Hey guys!

Sorry for not updating this last week. First, it was due to the light cut due to the storm and rain. And after that, I stopped feeling for it.

Anyway, I am back with the chapter and as I promised, we will be back to the point where I left off before I started editing this story.

Thank you, everyone, for liking and following this story. I can't mention everybody as it would be boring but don't worry. I read all your reviews and trust me they really help the writer in continuing the story.

I hope you like this chapter too.

I already mentioned that English is not my language and I am trying to better it by writing so ignore the grammatical errors.

Please leave the suggestions and reviews in the comment section,

Also, those who like Self Insert stories can check out my other stories.

"Harry Potter: Self Insert"

"Highschool of the dead: Self Insert"

"Goblin Slayer: Self Insert"

"Young Justice: Self Insert"

"Dragon Ball: Self Insert"

"Friends: Self Insert"

"See: Self Insert"

"My Hero Academia: Self Insert"

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece but I do own my OC

"Talking"

'Thinking'

Flashback

….

Chapter 6

Ohara arc part 5

1 and half years later

In these 3 and half years, I have started to truly leave my past life behind. I have even started to refer myself as Alex instead of my original name in my head. Not that there are many who call me that. In fact, now that I think, I could count the number of people that interacted with me on one hand.

A few children have started working and thus gotten out of the orphanage in the last year. One even migrated to another island. Most of them are apprentices in their respective fields. Here the age to be considered an adult is 17 so children have some pressure to start working by at least 13 years of age, especially the orphans, as they don't have the luxury of working in their parents' field as the backup.

Now there are just me, Hocha and Mocha in the house. Sometimes this feels more like home than the orphanage. It feels like I got adopted by Mocha while Hocha acted as a bubbly big sister. Though Hocha can say a million times that she is the big sister, the truth is, I consider her as my little sister that I left behind in my previous life. It was also one of the reasons, I have started to leave my past behind.

Moreover, I have started to accept my new body as me. Sometimes I feel like a 7-year-old brat with more wisdom than adults. But sometimes I do act like my age.

My training has been going superb but I think I have got past some roadblocks while also encountering some others.

First of all, let's talk about my attacks.

I have made quite some progress in them.

About a year ago, both my Iron Tail and Iron Claws were able to destroy boulders easily and without feeling any pain. Still, I did it about a dozen times just to be sure.

Once, I confirmed that it was not a fluke; I started training them against an Iron Sheet. It was more like a large Iron Cube or Iron Block but whatever.

Like I predicted, nothing happened to the sheet when I tried my attacks against it, other than me feeling pain. But, little by little, they started to do some damage. Still, I am nowhere close to what I predicted or expected after a year of training. I thought I would have been able to complete this task by now. I even thought of my next target: Steel Cubes as they are stronger and sturdier than the Iron cubes.

In the last year, my Iron Claws have only been able to scratch the sheet but it has not been able to tear through the cube. Initially, they left some minor scratches but now, they could leave some deep scratches.

The same thing happens when I use Iron Tail. Initially, it couldn't even damage the cube even a little bit. But after a year, it could leave some impressive dents in the cube.

Again, using the attacks only brings pain to me. It's like going back in a circle. Every time, I progress to another stage, I have to endure the pain until my attacks are stronger than my targets. And I am sure that I will have to endure the pain for a long time as I don't think it would be easy to complete this task any time soon if my rate of progression is to be taken. I shook my head at that thought.

Anyway, the same thing happened with my Head Spike too. About 6 months, before, I was able to completely pierce a boulder with it and without any difficulty. Naturally, once I confirmed it was not a fluke, I started on the next target and got similar results with it.

The thing is: I have not been able to see any major progress in it. Sure, after 6 months of repeatedly banging my head against the iron cube has made my skull, a little tougher, but that's it. Its progress is even slower than the previous two attacks. The only result I was able to get was a small dot-like dent where I use my technique on it.

But, I devised an attack to compensate for the loss I felt at this result. The new attack is called "Hair Spikes". It's the variation of the Head spike. In it, instead of having only a long spike of half a feet length, I have many spikes on my hair of 2 to 3 inches long, all tougher than a stone.

I also devised a technique which is purely defensive. I named this technique "Hair Shield". In this technique, I would lengthen my hair and place them all around my body. I would then make them tougher than stone. The thing is without long hair, it takes hell lot of time. About 90% of the time is spent on growing the hair. I don't think this technique could be used in mid-battle. Still, I am sure with practice it would get easier and faster.

All in all, I was quite satisfied with their progress.

Anyway, let's talk about my favorite, Rokushiki. I always become giddy at just the mention of it.

After 2 years of unlocking Rokushiki, I have made some major progress in it.

I have made my Shigan a lot stronger than what it was back then.

I could use Shigan with my normal finger for more than a year. It could easily penetrate a tree trunk, as you would be able to see from many trees around my spot having dozens of holes in them. Naturally, just like my training for the other attacks, I choose the next target practice for Shigan to be a boulder. I could have started on it even before, but I wanted my every finger to be able to do Shigan, even my pinky (which really took some time).

Still, even with that, I have been able to train the attack against a boulder for the last year. I didn't try it every day as damaging my fingers every day would be foolish. I just try it every other week. I could easily keep track of my progress by using the technique, 2 times a month.

Now my normal Shigan could partially penetrate the boulder though it gets bruised every time I use it against the boulder. Thank god, it stopped breaking. That was always a pain in the ass to heal though I have to say that it is a great training exercise to get used to the pain.

While my normal Shigan can't penetrate the stone yet, my Monster Point Shigan could easily penetrate it. In fact, it could do that even 6 months ago. Once, I was sure that all my fingers are able to do it; I started them on an Iron cube. As I expected, there hasn't been any progress in that. After 6 months, I could only make a small dent in it.

I also devised a variation of Shigan. Instead of just using a finger, I use 4 fingers side by side at once. I named these techniques – "4 point Shigan" when I use normal fingers and "4 Monster point Shigan" in monster point.

This actually minimized the pain and damage to my fingers (except for the middle finger which needed to be the strongest for the attack to work) while increasing the damage to the target.

If my middle finger can't penetrate an object, the others would also be unable to do it, though, the combined damage would be far worse compared to just using a single finger. And I am not just theorizing it. I have visible proof. 4 Point Shigan could penetrate a boulder fully while 4 Monster point Shigan could make a really deep dent in the Iron plate. I suspect that with only a little more training, it would be able to penetrate the iron cube too.

And that's not all for Rokushiki.

I have been able to unlock Geppo too.

Yeah, I could now use Geppo.

Well, not Geppo per se, but, I believe it is the lower form of Geppo. I cracked it a year ago. I actually discovered it by mistake.

A year ago, I was running through the forest, to my spot. I was so busy in my thoughts that I did not realize that the cliff had come. Only while I was in the air, did I realize that I am falling down 50 feet (about 4 or 5 floors)

Naturally, I was scared. No matter what my strength is, or how much powerful I was, I was screaming like a girl. It was an instinctual reaction. I knew I could have used Seimei Kikan to heal my injuries if I had injured myself but at that moment, I was scared and all the thought process had left me.

The silver lining was that I was going to drop in the water instead of the ground due to the fact that I was running before and thus my legs had carried me away.

I was trying to flail my legs. Just as my legs touched the water, they propelled upward and forward due to the angle at which I landed. I skipped 3 more times with my face before landing in the water.

Although I got a few injuries from that incident, my mind was only on one thing alone: The fact that I did some form of Geppo.

After it, I tried to use Geppo but was unsuccessful, no matter how much I tried to walk on air. I expected it but still, I could feel that it would not work.

In the end I decided to reluctantly perform the accident once again. Even then, I was unsuccessful.

Still, I continued to try and recreate the accident.

The silver lining is that I could easily land in water from the cliff by running at full speed. Initially, it was a little disconcerting to land in water from that height but I persevered. At one point, I thought I might have mistaken the fluke. I even thought that I was wasting my time but I continued to try it nonetheless.

At last, I succeeded after trying for weeks.

I was successful once again at running on the water after trying for days. And I did it 2 times instead of 1 like my previous fluke.

It was all the confirmation that I needed. So, I continued to try it again and again, training it every day for weeks. The main problem was that it was very tedious. I had to climb up the cliff and run back and then take a running start to land in the water, and repeat the cycle. It really took a lot of my time though after a while, I was so proficient in climbing it that I could now do it in my sleep.

In the coming months, I was able to almost use it almost every time. Once that happened, I started trying it without getting a jump start. I would just try to run on water from my spot instead of the cliff. It didn't work out completely as the technique didn't work every time. Still, with some training, I was able to do it in the coming weeks.

All in all, it took me about 4-5 months to recreate the technique. And in the next 4-5 months, I perfected it. Initially, I was only able to run on the calm waters and not a turbulent one. I tried to run on turbulent water, once. It did not work out. But after months of training, I could pretty much use it even in a storm. I could also run in different directions instead of only one like I was able to do it initially.

Unfortunately, I couldn't use it on the air, no matter how much I tried.

I even jumped through the cliff a couple of times to see if it would work on air just like it worked on water but to no success.

Still, I wasn't discouraged. After all, it was only a matter of time, before I would be capable of walking on air. Instead of Air Walk, it named this technique Water Walking in remembrance of Naruto.

I also recreated Sanji's Blue Walk after it in the record time of a month. My training and experience in Water Walk really helped me unlock the technique. Like all other techniques, I couldn't perform it every time I wanted during the first few days. Only with training, I was able to become adept at it. While, my speed underwater was already fast, with this technique it became faster. Still, I was not able to master it fully. I could only speed up in one direction with the technique instead of using it while changing direction.

But there was one thing which I was most proud of was that I recently cracked Soru just a few weeks ago.

It took me a few weeks to crack it as I started trying for it some months back. I thought if I had enough leg strength to perform a low version of Geppo, it also meant that I could do Soru, at least a low version of it just like that side character, Nero, who knew 4 out of the 6 styles during the Eneis lobby Arc.

Considering the amount of side characters that have been witnessed utilizing the ability, it definitely comes off as the most fundamental of the Rokushiki. With that fact in mind, it seems almost a trifle odd that it would be the third of the 'six powers' to get under my belt.

I could recall from the manga that Blueno... wait was it Luffy? Or was it Coby? Well, the point is someone described Soru as 'kicking the ground at least 10 times in an instant' making it the only one of the Rokushiki to come with a tutorial or at least some form of instruction.

The only thing to remember was to kick my legs fast. My leg muscle was enough but I needed to kick them faster which took some time. Initially, I thought that I would have to run while doing that. That did not work out. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't just tap the ground 10 times in a second while running. I tried everything, from taking long strides to shortening them to be just a few inches off each other.

Nothing worked

I came pretty close to tapping when I started to run in short strides. Still, nothing happened. I wasted about a week before I realized that I would have to tap the ground at least 10 times just where I was standing in an instant instead of running. I couldn't even decide the logic of how it worked. In the end, I just decided to do it instead of deriving its foundation.

The problem is, despite the unambiguity of directions as clear as 'hit the ground 10 times in an instant', I just couldn't get the damn thing to work.

How long is an 'instant' supposed to be anyway? My initial guess was 'one second' and let me tell ya, that shit is not good enough. Tapping the ground nearly a dozen times in under a second sounds difficult, but once you break out the stopwatch and time yourself you realize just how long a second truly is.

I think people back on earth could have managed 3-4 kicks in a second at the very least. Some might have even managed 6-7. I was sure I could do it when I tapped 8 times in a second on my first try.

It took some time to reach 10 numbers of kicks. While doing that, I realized that my leg strength probably doesn't need to be strong. I just had to be fast in tapping the ground. On completing 10 and even 11 kicks in one second, nothing happened, which was a bummer. So I reduced the time, a little.

To measure my progress and time, I bought a stopwatch which cost me quite a lot as they were apparently not that as common as in my old world. Still, it didn't mean that the stopwatch was anything good. It could only measure at least 0.5 seconds which made my progress difficult to measure. So I had to improvise.

I tried to kick 12-13 kicks in 1 second. I thought if the technique worked in the 10 kicks, it would just result in minor injury as the rule was for the 10 kicks. The result: Nothing. So I further reduced the time.

14 kicks in a second: Nothing.

Next time, I kicked 15 kicks in 1 second. The result: Nothing. So, I further reduced the time.

It isn't like I only had to try 1 time for each of them. It took me days and weeks for even completing one of the above options. It took me more than 2 weeks to even reach the level where I could perform the technique for the first time. So by the time I came to the last option, I was angry and more than a little frustrated. If I hadn't cracked the technique on the last, I would have put it on hold.

Thankfully I was able to do it. This meant I had to kick the ground at least 10 times in just 0.5 seconds to do a low-level Soru.

While using this technique for the first time, an impetus of great similarity to a horizontal Water walk manifested under my right foot, sending my body stumbling forward in an odd combination of a swift run and sliding down a hill, that wasn't there. My arms flailed about as I struggled to keep my balance but it is all for naught as I end up tripping over my own feet and face-planting into the stone pot, I made during the first week of my arrival in this world.

I was a little sad about breaking it but truthfully I never used it anymore. I only used it a few times and kept it for the sake of memories. This was soon forgotten when I realized that I was successful in doing Soru.

After that, I didn't care about the stone pot, neither did I cared about the fact that my face was bruising due to me, face-planting in the stone pot. I only cared about the oldest and the noblest tradition of a shonen world.

Training

And train I did.

In the last few weeks, I have been able to use it consciously though it fails more often than not. My balance has also gotten better as I no longer get a bruised face after training for it. I know it's only a little bit of time and training before I could use it like a pro.

I have also realized a few things in the last weeks of training. I was apparently both right and wrong when I thought that the leg strength was needed for the Soru. It is not needed for performing the technique but it helps. Using Soru for a longer period of time requires a lot of leg strength.

I noticed this when I started feeling pain after a long session of practice. I was paralyzed for an hour when I didn't think much of it and continued training. I suspect that using this technique could even break my bones if I push further than my maximum limit. Not that I would try it.

I haven't got the time to unlock any other Rokushiki technique. Still, I don't think I would try to unlock them any time soon. There are a few reasons.

The first and foremost reason is that I don't know its training method. I have theorized them but I don't want to waste my time on theories when I could do so much more.

The second reason is that I don't want to be the person whose techniques don't work half the time. I want to first master the techniques I have already unlocked before wasting my time chasing other things.

The third reason is that if a fight breaks out, I would really require something to run away and the unlocked techniques are really good for that.

.

Rokushiki isn't the only thing in which I have made some progress.

My training in Life Return also bore fruit. I am able to control most of my body parts now.

I have been able to control my blood flow for more than a year.

When I gained full control over my blood flow and heart, I started on, controlling the muscles. It took me 3 months to control my muscles. With that, I was able to shift my muscles from one part of my body to another, which was my end goal.

Truthfully everything after that was very risky. It was only by luck that nothing had happened to me yet. Still, I was getting more and more scared that when it would happen, it would cripple me. So, I decided to end my experiment with my internal organs there. I went back to the only outer organ that was left: Skin.

Still, I stopped my exercises and Seimei Kikan's training a bit after that as I got busy on new and interesting projects than that bland exercise routine.

At last, I was able to experiment on my ideas, once I was satisfied with my Skill in Life return. I had been waiting for a really long time for that. It was why I chose heart, blood flow, and muscles to be the first to gain control before the skin.

The first idea was the same as the Gear 2nd of Luffy.

I would pump more blood in my whole body in order to provide my body with more oxygen and nutrients. This makes me much faster and more powerful. The technique uses even more oxygen and energy, using up more food and causing me to pant heavily after a while. The increase in my metabolism causes me to be hungrier than usual and even have a paralysis type effect after prolonged use of it.

I could already do it partially but with the control over blood flow and muscles, this technique rose to new heights.

This mode's enhancements to my physiology gave me the ability to use a new, stronger set of techniques which are generally the same as my old ones, but are so fast that even a skilled person would have a hard time actually seeing them.

Thus, all in all, this technique increases my speed, strength, and mobility by a large margin. During my first try, I only used it for 10 seconds just in case there are some problems. I also performed this technique near the Doctor's clinic. That way I could at least get to Dr. Hiro before dying.

You wouldn't believe the rush I felt in those 10 seconds.

It increases my strength, speed, and mobility to a point that my reaction speed was lacking and it was not bad in the first place. When I used it in my spot by running, I couldn't react in time and collided with a boulder. The boulder obliterated on the impact whereas I didn't feel a thing though when I canceled the technique, I could feel some bruising where I hit the boulder.

I named this technique – "Second Gear". I know it's unoriginal but why think of another when it works fine?

The mechanics behind this enhancement, thus also mean reduced strength and agility after prolonged use, as pointed out by Lucci during their fight when Luffy's attacks start losing their speedy edge because with all his nutrients running low. Having a faster blood flow would be useless as there are no nutrients to use. Due to this, as also pointed out by Rob Lucci during his fight with Luffy, Gear Second hacks away my life force dramatically, increasing a chance of having a much shorter lifespan because I am starving my body.

But it doesn't have any problem if I use it for less time.

Still, to cure the side effects, I did one thing which would help me in stabilizing my vitality. After Gear Second wears off, I always recover quickly by replenishing my body's nutrients by eating food rich in meat and drinking water. I needed to drink water for all the water my body releases in the form of sweat and steam.

I didn't even harm my body as I used it sparingly and for a very short time. And after that, I always ate food rich in meat to replenish my body's nutrients. That way this technique didn't take the years of my lifetime.

But I also know it will have an adverse effect on my body if I used it for long periods of time. Luffy had a strong vitality and only because of that, was he able to use it. I don't think I had that type of vitality. My vitality is strong but not on that level. But there are no such ill effects if I used it for a short amount of time.

I once used it for 2 minutes straight trying to find my maximum limit. I was paralyzed for 5 minutes after that as my muscles clamped down. Thankfully I had the fore vision to cook food before doing that. I had to even cut my training off that day as I didn't feel good after making myself go through that torture.

Due to that incident, I realized that the process is similar to doping. (Doping is adding more red blood cells to the body part/s, which in turn allows for greater delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the body part/s). It even has similar side effects.

Though I called it second gear, it is not the same. Luffy, due to his devil fruit was able to use it longer and faster. My skin tone is also reddish-brown instead of pink. In Luffy's case, his organs and blood vessels are made of rubber allowing them to expand and contract at greater rates without tearing. Essentially Luffy increases the blood flow by forcing more blood through his blood vessels compared to me thus increasing his fighting ability, compared to me.

Whereas I was always in control of my body so I knew my limit. My insides were not made of the balloon so I could only use it in low capacity. One misstep and I would pop open like a balloon filled with water. Even then, this technique was a force to be reckoned with. I knew that it would increase my battle capacity like Luffy.

In Ennies Lobby Arc, Luffy was above Blueno making his Doriki above 820. But by using this technique, he was able to match Lucchi whose Doriki was 4000. And Lucchi's Doriki increased more when he used his Devil Fruit. This means Luffy was able to increase his battle prowess by 4-5 times at the very least.

I, on the other hand, could only triple it at the most. I know it, as I measured my speed while using it. It was about three times my normal speed. I was able to cover the same distance in one-third of the time.

After some weeks of training, I could also use this technique just by thinking of it like Luffy after the time skip. Unfortunately, I couldn't use it on just a body part like Luffy was able to do after 2 year time skip even after getting control of my whole body. But I had hopes that I would be able to do it in the future.

And I did after some weeks of practice. Life return really played an important role in that.

Once I had made this technique, I started working again on the Life Return while refining the 2nd Gear side by side.

The only outer organ left was the skin. I already knew everything about the skin so I started my training quickly. I first started to change my skin tone. It took me a month to change it so that it could be differentiated.

Once I was successful in changing it over a whim (which took weeks), I started on changing its age. I had to observe a lot of people to identify how their skin looks like. After months of practice, I was able to make my skin more mature. I could even make my skin all wrinkly making me look like an old man. All I would need to be a good actor and no one would be able to distinguish me. Still, getting used to it was definitely uncomfortable and not something I would do for fun. It was just a backup plan in case things went south.

The trick of it was water. I had to take out water from my skin to make it appear older. And I could make it back to normal by drinking water. The trick may be simple but I had to figure it out on my own which really took a lot of time, more than in which I had to figure out how to actually do it.

And that's not all. I devised a way that let me swim faster. It was one of my brighter ideas.

I would shift my skin to my fingers on both hands and legs. And then, I would make them webbed (Think of it like having hands and legs while using Gillyweed). The skin is very transparent in there but it does its work. I definitely have a higher speed compared to my normal hands and legs. I could feel it so I know it's not just my mind playing tricks.

Anyway, just as I completed my training in Life Return, I also completed refining Gear 2nd and was able to increase its efficiency. Initially, I had to concentrate for about 2 minutes to initiate the technique but after 4 months of training, I could do it in a second.

Due to my full control over my body, I could now use 2nd Gear sparingly and only on the limb by which I was attacking similar to post time skip Luffy.

I could also use it for 2 and a half minutes at the maximum now before my body starts to give out and start using my lifespan. Not that I have tried it for that long after that fiasco. I just calculated it. Partial control of the body has its perks. It let me understand my limits better.

I also thought of two more techniques. So, once I was free from refining the 2nd Gear, I started working on my next idea.

The second technique was to increase my strength and speed just like Gear 2nd but at no cost of vitality.

The idea was to shift muscle mass in the hands and legs from other areas of the body. Truthfully I liked it more but its results were below Gear 2nd. My speed and strength doubled while using this technique.

In this form, my legs and hands are bigger and heavier compared to my normal body but it is not noticeable, much. Initially, I couldn't name this technique as I couldn't think of one which suits it. But recently, I named it "Life Return Ken". I used this from Dragon Ball Z's Kaioken. But as there were no Kai's, I edited it.

I was also able to maintain it indefinitely compared to 2nd Gear which was one more plus point in its favor.

There were also 2 sub techniques of it.

The first sub technique let me increase only strength but at the cost of speed. The idea was to increase muscle mass in the hands from other areas of the body. In this technique, my strength was comparable to Gear Second's though my speed decreases quite a lot. I named this technique "Life Return: Strength Mode" or "Strength Mode". I know it is quite mundane but I liked it. My motto is 'KISS' – 'Keep It Simple Stupid'.

The second sub technique increased my speed at cost of strength. The idea was to increase muscle mass in the legs from other areas of the body. My speed was comparable to Gear Second. I named this technique "Life Return: Speed Mode" or just "Speed Mode". Again I like it to keep them simple.

My hands and legs are also bigger than when I use the second's sub techniques. They are like 1 and half times bigger compared to my normal limbs while using the sub techniques. They both also didn't have any adverse side effects as I only did muscle shifting. I can also maintain them indefinitely, which is a huge plus.

The only problem with these techniques is that they leave my defenses weak. Suppose someone gets past my defense and attack at any part other than hands and legs, I had a high chance of getting hurt. The reason was, that, I would have shifted the muscles from there so a blow there would make me go through a lot of pain and injure me more than usual.

These techniques only took about 3 months of my time before I perfected them. Initially, I had to concentrate for a minute to use them but after the training, I could use shift my muscles in seconds. I am now proficient in this and its sub technique to use it on the fly.

Out of all of them, "Speed mode" has become my favorite. There was one little thing that made this technique my favorite.

I could fully use Geppo in this mode. I kicked myself for not thinking about it sooner.

Due to the increase in the leg strength, I could temporally walk on air. Initially, the technique would fail most of the times but after a lot of training of 6 months, I had half chance of getting it right. This let me know that I need to have at least 3 times leg strength compared to now to use it normally and without any buffs.

But, "Speed Mode" also sabotage somewhat in Soru. Due to the heavier weight of the legs, I have to put a lot of effort into tapping the ground 10 times in just half a second. Still, this really helps in my training for Soru as I could train for it longer.

Gear 2nd doesn't have this problem. I could use Geppo and Soru easily with it. There are no side effects. Moreover, I could use a faster Soru with it. I haven't measured it as I couldn't but I could definitely feel it. I have also noticed one thing. The more you tap on the ground, the faster you are. The person tapping 10 kicks in half a second is slower than the person tapping 11 kicks in half a second.

.

Even with all of this, I continued my body conditioning in the form of running and exercises in the morning. Little by little I made sure to increase the intensity of exercises and running. I focused more on my other training but I didn't ignore my exercises. I made sure to exercise every day despite how boring they felt.

After 3 and half years of regular training, I could do 30 sets of 220. All in all I could do 6600 numbers of each exercise and trust me that is truly something else. The only problem I could feel was that it really takes quite a lot of time even if I try to do them as fast as possible. I can do all my exercises in 2-3 hours with my average speed which, to be honest, is a lot of time though I can't say that it has not given results.

I don't spend extra time on my muscles or strength training other than my usual exercises. Well if hammering away metal in a forge count as training then I sure did. Due to my Fishman and mink genealogy, I already had more strength than an average adult when I started. I suspected it was even higher than a dozen adults combined now.

And it's not even full scope of my morning training as I daily run around the village before breakfast until my legs feel like jelly. I could now run 10 rounds of the island. Only recently did I reached this milestone.

I hunt fish for the breakfast after it which saves the time for bathing too.

After breakfast, I work at the blacksmith till lunch. Initially, I had some problems as I had to work on my job after my grueling workout but some uses of Life Return in digesting and absorbing nutrients really helped for the sore muscles.

I also work at Carpenter's shop when they are short-handed on staff before lunch. I also do some errands of the villagers before lunch if any person asks me though they are few and far between.

The lunch is made by yours truly at the training spot as the food provided by Miss Mocha is not enough. I also hunt enough fish for dinner too.

I continued hunting fish for food though I stopped fishing for profit for a few months when I overfished them about a year and a half ago. I felt bad for the fisherman whose livelihood was taken by me. For that reason alone, I stopped fishing for profit.

Initially, I didn't dare go more than few dozen meters off the coast but at the end of 2nd year, due to overfishing, the area around my spot started to get devoid of any fish. So I had to swim further to catch some fish but by then I was strong enough to kill even a small sea king. Of course, I wasn't but I was sure that I was fast enough to outrun it.

Since I had to swim further, I found my next training spot. My first training spot was ruined with all the training that I did for 2 years. Initially, I only used it when I had to experiment with a new technique as it could be dangerous for someone or if I didn't want anyone to see my technique even by chance. But after some time, I started to use it for training everything except for the exercises.

Still, I train in my first spot sometimes when I do not have free time to swim to the new spot.

My new training ground was on a small rock-like island that was just a kilometer away from my first spot. It was just a mountain in the middle of the sea. The rock was shaped like a hill. Its height was 20 meters above the sea level while its radius is of 30 meters. The most important thing was that it was hollow from the middle. From outside it looked like a hill rock in the middle of the sea but if one reached on top, he would see it was cut from inside in the shape of a hemisphere. It was perfect for my training. No one could even see me train there which was perfect for me.

Anyway, I started hunting the fish for profit once again after a few months. The area was brimming with fish again. I was quite surprised by this as it takes a large amount of time to heal from that type of damage. In the end, I chalked it up to a different world and different ecosystems.

Still, this time I only fished 1 barrel worth of fish for the money. So I could only make 2 million berries off it since then.

Anyway, let's get back to the training schedule. I mostly work on my techniques after lunch till evening which provided me enough time to work on them.

At last, I worked on my Electro, every day, before going back to the orphanage.

I could now use 3 'Electro Touch'. I could even generate a small attack but after that, I am all out of the Electro. By my estimate, I would be able to produce 4 Electro Touch by my next birthday if I continued to train like this.

I have made sure to use my electro every day in the night. With more practice, it has started becoming easy for me and I am able to use it more. Initially, I was usually spent after using every electro but after all these years, I could use all my electro and still run a marathon. Moreover, I could now produce denser and stronger sparks than before. And I am not just theorizing it. I have proof.

About 2 years ago, my Electro touch could only kill an average-sized fish. Now, it could easily kill a large fish comparable to my size. I took it as my hard work and training paying off. Obviously I am talking about outside the water. I can't use Electro inside it as I could shock myself.

I also devised 3 more variant techniques.

The first was rather simple. Its name was "Triple Electro Touch". As the name suggests, I use 3 times the amount of electro compared to a simple Electro Touch. It was for the people who are strong enough to shrug off my simple Electro Touch and Double Electro Touch.

My next technique was "Electro Touch Max". I use it by touching the enemy and using all my electro at once. After it, I can't even generate any sparks. This attack is more harmful than even "Triple Electro Touch".

The third and the last technique is the only one ranged technique in my arsenal. In it, I use all my Electro at once and discharge it all around me. My maximum range is only 1 meter for now. It means every person in the 1-meter range would get shocked. Also, after it, I am unable to produce even a small spark.

Obviously, this technique is weak as hell as the power gets distributed evenly in the circle. It would probably only shock a normal person to numb their body but that's that. But if I increase its potency and range, it could prove very useful in the cases when I am getting overwhelmed by the goons. Similarly, if I decrease its range, this technique is a lot more destructive. Also, one of the factor of the range is the amount of the Electro used in the attack.

I am sure with more training; this technique's range and potency can be increased. I named this technique "Electro Dome" as it forms a dome of Electro for a split second.

I also realized some facts about my body.

While minks and Fishmen are often left weakened by heat due to their heavy furs, I do not have this weakness. Still, from what I knew, I had to go to Zou if I wanted to learn to control any mink type powers like 'Sulong' and 'Electro' properly. I haven't looked at the moon till last year fearing for losing my control and killing anyone on the island.

Then I had an epiphany 'Maybe I won't be able to use Sulong due to my human and Fishmen ancestry. I may not even lose myself by seeing the moon' I thought.

To confirm my theory, I went to my new training spot as it was pretty isolated and away from Ohara and its people

Anyway, when the day of the moon came, I took a leave of absence from training as I needed my mental energy just in case things went south. I also asked Miss Mocha to not disturb me after eating my diner which she acquiesced; after all we 3 were only living there.

I went to sleep early as I decided to go outside early in the morning while the moon was still up. I did this so that even if I lose my mind, it would take a lot of time to get back to civilization. After all, I didn't want to harm anybody. I knew that once the moon's beams stop affecting me, I would come to my senses. And in the off case, I remain there and destroy the training ground, it wouldn't affect anybody.

Once I woke up, I went outside by jumping from my window after putting some pillows in my place just in case Miss Mocha comes to check on me.

I did my best to not see the moon directly. Only when I reached my destination did I look at the moon directly.

.

..

Nothing…

Nothing happened. All the planning was for naught. Sure I felt a little stronger but that's it. And I wasn't even sure that I had become stronger. It could have been my mind playing tricks on me.

I came back in a bad mood. Thankfully nobody came to my room while I was away.

With these types of experiments I concluded while this body's got some powers from his ancestors of different species, it isn't much. Due to more human ancestors than minks or Fishman, my powers got diluted. Still, I wanted to at least have a higher degree of control of 'Electro' just in case I get in trouble. It could work on a normal person just fine as it is, but, if I want to shock someone powerful I need to get my Electro stronger. At this level, I could shock the person with it and run if I encountered someone powerful. With some luck, it may buy me some time.

I knew in some future I had to fight, be it pirates or World Government. I refused to be a common man just waiting for slaughtered so I trained with an abnormal ferocity. But I also knew I would not get powerful quickly without eating any devil fruit so I could only get stronger by traditional methods. Even then I knew I wouldn't be battle-ready by the time World Government decides to destroy this island. But with my speed at least I could run away.

After all, sometimes running is a better option than fighting, in my opinion. That's why I was also going to leave this island a year after Gold D Roger's execution or at least that's what my plan was. But as they say; "no plan survives after contacting the enemy". Anyway that's for another time.

.

Due to all this training, my whole day is filled with work. I do not get any time to rest until I am back in my room at night. Stopping the training for Life Return gave me some breathing ground. Still, it is not enough. I can't stop my training so I am thinking of leaving my current job, no matter how many perks it has.

Speaking of job, I left the Carpenter job about 16 months ago. By that time, I was quite proficient in it and I was getting very bored with the job. There was nothing that Max could teach me anymore. I could have left it even before but it gave a bad taste to my mouth for leaving the job as soon as I got what I needed. Still, I could not go there anymore. In my opinion, 2 months were more than enough to pay back. So, at last, I broached the topic with Max.

When I broached this topic with Max, he agreed though he was definitely put out. To not leave a bad impression, I told him to ask me if he had a large order to do and I would do it for free. It somewhat mollified him which was fine with me.

And I did help him, now and then at free of cost which has decreased his anger to nil.

Leaving that job really freed my time. It is only due to that I was able to do so many things. And also because I stopped going to the library as there was nothing more to learn from there.

Still, in just a month, I started feeling boredom. So, I decided to start another job and learn a new skill. And there was only one skill which I wanted to learn. The skill to shape metal: Blacksmithing.

And there was only 1 blacksmith on the whole island. I knew the guy but hadn't interacted with him much other than buying the steel pot during the first month of my arrival. During that time, I needed an iron cube which was a fine excuse to talk to him and ask for getting an apprenticeship.

I have to say that, that encounter was quite memorable.

Flashback:

I walked in the forge feeling quite a bit of heat which let me know that he was working. I didn't want to disturb him as frustrating him would be counter-productive to my idea if I wanted it to work.

So, I stood there waiting for him to finish. In the meanwhile, I checked out his wares. He had every type of ware made of steel or metal that you could need like kitchen utensils, fishing rods, etc. The only thing, I couldn't find were the swords and any other type of weapons. I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I didn't realize when he stopped working in the forge and came out.

"What do you want brat?" He asked taking me out of my thoughts.

"Err… Hello," I greeted him politely while he stood there unimpressed.

"I am here to ask you if you would make me your apprentice," I asked politely as I could no matter how I wanted to chew him for calling me a brat.

"No," he said and started walking back. I knew he didn't take any apprentice as some of the children tried to get under him but he refused them too. Still, I was very put out at the blunt refusal.

"Wait a minute, Why not?" I asked with some anger.

"The work is hard and I wouldn't waste any time on a pipsqueak," He said half-heartedly after stopping "Now if you ain't here to buy anything, get out"

"If you could give me a chance I can prove you that I am strong and sturdy enough to work here," I said while he stood there unimpressed.

"I want to buy something…" I finally said before he could turn back. I knew he was stubborn but I didn't realize that he was this stubborn "…in exchange for a chance to prove myself"

"And what that might be?" He asked in a dangerous tone. I knew if the order is small, he won't give me the time of the day. Thankfully, I knew the order was quite big.

"I need an Iron Block of 2x2 sq meters," I said. I didn't need it now but I know I would need it in the near future.

"Oh! That is a lot of iron. What will you do with all of that?" He asked

"That is for me to know. Now you agreed for giving me a chance for buying" I looked pointedly at him.

He grumbled something under his breath "Just wait here" He said before going inside.

A minute later he came back with the 2x2 meter block and threw it down on the ground. He was definitely strong as carrying that heavy stuff didn't even make him breathe hard.

"What is the cost of it?" I asked dreading the answer a little bit.

"The cost is 40,000. And to drop it at your place would require an extra 5,000" He said. Thankfully, I already knew that it was a fair price as the merchants asked me for 50,000 berries. Even I was a little surprised learning the cost.

"Okay, but you don't need to drop it at my place. I will take it myself" I said after giving him the money. Thankfully, I had enough foresight to bring 50,000. I counted the bills and gave him 40 thousand berries as he asked. He was clearly surprised at me carrying that type of amount but shrugged and pocketed the money after counting it himself.

"Oh! Are you saying that you can lift and carry this" He asked putting his hand on the block of Iron.

I nodded to which he put his hand on his chin. Finally, something clicked in him and he said "Very well, if you can lift this, I will take you as an apprentice" He said.

My eyes lit up at that. He clearly thought I would refuse, judging by his eyes. I knew I could easily lift the block but I didn't want anyone to know my full capabilities. Still, I needed to do that for getting the apprenticeship. In the end, I mentally shrugged and decided to do it.

When I started walking, he was clearly surprised. That surprised turned into jaw-dropping surprise when I lifted the damn thing. I know there are rumors about me being a hell lot stronger. Maybe he didn't believe them. I acted that it was a little difficult as I didn't want anyone to think of me as abnormal. Even then it was enough for him to take me seriously.

He then asked me to continue to lift it for a minute. I was incensed that he would update the test. Still, I nodded and kept the block there.

When I was able to lift it for a minute, he just turned and started telling my responsibilities if I wanted to work there. You can say that he was like those old men who are grouchy and refused to be polite even in death.

Flashback ends

And so, I started learning how to use a forge and how to make a few things from a small but only blacksmith that lived on Ohara. Initially, he had me observe him while he did the work. But after a few weeks, he started giving me some small work to do. For the next few weeks, he would check my work before assigning me anymore.

Truthfully I thought he would teach me some secret techniques like those shown in fanfictions. He even had the same cliché condition where a world-class master lives in a secluded area and only takes a prodigious student. He was even grouchy like described in those cliché situations. But he really turned out to be a small-time Blacksmith.

It was really good that I started working for him otherwise a chunk of my savings would have been taken away. I had bought about half a dozen Iron blocks from him to use in my training since that day. And he gave me a discount for giving back the ruined Iron Cube for the new one when I approached him after a few months. He wouldn't have done that if I didn't know that the blocks were usable. He would have given some paltry sum for it and I would have been happy in my ignorance for 'good' deal.

All in all, I had to spend 10,000 berries for ruining an Iron Block as he gave me 30,000 for that.

Though the nerve of that man. After taking 10,000 berries, he had the gall to order me to straighten it out. I was so angry at him that I almost punched the bastard.

Still, after that, I didn't take back the Iron Block to him once it was ruined. Instead, I just kept it. When I had 5 more ruined Blocks, I secretly straighten them out while he was away from the shop. I did this a month ago. When I presented him with the 5 perfect Iron Blocks, he was quite surprised. He instantly knew I was working in his forge for my own work without him knowing. Still, he knew, he couldn't exactly do anything as I completed all his orders on time and he couldn't fault me for that.

All in all, I only lost 30,000 for all 6 of the blocks. After that, he agreed for a fair price of 5,000 berries for the next block of iron though he increased the price to 10,000 for the Steel Block. I just had to straighten out the ruined metal into a cube-shaped. I was quite happy with this deal as this would really save my money.

He also didn't make any weapons as we didn't have any use for it other than few hunting and kitchen knives. It didn't mean he didn't know how to make them although he refused to teach me when I asked him about it. Well initially anyway, as I wore him down little by little.

After a few months of my joining, he had me do all the work while criticizing my every work. I knew he was doing on purpose but what purpose it was, that eluded me. He could have just told me about my mistakes instead of criticizing me. Still, little by little he stopped doing that when he couldn't find any flaw in my works. I learned to make approximately everything one could need from him.

He only started to teach me to forge weapons half a year ago when I got angry at him. I was working on the orders as I learned everything other than to forge weapons. One day I got angry at him when he commented on my work. All the anger I bottled came pouring out. I was this close to beating him up. He even looked a bit scared. Only with an inhumane will, I controlled myself.

In the end, I demanded to be taught something more or else I was quitting the job. And thus after a lot of bickering, he agreed to teach me to forge simple knives and swords. I also started getting paid for the work I did in the form of 50% of the profits. And that was all I needed.

Truthfully I was only there so I could learn how to forge weapons. The money was just extra bonus.

He refused to let me take any weapon though and melted every weapon to scraps after its completion which was a bummer. Still, I made myself a big knife but with a small width once I became proficient in making them. For me, it worked as a small sword. I needed an equalizer if I faced somebody stronger than me and a short sword (Tanto) was a great equalizer. Thankfully he didn't found out as I worked on it while he was away.

But it didn't work out for me. I could use it easily enough, but only for the normal stuff. I could never use it in the fighting. It would easily chip away or if I used more strength it would just break. Moreover, I was not some swordsmen and I didn't have any patience to learn the skill of sword. Even Zoro's swords chipped away before he got some grade swords and he knew the basics pretty well.

I didn't know the Koka technique to prevent that and I didn't have a fucking idea how to unlock Busoshoku Haki in the first place. So, I decided to use any other weapon with a heavy heart.

After a lot of thinking, I fashioned myself a staff of steel about a few months ago. I kept my Tanto at me for emergency purposes. It isn't like I advertised it. I just tucked it underneath my shirt with the help of a belt I commissioned to keep it on my back at all times, from a shop. Moreover, I could also carry some more stuff on it as it had more space.

But my main weapon became my staff.

I was already using a wooden staff by then for a month. It was a little bit over 5 feet tall staff when I made it, which was longer than me by half a foot at that time.

I even knew a little bit about how to use it as I watched some videos on YouTube about Staff usage in my previous life. A ship is a very boring place if you have nothing to occupy your time, you get bored pretty quickly. And so everyone needs a hobby. Those hours sailing through the sea and then practicing at least helped me now.

Unfortunately, after a month of use, it got broken.

So, next time, instead of wooden staff I made a steel staff as that would last longer. There were no Ussop and Franky like guys on this island so it was just a normal Bo staff. But it suited me fine. Moreover, I had some ideas to make it better in the future.

With time, as I grew taller, I added some height to it. I always kept it half a foot longer than me. I also started to train myself with a staff made of lead as it was quite heavy (4 -5 times heavier than steel) at least for a normal adult but my physique allowed me to wield it with only some effort. Still, it was better to train in it than the steel one.

I decided to take it as my main weapon after using it for some months as it suited me quite better than swords. I know swords are something good in this world but truthfully I don't have any time for its training, neither have I some source material or any instructor. An instructor is a must for learning basics. Books can take you only so much farther.

I decided it was best if I use what I already have.

Unfortunately, my current job is also getting boring. I have learned everything I could from him. I just have to discuss with him about leaving the job. And truthfully, I am getting less and less time for my training. After leaving this job, I would start getting some free time which I really want. I have really burnt myself out, from all the things that were going in my life

Well, at least all the training paid off. And it shows.

With my maturity and large height, I looked more like 9-10 years old instead of 7 and a half. Even a few people have commented on it. They were always surprised to learn about my current age. My body is as hard as a rock. My muscles are getting defined though I still don't have abs.

I also had about 6 Million berries savings with 1.5 million berries each in my secret treasure chests.

At the age of 7 and a half, I was 4'8.5 feet (141 cm) in height, quite tall for my age but according to one piece standard, I may have been small. I couldn't decide as there was not any type of index. With different types of races, it was quite difficult to form an index as sometimes they cross bread. Still, I calculated and concluded that I would reach at least 6'7 if I continued to grow at the current rate. It was 7 inches more than my previous height and more than enough in my opinion.

After all, I did not want to be a giant like Whitebeard or Kaido. Getting women in that size will be quite difficult. I still don't know how King Neptune and Queen Otohime conceived their 4 children? And how do the same types of couples copulate? Weren't Doflamingo with that Violet girl for pure benefit types? How did she even get used to his size? Or did he have a small dick? These types of things always gave me a headache so I stopped thinking about these things and just chalk it up to anime logic.

Still, I will continue to grow until my death. Yeah apparently, everyone continues to grow even after reaching adulthood though it slows down considerably after that. Why do you think all the characters were taller after the time skip, even Brook?

Yeah, I could now distinctly remember a great many things about the plot which I wouldn't have even noticed in my previous life. I could only assume it to be some side benefit of regular meditation.

Like last life, I had jet black hair but my eyes and complexion were quite different. Red eyes and brown complexion mixed with black hair gave me quite an exotic look. Initially, my skin color was white but due to my time spent in sunlight, I got a good tan. Still, it was not on the level of last life where my skin was wheatish-brown.

With all the running, swimming, and exercising, my body was lean and already showing some muscles and outline of abs. I don't know how it happened at age 7; I just chalked it up to anime rules. Then again I saw some pictures of small children having abs on the internet in my previous life though I always thought of them as fake and photoshopped.

I had to marvel at this. Compared to my previous world I am beyond superhuman at the tender age of 7. As my body will grow, my strength will also grow. Still, I knew Luffy could match Katakuri by the time he was 19. I wanted to surpass that. But I was realistic enough to know it would be very difficult. Still, I wanted to be at least the Yonko level by the start of the cannon.

Now I know it is a ridiculous goal. But if I keep that goal then maybe I will reach the Yonko commander level. Luffy was only able to match Katakuri because of his will and his 'Gear 4th. If he didn't have his Gear 3rd or Gear 4th, he wouldn't have been able to match even Cracker.

Moreover, my body will also grow so my strength will also grow with time. This way I could easily surpass Luffy. At least that's my theory.

Present Time

12th August 1500 SA

I was reminiscing about the last years while going to the library. I already completed my working hours at my job and it was time to start lunch. But before that, I decided to come here. I recently picked the habit to read newspapers so that I could keep in touch with the news.

I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I didn't realize when I reached the Library.

I was shaken out of my thoughts by something unexpected.

When I reached the Library, I was greeted with whispers. Usually, the library is dead silent but today something was different. I could see some joy and trepidation on scholars. They were furiously whispering with each other. They didn't dare to raise their voice for the fear of Professor Clover, who was also in charge of the library. I could admit he was a calm individual but scary when he gets angry.

Come to think of it, even the people were behaving like this since this morning. I didn't think much of it seeing as I couldn't be bothered with whatever had their panties in a twist.

The reason became apparent when I read the newspaper after asking a nearby scholar.

"Famous pirate King 'Gold Roger' gets apprehended by 'Marine Hero Garp'" were the headlines. Today was 12th August.

It didn't tell anything about he got apprehended and how Garp caught him. The only thing it said was that Roger would be executed in a week.

'So The Great Pirate Era is about to begin. Shiki will invade Marineford in some days when this news reaches him. After decimating Marineford Garp and Sengoku will stop him and lock him up in Impel Down. Rogers's sentencing date will probably get postponed due to that but it is not certain. And then Roger will begin the 'Great Pirate Era' by announcing his Treasure 'One Piece' during his speech' I mused

'Ace's Birthday was on 1st January so that means Roger should be executed in Late September as Sengoku claimed Ace was born after a year and 3 months of Roger's Execution during Marineford War. I was 4 years old when I arrived on this island. By my estimate and I should be around 10 years old when the World Government decides to bomb this island, so I have at least 1 and a half more years and maybe more if I somehow change the timeline' I calculated in my mind.

Suddenly a shadow fell on me bringing me back from my thoughts. I looked up to see Professor Clover standing there but without his usual calm and serene smile. He was serious and I knew it – its reason ME.

"We have much to talk," He said in a serious voice and asked me to follow him to his office.

I grinned on the inside but outside my face could have been made of stone, not that he would have been able to see it as I wore my mask like always. Still, I nodded. We walked to his office in comfortable silence. I was anything but comfortable on the inside but I didn't show it. I was already preparing on how to sell my story.

"Talk" He ordered after getting comfortable. I couldn't help but hope that my gamble pays off. It could make it or break it. It all depends if I could fool him with my Half-Truths.

…..

Cliffhanger, I know. I also hate them but if I had continued the story, it would have crossed 15k+ words at the very least, and that would be too many in my opinion. Even now it is of 12.2k+ words.

Still, at last, we have reached the point where we were before. I could happily say that this was the last time, I would write this type of chapter. I really hate them. I hated writing this type of chapter. Even now I am not happy with it. But I don't want to waste any more time on it. It already took so much time.

I have also decided to edit it some other time. I have got a headache for working on this since morning.

The real story starts from the next chapter which will be really cool.

I know some of you may not be satisfied that he cracked the techniques rather early in the story but I would like to remind those people that Coby was able to crack Soru in a couple of months so our protagonist cracking it after years of training without any supervision is quite understandable.

Age: 7.5 Years old

Height: 4'8.5 Feet

Weight: 43 Kg

Extra body parts: Tiger tail, 2 Claw marks shaped gills on both sides of the neck. Sharp and strong teeth and nails particularly canines.

Human features: Black hair, Red eyes, Brown skin.

Money: 6,000,000 berries