Chapter 14 - The Slave Mark

"Where is he. Damnit, he made me wake up so early." Raiden grumbled in annoyance. Rock told him to be at the beach by four in the morning. And the worst part, he was not even here yet.

Raiden yawned lightly and sat down, waiting for the old man to show up. The previous day was pretty emotionally charged, but he was happy that Mary was now onboard with how things were. He didn't like sneaking out all the time.

"Ah! You're already here, huh? Good, good." Rock's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. The old man was dragging a plethora of gym equipment with ease. He picked up, what looked like a ton of different stuff and slammed them down. Raiden was sure he saw a faint smirk on the old man's face.

'Geez, I knew he was strong, why is he flexing...' Raiden thought with a deadpan look.

"What are you waiting for? Get up and stretch first." Rock commanded with a grin. "Then you'll run around the beach with this tied to your back." He pointed to a hefty log he brought with him.

Raiden's eyes widened slightly at the sight of the log, but he nodded without hesitation. He began his stretching routine, loosening his muscles and preparing his body for the grueling task ahead. Rock watched him closely, ensuring he warmed up properly.

"Alright, that's enough. Now come over." Rock said, picking up a thick metal chain, which Raiden was sure weighed as much as the fucking log.

Rock secured the thing around his waist and patted the boy on his back. "What are you waiting for. Run!"

Raiden gritted his teeth, feeling the weight of the log and chain press down on his body. He took a deep breath and started running along the beach, the soft sand making each step more challenging.

"Damnit, old man," Raiden muttered under his breath, feeling the burn in his legs almost immediately. "Why does he have to make everything so difficult?"

Rock watched him with an amused expression, clearly enjoying the sight of Raiden struggling. "Keep going! Don't slack off now!"

Raiden's annoyance flared, but he pushed through, focusing on each step and trying to maintain a steady pace. The log and chain made it feel like he was dragging an entire tree behind him.

After what felt like an eternity, Raiden finally completed the circuit, stumbling to a stop in front of Rock, gasping for breath. Rock approached him with a nod of approval, a rare smile on his face.

"Good job, boy. Now that you're warmed up, we'll start with the real training," Rock said. "Like I said, I'll teach you the Rokushiki. We'll start with Shigan. It is pretty similar to the force palm technique I taught you."

'Well, I already know how to use it. Anyways, he doesn't have to know it.' Raiden thought, mentally shrugging.

Rock demonstrated the technique, explaining everything in detail. Raiden just zoned out though. He already had the technique down.

"...now, try it." Rock said, finishing his explanation.

Raiden nodded and immediately performed the attack. He didn't want to waste time on the things he already knew.

He immediately extended his fingers and performed the technique on the tree in front of him.

*Bang*

*Crack*

The tree trunk in front of him exploded into splinters. Rock stared at the scene with wide eyes, "Wha-?! H...how did you...?" He sputtered, looking at the destruction.

"I did it grandpa! Teach me the next one!" Raiden said interrupting the old man.

"..wait, Raid-"

"C'mon grandpa! I don't want to waste anymore time. Let's go!" Raiden interrupted the man once again.

"Uh, yeah. Sure." Rock relented with a confused expression.

He shook his head, deciding not to think about it too much. The boy defeated a pirate who's Bounty was more than 10 million bellies. At the age of ten. He couldn't apply normal logic on him.

"Alright, Geppo," Rock began, trying to regain his composure. "You just have to hit the ground hard enough that you propel yourself in air, then follow that up by kicking hard enough to maintain that. Watch closely."

He propelled himself into the air effortlessly, landing lightly on his feet a few meters away.

Raiden observed intently, nodding hesitantly. 'I mean, I knew what I was to supposed to do. That doesn't mean it's any easier.'

"Try it." Rock said, looking the boy expectantly.

He took a deep breath, focusing his energy, and then pushed off the ground with all his might.

But instead of soaring gracefully into the air like Rock, Raiden stumbled awkwardly, barely managing to lift himself a few inches before crashing back down onto the sand.

"Damn it!" Raiden cursed under his breath.

Rock chuckled softly, shaking his head. "It's okay, Raiden. Geppo is one of the trickier techniques to master. It takes time and practice." He said, mentally sighing. At least he didn't perform Geppo on the first try.

"Keep trying," Rock encouraged, placing a reassuring hand on Raiden's shoulder. "You'll get it eventually."

Before Raiden could respond, Rock checked the time and smiled. "Well, looks like it's time for me to head out. I've got a fishing trip planned with some old friends. You keep practicing Geppo, alright?"

Raiden nodded solemnly, watching as the old man gathered his stuff and left.

"Hah! Let's do it." Left alone on the beach, Raiden took a deep breath, steeling himself for another attempt at Geppo.

_____

Raiden found Ronan on the beach he told him to be at, sitting on big piece of rock and staring out at the horizon.

"Hey, Ronan," Raiden greeted. "How are you holding up?" He said, approaching the boy with a grin.

Ronan looked up, a faint smile on his lips. "Hey, Raiden. I'm doing alright. Just... thinking about a lot of things."

Raiden nodded, understanding the turmoil his friend must be feeling. "I've been training with my grandpa, learning some new techniques. I wanted to see if you'd like to join me. We could train together, get stronger."

Ronan's eyes lit up with interest. "Train together, huh? That sounds good. But...Raiden, what about the...mark?"

Raiden grinned, "Well, remember the '1000 unit energy'? I finally have them."

"Really?! T...that means you can remove it now?! You're not lying right?" Ronan jumped up in excitement.

Raiden nodded with a grin. "Yeah, now sit down and let me do my job." He said pushing the young fishman down into a sitting position.

Placed his right hand on the mark and internally gave his system the command, 'System, remove the mark on Ronan.'

[Affirmative. 1000 AP deducted. The Slave Mark will be removed.]

A faint glow surrounded his hand, and Ronan felt a warm, soothing sensation where the mark was. Slowly, the tattoo began to fade, disappearing entirely within moments.

"It's done." Raiden said, mentally whining. He was pretty lucky to get that much AP after beating Skylar. He wouldn't be getting an amount that big anytime soon.

"R..really? It's gone?" Ronan said in disbelief. He tenderly touched the spot on his back, where the mark previously was. The thing was more or less like a scar left by a wound than a tattoo, so he could always feel it when he touched it.

Ronan's fingers brushed over smooth skin, confirming the absence of the mark. Tears welled up in his eyes as he looked at Raiden, gratitude and disbelief mingling on his face. "I can't believe it... After all this time, it's really gone."

"Yeah, it's gone. You're free now, Ronan." Raiden said with a smile.

Without warning, Ronan surged forward and wrapped Raiden in a tight hug, tears streaming down his cheeks.

Raiden awkwardly patted his back, "It's okay, Ronan. I'm glad I could help."

'Man, I was never good with these kinds of things.' he thought with a strained smile.

Ronan slowly pulled away, wiping his tears and snot with the back of his hand. He took a deep breath, composing himself, and failing miserably while doing so.

"Raiden, I-I owe you everything. You f-freed me from that...that thing. F-from this day forward, I-I will be under your care and... and follow you to my death. I swear it." He sniffled between words and spoke with a serious tone.

'So cute! I forgot he's still a kid. That was so adorable!' Raiden squealed mentally.

*Ahem*

He coughed lightly, composing himself. A grin spread across his face, one that reflected both pride and genuine happiness. "Well then, I guess I've found my right hand man."

He held his fist out to the young fishman, "Let's make sure we live lives with no regrets."

Ronan stared at him with wide eyes for a moment, before before breaking into a wide grin and bumping his fist against Raiden's. "No regrets," Ronan echoed, his voice filled with determination.

Raiden stretched his arms and turned to Ronan. "Alright, let's start training. I'll teach you everything I know, which is not much as of now, but it'll be a good start."

Ronan nodded eagerly. "Yes, let's do it! What do we start with?"

Raiden thought for a moment before smirking. "Let's begin with the basics. I'll show you how to properly warm up and stretch. After that, we'll work on some basic techniques. And once you're ready, I'll teach you the Rokushiki."

Ronan nodded in excitement. He didn't know what Rokushiki was, but he trusted Raiden.

"But first things first, let's get you warmed up." Raiden said seriously.

Raiden showed him some basic stretching routines. The young fishman was a natural, his body adapting swiftly to each new exercise. 'I mean, he's a fishman. Obviously I can't judge him from normal standards.' Raiden thought with a deadpan look.

After a thorough warm-up, they moved on to basic footwork and movement exercises. He wanted Ronan to build a decent base before jumping to any fancy techniques. Raiden demonstrated the movements and Ronan mimicked them to the best of his ability.

By the time they took a break, both boys were exhausted and sweaty. They sat down on the sand, breathing heavily, yet grinning at each other.

They sat in comfortable silence for a quite some time, not really doing anything but gazing out at the waves crashing against the shore.

Raiden stood up and offered his hand to Ronan. "Ah! Well, we've rested enough. Ready for round two?"

Ronan grinned and grabbed his hand, pulling himself up. "Always ready."

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