One Piece: I Understand It Now

Chapter 29: If One isn't Enough, What About Dozens?

Ken was walking confidently towards the angel. 

He had been patiently slashing it not once, not twice, but more than ten times. All of its limbs fell apart one by one, each time slashed in a different way, and with his eyes and brain working perfectly to detect its weak point, he should have found it by now.

Well, technically, he did find the weak point.

Within its stomach, hidden within one of the many tentacles that grew larger, sturdier, and more numerous with each slash, there was a tiny white stone that was so inconspicuous that anyone other than Ken would have a hard time noticing it.

Ken was sure that was the weak point, as he had tried everything, slashing every corner of the body other than it currently.

And had it been anyone else, they would have long been defeated by this angel, as its true might was only shown after it had been slashed multiple times.

As stated before, the tentacles grew numerous, larger, wider, and sturdier, making it harder to slash them each time.

The monster regenerated endlessly, making one tired beyond belief, and had it not been for Ken's enormous stamina and his near-perfect technique, which only took so little of his stamina, anybody else would have been drained and shredded by now.

Thus, it was near impossible to defeat this monster, and this was why it was a masterpiece. A mosnter that endlessly grew stronger until it reached a level unconceivable.

But this was also another weak point that Ken had deduced, making the total number rise to two.

Thus, he had not one, not two, but three ways of defeating.

Why was that?

Because of how monstrous his ability was. It turned out that it didn't end at adapting.

With his perfect adapting strength, if he were to train a technique beyond just perfection, beyond just a level where every fiber of his being was used, then it could grow farther.

Reaching a level where it was not only the internal capabilities that counted on how strong it was but the slashes themselves started reaching farther, becoming more deadly and larger, almost to a level where swordmasters could launch a sword slash dozens of meters in front.

This was the level beyond just the basics; it was the level of true swordsmanship, the level of styles.

Zoro's three-sword style was around this level. And although he had proper training since childhood, this young man that was Ken was on the way to creating his own style, a perfect style of unimaginable power.

Thus, little by little, if he were to continue slashing down on this perfect dummy, he would turn his normal multiple slashes into a single, deadly slash.

That was indeed the goal, but Ken was starting to get tired. He already had an idea of what he needed to do and was no longer in need of this monster.

This island turned out to be more dangerous than he thought, and with the island master noticing him, if he were to idle any longer and not flee at the next second, then nothing could save him.

Thus...

He raised his sword over his head, looking at the monster with his abyss-like eyes, and the angel stared back; this time, its eyes met the young man's, and for the first time, it felt like it was getting sucked.

"R-"

*SLASH* *Fwsh*

With a single slash, the angel disappeared into countless ash-like fragments, but bloody in color.

On the ground, ugly black flesh wriggled, being the only remains of the monster, formerly stationed on his stomach as tentacles; it was his very core.

The angel was no more, and if it could talk, its last words would be...

'Am I the monster? Or are you?'

-----End-----

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