The training trip wasn't a trip.
It was a march through hell.
For two straight weeks, Garp dragged the four boys across forests, cliffs, rivers, and terrain that shouldn't exist on a peaceful island. He called it "strength building."
The boys called it "suffering."
By the end of day three, Ravian stopped questioning if Garp was human.
By day five, he stopped questioning reality entirely.
They climbed cliffs with ropes too thin to trust.
They fought boars that looked at them like snacks.
They ran laps around mountains while Garp threw boulders the size of houses.
Ace and Luffy complained constantly.
Sabo tried to reason with Garp (which was useless).
Ravian just focused on staying alive.
Every night he collapsed onto the ground like a broken puppet.
But every morning… he stood up a little easier.
His breathing steadied faster.
His steps softened, quieter than before.
His reactions sharpened — not from power, but from necessity.
One evening, as they trekked back toward a makeshift camp, Ravian noticed something strange.
He could predict Luffy tripping over a tree root before Luffy even stepped on it.
He caught Ace's sleeve just as the older boy almost toppled off a hill.
He sensed a wolf preparing to pounce long before it leaped from the bushes.
Not perfect.
Not supernatural.
Just instinct.
Refined by fear and repetition.
The system confirmed it.
[Instinct Flow — Stabilized]
[Perception Trace — Level 2]
[Minor Reflex Boost Gained]
Small boosts.
Human boosts.
Nothing flashy.
But noticeable.
Ace wiped sweat from his forehead after sparring. "You're dodging better."
Sabo nodded. "You don't freeze anymore."
Luffy grinned, showing all his teeth. "Ravian moves like a cat now!"
Ravian collapsed onto a rock. "I move like someone who's tired of almost dying."
Garp laughed from his spot by the fire. "Good! That means the training is working!"
"No it's not—!" the boys shouted back.
But maybe a little… it was.
Their bodies hurt.
Their clothes tore.
Their hands blistered.
But they were stronger.
Slightly.
Enough to feel the difference.
Not enough to brag.
On the thirteenth day, Garp finally announced the unthinkable.
"TRAINING TRIP IS OVER!"
The boys froze.
Ace dropped the stick he was sharpening.
Sabo blinked in disbelief.
Luffy cheered.
Ravian fell to his knees with relief so intense it felt holy.
"Back to Foosha!" Garp declared proudly. "You've all gotten tougher!"
Ace muttered, "We're tougher because we had to be."
Sabo nodded. "Or we'd be dead."
Ravian whispered, "I want a normal bed…"
Luffy was still cheering loudly enough to scare birds out of the trees.
The moment they returned to Foosha, Makino nearly threw a tray at Garp's head.
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO THE CHILDREN?!"
"They got stronger!" he replied proudly.
"They look like they survived a war!"
"They did!"
Makino smacked him with the tray.
Ravian sat at a table with Ace, Sabo, and Luffy, shoveling food into his mouth like he hadn't eaten in years.
Mira slid over a bowl of soup. "You survived."
"I'm not sure," Ravian mumbled between bites. "I might actually be a ghost."
But even as he sat there, aching and exhausted, he felt it again.
That faint tug in his chest.
[Synchronization: 5.9%]
[Fate Threads — Strengthening]
He ignored it for now.
He just wanted to breathe.
The next morning came quietly.
Too quietly.
Ravian walked to the forest edge with Ace and Sabo while Luffy chased butterflies ahead of them.
The air felt heavier today.
The forest… quieter.
Ace noticed it too. He frowned. "The bandits haven't shown up in days."
Sabo rubbed his chin. "It's strange. Targo's crew disappeared too."
Ravian's stomach tightened.
Something in the atmosphere felt wrong.
Like the world was holding its breath.
And slowly… the plot he remembered was beginning to inch forward.
Little signs.
Little shifts.
A sense of tension creeping back into Foosha Village.
The peace after the training trip wasn't real peace.
It was the calm right before the next storm.
Ravian exhaled slowly.
"I don't like this feeling."
Ace crossed his arms. "Neither do I."
Sabo nodded. "Let's keep an eye on things."
Luffy popped his head out of a bush cheerfully. "Guys! I found a crab!"
Ravian shook his head.
Even as Luffy played, even as the sun rose peacefully…
a shadow was moving closer.
A familiar shadow.
One that would set everything in motion.
And Ravian — slightly stronger, slightly sharper, still exhausted —
was now too close to escape it.