The ship sailed for several days on the boundless sea.
Kyle's young body had an astonishing recovery rate, and with several days of ample food and drink, the wound on his ribs had completely healed, and he felt more energetic than ever before.
Every day, seeing Roger either laughing loudly into the wind at the bow of the ship, or arm-wrestling with Rayleigh (usually ending with Roger cheating), or humming off-key tunes, that vitality that seemed to overflow the deck also ignited a certain desire in Kyle's heart.
This afternoon, the sun was just right, and the sea breeze was gentle.
Roger had just finished a large piece of roasted sea beast leg and was picking his teeth, looking very satisfied.
Rayleigh, on the other hand, leaned against the mast, wiping his seemingly ordinary but inwardly sharp rapier.
Kyle stretched his limbs, feeling the surging power within him, and finally couldn't hold back, walking a few steps to Roger with burning eyes.
"Captain!"
Roger lazily raised his eyes: "Hmm? What's wrong, little Kyle, hungry?"
"Duel with me, Captain!" Kyle's voice was not loud, but it carried the impetuosity of a newborn calf not fearing a tiger, as he urgently wanted to know the gap between himself and Roger.
Roger's tooth-picking motion paused, then he burst into his signature loud laughter: "Kuhahaha! Interesting!"
Hearing this, Rayleigh stopped wiping his sword, and the gaze behind his glasses held a faint smile, looking over, clearly also interested.
Soon, a clear space was made on the deck.
Kyle took a deep breath and assumed a fighting stance.
He knew there was a world of difference between him and Roger, but it was precisely this gap that further stirred his competitive spirit. He wanted to know how many moves he could last against the future Pirate King if he went all out.
"Ikuso, Captain!"
Before he finished speaking, Kyle's figure swayed slightly.
"Light Illusion Mirage!"
The light in the air twisted, like ripples on the water. The next moment, three identical Kyles appeared on the deck!
Each exuded the same aura, and even the expressions on their faces were identical, making it difficult to distinguish between real and fake.
The three "Kyles" formed a triangular shape, simultaneously rushing towards Roger in the center from three different directions, with whistling wind!
The Kyle on the left chopped straight at Roger's neck with a hand-knife, the Kyle on the right kicked swiftly towards Roger's lower body, while the Kyle directly in front clenched both fists, preparing to unleash a shock punch.
This was the best way he could currently think of to combine the deceptive and offensive nature of "Light Illusion Mirage." Even if only one was real, the other two illusions could effectively distract the opponent, creating an opportunity for the real body.
Roger! Can you withstand this punch, the result of thirty years of physics knowledge?
Facing this sudden multi-pronged attack, Roger merely stood lazily in place, picking his nose, and even the smile on his face hadn't changed much, only a hint of approval flickered in his eyes.
"Wow, Sugoi!"
Just as the attacks of the three "Kyles" were about to land, Roger moved.
His movements were not fast; in fact, they could be described as extremely simple.
There was no dodging, no blocking.
He merely casually raised his right hand and, facing the Kyle closest to him—the one attacking from the front—he nonchalantly threw a hook punch.
"Bang!"
A dull thud.
"Pfft—!"
The light and shadow clones instantly dispersed. Kyle only felt an indescribable immense force coming from his abdomen, and his vision instantly spun, his mind a blank.
Watashi, did I hit the jackpot again?
One "Sugoi" after another, one "Karamie" after another with a single punch, Roger, you fellow…
Kyle's body arched sharply backward like a cooked shrimp, his feet leaving the ground, then he softly collapsed onto the deck, his eyes rolling back, and he directly passed out.
The entire process was swift and sudden, too fast for anyone to react.
One second earlier, there were three Kyles fiercely attacking, and the next second, there was only one Kyle lying on the ground, falling into a childlike sleep.
The deck was silent, with only the "whoosh" of the sea breeze blowing through the canvas.
Roger retracted his fist, shook his hand, as if merely brushing off a bit of dust.
He looked down at the unconscious Kyle, grinning: "Kuhahaha! It's good to be young, just fall asleep! "
Rayleigh slowly walked over, glanced at Kyle, who was curled up and unconscious, and a helpless arc appeared at the corner of his mouth: "It seems he won't wake up before dinner. Roger, you're still so heavy-handed."
"Kuhahaha! Little Kyle is sturdy!" Roger laughed carelessly, bending down to pick Kyle up like a small chicken, and casually slung him over his shoulder.
"Let's go, Rayleigh, see if we can catch any big guys for dinner today!"
…
The rich aroma of meat, like an invisible hook, gradually pulled Kyle out of his stupor.
He opened his eyes; the afterglow of the setting sun was filtering through the porthole, casting warm orange-red hues into the swaying cabin.
His stomach was empty and rumbling, and the dull pain from being knocked out by Roger's punch still lingered on his ribs and belly, reminding him of the terrible "duel" this afternoon.
"Ugh…" Kyle groaned, sitting up while holding his forehead. Thankfully, he hadn't transmigrated again.
"Yo, awake?" Roger's distinctive loud voice came from outside the cabin, carrying undisguised amusement.
Kyle, leaning against the wall, staggered out of the cabin.
On the deck, a bonfire was burning brightly, and an unknown sea bird, roasted golden-brown and dripping with oil, was suspended over the fire, emitting an enticing aroma. Roger was holding a dagger, casually cutting off a piece of roasted meat and stuffing it into his mouth, eating with oil dripping from his chin.
Rayleigh, on the other hand, sat nearby, elegantly cutting the meat on his plate with a small knife, a stark contrast to Roger's roughness.
"Kuhahaha! Just in time, little Kyle! Tonight's dinner is a special treat!" Roger, seeing Kyle come out, waved him over, pointing to an empty wooden crate by the fire.
Kyle's stomach rumbled even louder. He didn't stand on ceremony, walked over a few steps and sat down, picking up a set of knife and fork that Rayleigh handed him from beside him.
Starved, he didn't care about his image, tearing off a large piece of bird leg directly with his hand, just like Roger, and took a big bite.
"Mmm… Umaii!" The meat was tender, with a faint smoky aroma, the most delicious thing he had eaten since his transmigration.
After devouring most of the roasted bird like a whirlwind, the hunger in his stomach was finally suppressed. Kyle let out a satisfied burp, and then remembered the humiliating punch from the afternoon.
He put down the cleanly gnawed bone and looked at Roger, who was picking his teeth with a satisfied expression.
"Captain," Kyle's tone was complex, with awe, unwillingness, and more so, intense curiosity, "That punch you threw this afternoon… what exactly was that about? I clearly used 'Light Illusion Mirage,' attacking from three directions simultaneously…"
He still couldn't figure out how Roger had instantly pinpointed his true body and, with such a casual punch, knocked him unconscious.
Roger paused his tooth-picking motion, glanced at him, and grinned: "Oh? That?" He extended the fist that had punched Kyle, wiggled it in front of his eyes, and then said in a "isn't it obvious?" tone, "It was just a 'bang,' and you fell asleep, kuhahaha!"
Kyle's mouth twitched: "I'm asking… how did you do it?"
"Hmm…" Roger stroked his chin, seemingly thinking seriously. After a moment, he slapped his thigh, "Perhaps your boy's weakness was too obvious? Those three shadows made my eyes blurry, I just randomly picked one that looked good and punched, and it turned out to be the right one! Luck, purely luck! Kuhahaha!"
You call that luck?! Kyle almost spat out a mouthful of old blood. This Versailles-style answer was more hurtful than direct mockery of his weakness.
Rayleigh, who was beside them, put down his knife and fork, wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin, and with a hint of a smile behind his glasses, spoke faintly: "Roger just didn't want to waste extra effort distinguishing your illusions. To him, attacking any of them was the same."
Kyle: "…"
That's a killer blow, Rayleigh-san!
Roger laughed triumphantly: "Rayleigh understands me best! Little Kyle, your Devil Fruit ability is good, and your idea is pretty good, but it's still far from enough!"
Kyle was choked speechless, his cheeks flushed. Although it was the truth, hearing it so directly from the future Pirate King was still a huge blow to him.
He had originally thought that with his Boba Fruit ability, he should be considered outstanding among his peers, but he never expected to not even last one move against Roger.
A strong sense of frustration welled up in his heart, but it was immediately followed by an even more surging fighting spirit.
"Captain!" Kyle suddenly stood up, his eyes firm, "Please teach me how to become stronger!"
Roger and Rayleigh both looked at him with some surprise.
Roger observed Kyle with interest, a strange light flickering in his deep eyes. He put down his toothpick, grinned, his smile containing a hint of playfulness, and a hint of… approval.
"Kuhahaha! Very spirited!" Roger stood up and walked in front of Kyle,
"Want to become stronger?" Roger extended his large, fan-like hand and heavily patted Kyle's shoulder, causing him to stumble, "Alright!"
He abruptly withdrew his hand, placed both hands on his hips, and in a tone of announcing a major decision, loudly declared: "Since you're so motivated, starting tomorrow, Rayleigh and I will personally guide your training!"
"Kuhahaha! Don't cry and beg for mercy, little Kyle! And don't accidentally die!" Roger laughed wildly, as if he had already foreseen the scene of Kyle being trained to death.
Kyle swallowed, looking at Roger's excited expression, as if he wanted to see the world in chaos, and then at Rayleigh's calm expression of "good luck to you," feeling a chill run from his tailbone straight to the top of his head.
"Yes… Captain!" Although he anticipated a difficult road ahead, Kyle gritted his teeth and loudly agreed.