POWAAAAA
Yeah babyyyy.... I'm back.
Finally, my work is over for the time being and I've submitted my assignment today. As for my lab work, that's a daily process.
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Yo readers, I need some help from you all. You see, I am thinking of not giving Yuji any cursed energy and let him stick with the One-Piece world rule. Well, in a way, I already have something in mind by which he will have the full powers of original Modulo Yuji. But with no cursed energy. He will unlock his Shrine powers when he unlocks his Conqueror's Haki. But how does he have Shrine, and it's all background is fully depends on you guys help. (I mean, even though I have plans for that, but outside opinion is very much appreciated).
Anyways, here's your chapter....
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Attendance Please:
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Evening, 5:00 PM—
The sycamore leaves above the porch rustled in a lazy coastal breeze, carrying the faint salt of the sea and the sharper scent of Usopp's fertilizer. Nami sat in the old rocking chair with her legs tucked beneath her and a charcoal pencil behind her ear. The map of the Grand Line lay open across her lap, its inked currents and marked hazards catching the honey-gold light of the setting sun. Her finger traced a route she had already marked three times.
Usopp hummed a tune his mother used to whistle as he worked the watering can in slow, careful arcs. The droplets caught the light like scattered coins before vanishing into the thirsty soil of his petunias. Every few seconds, however, his rhythm faltered. His gaze drifted toward the backyard, where the air itself seemed to flinch with every hit.
CRACK! THUD! BOOM!
"Damn!" Usopp muttered, nearly overwatering a geranium. "They're really going at it, huh?"
"Let them be." Nami didn't look up, though her pencil had stopped moving. "In their own words, it's better to be ready for the worst than to die like fools."
And sure enough, Luffy, Zoro, and Yuji were sparring in Usopp's backyard. More accurately, Luffy and Zoro were trying to spar against Yuji in a two-versus-one match and were still getting their butts kicked with almost casual cruelty.
"Gum-Gum Pistol!"
Luffy's arm shot forward like a white cannonball, his fist flying toward Yuji's midsection with enough force to punch a hole through a Marine ship.
Yuji stepped slightly to the left, allowing the outstretched arm to pass by him. Then, with a quick motion resembling swatting a fly, he redirected Luffy's fist directly into Zoro's charging face.
"Argh—!" Zoro grunted as rubber met bone, the impact sending him sliding sideways across the grass. He caught himself with one hand, dirt spraying, and snarled, "Hey! Watch where you're hitting, you idiot!"
Luffy grinned sheepishly, already pulling his arm back. "Sorry!"
Then Yuji moved.
Blink.
One moment, Yuji was six paces away. The next second, he was standing right in front of Luffy. Luffy tried to twist away, but it was too late. Yuji's fist drove into his stomach.
"OOOFFF—"
The air left Luffy's lungs in a single, explosive gasp. His body folded around Yuji's knuckles, then shot backward. But Yuji caught his wrist mid-flight, his stretched arm snapping taut, and yanked—using Luffy's own momentum to slingshot him straight into Zoro, who had just gotten back on his feet.
They collided like two sacks of bricks, tumbling across the grass in a tangled heap of limbs.
"Owww…" Luffy groaned, lying flat on his back.
"Argh… get off me, you idiot!" Zoro shouted, shoving Luffy's shoulder.
Both of them rolled onto their sides, palms pressing into the dirt, muscles screaming. They made it to their knees. Then—
Yuji was already there, his fist raised high, casting a shadow over them like a closing door.
"Think fast," he said, and punched downward.
BOOM.
A shockwave ripped through the yard, rattling the windows of Usopp's house and sending birds bursting from the nearby trees. Dust and shredded grass billowed upward in a brown cloud, thick enough to choke on.
Luffy and Zoro threw themselves backward, coughing and waving their arms in front of their faces. When the dust finally settled, they both stared in silence.
A crater six meters wide. The soil at its center had been compacted into something almost glassy, dark and slick where the heat of the impact had melted the minerals.
Zoro's jaw dropped. "WHAT THE HELL!?" He spun toward Yuji. "Are you trying to kill us!?"
"No, Zoro." Yuji's voice came from behind them.
Shivers ran down both of their spines.
They spun. Zoro's swords rose in a wild arc, while Luffy's fist shot forward instinctively.
Yuji moved fluidly like water. He slapped Zoro's blade aside, then stopped Luffy's punch with a casual palm. Before either could recover, he grabbed both of their heads, one in each hand, and smashed them together.
Stars burst behind Luffy's eyes. Zoro staggered sideways, his ears ringing and his vision swimming.
Then Yuji stepped in close and gently placed an index finger against Zoro's chest, followed by Luffy's.
"One-inch punch," he whispered.
His fingers were folded.
The impact was like an explosion. Both Luffy and Zoro were hurled backward like leaves in the wind, their bodies crashing into the old oak at the yard's edge with a thunderous crack that split the trunk cleanly in two.
The tree groaned, leaned, and toppled sideways onto the fence.
Usopp stared at the wreckage, the crater, the ruined oak, and the fence that now looked like kindling. "M-my yard!" he squeaked.
Yuji glanced over his shoulder and gave a nervous smile. "Oops."
Usopp pinched the bridge of his nose. He took a breath, then another. Finally, he looked toward the crash site, where Luffy and Zoro lay sprawled across the broken remains of his poor, innocent tree. "Are you sure they're alive!?"
"Oh, they're fine." Yuji said, waving a hand. "I didn't use too much strength."
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN YOU DIDN'T USE TOO MUCH STRENGTH!?"
Yuji raised an eyebrow, then his lips curved into a teasing grin. "You wanna see my full strength?"
Usopp went pale. "N-no… I'm good. Just… please try not to destroy my house. It's all I have!"
"Noted."
A cough emerged from the wreckage, followed by a groan.
"Ow… it hurts…" Luffy's voice was muffled by splinters.
"That damn monster…" Zoro said, his voice tight with pain.
Yuji turned to them and said, "Hey, you idiots—are you just going to lie there, or are you going to come at me again?" He paused. "Because you don't want me to come to you personally."
Luffy and Zoro both shuddered, unintentionally and simultaneously.
They stood up.
Yuji nodded once, satisfied. "Now, let's continue."
Neither Luffy nor Zoro moved immediately. Their eyes flicked toward the crater, where the air still shimmered with the residual heat from the impact.
They swallowed nervously. Then, slowly, they shifted into their stances.
Yuji motioned for Usopp to step away from the yard.
Usopp was already halfway to the porch.
Zoro gripped his swords tightly, the two unnamed blades in his hands. Wado Ichimonji was clenched between his teeth, its blade catching the evening light. He took a deep breath, slow and steady.
Then he charged forward.
Luffy followed beside him, his rubber legs pounding the dirt.
Zoro brought his two swords down in a fierce overhead slash.
Yuji stepped back as the blades whispered past his chest.
But Luffy was already there, vaulting over Zoro's shoulders, his rubber foot coming down like a hammer.
"Gum-Gum Axe!"
Yuji raised his left arm and caught the kick on his forearm, the impact sending a shockwave rippling through the grass. He then grabbed Luffy's ankle, slammed him into the ground with a wet thud, and turned away.
Zoro saw Yuji's exposed back, an opening.
He thrust both unnamed swords forward, aiming for the space between Yuji's shoulder blades. He knew Yuji could dodge the attack and was already planning his next move.
Instead, the blades sank into Yuji's back.
They went through him and came out of his chest.
Zoro's eyes went wide. "What—"
Luffy, still on the ground, saw the swords protruding from Yuji's chest and screamed, "YUJI!!!"
Usopp, watching from the porch, felt his heart stop.
Then someone tapped Zoro on the shoulder.
Zoro turned his head slowly and mechanically, like a man trapped in a nightmare. There stood another Yuji, wearing the same clothes and sporting the same smirk.
"Got you," said the second Yuji, punching Zoro right in the face.
Zoro flew through the air, his arms and legs trailing behind him like a ragdoll, until he crashed into the dirt a dozen yards away and tumbled to a stop.
Luffy and Usopp stared at the second Yuji, then back at the first Yuji, who was fading—growing translucent. His form dissolved into thin air, scattering like morning mist.
"W-What!?" Luffy's voice cracked.
Zoro groaned from the dirt, pushing himself up on trembling arms. His face was already swelling where Yuji's fist had struck, the skin red and raw. He looked at Yuji, who stood alone in the center of the yard—relaxed, hands in his pockets, a smirk still in place.
"What the hell was that!?" Zoro's voice was thick with confusion. "What did you do? I thought I stabbed you!!"
Luffy stood up, dusted himself off, and walked straight to Yuji. Without a word, he began patting Yuji's chest, stomach, and sides, checking for wounds that weren't there. When he found nothing, he let out a breath that seemed to deflate his entire body.
Usopp crept closer, half-expecting Yuji to vanish again. He circled him once, then twice, peering at him from every angle. "Jeez, man… you really scared us there!"
"Did I?" Yuji looked at their faces, the genuine worry still lingering in their eyes, and noticed the way Luffy's hands trembled slightly as he searched for wounds. His smirk softened into something almost shy. "Well, sorry for the scare."
Zoro sheathed his swords and limped over, wincing with every other step. "Yeah, yeah… now tell us how you actually did that."
Luffy and Usopp leaned in closer.
Yuji thought for a moment, then said, "It's called the afterimage technique. You move so fast that an image of yourself is left behind. It's just a delayed picture, light still trapped where you were while you're already somewhere else. It fades on its own."
"Whoa…" Luffy's eyes sparkled with excitement.
Usopp rubbed his chin, nodding slowly. "So it's an optical illusion, but one created by pure speed."
"That's right." Yuji nodded. "It's mostly used to dodge attacks or confuse opponents by creating multiple copies of yourself. There's also the afterimage strike; you surround your opponent with several copies of yourself while attacking from angles they can't predict."
Zoro's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "So this move requires speed."
"Correct. But it's not just about speed," Yuji's voice grew serious. "To do this, you need insane leg strength. Your perception also has to be sharp enough that, when you move at blinding speed, you can still get through anything—a crowd, a battlefield, a rain of bullets."
"So," Zoro asked, "is there a way to learn this? Or do we have to do it the old-fashioned way, pumping iron until our legs break?"
"Well, that's one way, but it's not enough." Yuji took a deep breath, then lowered himself onto the grass. "We should sit down for this. It's going to be a long explanation."
They sat in a loose circle, the evening light casting their long shadows across the scarred earth.
Yuji began, "First, I need to make something clear. Please don't try to compare yourselves to me. I'm not normal in any way."
Usopp tilted his head. "What do you mean?"
Yuji was quiet for a moment as the breeze stirred his hair. When he spoke again, his voice softened. "I'm a freak of nature. My grandfather once told me that my body has been incredibly dense since I was a toddler—not heavy kind of dense, but compact and tightly packed. My muscles, my bones, my skin, even the blood in my veins is thicker than it should be."
Silence settled over the group like a held breath.
Then Zoro let out a low whistle. "So you're a natural-born monster, huh? That explains your incredible strength."
Yuji nodded. "And also, my immune system and metabolism are far beyond normal. I don't get sick. No poison or venom can harm me; it gets flushed out immediately. And I can never get drunk or high."
Usopp stared. "That… is… I don't even know what to say!"
Zoro, however, looked at Yuji with a hint of pity. "Dude. That's really sad. You can't even get drunk. You're missing out on the best part of alcohol!"
"Yeah!" Luffy chimed in, nodding vigorously. "We're pirates! And you can't even feel the drink! Oh man, Shanks would be so disappointed if he knew about your situation."
Yuji listened to them, a stiff smile fixed on his face.
'Dude. Here I am telling them my deepest secret, and they're worried about me not getting high.'
He thought about the other things he hadn't told them: the way he could weaponize his blood and control it on command, his enhanced healing ability derived from his blood manipulation, and his life return technique.
'Yeah. Let's not tell them about blood manipulation yet. Everything has its right time.'
He cleared his throat. "Ahem. Shall we move on to more important matters?"
They nodded.
"Right." Yuji held up two fingers. "Back to the afterimage technique or more specifically, how to move very fast. There are two ways." He counted them off. "First, you train so hard and so much that you naturally break logic and move faster than anyone can see. It's a tough, brutal process—unless you're naturally gifted, like having a crazy strong body or being born into a race known for speed."
"And the second?" Zoro asked.
Yuji's eyes glinted. "Second, you will train in the Six Powers martial arts. It will not only strengthen your body but also make you incredibly fast in a fight."
"Six Powers?" Luffy tilted his head, imaginary question marks practically floating above him.
"Yes. A set of superhuman martial arts techniques. Any dedicated fighter can learn them, but they are primarily used by World Government forces—specifically, their special assassination branch: Cipher Pol." Yuji's voice dropped slightly. "The Six Powers are divided into three categories: movement moves, attack moves, and defense moves."
He paused, allowing the weight of his words to sink in.
"And here's the thing no one tells you," Yuji added, his voice dropping to something almost secretive. "The Six Powers aren't just moves; they're a way of thinking, a way of understanding your own body's limits and then breaking them."
Zoro leaned forward. Luffy's eyes sharpened and became focused. Even Usopp, despite himself, listened intently.
Yuji smiled.
"So," he said, "Who wants to learn how to move faster than their own shadow?"
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Like the chapter, then please share your powerstones with me.
See you in next chapter.....