Early in the morning, when Luna woke up, she felt as heavy as if her head had been filled with lead, her temples slightly bulging, and her mind completely gloomy.
The excitement brought by developing Rubber Spiral Gun and practicing Form Control last night had long faded, replaced by emptiness and fatigue after excessive mental consumption.
She propped her body up from the bed and rubbed her temples.
“Using Form Control just a few times dropped my mental energy so severely, this won’t do.” Luna muttered in a low voice, her brows tightly furrowed; this wasn’t just a matter of fatigue, but more about combat endurance.
She thought of Luffy in the original work.
That guy relied on astonishing willpower and an outrageous “sit-up” physique to burst forth with power and turn the tables time and again in desperate situations.
That ability to squeeze potential to the limit and rapidly recover to fight again was, in a sense, even more terrifying than sheer strength.
“I must think of a way to resolve this predicament,” she stared at her outstretched palm, her fingertips seeming to still retain the subtle tactile sensation of manipulating the rubber fiber spirals last night, “Furthermore, I must train Luffy’s “sit-up” style resilience from the original work into a “skill” that can be quantified and upgraded.”
After much thought, a method mentioned countless times in the information explosion era of her past life emerged in her mind—Meditation.
In many settings, Meditation could not only restore mental power and stabilize mood, but even deeply tap into potential and enhance control over one’s own energy.
With herself possessing the “Skill System”, theoretically, as long as she systematically attempted it and formed a “pattern”, it was possible to be recognized by the system.
Saying and doing it, Luna did not get up immediately, but readjusted her posture, sitting cross-legged on the bed—although doing this action with her five-year-old child’s body was a bit awkward.
She closed her eyes, trying to clear her thoughts, stripping her attention from external sounds and bodily perceptions, slowly pulling it inward to feel the flow of that newborn power belonging to the Rubber Fruit inside her body, while also experiencing the “shape” and “fatigue” of the mind itself.
At first it was very difficult, with chaotic thoughts constantly popping up—about the system, about the future, about Mountain Bandit King Higuma, about the female companions she hadn’t met yet…
Instead of condensing, her mind became even more scattered, but Luna did not lose heart.
She possessed the patience of living two lifetimes, as well as the stubborn persistence brought by the Rubber Fruit to push forward once she set her mind on something.
She no longer forced “emptiness”, but focused her consciousness on her breathing, inhaling, exhaling, feeling the air enter her lungs and then slowly expelling it.
Gradually, as the rhythm of her breathing stabilized, those distracting thoughts receded like a tide, and the “surface of water” of her consciousness gradually calmed down.
She began to vaguely “introspect” and sense that warm and elastic power within her body, which, like an undercurrent, flowed quietly through her limbs with the beating of her heart, while the mental fatigue was like a thin mist shrouding this inner landscape.
She tried to guide that power of rubber—not to stretch her body, but extremely gently, like a massage, brushing across those “areas” representing mental fatigue.
This was not physical contact, but more like a mental reconciliation.
Just in this process, the system interface below the corner of her eye quietly flickered.
[Obtained new skill: Meditation LV1 (1/100)]
It worked!
A trace of joy welled up in Luna’s heart, but she immediately suppressed her emotions, maintaining the state of Meditation.
She found that the moment the skill was formed, the “action” of guiding power to soothe the mind seemed to be solidified by the system, becoming smoother and more effective.
Although the recovery speed was still slow, she could truly feel that her heavy head had relaxed a bit, and the mental fog had been blown away by a corner.
She did not stop, continuing to immerse herself in Meditation.
After about half an hour, when she opened her eyes again, although there was still a distance from full recovery, that annoying sense of heaviness and emptiness had been mostly reduced.
On the system interface, the experience value of the [Meditation] skill raised to (23/100).
Clearly, the initial successful and continuous practice brought considerable experience gains.
“Skilled Meditation will increase in efficiency as the level rises…
And this might not just be about recovery.” Luna stretched her neck, her eyes shining, “Can high-level Meditation enhance my fine control over the fruit’s abilities?
Even…
touch the threshold of “awakening” in advance?
Or, like Observation Haki, enhance perception?”
She kept this thought in mind; this would be one of the important cultivation directions in the future.
Now, she had more urgent things to do.
After washing up, she went downstairs to the bar hall.
The morning bar was very quiet, with only Makino busily preparing breakfast, and a few pirates sitting at the tables rubbing their sleepy eyes.
Shanks was already there, talking to Yasopp about something.
Yasopp was a tall, lean, and capable man with sharp eyes, always carrying his beloved sniper rifle on his back.
“Oh!
Our little adventurer is awake!” Yasopp saw Luna first and waved with a smile, “I heard from the boss that you want to go hunting in the back mountain?
You’ve got some nerve!”
Luna walked over, picked up the milk handed over by Makino, and took a sip: “It’s not about having nerve, it’s about needing to get stronger and needing Berries.”
“A very practical reason.” Yasopp grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth, “I like it.
But little one, the guys deep in the back mountain won’t be polite to you, especially recently, there seems to be a particularly irritable tiger active in that area, which has injured the livestock of quite a few villagers.”
“A tiger?
Perfect.” Not only was Luna not afraid, but she looked somewhat forward to it.
Wild beasts were excellent objects for actual combat, which could both verify abilities and quickly accumulate combat experience.
Looking at the eagerness in Luna’s eyes, Shanks nodded to Yasopp: “Take good care of her, Yasopp.
Let her experience combat, but don’t let anything actually happen to her.”
“Rest assured, boss, my bullets are much faster than a tiger’s claws.” Yasopp patted his holster confidently.
After finishing a simple breakfast, Luna and Yasopp set off.
Yasopp only brought his gun and a flask of water, while Luna…
aside from the set of easy-to-move-in coarse cloth clothes Makino had prepared for her, brought nothing else.
Her body was her best weapon.
Leaving Windmill Village, they walked along the trail towards the back mountain.
The morning forest air was fresh, carrying the fragrance of soil and vegetation.
Sunlight penetrated the dense leaves, casting broken light spots on the ground, and birdsong rose and fell, full of vitality.
“First, let me teach you some basics.” Yasopp said as he walked, his steps very light, making almost no sound, “In the forest, ears and eyes are equally important.
Don’t just look ahead; pay attention to the traces underfoot, abnormalities in fallen leaves, the scent brought by the wind…
And, most importantly,” he pointed to his ears, “Listen.
The footsteps of animals, their breathing, even the rustling sound of them passing through bushes can tell you the position and state of your prey.”
Luna listened attentively while trying to mobilize her own senses.
Did the Rubber Fruit seem to slightly enhance her hearing?
Or was it psychological?
She wasn’t quite sure, but she could indeed hear the sound of a stream further away, as well as some subtle rustling sounds resembling rodents running past.
[Obtained new skill: Wilderness Survival LV1 (1/100)]
[Obtained new skill: Listening LV1 (5/100)]
Indeed!
The system’s judgment was gratifyingly broad; simply following Yasopp and trying to observe and learn activated the related skills.
They gradually penetrated deeper into the forest, and the surroundings became even quieter, with towering trees blocking the sky.
Yasopp suddenly stopped, squatted down, and pointed to a slightly messy patch of grass and a few deep paw prints on the ground.
“Look here, fresh traces, the paw prints are large, the stride is very wide, and walking carries an impatient heaviness…
That’s right, it’s that tiger, and it just passed by not long ago, probably wandering around nearby,” Yasopp’s voice was lowered, his sharp eyes scanning the surroundings, “Little one, are you ready?
Actual combat is not the same as imagined.”
Luna nodded, her heartbeat accelerating slightly, but not out of fear; rather, it was a fighting spirit mixed with tension and excitement.
She took a deep breath, striking a loose stance with her arms slightly lowered, but her muscles were already tensed, and the Rubber Constitution quietly activated.
“Remember, don’t fight head-on, use your flexibility.
A tiger’s pouncing force is huge, but it mostly charges in a straight line, and changing direction is a bit slow…” Yasopp hadn’t finished speaking.
“Roar—!!!”
A deafening tiger roar exploded from behind a nearby bush!
A foul wind hit them in the face, and a huge yellow-and-black striped figure rushed out like a cannonball, lunging straight towards Luna, who was standing further forward!