The salty wind of Loguetown carried the faint scent of grilled fish from the docks. Raven stood there, staring at the horizon. His body still ached from his clash with Smoker, but his pride hurt far more.
"Too slow. Too weak. Too predictable," Smoker's words echoed in his mind.
That night, Raven made himself a promise:
Six years. I'll make them count.
---
Year 1 – Breaking Limits
Raven began with the basics — raw physical conditioning. Using the Moa Moa no Mi, he multiplied the weight of training stones by 10× at first. Push-ups, squats, pull-ups — every motion burned until his arms shook. He learned quickly that the fruit wasn't a shortcut; his body needed to adapt to the strain.
Every week, he pushed harder, raising the multiplier. His body thickened with muscle, his reflexes sharpened, and his stamina grew beyond human norms.
---
Year 2 – Armament Foundations
Raven remembered what was coming — Logia users, Yonko commanders, admirals. Without Haki, the seas would swallow him whole.
He sought out old sailors and retired bounty hunters, paying them with odd jobs just to spar. The first time he tried Armament Haki, nothing happened. The second time, his knuckles faintly darkened — only to fade a second later.
"Focus on the feeling," an old man told him. "Like you're pouring your will into your fist."
Weeks turned into months. His strikes grew heavier, sharper. By the year's end, he could coat his hands fully for short bursts — not enough for a prolonged battle, but enough to matter.
---
Year 3 – Observation Awakens
Blindfolded in an empty warehouse, Raven stood surrounded by fishermen with wooden sticks. He breathed deeply, letting the world's sounds filter into his mind — the shifting of a foot, the creak of wood, the change in air pressure before a strike.
The first few sessions were brutal. Bruises covered his body. But one night, mid-spar, time seemed to slow. He felt the swing before it happened and sidestepped it effortlessly.
"Gotcha," he muttered.
By the end of the year, he could fight blindfolded against five men and win.
---
Year 4 – Moa Moa Mastery
Raven's multiplier had reached 30×. He used it creatively — shrinking weights to train precision, enlarging them for endurance, and even multiplying the speed of his strikes by altering their momentum mid-swing.
He discovered that multiplying a punch wasn't just about strength — it was about force. A well-timed blow with even 20× could break stone.
---
Year 5 – Refinement
He began combining Haki and his fruit. Armament-coated strikes with a 40× multiplier hit like cannon fire. Observation-enhanced movements let him weave through attacks with ease.
He sparred against mercenaries, rogue pirates, even marines who owed him favors from the past. Every fight was a test, every loss a lesson.
---
Year 6 – The Raven Takes Flight
The final year pushed him beyond his limits. His Moa Moa multiplier reached 50× — not his cap, but enough to crush steel with a single blow. His Armament was solid, able to coat entire limbs for minutes at a time. His Observation let him predict movements seconds ahead in close combat.
But one thing remained dormant — Conqueror's Haki. He knew it was there, deep inside, waiting for the right moment. But that moment hadn't come.
---
Now, at eighteen, Raven stood at the Loguetown harbor once again. His black coat fluttered in the breeze, his dark eyes locked on the endless sea.
"Two years before Luffy… I'll carve my own path first."
The waves seemed to answer him, crashing against the shore. The age of the Raven was about to begin.