Pirates

' What's up'- Thoughts

"What's up"- Speech

*What's up*- Sounds

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

►The next morning◄

The sun, in all its resplendence, cast its golden rays upon the island, illuminating every corner of the landscape.

"Wake up, Pride. Your swordsmanship training awaits," called out Rey.

"Coming," muttered Pride, his voice heavy with sleep as he slowly roused from his slumber.

*yawn*

With a languid stretch, Pride rose from his bed and proceeded to change his attire.

A few moments later, he and his grandfather stepped out into the garden and the fresh morning air revitalized their senses.

.

.

"Here," Rey said, handing Pride a finely crafted wooden sword that had been made especially for the occasion.

"If there's anything you don't understand, don't hesitate to ask," advised Rey.

"Understood, Grandpa," replied Pride, determination gleaming in his eyes.

...

"Now watch." He added.

"In the beginning, the most important step is to understand the basic principles of swordsmanship. You have to learn how to wield a sword.

*woosh*

This move is called a draw cut: swiftly drawing the sword to generate momentum for greater speed and damage.

*woosh*

*woosh*

After that comes slashing: you strike the sword from top to bottom, from left to right, and vice versa. Once you have mastered this, you can swing from any angle.

*woosh*

A parry: means to block the opponent's attack through your sword.

Rey gazed into Pride's eyes, checking to see if the pace was appropriate and if he was really listening attentively.

After confirming that everything seemed to be in order, Rey returned his focus to his sword.

And finally...

*woosh*

the riposte: exploiting the gap created by parrying to launch a counterattack. Every swordsman should master these techniques.

Once these movements have become second nature and are ingrained in your muscle memory, you can consider yourself a novice swordsman.

In combat, these movements must be executed intuitively, without conscious thought.

Now practice these moves until you can no longer stand!"

►A few hours later◄

*whoosh*

*whoosh*

A young boy, just ten years old, stood in the sunlight. On closer inspection, you could hear him murmuring softly.

"Ninety-three..."

"Ninety-four..."

"Ninety-five..." ...

Ninety-nine..."

"One hundred..."

*thud*

Exhausted, he collapsed on the ground, his wooden sword tumbling beside him.

*phew*

"It's a lot harder than I imagined," Pride gasped, his breaths coming in rapid succession.

"That's enough for now. Take a break before you continue. Remember not to neglect your physical condition just because you're concentrating on swordsmanship," urged Rey.

"Got it, Grandpa."

After finishing his morning workout, Pride went to the kitchen to freshen up.

.

After a short break, he resumed his usual routine - several kilometers of running and other exercises.

►5 hours later◄

*phew*

*phew*

After completing the rest of his training, Pride took a well-deserved break. Once he had done so, he devoted himself to practicing his Devil Fruit powers.

...

...

Night fell over the island of Centaurea and the stars twinkled in the sky.

Near the edge of a forest stood a young man with his eyes tightly closed.

*trktrktrk*

One might think he had dozed off while standing, but on closer inspection, several small stones floated gently around him.

'Phew, my gravity control is getting better and better. But it's harder than it looks. To manipulate meteorites from the thermosphere, Fujitora must have been a real monster.'

His training to hone his Devil Fruit control continued for as long as Pride's stamina lasted.

►the next morning◄

At the breakfast table.

Pride had been thinking about it all evening and had even come up with a story to tell his grandfather Rey about how he got his devil fruit.

"Grandpa Rey, yesterday I stumbled across a beautiful fruit while exercising in the forest. It looked so delicious, so I took a bite... But it tasted terrible. Now I have a strange power," Pride announced at the breakfast table as he munched on his food.

'Did I mention how much I hate pretending?'

"Pride, what you ate was a devil fruit!" shouted Rey, grabbing Pride firmly by the arms.

"What kind of abilities do you have?"

"I can somehow manipulate my surroundings."

'Sounds much better. It would be kind of strange if a 10-year-old who has never been to school knows exactly what gravity is.'

"That's impressive. I've never heard of this devil fruit before, but if what you say is true, it sounds really incredible." Rey said, his face lighting up with excitement. He then proceeded to educate Pride about devil fruits and their possible side effects.

.

.

.

Another nine months had passed since the above-mentioned conversation with his grandfather took place. Every day, Pride diligently completed his training sessions and made steady progress.

He was almost able to perform the four movements purely from muscle memory. Although there were still areas he needed to improve, he was close to his goal.

Over the past three months, Pride had put his wooden sword aside. In its place, his grandfather had given him a real sword.

►Calendar year, 1471◄

The island of Centaurea, where Pride resides, had been spared of any attacks for the past three years. However, a pirate ship loomed over the horizon, approaching alarmingly.

Residents watching from a distance panicked. Most of them had already evacuated the women and children for safety reasons.

"Pirates in sight! Someone needs to run into the forest and alert Rey," shouted a villager.

...

...

It wasn't long before a breathless townsman stood outside Rey's hut, knocking tenaciously.

*knock*

*knock*

A short time later, the door opened.

"Oh, Dokai. What's wrong with you? Why are you so exhausted?" asked Rey.

*hehh*

All one could hear was a sharp intake of breath.

"Rey, we've spotted pirates. They'll be here in about twenty minutes. Please, we need your help," Dokai gasped.

"Let's go."

Then he glanced over.

"Pride, take your sword. It's time for you to face the evil side of the world," Rey commanded.

"Understood," Pride replied and looked at the progress he had made.

*ding*

[Name: Pride]

[Age: 11 years old]

[The template "Shanks" extraction 7%]

[Abilities:] Novice Swordsman: In this stage, the swordsman is capable to attack and defend almost fluently with a sword.

[Devil Fruit: Zushi Zushi no Mi, progress 6%]

Abilities: gravity suppression, gravity decrease.