c1: Dreams Begin in the East Blue
Autumn winds swept through the fallen leaves, carrying with them a quiet, lingering loneliness that seemed to seep into every corner of the land. In Shimotsuki Village of the East Blue, near the famed Isshin Dojo where the Shimotsuki lineage had passed down their swordsmanship for generations, an ordinary little boy lay beneath a tree, basking in the sunlight with a listless expression and a deep melancholy in his eyes.
The boy's name was Dongze, and as expected, he was one of those chosen by fate.
Having transmigrated into the world of pirates, a world ruled by the Grand Line, Devil Fruits, and monstrous figures like Whitebeard, he had once believed that with his foreknowledge, he could dominate everything, striking down legends with ease, laughing as he crushed both Marine heroes and infamous pirates. In his fantasies, he would stand at the summit, trampling even figures like Edward Newgate and Marshall D. Teach beneath his feet.
But reality was far harsher than any dream, and he had no choice but to admit that training was not something that could be bypassed with mere knowledge; it demanded talent, something that could not be faked or borrowed.
Even after two full years of relentless effort at the Isshin Dojo, enduring grueling physical conditioning, carrying heavy weights up and down the hills surrounding Shimotsuki Village, and practicing swordsmanship day after day under the strict discipline reminiscent of Koushirou's teachings, he still could not defeat Kuina. Worse still, even the green-haired newcomer, Roronoa Zoro, who had only recently begun training at the dojo, had already surpassed him and humiliated him completely in sparring matches.
This cruel gap forced him to confront a bitter truth, perhaps he truly lacked any real talent for the sword, unlike Kuina, whose natural ability and relentless drive had already set her apart, or Zoro, whose monstrous determination echoed the will of those destined to leave their names upon the seas. Two days ago, he had once again been defeated effortlessly by Kuina during a routine spar, her wooden sword striking him down with precision, leaving him sprawled on the dojo floor, humiliated and questioning whether he was truly inferior even to a girl his own age.
Feeling suffocated by frustration and doubt, he took advantage of a short break in training to slip away from the dojo, hoping that the fresh air might ease the heavy pressure weighing down on his heart.
"Sigh! At this rate, forget about challenging Whitebeard, I might not even be able to defeat Buggy the Clown!"
"Hehe!"
...
A small purple squirrel perched on a tree branch above him, its bright eyes glinting with mischief as if it had witnessed countless such scenes before, suddenly tossed a half-eaten pine cone toward the boy.
Perhaps because Dongze was too lost in thought, the pine cone struck him squarely between the eyebrows with surprising accuracy.
For a brief moment, his mind went blank, and in that haze, he thought he heard a faint, mechanical "ding-dong" echo within his consciousness.
"Xiao Li!!"
Startled out of his daze, the boy leapt to his feet, an angry roar bursting from his throat as his eyes darted toward the branches, searching for the culprit behind the ambush.
Yet the little squirrel showed no fear whatsoever, letting out two mocking squeaks before vanishing into the foliage with astonishing speed, leaving no trace behind.
After scanning the area fruitlessly, Dongze could only shake his head in resignation. His gaze fell upon the pine cone lying beside him, and he let out a self-deprecating chuckle.
"Honestly, it's a good thing that wasn't something like a projectile from some martial arts master. If it were someone like those absurd monsters in this world, I might have been knocked out cold!"
However, whether it was sheer bad luck or simply a continuation of his misfortune, not long after he lay back down, a ripe fruit loosened by the gentle autumn breeze fell straight from the branch above and struck his forehead once again with a solid thud.
This time, it was far from a harmless pine cone.
The boy froze completely, his expression turning stiff as his thoughts stalled.
"Holy crap..."
Still reeling from the impact, he was just about to curse his terrible luck when his pupils suddenly contracted sharply, as if he had noticed something impossible.
Right before his eyes, a line of strange, translucent characters appeared within his field of vision, as though projected directly into his mind.
"Iron Head Skill Proficiency 20/1000!"
He rubbed his eyes vigorously, convinced that he was hallucinating from the repeated blows to his head, yet when he looked again, the small line of text remained unchanged, hovering steadily in place.
A sudden thought flashed through his mind, and he slowly turned his gaze toward the large tree beside him. After hesitating for a brief moment, he clenched his teeth and slammed his head directly into the trunk with all his strength.
A wave of dizziness washed over him instantly, forcing him to stagger back as stars danced in his vision, and it took him a good while before he could steady himself again. He had not held back at all, driven by the need to confirm the truth of what he had just seen.
When his vision finally cleared and he focused once more on the floating text, a wide grin spread across his face, his eyes lighting up with a strange and almost manic excitement.
"Iron Head Skill Proficiency 21/1000!"
"Could this be my golden finger?"
"If even training can be quantified into proficiency levels, then I won't be wandering blindly anymore! But I still need to test the exact mechanics behind it!"
After conducting a series of rough experiments, he gradually began to grasp the basic functionality of this newfound ability.
...
After careful observation, he discovered that it seemed to possess two primary functions.
First, it allowed him to clearly perceive every detail of his training process, breaking down his efforts into measurable progress, giving him a sense of direction that he had previously lacked and strengthening his resolve to continue moving forward.
Second, it allows him to unlock cultivation in completely unfamiliar domains ahead of time, something that should have been impossible under normal circumstances in this world where even mastering Haki requires harsh, life-threatening training. This entire phenomenon had been triggered because of Xiao Li.
Feeling the carefree Xiao Li now sitting comfortably on his head, Dongze could only sigh in helplessness. He had no idea what had possessed the little creature to provoke a troop of wild monkeys deep in the forest behind Shimotsuki Village, a place even dojo students rarely ventured into. Their retaliation had been merciless, stones raining down like a storm, almost burying him alive beneath the barrage, and in his desperate attempt to shield Xiao Li, he had taken the brunt of the attack, leaving his entire body aching even now.
Fortunately, that near-death experience had also brought him an unexpected gain. At the moment when he was cornered, his spirit had sharpened to an extreme degree, faintly touching upon the threshold of Kenbunshoku Haki, the so-called Observation Haki used by powerful fighters across the Grand Line. Through that awakening, he had barely managed to sense incoming attacks and escape with Xiao Li, narrowly avoiding disaster.
Now he finally understood the nature of this mysterious ability. It would never grant him strength without a price. If he wanted to unlock new areas of cultivation ahead of time, especially something as rare as Haki, he would most likely have to be pushed to his limits, enduring severe blows or even risking his life before it could be triggered.
However, there were still aspects he had yet to fully comprehend. The way proficiency increased was inconsistent, and not every action contributed to progress. For instance, after repeated attempts, his Iron Head Skill proficiency had completely stagnated, no matter how many times he tried to smash his head against objects, suggesting that there were hidden conditions governing its growth.
As he pondered this, his gaze swept across his surroundings until it landed on a massive piece of bluestone beneath the tree, nearly half the size of a person. His eyes immediately lit up with a dangerous idea forming in his mind, but before he could act on it, a sharp force struck him from the side and sent him flying with a miserable howl.
"Dongze!!"
"Are you insane?!"
The voice had barely faded when a figure with long dark hair tied back, wearing the training uniform of Isshin Dojo, leaped forward and kicked him away without hesitation. As the large bluestone slid off the branch and crashed to the ground with a heavy thud, the earth trembled slightly beneath their feet, and she let out a breath of relief, grateful that she had arrived in time.
"You idiot, do you really think your head is harder than solid stone?"
Perhaps the force of the kick had been too great, because Dongze lay sprawled on the ground for quite a while, his posture utterly undignified as he struggled to recover.
"Kuina!!"
"You bastard!"
"She-Tyrannosaurus!!"
...
"What did you just say?"
Hearing his clearly mocking remark, Kuina's expression darkened immediately. She clenched her fists, producing a faint cracking sound, and began walking toward him step by step, her annoyance unmistakable.
Dongze turned over with difficulty, looking up at the girl whose delicate appearance hid overwhelming strength, strength that had allowed her to defeat every student in the dojo hundreds of times without a single loss. After quickly weighing the difference between them, he forced a serious expression onto his face.
"Kuina, don't misunderstand, I was praising your strength!"
Hearing this, Kuina paused slightly. His words struck something deep within her heart.
As the daughter of Koushirou, the master of Isshin Dojo, Kuina had always trained harder than anyone else, yet she carried a burden that others did not. Despite her incredible talent and flawless record, she had been told that because she was a girl, she would eventually fall behind, that no matter how hard she trained, she could never become the greatest swordsman in the world.
In a world where legends like Dracule Mihawk stood at the peak of swordsmanship, where strength determined everything, such words cut deeply. Kuina had always rejected them openly, declaring her determination to surpass all swordsmen, yet deep inside, a trace of doubt and frustration remained, something she could never completely erase.
Now, hearing Dongze acknowledge her strength so directly, a faint sense of pride rose within her chest despite herself.
Of course, she was not foolish. She could tell that his tone was somewhat off, and considering that she had just kicked him flying more than ten meters away, continuing to argue would only make things more awkward.
"Hey, so what if you lost to that green-haired guy? Do you really need to come out here and try to get yourself killed?"
Seeing Dongze struggle repeatedly to sit up only to fail, Kuina's cheeks flushed slightly. It seemed she might have overdone it with that kick.
"Hey, are you alright?"
Dongze let out a bitter laugh.
"What do you think? If I suddenly kicked you like that, would you be fine?"
Kuina puffed her cheeks, placed her hands on her hips, and snapped back immediately, "You dare?!"
Dongze could only shake his head and smile wryly, realizing once again that their way of thinking was completely different.
"Help me up, I don't have any strength left!"
"Alright!"
"But with your current build, stop picking fights with that green-haired guy. That idiot is like a wild bull, even I feel pressured when facing him directly. Fighting him head-on is just asking for trouble!"
As she spoke, Kuina reached out and pulled him to his feet, her tone carrying a hint of seriousness.
Roronoa Zoro, who had recently joined the dojo, had already begun undergoing that near inhuman training. From wielding a single sword, he had progressed to two, and now he was attempting to master Santoryu, the three-sword style, something unheard of among ordinary swordsmen.
His strength continued to grow at an astonishing rate, and his attacks were so fierce that even Kuina sometimes chose not to clash with him directly, instead relying on her superior technique and precision to outmaneuver him and secure victory.
It felt as though fate itself was quietly unfolding according to its destined path, the rivalry between Kuina and Zoro intensifying day by day, a rivalry that would one day lead to a tragic turning point and a vow that would echo across the seas.
Yet this time, something was different. There was now an additional variable in the story, someone who should not have existed in this world, and because of that, the future that once seemed fixed had begun to blur, making it impossible to predict where the path ahead would truly lead!
.....