The Warlord of the Sea system had existed for over a decade, and it had long since beco an encumbrance—a tumor that was hard to remove. Initially, the World Governnt may have genuinely considered using Warlords to stabilize the seas, and in fact, they had. Whether it was the minor-league Warlords like Gecko Moria and Crocodile, or top-tier powerhouses like Kuma and Dracule Mihawk, their existence had caused countless pirates to fail and vanish from the Grand Line.
In that sense, it was a positive chanism.
But like any institution, it decayed over ti. Much like the World Governnt itself, where the Celestial Dragons had beco the ultimate poison, the Warlord system was destined for the sa fate. Crocodile's attempt to obtain the Ancient Weapon Pluton in Alabasta and Doflamingo's use of Dressrosa as a hub for illegal trade were proof that the system was rotting from within.
They were pirates, after all. Could they really stay docile for long?
The Warlord system had long been a thorn in the Navy's side. The harm they caused was often worse than that of run-of-the-mill pirates. However, bound by the orders of the World Governnt, the Navy was helpless. Dismantling a system so deeply rooted was not an overnight task; they could only collect evidence, waiting for a single lethal strike.
But those were worries for another day. Loya was still just a recruit with limited strength; he couldn't interfere with the Warlords' machinations yet.
After bidding farewell to Momonga and Dr. Oliver, Loya returned to his dorm to apply his dicine.
The cool ointnt hit his skin, making him shiver in relief. The Navy Headquarters' dical tech was top-notch; the itching in his fractured ribs signaled that the inflammation was subsiding like a receding tide. Once bandaged, Loya activated his system interface.
Na: Christopher Loya
Energy Stage: Tier 2, Layer 3
Energy Points: 400/700
Magic Power: 5000/5000
Recovery Rate: 450/min
After this period of cultivation, he had finally reached Tier 2, Layer 3.
While the data panel only showed magic values, Loya could feel the increase in his strength, stamina, and physical resilience with every level-up. But what influenced him most was the combat experience gained under Kuzan's high-pressure training.
On the deserted island, his opponents were beasts with an IQ of less than 5—hardly enough to learn anything from. Kuzan was different. Whether it was his mastery of a Logia fruit or his hand-to-hand combat, he was an Admiral for a reason. Under his "guidance," Loya's strength had skyrocketed. His endurance was now on par with Aldo's, and his recovery rate far surpassed the giant's.
Of course, getting beaten into the ground every day was a tragic way to achieve it.
75 energy points today. Not bad. As his level increased, the energy gained from a match with Kuzan had dropped to 50, but it was still consistent. Loya closed the panel and prepared for his next training session.
Dragon Slayer magic relied on raw power; the more magic he had, the stronger it got. His Ice-Make magic was also improving rapidly under Kuzan's tutelage. However, Loya wasn't satisfied with just "firing spells." He craved the tactile thrill of close-quarters combat, but his current physical stats weren't quite there yet.
He wanted to develop a move to bridge that gap.
The inspiration ca from the Fairy Tail ani—the state a Dragon Slayer entered after consuming vast amounts of magic. But the problem was that while this world had Devil Fruits, it lacked ambient magic power for him to consu.
You want the horse to run, but you won't give it any hay. It was impossible to make bricks without straw.
So, Loya tried a "folk redy." I have magic power, don't I? I have Ice-Make magic, too. Why do I need to absorb it externally? My Dragon Slayer magic wasn't taught by a dragon anyway—maybe this will work!
He decided to do sothing insane: he tried to use Ice-Make magic inside his own body.
It was excruciating, but after dozens of failed attempts, he finally figured out a viable thod. He concentrated his magic in his hand and slamd it into his abdon. Magic was formless—as long as he didn't allow it to solidify into ice, he could force the magic into his own body.
Hiss.
As the magic entered, Loya's eyes bulged. It felt like his internal organs were being laid out to dry in the middle of a blizzard... it was exhilarating.
The next second, the sensation vanished. His Dragon Slayer physiology detected the foreign magic and underwent a change he couldn't comprehend. His palm felt light, the magic surged and then vanished into his bloodline, his heart rate spiked, and his magic power began to boil.
He'd done it. He stood up, took a deep breath, and let the boiling magic shroud his body to test the limits.
Hummmm.
A ripple of force distorted the air around him. Blue magic sigils erged beneath his skin, flickering with every breath, giving him a mysterious, ominous aura. Feeling the power boiling in his veins, Loya threw two punches into the air.
Pop! Pop!
Sharp cracks echoed. Loya smacked his lips in disappointnt. It was stronger than usual, but the limit was clear. His speed and strength had nearly doubled, but his physical durability still couldn't match a master of the Six Styles. It was too early to use this as a standard combat mode.
Just as he was feeling regret, he noticed a patch of skin on the back of his hand had split open, the dead skin peeling back.
What's this? Old dirt...?
Loya reached out to scrape it off, but the sensation stopped him dead.
This hardness... it's like a fingernail? No... could it be? He ford an ice needle and slamd it into the spot.
Clang!
The ice needle shattered. Loya watched as the split skin shimred with a deep blue light, leaving behind a scale-like blue silhouette the size of a fingernail.
Recalling the ani, Loya stopped and observed carefully. Is this... a Dragon Scale?
He rembered the changes he'd undergone during his Tier 1 breakthrough. Since then, while every level-up was loud and disruptive, there had been no physical transformation—until now. A spark of inspiration ignited.
He held the patch of scales to the light, narrowing his eyes.
"Perhaps... I can learn to initiate this... semi-dragon form on command."
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