The forest fell silent.I lowered my massive head and caught my reflection in the nearby river. A gigantic Gyarados stared back.
Pokémon : Gyarados
Type : Water/Flying
Ability : Intimidate
Level : 20
Moves : Leer, Splash, Tackle, Twister.
I opened the blue screen to see my first huge Pokémon, and suffice to say I was beyond amazed and excited. I could also feel an aura that had been radiating outward from my body making all the animals, birds and insects had either gone to hidden mode, or just ran away. This was my natural ability to intimidate.
After a long pause I finally reigned in my ability. It almost felt like Conqueror's Haki, though I haven't seen one yet. It would be some time before I see one with my own eyes and make my comparisons.
Another thing I realized was that though Gyarados was flying type Pokémon, I couldn't fly.I could glide though which meant I could never take sharp turns like other flying types or even like bug types. Which was fine.
Having such a huge Pokémon, in my arsenal was already a huge boon for me. And the beautiful thing was now that I have a water type, I needn't be afraid of water anymore. After moving up and down the river, I finally came back to my human form and then proceeded to use move cards for the first time.
Moves : Ice Beam, Water Pulse
Using the moves will make the cards vanish forever, until the move card returns in another roulette. Do you still want to use?
When I slapped the cards on my arm this was the notification that arrived. I didn't think much and decided to just use them. Even if I never get this move in the future, it was fine with me.
Moves : Leer, Splash, Tackle, Twister, Ice Beam, Water Pulse.
I remained in my human form only long enough to calm my racing thoughts before another temptation became impossible to ignore. If I now possessed the body of a Gyarados, then there was only one place where that form truly belonged.
The sea.
Golden light engulfed me once more as my body rapidly expanded into the colossal blue serpent. My immense weight should have crushed the riverbank beneath me, yet the moment my body touched the water, every movement became effortless. With a single flick of my enormous tail, I shot downstream like a living torpedo, carving a deep trench through the river's surface as towering waves rolled outward toward both banks.
Swimming as Gyarados felt completely different from flying as Yanma. Yanma relied on precision, constant adjustments, and delicate wing movements. Gyarados simply overpowered the water itself. Rivers bent around my body instead of slowing me down. Every powerful stroke launched me dozens of meters forward, while Swift Swim made the surrounding current feel less like resistance and more like an ally pushing me onward.
Before long, the river widened into the endless blue ocean. For several minutes, I simply swam.
Schools of fish scattered in absolute terror the moment my shadow passed overhead. Smaller Sea Kings lurking near the coastline instinctively changed direction rather than challenge me, while seabirds abandoned the water entirely whenever my massive body surfaced. The Intimidate ability wasn't merely a feeling. It was something living creatures genuinely reacted to.
"...This is incredible."
Unfortunately, even incredible things became boring after a while.
I couldn't exactly practice Ice Beam by freezing the ocean, and there weren't any worthy opponents nearby. Eventually, with nothing better to do, I lazily drifted back toward the shore near Foosha Village, allowing only my horned head to remain above the surface.
That was when I saw him.
Boro sat exactly where he always did, a bottle hanging loosely from one hand while his tired eyes remained fixed upon the sea. Even from this distance, he looked like a man who had already buried himself long before death ever arrived.
A mischievous thought quietly entered my mind. Slowly... very slowly... I rose from the water.
Boro's bottle slipped from his fingers.
"W-What...?"
For one brief heartbeat, pure terror filled his face. Then something changed. His fear twisted into rage.
"You..."
He staggered to his feet, pointing a trembling finger straight at me.
"So you've finally come back, have you?!"
His voice cracked with years of bottled grief.
"You took my wife! You took my boy! And now you're here for me too?!"
He let out a bitter, drunken laugh before grabbing the empty bottle and hurling it with all his strength. It bounced harmlessly off my scales.
"You think I'm afraid of you?!"
He picked up another. Then a piece of driftwood. One after another, he threw everything he could get his hands on while screaming at the sea through me, years of despair pouring out with every word.
"You can't have anything else! You hear me?! NOTHING!"
Watching him, an idea quietly formed inside my head. The next stone struck my forehead. I deliberately recoiled.
"...GYAAA!"
I backed away several meters before another piece of driftwood sailed toward me. Again, I flinched dramatically. Boro's bloodshot eyes widened. He grabbed another rock.
"That's right! Run!"
"You filthy monster!"
"This time..."
He hurled the largest stone he could lift.
"...I WIN!"
I answered with one last thunderous roar before diving beneath the waves, my enormous tail sending towering sprays of seawater crashing against the shoreline as I disappeared into the depths.
"HAHAHAHA! I DID IT! I FINALLY BEAT THE OCEAN!" His triumphant voice echoed across the coastline. I didn't need to be here anymore as I felt I have done all I could to help this man. Though it was cheating in a way, if I could invoke even a small sense of desire to live then I would be happy.
The following morning, I almost wondered whether I had imagined everything that had happened yesterday. When I reached the pier, Boro was already there waiting for me instead of staring blankly at the sea. More surprisingly, there wasn't a bottle in his hand. He was examining the hull of an old fishing boat with narrowed eyes, occasionally running his rough fingers across the worn timber before muttering something under his breath.
The hollow, lifeless look that had haunted him for weeks hadn't disappeared completely, but there was finally a spark behind those tired eyes.
"...You're late," he grumbled without even looking at me.
"...I am?"
"If you're serious about building a ship, then wasting daylight is the fastest way to build a coffin instead." He snorted before tossing a piece of chalk toward me. "Stop standing there and start drawing. Show me what kind of vessel you think deserves to float."
I couldn't help smiling. Yesterday, I had struggled to make him speak more than a single sentence. Today, he was already insulting my nonexistent ship designs.
The next two months became a whirlwind of sawdust, saltwater, and endless lessons. Every morning I continued taking commissions around Foosha Village to earn money, while every afternoon was devoted entirely to shipbuilding. Boro personally rejected nearly every plank I selected during the first week, claiming that wood suitable for a house would split apart after enough time at sea.
Under his relentless criticism, I slowly learned how to judge grain direction, moisture content, flexibility, and which trees naturally resisted rot better than others.
Luffy, naturally, declared himself our most important worker despite possessing absolutely no shipbuilding knowledge whatsoever. He enthusiastically hauled enormous logs down from the mountains, dragged ropes twice his own height across the beach, carried barrels of pitch, and somehow managed to become covered in sawdust within minutes of arriving every single day.
Whenever Boro barked an order, Luffy saluted dramatically before sprinting off, usually returning with either exactly what had been requested or something completely unrelated. Mostly unrelated and loads of food. He almost got chased away by Boro.
With Timburr's construction instincts blending together with Boro's decades of practical experience, the vessel slowly took shape beneath our hands. It wasn't some magnificent warship destined to cross the entire Grand Line, nor was it intended to rival legendary vessels like those built in Water Seven.
Instead, it was a sturdy sailing boat designed for practicality, capable of comfortably carrying three or four people alongside supplies, fishing equipment, and enough provisions for extended voyages through the East Blue. And also a good toilet.
I refuse to go to sea without a toilet and a proper bathroom.
The day the mast finally stood upright, secured perfectly within the reinforced keel, Boro remained silent for a very long time. He slowly walked around the completed vessel, tapping different sections with his knuckles, checking every joint, every beam, and every carefully carved support. Finally, he rested one weathered hand against the smooth wooden hull before quietly nodding to himself.
"...She'll sail," he muttered, a faint smile appearing beneath his gray beard. "And if you take proper care of her... she'll bring you home too. But don't expect to go to Grand Line with this."