When I looked at the wound on my side, I saw that it wasn't bleeding as badly as I'd thought. Stranger still, it seemed to be healing faster than normal… but, of course, that came with a price—suddenly I was hit by a ravenous hunger.
Fortunately, I'd brought some food with me. I pulled out my usual grilled meat—made from that Devil Fruit–enhanced creature I'd harvested earlier—and started eating. When I finished, I glanced at that beast that had put me through so much… it had been incredibly strong.
My clothes had been torn to shreds by its blows. As I looked over the rips, my eyes fell on its hide, and I started peeling it off to make myself a new outfit.
Once I'd fully skinned it, I teleported back to where I'd killed the dinosaur. I haven't forgotten that I still want to taste dinosaur meat.
But when I arrived, I saw a pack of wolves and jackals tearing at its carcass. That was supposed to be my meal, damn it! The sight made me furious.
With a flick of my hand, I used my Devil Fruit power to slice open a spatial rift, and killed every last one of them.
Why hadn't I used it in the previous fight? Because I didn't need to. I fight for the experience, not to finish things quickly.
I ripped off two of the dinosaur's legs and headed back to my cabin. Along the way, I rested a little. It might sound strange, but I really felt like a runner cooling down by walking slowly after a race.
When I reached the cabin, I built a large fire and roasted a whole dinosaur leg. I held a small feast for myself.
The first bite? Incredible. The flavor was fantastic, and it made me dig in even faster.
After eating my fill, I melted snow inside pieces of coconut I'd brought and drank the water to quench my thirst.
Now that I'd rested a bit, I looked at my wound again. It was nearly completely healed. Using a piece of the hide I'd perforated earlier, I fashioned a makeshift bandage and wrapped my side.
Then I fell into thought…
Today's fights were all different. One creature was so weak it didn't understand my strength and died easily. The other realized the threat I posed and attacked immediately.
Reflecting on those moments, on things I could have done and the mistakes I made, I thought maybe it's time I stop seeing these creatures merely as "animals." Some of them seem to have a rudimentary intelligence—and that can be dangerous, because they might learn to use their abilities more effectively.
I decided I should review the basics again, until I'm back to peak form.
I began with martial movements, starting slowly… then gradually increasing the speed. Once I was sure my body was warmed up, I moved on to sword practice.
But the truth is, I don't have a fully developed style. Without proper training, creating my own swordsmanship technique is tough. Even my current combat method isn't complete.
After hours of drilling fundamentals, I used my Enhancement power to accelerate my mind. This makes my stamina drain faster and my brain heat up… but it's worth it.
With my mind amplified, I turned my thoughts to the future… After I defeat the strongest being on this island, what then? How do I leave this island?
Some might say, "Use your Fruit power—teleport somewhere else." But when I power up, space becomes extremely unstable. That's why I have a serious idea: build a portal.
I know what you might think: a portal will just become unstable like teleportation and blow me to some unknown place… But the difference is, once I create and reinforce the portal, instead of space destabilizing, it stabilizes. That means a much higher chance of a safe transfer.
So I need to develop a new ability.
What exactly is a portal? It's like a coordinate on a graph. It shows where the two ends of a line segment lie on a plane.
But what do I want? A ray: a portal with an uncertain destination. Maybe it'll drop me in the middle of the sea… maybe on dry land. Either way, I have my maps.
For now, though… since I'm tired from overusing Enhancement, I'll leave it until I'm on my way out.
Now, let's think about the next fights…