"What are all these letters and numbers supposed to mean? I don't even know where I stand in the hierarchy…" murmured X, staring at the floating screen in front of him.
Without wasting time, he moved forward through the dark corridor. The sound of his footsteps echoed off the walls. Suddenly, one by one, several torches lit up on their own, releasing a bluish light that illuminated the path. Shadows danced along the stone, giving the corridor an almost ghostly appearance.
At the end of the path stood a massive metallic door, enormous and covered with carved symbols that seemed to move slightly under the light.
X said nothing. He placed both hands on the double door and pushed hard. The metal groaned in resistance. The white-haired boy clenched his teeth, feeling the pressure build in his arms, until, after a few seconds, the door gave way with a thunderous rumble that echoed throughout the entire place.
Behind it opened an immense chamber. The ceiling was so high it could barely be seen, and the walls were covered by dark blocks that seemed to absorb the light.
The place was circular in shape. To his left stood a colossal statue of a wolf, its fangs gleaming as if they were made of obsidian. Next to it, a winged serpent with spread wings looked ready to strike. In front, a giant centipede climbed a column, and at its side, a stone bird with sharp claws seemed to watch everything from above.
"Four monsters… one of them has already appeared," murmured X, fixing his gaze on the wolf statue.
Suddenly, the air trembled.
Gravity multiplied instantly, pressing his body as if a mountain had fallen upon him. X clenched his teeth; his legs creaked under the invisible weight. The chamber began to change: the statues slowly turned, as if awakening from an eternal slumber.
From the base of each one, passages opened—deep and dark—from which creatures emerged. They were identical to the carved figures, but smaller and alive, covered in radiant energy: wolves, winged serpents, metallic centipedes, and birds with feathers as sharp as blades.
The ground vibrated under their steps. X looked around with a mix of awe and focus, noticing how each creature surrounded him.
A holographic screen materialized before him, floating in the air.
[Armament Haki: The will that strengthens the body. Practice under pressure. First Trial.]
Another line appeared.
[The trial has begun.]
"How many are there? A thousand monsters?" wondered X, watching as the ground shook beneath the weight of the creatures that kept coming nonstop, almost covering the entire hall. "Well… let's start with something simple."
Snap.
Nothing.
The sound was lost in the echo of the chamber, and absolutely nothing happened.
X blinked, a little surprised, then let out a light chuckle as he calmly adjusted his glasses.
"I suppose I can't use my powers here… the system really is clever," he said in a mocking tone. "You scanned my abilities and blocked them so I can't pass this trial easily, didn't you?"
[...]
"There's no need to answer," added the white-haired boy, with a barely visible smile.
Suddenly, a wave of monsters lunged at him. X leaned backward, dodging the first blows and slashes with inhuman precision. His body moved as if he already knew every attack before it happened.
He planted his palms on the ground, spun on his axis, and stretched his legs in a perfect circular motion. His kick struck a dozen creatures at once, sending them flying into the walls. Others crashed into each other, falling in a shower of dust and fragments of stone.
As X landed on his feet, breathing calmly, his white hair moved slightly in the dense air of the dungeon.
The monsters hesitated for a moment before attacking again, their expressions changing when they saw the boy make a gesture with his hand.
"Come on, come on. I don't have all day."
"ROAAGGH!"
All the monsters roared furiously, attacking the protagonist once more.
Meanwhile, Ahu and Buggy were resting on the deck, watching the waves crash against the hull of the ship. The sea breeze fluttered the clown's coat and tousled the dog's fur.
"It's been a while since X came out," commented Ahu, moving one ear backward. His tail, which had been swaying calmly a moment ago, stopped.
"Should we check what he's doing?" asked Buggy, crossing his arms while drumming his fingers on the railing.
"Yeah, let's go. He's probably training or sleeping again," replied Ahu.
Both went down into the ship's interior. The oil lamps flickered, casting long shadows on the walls.
When they reached X's room door, Ahu pushed it open with his paw. The room was empty, though the white-haired boy's scent still lingered in the air: a mix of ink, metal, and dust.
"He's not here," murmured Ahu, sniffing the air instinctively.
Buggy, meanwhile, jumped onto X's bed like it was nothing. "Well, looks like the captain decided to take a vacation somewhere else," he said with a mocking smile. But something caught his attention.
"Huh? And this book?"
On top of the pillow lay a small dark book. The material didn't look like leather or paper… rather, something in between, as if it were alive. A purple glow ran across its cover every few seconds, like a beating heart.
"A book?" asked Ahu, approaching cautiously. The fur on his neck bristled.
"Come on, let's read it," said Buggy excitedly, with that smile that always brought trouble.
"Don't even think about it, it reeks of danger," growled Ahu, showing his fangs slightly. "We shouldn't touch the captain's things."
But it was already too late. Buggy had opened it.
At that moment, the entire room trembled. A deep roar rumbled beneath the floor, making the lamps shake and the curtains lift as if struck by an invisible wind. The book began to shine with a dark light, so intense it seemed to devour the color around it. The energy emanating from its pages was so dense that the air itself felt almost liquid.
"Buggy! Close it now!" shouted Ahu, stepping back and bracing his hind legs to resist the wind surging from the book's center.
"I can't! It's moving on its own!" yelled Buggy, holding on tightly.
The glow transformed into a black vortex streaked with shades of purple. The pages fluttered violently, as if a storm had been unleashed inside them.
Ahu dug his claws into the floor, resisting the suction, his fur whipping wildly. "Idiot! I told you not to open it!"
"It wasn't my fault!"
The vortex swallowed them both. Buggy screamed, while Ahu tried to leap backward, but it was useless. The force of the whirlpool pulled them in without mercy.
In a final attempt, the dog extended one claw toward the doorframe, leaving a deep mark in the wood before disappearing into the darkness. A second later, the vortex snapped shut with a dry boom. The book fell onto the bed, closed itself, and a faint line of violet smoke slowly dissipated into the air.
Both of them crashed heavily onto a stone floor, rolling a few times before landing on their backs. A persistent ringing filled their ears, and the air smelled of iron and dampness.
Ahu brought his paws to his head, growling softly in pain. "Ugh… damn it… where are we?" he muttered, struggling to sit up. His fur was covered in dust, and small blue sparks still danced around him — remnants of the vortex that had swallowed them.
Buggy stood up shakily, his eyes spinning a bit. "Definitely not on the ship," he said in his usual sarcastic tone, brushing the dust off his pants.
The echo of their voices bounced off the walls, as if the cave were endless. Sharp rocks jutted out from the sides, and a faint purple glow seeped from the ceiling, filtering through invisible cracks.
"Looks like a cave… or something like it," continued Buggy, glancing around with curiosity. "Though I've gotten into places like this before… they were never this depressing."
Ahu narrowed his eyes, twitching his ears, alert for any sound. "I don't hear wind or water. That means we're very deep…" he said quietly, analyzing the terrain. Then his gaze fixed on the clown. "And this is all your fault, for opening that damn book."
Buggy frowned, shrugging. "Oh, sure, because it was so obvious it was going to suck us into a magic vacuum cleaner."
Ahu snorted, baring his fangs slightly. "If you had a sense of smell, you'd know that thing reeked of trouble."
The clown looked at him, pretending to be offended. "Yeah, well, not everyone's got a built-in danger detector in their nose."
The tension eased a bit. Both of them looked toward the dark tunnel that stretched ahead, faintly illuminated by a bluish light at the end.
"I guess there's only one way to go," said Ahu finally, straightening his back and adjusting the band around his neck.
Buggy grinned. "Then lead the way, guide dog."
"If you get lost, don't expect me to save you," replied Ahu without looking back, walking down the corridor.
Suddenly, a roar shook the cave, and from the ground began to emerge deformed figures moving among the shadows. The two barely had time to react before they were completely surrounded.
Red wolves with blood-stained fur and eyes glowing like embers approached slowly, growling with their fangs bared. Among them crawled enormous centipedes, their bodies clicking with a wet, metallic sound. Each creature was covered in cuts and deep scars, as if they had escaped from a hellish battle.
[Red Wolf — Lv. 1]
[Giant Centipede — Lv. 1]
"What the hell…?" muttered Buggy, stepping back. His usual grin vanished when he saw the monsters wouldn't stop appearing.
Ahu crouched instinctively, growling, his tail stiff and fangs exposed. "They're injured… but still alive. That means something worse attacked them before us."
"No! No! No!" screamed Buggy, raising his hands to fight. "Why does this have to happen to me?!"
The wolves lunged, roaring furiously.
"ROAAAGGH!"
"Ahhhhhh!" shrieked Buggy, splitting his torso in two to dodge a wolf's claw swipe.
"Calm down, Buggy! We can beat them!" shouted Ahu, slashing several centipedes, sending them flying backward.
"There's too many of them, and they keep coming!" yelled Buggy, increasingly desperate.
"We have to do something… if not…" thought Ahu as he cut down several centipedes and red wolves. But then, he suddenly felt his strength increase with each monster he defeated — which left him confused.
"What's going on? Wait! What are those glowing points? They're coming out of the dead monsters and into me!" he thought in surprise. However, amid the chaos, he realized that each of those lights that touched him made him stronger.
[Two hours since the trial began.]
[Three participants have entered.]
[593/1000 points obtained.]
"Buggy, finish them off! These things make you stronger for some strange reason!" shouted Ahu, watching the clown, who was still busy dodging wolf claws.
— — — [Stats] — — —
Name: Ahu
Strength: C – 121 → 123
Agility: C – 89 → 91
Sense: B – 189 → 189.4
Vitality: C – 55
Intelligence: B – 156
— — — — — — — — —
"DIE, YOU DAMN MONSTER!!!"
Buggy reached into his pocket and pulled out several blades, throwing them furiously at the wolf. The blades sliced through the air and buried themselves in the creature's body, which collapsed to the ground, bleeding out rapidly. A point of sky-blue light emerged from the wolf's body and floated slowly toward Buggy, merging with him.
— — — [Stats] — — —
Name: Buggy
Strength: C – 46 → 46.5
Agility: C – 19 → 19.5
Sense: D – 99 → 100
Vitality: C – 11
Intelligence: B – 67
Devil Fruit: B – 178 → 178.1
— — — — — — — — —
"Ahhhh! Something bright went into me!" screamed the clown, trying to pull out the strange energy that had merged into his chest.
"It happened to me too. I don't understand what it is, but for some strange reason, it boosts our physical condition," said Ahu, continuing to attack several wolves and centipedes rapidly.
[600/1000 points obtained.]