Blake's cheat ability had come into existence alongside him when he was born into this world.
But unlike Kozuki Oden, Blake wasn't some prodigy who could stand up and shout the moment he left the womb.
During his early years, even if he drew the most ordinary of opponents, he was powerless against them. All he could do was quietly train, tempering his body little by little as he grew.
Fortunately, the Celestial Dragons were born with above-average physical potential.
Most adult Celestial Dragons stood close to three meters tall roughly the same height as Marine Admirals. Unfortunately, years of indulgence and neglect made them soft and bloated, and very few among them ever had the patience to truly train.
Blake, however, was different. Thanks to his exceptional natural talent, he could defeat some of the weakest drawn opponents before he even turned ten.
These early foes were nobodies no Devil Fruits, no special constitutions, no mastery of Haki. The cards he earned from them only served to strengthen his physical body.
If he continued progressing at that rate, Blake figured he'd have to build a physique on par with Charlotte Linlin's "Iron Balloon" just to stand a chance against an opponent who could use Armament Haki.
Then came the turning point when Blake was twelve.
At twelve, Blake awakened his Observation Haki on his own.
That changed everything.
With his sharpened senses, fighting opponents without Haki became effortless. His physique improved rapidly, and even when facing enemies stronger than himself, he could predict their movements and stay one step ahead.
By thirteen, after years of deliberate conditioning and combat training, Blake awakened Armament Haki.
With both colors of Haki now in his arsenal, even those "average" New World fighters who possessed the same power no longer felt insurmountable.
Another three years passed. Most of the cards Blake drew now featured enemies far beyond his reach, but the weaker ones those early background fighters continued to serve as stepping stones.
By sixteen, he had reached a level of power comparable to Hina, the Marine officer whose Armament Haki he had once obtained.
Blake opened his eyes. His ever-dutiful maid stepped forward to serve him, and the same morning routine replayed once again.
After breakfast, he began his usual day of peaceful idleness.
"At my current level, I'm already around the rank of a Marine Rear Admiral," he muttered. "My training's starting to make too much noise. If I keep this up, I'll draw unwanted attention here in the Holy Land. From now on, I'll focus my battles entirely within the System Space."
His identity, after all, was a delicate one.
Within the nineteen Celestial Dragon families including those of the Five Elders there was surprisingly little infighting.
Those with ambition might seek to join the God's Knights, but the majority were little more than spoiled aristocrats lazy, arrogant, and content to live meaningless lives. At most, they might quarrel over who owned which slave, only to forget the argument a day later.
The elite and the useless rarely mixed. Unless they were born into the same household, they remained polite strangers for life.
Blake belonged firmly to the latter circle a small, unremarkable face among the idle nobility. To survive, he had to stay low, stay invisible, and grow strong in silence.
He could reveal himself later after he was capable of defeating even Imu, the one who ruled from the Empty Throne.
But for now, one problem remained: Blake had no true subordinates.
The maids and guards of his estate could manage chores, but expecting them to become elite fighters was a fantasy unless Blake was willing to spend his ability cards on them.
According to his plan, he would only start empowering his followers once he reached Admiral-level strength himself.
For minor errands, he could rely on Cipher Pol.
But for something delicate like locating the Rumble-Rumble Fruit on Birka there was no one he could trust.
If he sent Cipher Pol, they'd surely retrieve the fruit. But they'd also report every detail of the operation to the Five Elders.
And while the Elders probably wouldn't care enough to steal his treasure, drawing their attention now would make future plans infinitely more complicated.
He sighed. "Looks like the sea is my only option."
According to his knowledge of this world's timeline, both Crocodile and Moria would soon suffer defeats Crocodile losing to Whitebeard, Moria to Kaido. One would retreat to Paradise in humiliation, the other would start grave-robbing to build his zombie army.
Many transmigrators in Blake's position would've recruited them by offering revenge or power.
But Blake wasn't the kind of man who could win loyalty through empty promises or flashy words. He lacked that kind of "talk-no-jutsu." And those two weren't the type to kneel to anyone, either.
There were others Bartholomew Kuma, Jinbei, even Hannafza potential subordinates of great worth. But each came with their own complications. Kuma and Jinbei's ideals stood in direct opposition to Blake's. As for Hannafza, his bond with Kaido ran deep deep enough that he had entrusted Kaido with his child.
The Marines? Even less realistic.
Though the Navy was still under Kong's leadership and not yet fully independent like it would become under Sengoku, signs of autonomy had already begun thanks to Zephyr's role as instructor.
Unless Blake revealed his full potential and won the explicit backing of the Five Elders, recruiting anyone of real value from the Marines was a dream best left unspoken.
He exhaled and muttered, "Forget it. I'll just keep leveling up for now. Once I acquire Charlotte Linlin's Iron Balloon, I won't have to worry about safety at sea."
Returning to his room, he commanded softly:
"System activate."
Having already absorbed Hina's Armament Haki, Blake's power had grown exponentially. Now, he was ready to challenge the Charlotte Linlin (Childhood) card again.
If he could obtain the "Iron Balloon," his physical defense would skyrocket to near-invulnerability. Even if he couldn't match an elite Vice Admiral, he could still hold out until reinforcements arrived.
With that, he could finally leave Mary Geoise behind and venture into the open sea to find allies worth commanding.
The world shifted around him as he stepped back into the System Space.
This time, the battlefield was a bustling town.
He didn't have to search long. A massive figure nearly four meters tall and built like a mountain of flesh appeared before him.
It was Charlotte Linlin as a child.
Blake couldn't help but chuckle to himself. "Funny. She looks almost the same as in her old age, but I remember she was actually beautiful in her youth."
Oda once said that the prettiest woman on Hachinosu was Shakky. But in Blake's opinion, the true beauty rankings were different: first Bakkin, then Linlin, and only then Shakky.
Before he could finish that thought, a gigantic fist bigger than a cooking pot came crashing down toward his head.
"Whoa hey! No warning?!" Blake shouted, dodging just in time.
The impact left a deep crater in the cobblestone street.
Another punch followed immediately. Blake darted aside again, barely keeping ahead of her. He had no chance to counterattack.
Linlin's strength and defense were monstrous inhuman even. Despite his newly enhanced Armament Haki, a head-on clash would be suicide.
He'd never understood why so many warriors in this world insisted on trading blow for blow. Sure, it looked cool, but couldn't anyone here just… dodge?
It was so inefficient.
Over years of trial and error within the card space, Blake had developed his own unique fighting style.
It wasn't anything flashy just simple, efficient, brutally effective. He relied on agile footwork and precise parries with his arms, targeting the enemy's head and liver for lethal strikes.
Simple in concept, devastating in practice.
In fact, it surpassed the crude brawling of nearly everyone on the seas.
Why were fighters in this world so ridiculously durable?
Because they fought like cavemen punch for punch, blast for blast. Whoever's attack was bigger won.
Dodging? Not their style.
Whoever dodged first was "the weaker man."
And since most attacks didn't even hit vital areas, people rarely died.
That kind of sloppy fighting might work for "blood-tank" monsters, but not for Blake.
Linlin's next punch shook the ground, leaving a fresh crater.
Blake's eyes flashed.
He stomped down hard, using his Observation Haki to predict her next move. In a burst of motion, he dashed up her massive arm, then vanished from sight reappearing right in front of her.
His fists, coated in pure black Armament Haki, came crashing down like twin hammers.
One brutal strike.
Two.
Three.
Each hit heavier than the last.
Linlin's colossal frame was sent flying backward, crashing into a building and kicking up a cloud of dust.
Most fighters would've paused there posing dramatically, waiting for the smoke to clear.
Not Blake.
He charged forward without hesitation.
Finishing blows mattered.
You strike when they're down.
No flashy speeches, no mercy.
"Let's see you tank this Iron Balloon or not!"
He clenched his fists, every vein in his arm pulsing with Armament Haki.
"Now explode for me Iron Balloon!!!"