One Piece: Song of Despair

The rising sun was red like fire, and the morning light, refracted through dew drops, shimmered with a crystal-clear brilliance.

“Roar…” A ferocious roar echoed, tinged with a hint of fear. Deep within the jungle, a massive beast as large as an ox knelt on its hind legs, its blood-red eyes filled with fear and pleading.

This human-like expression did not soften Nokiyoru’s cold demeanor.

Standing before the giant beast, Nokiyoru’s eyes were covered with a tattered cloth, and his overgrown hair obscured his face, making his features indistinguishable.

He extended a hand covered in thick calluses. A single finger ignited with flame, then compressed intensely. Moments later, a golden beam of light pierced through the beast’s skull, leaving behind a faint scent of roasted meat as Nokiyoru calmly walked towards the beach.

Standing quietly at the shore, Nokiyoru removed the cloth from his eyes, welcoming the rising sun as he slowly opened his eyes.

His eyes, dark and bright like stars, shone with intelligence and vitality.

“Ha… It’s been over forty days, getting closer to the month and a half mark,” Nokiyoru whispered, spreading his arms wide as if embracing the entire ocean, his body bathed in the divine light that made the surrounding scenery pale in comparison.

Lifting a hand, he traced the three faint scars on his right cheek, a smile tugging at his lips as he murmured, “I’m looking forward to the upcoming competition, Akainu. I hope you can handle the new abilities I’ve developed.”

“Well, there’s still time before the competition, so let’s continue training. Today, I should head into the sea. Last time, I reached a depth of one thousand meters. Let’s see if I can push beyond that this time.”

Stretching his body, Nokiyoru, shirtless and wearing only tattered shorts, revealed his lean muscles and strength.

“I hope to find a small Sea King. It’s been a while since I’ve tasted one.” With a mischievous grin, Nokiyoru leaped into the air and dived into the deep sea.

This area was close to the Calm Belt. During his first dive for training, Nokiyoru was nearly killed by a large Sea King. Only his quick escape saved him from becoming fish food.

As for smaller Sea Kings, Nokiyoru had been fortunate enough to taste a couple. In the world of One Piece, the meat of these creatures was particularly delicious and brimming with strange energies. Nokiyoru’s enormous appetite allowed him to consume half of a small Sea King in one meal or an entire one if he had overexerted himself in training.

“Splash…” With a burst of water, Nokiyoru plunged into the sea, moving like a human sea serpent, diving deeper and deeper.

Once underwater, Nokiyoru activated his Observation Haki, which extended up to five hundred meters. However, as he dove deeper, his range of perception gradually shrank.

One hundred meters, five hundred meters, one thousand meters—the range of Nokiyoru’s Observation Haki continued to decrease until it only covered a ten-meter radius.

The water’s density increased, pressing against Nokiyoru’s body, turning his skin red.

Here, sunlight barely penetrated, casting only a faint, hazy glow.

Eyes useless in the depths, Nokiyoru relied solely on his ten-meter Observation Haki.

Adjusting his body, Nokiyoru began his underwater training, throwing punches and kicks, adapting to the immense pressure.

One thousand meters was Nokiyoru’s limit. Any further, even by a single meter, would bring pressures beyond his endurance.

But today, Nokiyoru aimed to push beyond that limit, even if it was only by half a meter.

Using Armament Haki, he believed he could dive a few more meters.

In the pitch-black depths of the ocean, unseen by anyone, Nokiyoru trained relentlessly.

Half an hour later, the sea surface exploded as a figure shot skyward, his lean, scarred body basking in the sunlight, strong and sturdy.

“Ha… Ha…” Flashing to the beach, Nokiyoru plopped down on the sand, breathing heavily. He was completely exhausted.

“Another minute of endurance. Looks like I can train underwater for thirty-one minutes now.”

“My Armament Haki still needs improvement. I’ll have to find other methods.” Nokiyoru’s Armament Haki could now cover his entire body, though it was still a thin layer, barely visible. When concentrated on his hands, it turned pitch black.

A month ago, Nokiyoru’s Armament Haki could only cover his palms. Now, it enveloped his entire arms—a significant improvement.

Most importantly, Nokiyoru’s physical conditioning had improved greatly. If his body was once unrefined steel, it was now tempered and forged. This small breakthrough had elevated his physical skills and Haki to a new level.

Additionally, Nokiyoru’s Devil Fruit powers had grown stronger. The maximum temperature of his flames had risen from three hundred thousand degrees Celsius to at least five hundred thousand.

In one breakthrough, Nokiyoru had developed a new ability, the Flame Laser.

Like Kizaru’s technique, Nokiyoru concentrated flames at his fingertips, releasing high-temperature beams. These beams, upon exploding, could make even a rear admiral spit blood.

While Nokiyoru had developed this flame laser, he had yet to progress with magnetic fields.

However, Nokiyoru was confident that with continued experimentation, he would eventually succeed.

Even more exciting was his speed breakthrough. Recently, Nokiyoru recalled the principles of force from his previous life.

After numerous experiments, one nearly resulting in crippling his legs, Nokiyoru had found a way to compress flames beneath his feet, using the explosive force in tandem with Soru to achieve short-distance teleportation.

However, this speed couldn’t be sustained for long periods, as even Armament Haki couldn’t fully protect his legs from the pressure.

Thus, this move was reserved for close combat, and Nokiyoru continually adapted to this speed, hoping to incorporate it into his fighting style.

Summing up, the forty days of training had been worthwhile. Nokiyoru’s strength was now comparable to a vice admiral. If he went all out, he could even pose a lethal threat to one.

As for the beasts on the island comparable to vice admirals, they were still just beasts. Compared to humans, their intelligence was limited.

Battling an experienced vice admiral would be a different challenge than fighting these beasts.

“I wonder what has happened in the world during this month and a half. Has Roger become the Pirate King?”

“How is Nokishio?”

Sitting dazedly on the beach, Nokiyoru realized that in these forty-plus days of isolation, many events he was unaware of must have occurred.

“Forget it. I’ll find out soon enough. For now, I need to address my hunger.”

Touching his stomach, Nokiyoru realized it was time for lunch.

Time flew by, and soon, the month and a half were over.

A gentle sea breeze blew as a Navy ship appeared on the calm sea, its emblem unmistakable.

“I wonder how that lunatic is doing,” Hina said, her eyes fixed on the approaching island.

“He won’t die,” Onigumo replied, his hand resting on the hilts of his swords, his tone low.

“He must have gotten much stronger. Only a lunatic like him would choose to stay on such a hellish island.”

“I have to admit, I admire him sometimes. This competition will be interesting. Since we returned, Akainu has been training like mad.”

“In terms of training, no one matches that lunatic. Just wait, when we return, I bet Akainu will lose again.”

“Are you sure?” Onigumo looked at Hina.

“Maybe,” Hina said, staring at the increasingly clear island.

Moments later, the massive Navy ship docked quietly on the shore.

As soon as it was secure, a figure appeared out of nowhere on the deck.

Seeing the sudden figure on deck, Hina and Onigumo’s pupils contracted, their hearts filled with shock.

With messy hair, shirtless, and wearing tattered shorts, only bright, pitch-black eyes shone. Most striking was the violent aura emanating from him, like a primordial bird of prey, ready to kill at any moment.

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