A spark flared across the sea.
Nami, sitting at the bow of the small ship, blinked in surprise as she caught sight of a blazing fireball erupting from the stern.
Ron stood there, his hand still raised, eyes focused and unblinking. The fireball shot into the air and vanished into the waves, leaving behind a faint shimmer of steam.
Nami's lips puffed slightly. She remembered how Ron had tried teaching her magic before, only for her to fail every attempt. He told her it was because she lacked the bloodline of a magician. That excuse still stung.
While Nami sulked, Ron was too absorbed in his experiment to notice.
"The power... not bad," he muttered, watching the sea boil where his fireball had landed.
Compared to the sharp precision of Wind Blade, Fireball was its opposite. Wind was a strike, clean, instant, and deadly. Fire was destruction broad, consuming, and impossible to block.
Wind killed with speed. Fire killed with inevitability.
If someone like Captain Klu faced this spell, even his serrated blade could only block a single Wind Blade through sheer luck. But no weapon could stop a fireball. You either dodged it or burned with it.
Yet speed had its cost. Fireballs were slower, heavier, more deliberate. Wind ruled the open field. Fire thrived in narrow alleys. Each had its throne.
Ron lifted his hand again. "Let's try something new."
His mind sharpened. In the inner world of spirit, the rune of fire began to glow once more.
A second fireball took shape above his palm but this time, he willed it to stay. It trembled, resisting his control, but did not fly away. The delay lasted less than a heartbeat, yet it was enough.
His eyes flashed. "Wind Blade."
A swirl of azure light bloomed in front of him. The moment the fireball shot forward, the Wind Blade followed, slicing into its core.
Boom!
The sea exploded with color. Fire roared and wind howled as the two elements collided, merging into one. The flame twisted around the rushing blade, forming a streak of burning energy that cut through the air like a flaming sword.
It crashed into the water, tearing it open as the flames scattered across the waves.
Ron's lips curved upward. "It worked."
Wind and fire, two elements born to dance together. Their fusion did not repel or collapse but instead harmonized, magnifying both.
"The slower speed of the fireball... it's perfect for fusion," he murmured. "If it flew any faster, they'd never meet in sync."
He grinned. "Then this new spell... will be called Fire Edge."
The air around him shimmered with residual heat. Fire Edge wasn't just strong, it was merciless. Faster than flame, harder to avoid than wind, and impossible to defend against. Only overwhelming strength or speed could nullify it.
If Captain Klu faced this move, he would have been sliced apart in one strike, his body charred before hitting the deck.
Ron analyzed calmly. "Any pirate below ten million Beli wouldn't stand a chance. Even those with bounties over ten million might barely survive."
He paused. "But not Arlong."
Arlong was a fishman. In the sea, fire was useless. Even standing in shallow water, he could control the tides, dousing any flame that came his way. To defeat him, Ron would need a second-tier Wind spell, something fast enough to strike before Arlong could react, powerful enough to kill before he reached the water.
Still, for the first time, Ron felt that victory was not impossible. He just needed more time.
With renewed determination, he began training again.
His mastery over the Fire Rune grew quickly. His mental strength had soared far beyond when he first learned magic, and now his control over runes was refined and sharp.
On his third attempt, the casting time dropped to under three seconds.
On his fourth, to two seconds.
After a brief meditation to recover his spirit, he continued.
One spell after another, fireballs roared across the sea.
Seven, eight, nine times until he could cast one in a single second.
Each rune was engraved deeper into his mind, his control growing more fluid, his casting speed almost matching his Wind Blades.
As he trained, a new notification appeared before his eyes.
[Achievement Unlocked: Steady Progress — Reward: 2 Achievement Points]
The condition was to accumulate one hundred hours of training. Since the moment he arrived in this world, Ron had barely stopped practicing. He had finally reached that threshold.
Two more points.
As always, he placed them into Spirit.
His total now reached twenty-seven approaching the threshold of thirty. His mental energy surged. The air around him felt lighter, clearer, almost alive.
With each rise in Spirit, his recovery rate accelerated. Now, every ten minutes of rest restored enough power for another Wind Blade. It might not sound like much, but in real battle, it was a massive difference.
He smiled faintly. "At thirty, I'll recover even faster. And then... I'll never run out of spells."
The ocean stretched endlessly around him, blue and calm.
In that peace, a single truth pulsed through his heart.
He was evolving fast.
The mage of the Achievement System had begun his climb to legend.
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