As Thor continued to train his friends, he also began refining his own strength again, dividing his time between teaching them and mastering his Devil Fruit. At first, when Thor revealed his abilities in front of them, all of his friends were left in complete shock.
The sight of their companion summoning ice from his hands and forming it into weapons or solid structures seemed almost unreal to them, as if they were witnessing something divine.
Afterward, Thor started incorporating his Devil Fruit powers into their daily training. He created moving ice constructs that mimicked enemies in both speed and power.
These ice figures would attack, defend, and adjust to their movements, forcing everyone to push their limits while giving Thor an opportunity to improve his own control over the fruit.
Despite spending so much effort on helping them, Thor never forgot to polish his own foundation.
He wrapped a strip of thick cloth across his eyes to begin the training of his Observation Haki. He didn't know any other method besides isolating his sight and sharpening his other senses.
When his friends saw him walking around and fighting while completely blindfolded, they thought it was just another part of his training routine, and, naturally, they began copying it.
Loki was the first one to imitate him, always curious and competitive, though there was another reason behind it.
Even after all the time he spent surrounded by friends, Loki still felt uneasy under the judgmental stares of some of the adults in Elbaph.
The hatred toward Loki, seeded long ago by the words of their mother and spread through the village, had never truly disappeared.
Harald did what he could to stop it, but not everyone listened. There were still whispers, glances, and muttered words.
Because of this, Loki had grown used to hiding his eyes whenever possible, and wearing the cloth made him feel strangely comfortable.
One by one, the rest of the group—Hajrudin, Gerd, Goldberg, and their newly added companion Stansen—followed along, each taking it as part of their routine, even if they did not fully understand why Thor was doing it.
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As their training continued, the strength of the group increased rapidly. Thor constantly came up with ways to push them harder, never letting them stay comfortable with their progress.
Hajrudin, who shared blood with both Thor and Loki, began showing signs of his ancient heritage.
Each time Thor sparred with him, Hajrudin's speed and power improved at an astonishing rate.
Then, one morning, he felt a dull pain on his forehead. When he reached up, he noticed two small bumps forming.
Upon closer look, Thor realized what was happening—Hajrudin was growing horns. They were still small, but it was undeniable proof that his lineage carried the same divine blood that ran through Thor and Loki.
The growth was slow, and his horns were still far from Thor's, whose had already curved and thickened like Harald's own, but the sight filled the group with awe and excitement.
The others also showed clear improvements.
Gerd had grown sharper with her weapon handling, Goldberg became better at taking hits and countering with precision, and Stansen, though the newest among them, was learning faster than anyone expected.
Together, the group learned how to take down creatures that once would have sent them running.
They could now hunt predators in the underworld that even seasoned adult warriors would hesitate to face.
Though they often needed teamwork, their victories were proof that Thor's methods worked.
Among them all, Loki's growth was still the fastest. He possessed a natural gift for combat and strategy, adapting quickly to every challenge Thor set before them.
In sparring, Loki often took on Hajrudin and the others alone and managed to win most matches, only losing on rare occasions when he got overconfident.
Those defeats always came the same way—Loki underestimating his opponents.
"Underestimation can cost you your life," Thor warned one day as the group rested after a long session. "Even when you think you're safe, stay alert. The moment you stop respecting your enemy is the moment you invite death."
His words struck deeply in both Loki and Hajrudin, who shared his pride as warriors. It was a pride inherited from Harald, strong and stubborn, yet one that Thor was learning to temper with wisdom.
Of course, Thor isn't the one to be left behind, as over the course of the period that they had been training, he would also practice his control over his own devil fruit, as well as the rate of intensity at which he could release his ice, slowly working over the degree of control that Kuzan has over his Ice-Ice Fruit
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Months went by. Their bodies toughened, their reflexes sharpened, and their spirits grew steadier.
Their training eventually led them to one of the most dangerous places in Elbaph—the Heaven Realm, located atop the tallest branches of the world tree itself.
There, Thor led them to a cliff that overlooked the endless sky. The ground beneath them was narrow, the drop below terrifyingly deep.
All of them stood on their hands, doing handstand pushups along the cliff's edge, with Thor positioned at the very front.
"A threat of death is a great motivation," Thor shouted, his voice echoing through the air.
"When death is near, the mind removes the limits it sets on the body. That's when you reach your true potential!"
The group pushed themselves until their arms trembled. Hajrudin, Gerd, Goldberg, and Stansen were on the brink of collapse after hours of sparring before this, yet they continued because stopping meant falling.
The sheer height was enough to keep them alert. Loki, on the other hand, recovered faster than the rest and started showing off again, doing faster and sharper movements to prove his endurance.
"Loki, slow down! You'll fall if you keep that up," Gerd called out, her voice tense. Hajrudin also frowned and nodded in agreement.
"Don't worry! This is nothing. Watch me go even faster," Loki said, his grin wide as he sped up his movements, ignoring balance for power.
But the ground beneath his hands was rough and slippery with dew. His palm slipped just as he bent his arms for another push, and before anyone could react, Loki's body tilted forward.
"LOKI!" Everyone screamed at once as his body fell over the edge.
Thor, seeing it happen, moved instantly. He slammed his hand onto the cliff and summoned an enormous pillar of ice that shot downward, but it missed Loki by just a few feet. Without thinking twice, Thor leaped from the cliff after him.
"THOR!!" The others cried in shock, watching both brothers vanish into the clouds below.
As Thor fell, he could see Loki tumbling helplessly ahead of him, the wind rushing past both of them. He extended his arm, channeling the cold energy within his body. Ice began to form around his hand, shaping itself into a massive bird.
"Hraesvelgr!" Thor shouted, and the icy bird came to life, spreading its wings before diving straight toward Loki. It caught him midair, stopping his fall. Loki clung to the creature, his face pale but his eyes wide with disbelief.
Thor continued falling, unable to slow himself in time. Moments later, he hit the underworld's frozen ground, landing with enough force to create a crater that shook the area.
The impact cracked the ice and sent frost spreading outward in a perfect circle.
Lying there for a moment, Thor exhaled heavily, steam rising from his breath. "Why didn't I just fly with Stormbreaker…" he muttered to himself, finally remembering that his weapon had the ability to control flight using lightning. He sighed, shaking his head. "I really need to think first before jumping."
He got back on his feet and brushed off the dust and shards of ice from his body. Just as he was about to find a way back up, he sensed movement nearby—multiple presences, small but steady, and distinctly human.
Turning toward the source, he saw a group of humans walking toward him. They were dwarfed by his massive size, but their confident steps made them stand out.
Thor narrowed his eyes as the leader of the group, a tall man with wild black hair and an unmistakable grin, stepped forward.
"Quite the fall you just took," the man said, his tone amused as he looked at Thor and then at the massive crater beneath his feet. The others behind him whispered to one another, their eyes filled with curiosity and awe.
Thor's hand tightened slightly around his weapon. He already recognized the man before him but decided to ask anyway. "Who are you?" he said, his voice calm but firm.
The man laughed lightly, placing two fingers up as if to signal something. "My name is Rocks D. Xebec," he said. "And I have two questions for you."