Chapter 23: The Lost Opportunity of a Past Life
Action followed thought.
After a word with Makino and a kiss on her forehead, Kaizen Reiya headed for a small river east of the village.
The river was over ten meters wide, its current swift and powerful.
With the rush of water filling his ears, Kaizen reached the grassy bank.
"Calm Sea Key, activate the 180x cultivation ability."
Ding. The 180x cultivation ability is now active. Duration: Six minutes.
The principles of the Lightness Skill: Water Treading flashed through his mind.
First Level.
Second Level.
Third Level.
It took less than a minute for Kaizen to master all three levels completely, achieving the art of treading water.
Incredible. This 180x speed is monstrous. Less than a minute for what others grind thirty years to achieve.
A fierce grin spread across his face. He shot forward, his feet landing on the river's surface.
This was a world above any simple footwork technique.
He reveled in the uninhibited freedom of walking on water.
Mastering this fast-flowing river meant he could walk on the sea.
It gave him far more confidence to face the King of the Near Shore on its own turf.
Compared to the Japanese swordsman from his past life—who had needed a boat and nearly died in the beast's jaws—his mobility was now on another level. Possessing the Lightness Skill: Water Treading was a monumental advantage.
Whoosh! Kaizen leaped from the water like a bird, alighting on a large tree by the river. The treetop swayed in the wind, but he stood upon it as steady as on solid ground, enjoying the breezy sensation of being free from the earth's pull.
"Pity this skill only has the Lower Three Levels. It would be perfect with the Middle and Upper Three."
He shook his head, still unable to decipher the strange script on the iron shard, which seemed to be a clue to the skill's remaining levels. His Calm Sea Key's radar could find them, but that was a task for another day.
Forget it for now. I need to focus on improving my strength, bit by bit.
The King of the Near Shore was a Level 100 monster. Finding its Life Gate was one thing; having the power to breach its defenses was another.
"I still haven't learned the Fire Serpent Slash and the Thirty-Six Windstorm Slashes from Higuma. I'll learn them now; they might be useful."
His eyes flashed with focus. He began practicing the Fire Serpent Slash and, as expected, mastered it in under a minute.
With a thought, a katana—taken from Bandit Leader Higuma the night before—flashed into his hand from his storage backpack.
Shing! The blade left its scabbard, cold light glinting. Kaizen swung.
A fiery serpent tore from the blade, striking a large riverside tree. Instantly, raging flames consumed it, reducing the ten-meter-tall tree to a pile of ash in a flash, the heat astonishing.
Next, he practiced the Thirty-Six Windstorm Slashes. At his current level, he could only manifest eighteen blades. But his combat power so vastly outstripped Higuma's that the power of these eighteen slashes dwarfed the original twenty.
Visualizing thirty-six blades, he unleashed eighteen. Sword light shone like thunder, scouring a large boulder into powder. The destructive force was double that of the Fire Serpent Slash.
It was, as expected, the bandit leader's ultimate killer technique.
Finally, Kaizen practiced the Glue Cannon, achieving eight simultaneous shots. Eight cannonballs spun out, flying in different directions and blasting eight large craters a hundred meters away. This method of bombardment was unprecedented—perfect for his needs.
Having pushed all his attainable martial skills to their current limits, Kaizen set off for a weapon shop in town: the Heavenly Blade Forge.
The forge was renowned across the new One Piece world, its quality and reputation guaranteed. While it specialized in swords, it manufactured all kinds of weapons. The Windmill Village branch was just one of its countless small outlets.
Kaizen walked from the river back into Windmill Village, heading for the forge.
In his previous life, he had lingered outside the Heavenly Blade Forge countless times, yearning to commission a golden spear gun or harpoon to kill the Level 100 King of the Near Shore.
But he had been too poor. He could only watch that life-changing opportunity slip away with immense regret, snatched instead by the Japanese swordsman.
But in this life, flush with tens of thousands of gold coins plundered from the Higuma Bandits, Kaizen was now vastly wealthy. In this early stage of the starter village, he was a top-tier player. He would not repeat the tragedy and helplessness of his past.