Asura.
On the other side, Crocodile remained unmoved.
He took a deep drag on his cigar, and his body rapidly transformed into a ferocious Yamata no Orochi.
Sand seemed to swirl on the surface of the snake's body, and its eight heads hissed as they lunged at Bullet.
"That's the end of the sandcastle-building game, Crocodile!"
Bullet unleashed a punch, the power amplified by the More-More Fruit reaching its limit; the pressure of the punch arrived first, followed by its shadow.
The seven heads of the Yamata no Orochi were instantly torn apart by the force of the punch, and sand and dust rained down in all directions like a storm.
But Crocodile is no longer where he was.
Using the sandstorm as cover, he circled behind Bullet, the Sand-Sand Fruit, one of the three Devil Fruits, allowing him to blend into every grain of sand.
With his right hand outstretched, the sand blade condensed into a curved sword several meters long. Ryuo and Armament Haki simultaneously wrapped around it and slashed down towards Bullet's nape.
"When--!"
Bullet didn't even turn his head.
The power of the Combine-Combine Fruit was already applied before the sand blades even landed. The skin on the back of the neck assimilated into the surrounding sand the moment it came into contact with the sand, becoming as hard as Seastone.
The sand blade shattered, breaking into a pile of sand.
Bullet swung his hand back, his five fingers gripping Crocodile's head, forcefully pulling the semi-elemental body out of the sandstorm.
"Found you."
Crocodile was pinned to the ground, his Sand-Sand Fruit surging wildly as he tried to transform and escape, but Bullet's Combine-Combine Fruit had completely fused his lower body to the ground, rendering him unable to move.
"Do you admit defeat or not?"
"It's still a long way off!"
Crocodile cursed hoarsely, and a high-speed spinning sand bullet condensed at the tip of his left finger, shooting towards Bullet's face in the blink of an eye.
Bullet dodged to the side, the sand bullet grazing his ear before blasting a boulder dozens of meters behind him into dust.
"Still trying to struggle?"
Bullet grinned and tightened his grip even more.
"Snort."
Crocodile was enveloped in purple smoke, and the Golden Hook in his hand, coated with terrifying venom, slashed towards Bullet's arm.
Bullet was forced to temporarily relinquish control, as Crocodile's poison was not so easy to withstand.
Meanwhile, in the test area, Tesoro was practicing combos alone against the ruins of three mountains.
Golden Domain stretched out, the ground within a radius of several hundred meters gleaming dazzlingly in the sunlight, completely covered by liquid gold.
Tesoro stood in the very center of the area, his burgundy suit perfectly in place, and snapped his fingers with his right hand.
Lightning struck from the sky, hitting the golden ground. The current surged wildly throughout the entire area, following the conduction of the gold, and the ground was scorched with blackened lines.
He then raised his left hand, and the phantom of Cerberus materialized behind him, its three mouths opening simultaneously, unleashing a barrage of flames, lightning, and golden particle cannons that flattened a small hill in the distance.
The explosion made the main island of Hachinosu tremble slightly.
Tesoro adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, a slight smile playing on his lips:
"The three-fruit combination technique is even smoother than I expected."
The Red Count moved like a red Inazuma, darting rapidly between the six islands.
The Warp-Warp Fruit, combined with his already top-tier speed, has made him almost ghostly.
The Blood-Blood Fruit allows him to draw energy from any splattered blood, while the Vampire Fruit grants him near-immortal regenerative abilities.
He had just finished a fight with Hawk Eyes when he rushed into the battle between Bullet and Crocodile, attacking both Crocodile and Bullet simultaneously.
Blood-red claw shadows wove a large net in the air, completely blocking their escape routes.
Bullet punched through the blood net, and Crocodile's Sand Blade slashed back at Red Count's main body.
The three of them got into a chaotic mess, and the entire island's terrain was turned upside down in just a few minutes.
Roy stood on the highest cliff of Hachinosu, overlooking everything.
His Observation Haki covered the six training islands, and the flow of every breath was as clear as glowing lines, weaving a dynamic battle map in his mind.
Bullet's strength has increased by 30% compared to six months ago.
The White Tiger Model and the More-More Fruit have become one, and the use of the Combine-Combine Fruit has changed from being conventional to an instinctive reaction that integrates offense and defense.
Crocodile's Yamata no Orochi Form is still under development, but with the support of his three elemental abilities, he can always find the most tricky angle to launch a counterattack.
Tesoro's three Devil Fruits are now 100% synchronized. The lightning and hellfire within the Golden Domain work in perfect harmony, making it a veritable mobile artillery platform.
Red Count was the most enigmatic member of the group; his three-fruit combination made him a true ghost—appearing without a trace and disappearing without a trace, his every move drawing blood.
There are also bears, Kyros, Savi, Kuina, Yamato...
Everyone's aura was stronger than it was six months ago.
Roy looked away, tapped his fingers lightly on his knee, and muttered to himself:
"This force is enough."
·······
Hawk Eyes stood on the beach for a day and a night.
The rocks beneath his feet were soaked and dried by the waves, and his Black Blade Yoru was sheathed beside him, its blade gleaming coldly in the moonlight.
The sea breeze ruffled the hem of his black overcoat, revealing the burgundy shirt underneath.
With his eyes closed, he replayed in his mind every exchange he had had with the cadres over the past month.
Bullet challenged him to a fight.
With the amplification from the More-More Fruit and the Combine-Combine Fruit, Bullet surpasses him in both attack power and sustained combat ability.
Tesoro challenged him to a fight.
The lightning and hellfire within the Golden Domain trapped him, and no matter how fast his strikes were, they couldn't outpace the conduction of electricity.
The Red Count didn't fight him; he just watched from a distance.
Finally, he left out a sentence:
"Kendo is your foundation, but the fruit is merely a tool."
Those who reject tools will eventually be surpassed by those who use them.
These words are more painful than any knife wound.
Hawk Eyes looked down at his hands.
These hands have wielded knives their entire lives, cutting their way from the West Blue to the New World, never feeling that the knife wasn't sharp enough.
But now, my companions are all getting stronger, while I'm stuck in the same place. This feeling is absolutely terrible.
"It's time to make a decision."