"The wounds are healing."
Yayoi said in surprise. All of July's injuries were bruises, which meant even a fresh Devil Fruit user could heal them quickly. They had seen Oni before; several samurai had been turned into them by Ren. But this was the first time July had actually experienced being one.
"My power has increased so much!" July exclaimed in delight. She clenched the raptor's sharp claws, feeling the surge of power coursing through her. It felt as if she could crush rock with her bare hands.
"Strength, stamina, and speed… you could say it's a comprehensive boost," Ren said. "Zoan-types might not have a lot of flashy tricks, but the body itself becomes the ultimate weapon."
"Ren-sama, sister, I feel so strong now," July said happily, though perhaps she was getting a little ahead of herself.
"If her stamina has increased, we can probably ramp up the training intensity," Yayoi quickly masked her own excitement and said seriously.
July: ???
She looked at Ren with pleading eyes, hoping for a little backup. But Ren wasn't the type to coddle her. The boost the Ancient Zoan gave July's physique was immense.
"We'll start increasing the training load tomorrow. Since it's the first day, let's just double it for now," Ren said. He wasn't joking. With a Zoan-type's recovery ability, it wasn't a real training session until you were completely exhausted and passed out.
"Though, we can probably skip the swordsmanship training. It seems July doesn't have much of a talent for it," Ren said after a moment's thought. He had been watching her spar with Yayoi and Yukiko these past few days. While her physical fitness had made her more agile, her swordsmanship skills hadn't improved at all.
Besides, with her current Devil Fruit ability, something as technique-focused as swordsmanship wasn't a good fit for her. The Bomb-Bomb Fruit she'd acquired earlier seemed much more suitable.
In her Oni form, July perfectly inherited the strengths of a velociraptor: able to hunt and kill prey with swift, agile movements. This kind of mobility, combined with a close-range detonation ability, would further increase her offensive power.
Reluctantly, he added her to the list of those suitable for the Bomb-Bomb Fruit.
The next morning, Yayoi eagerly began July's training. July sadly discovered that while she had become stronger, she also had to endure much more.
Watching Yayoi's serious and stern expression, Ren thought of Kujō Sara and asked,
"Yayoi, do you want to become an Oni too?"
"Me?" Yayoi paused mid-swing and asked, astonished.
"The Bird-Bird Fruit, Model: Raven. It's not incredibly powerful, but it grants flight."
The ability to fly alone made a Bird-Type Devil Fruit more valuable than many standard ones. Besides, a raven was technically a large bird. The true strength of an Animal Fruit ultimately depended on the user.
Even the Raven Fruit would give Yayoi's constitution a massive boost, far surpassing July's Oni form.
Yayoi nodded. She didn't know why Ren had the idea, but if he suggested it, she felt she had no right to refuse. Besides, becoming an Oni had no downsides. She would not only gain a new ability, but she could also eat other Devil Fruits if she came across a suitable one one day.
An animal soul, plus a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit. Ren wondered if he'd end up with a crew full of Mythical Zoans.
But Paramecia-type Devil Fruits were far rarer than Zoan-types.
'If only we could mass-produce Visions,' Ren couldn't help but think.
He had actually sent the Vision to be studied, but it yielded no results. The researchers could only detect that the energy within it was more active.
The principles of Electro Crystals remained a mystery to this day. Instead of trying to understand their essence, it had simply become easier to use them.
Ren had Yukiko continue supervising July and took Yayoi to receive the soul of the Raven Fruit.
A moment later, a woman with black feathers and a face that looked like it was wearing a sharp black mask followed Ren back onto the deck.
Yayoi's transformation wasn't what Ren had expected. He'd initially thought her Oni form would give her wings for arms, but he didn't expect the wings to actually grow on her back.
As for her face, unlike July's, which hadn't changed much, Yayoi's was now like she was wearing a sharp mask. A sharp beak covered the upper half of her face, while her chin retained its original shape.
"Sister looks like a Tengu," July's eyes lit up, only to be smacked on the back of the head by Yukiko's scabbard and sent tumbling to the deck.
"Focus up. The training isn't over yet," Yukiko said.
"How do you feel?" Ren guessed Yayoi must be feeling something extraordinary right now.
"Maybe it's because of a raven's eyes, but my vision is incredibly clear," Yayoi said, her eyes constantly moving. Her dynamic vision had improved greatly, and…
She spread her wings on her back. As they beat, gusts of wind swirled, and Yayoi lifted off the ground. "I'm really flying."
A raven's flying ability was quite good, allowing for many aerial maneuvers. After getting used to it for a moment, Yayoi shot into the sky at high speed, beginning to circle. This made July a little envious.
Flight had always been a human desire.
Yayoi flew for a while, then suddenly tucked her wings and dove. Ren noticed a layer of Haki coating her already black wings. The diving Yayoi was like an arrow, but then she spun just before crashing onto the deck, and her outstretched wings instantly sliced a steel chain on the deck in two.
"Huh? Do raven wings have that kind of power?" July asked in surprise. She had always thought something like a raven would be fragile, no match for a dinosaur, but now she was starting to doubt it.
"That was Ryuo," Yukiko explained.
"Oh, so that was Ryuo."
July didn't know Haki, so she couldn't sense Yayoi's Armament Haki.
Yayoi circled once more and landed back on the deck, reverting from her Oni form to her normal self; the wings on her back disappeared.
"My strength has increased a bit, but it's nothing compared to the speed boost," Yayoi said, looking at Ren. "Besides not being able to use wind or lightning powers, I'm practically a real Tengu."
"Yayoi, I don't think you have a surname, do you?"
"I used to, but later…"
"In that case, you and July will take the name Kujō from now on."
[
I'm going to skip the fancy pitch this time and just be straight with you.
Things are tough right now. The recent mass cancellations hit harder than I expected, and I'm genuinely struggling to keep my head above water financially. Translation is my main income — not a side hobby — and when a big wave of cancellations lands at once, it hurts in a very real way.
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]