While Reith was exhausting himself with training day after day…
Rayleigh suddenly grabbed Reith and dragged him to the stern:
— Try this.
Ten specially prepared reefs floated on the surface of the sea, each with a number engraved on it.
- Use Black Tide, defeat them in order.
— And also, you can't break stones after the required number. For example, if you need to break 1, 2, 3, then you can't break any stone after the third.
It's important to understand that this was happening right next to the shore. The waves constantly crashed against Reith's shins. Reith immediately felt weak, as the sea is the sworn enemy of all Devil Fruit users.
Reilly just looked at Reith:
"This way, you'll not only practice controlling your power, but also increase your resistance to seawater. No powerful Fruit user loses their fighting ability just by touching it. If seawater were so powerful, why would anyone need Seastone?"
So your task is to resist the sea water and break the stones with precise blows.
As he entered the water, Reith realized that he had imagined everything too frivolously.
As soon as his ankles touched the water, he was overcome with such weakness that he could barely stand. Floating reefs bobbed before his eyes, the Black Tide felt incredibly heavy in his hands, but the most deadly thing was the seemingly gentle surf—every wave sapped his strength.
Less than ten seconds in the water, Wraith collapsed without even having time to swing his sword. The Black Tide had dragged Wraith down with it. Worse still, his Busoshoku Haki was washed away by the seawater in an instant.
Gurgle-gurgle-gurgle…
No one rescued him. Reith would be the first person to drown while standing ankle-deep in seawater near the shore.
Rayleigh pulled Reith out with just Geppo. He hadn't even had time to spit out all the seawater when he heard his first mate say:
— That'll be a hundred beli.
Reith really didn't expect his serious first mate to charge a hundred beli for every rescue. Fortunately, it wasn't much money, and poor Reith didn't pay much attention.
And so poor Reith went into the sea, drowned, and Rayleigh pulled him out – and so on in a circle until the sun began to set.
"Here's your eighteen thousand nine hundred belli. I'll definitely manage it tomorrow!"
After a full day of training, Reith felt his resistance to seawater had noticeably increased. Yes, Reith hadn't landed a single punch all day.
The next day—a familiar recipe, a familiar place. Reith stared at the reefs floating on the sea's surface, his gaze much more steady than yesterday.
"I'll definitely land at least one punch today!" He clenched his fists, encouraging himself.
Reilly leaned against a rock and slowly sipped his coffee:
— Just a reminder, today's rescue fee has increased. Two hundred beli at a time.
Rate: "???"
Gaban added fuel to the fire from the side:
- Inflation.
Roger laughed out loud:
— Ku-ha-ha-ha! Come on, Reith! I believe in you!
Reith grinned like a shark:
"Uncle Rayleigh is looking out for my safety, and you two have nothing better to do? Did you come here to laugh at me? You idiots!"
Roger couldn't stop laughing:
"I don't know why, but watching you gradually become stronger gives me some inexplicable feeling of satisfaction, like… umm…"
Gaban picked up:
— It's like watching your son grow up and achieve success.
- You idiot Gaban, I got on the ship before you, I'm your senior comrade!
Gaban waved his hand indifferently:
"I've never seen older comrades lag so far behind their younger ones. Keep trying, little Reith. We're still waiting for you to protect us."
This angered Reith so much that his face turned red. He secretly swore to himself that he would leave those three gaping in surprise.
This time, he'd wised up. He'd analyzed his mistakes yesterday. Before entering the water, he'd immediately coated his entire body in Busoshoku Haki. This should have effectively reduced the corrosive effects of the seawater on his body, or at least prevented him from immediately weakening.
He then covered himself in a layer of compressed fog. Although the seawater would instantly wash it away, it didn't matter. This gave him 0.5 seconds to adapt, enough to get used to the transition from air to water.
After this, the most important thing is to hold your breath so as not to choke when the wave hits your face.
Reith clearly felt that he could stay in the sea water longer.
"Okay, now I'm going to swing my sword, break the reef and surprise that gang of old men outside!"
"Now you'll see what Grandpa Reith is capable of!"
(The sad melody "The cool night painted my longing for you the color of the sea" plays)
The Black Tide's resistance in seawater was incredibly high. Moreover, the Black Tide itself was very heavy. "You've got to be kidding me!"
"I am the future king – the Fog Ghost of Reyt! A-a-a-a!!!"
He grabbed the Black Tide with both hands and swung it forward with all his might.
Sh-sh-shat!
The blade barely touched the surface of the water before he was pulled forward by the weight of the Black Tide, and he fell face first into the sea.
Gurgle-gurgle-gurgle…
Reilly: "Green... bubbles... debt collection... two hundred... bellies."
Reith returned to his cabin:
— I spent twenty thousand beli today. What a productive day!
After countless rescues and payments, Reith finally hit upon a trick.
He stopped blindly fighting the waves and began adjusting his posture to their movements. He concentrated Haki on his wrists, using Observation Haki to assist him, increasing the explosive force of his strike and reducing his constant energy expenditure.
Bam!
This time, the Black Tide's tip finally broke reef number one, along with reefs two, three, and four. The momentum was so strong that Reith simply didn't have time to stop.
Reilly nodded slightly.
- Not bad. Keep up the good work, I believe in you.
Reith collapsed on the deck, soaking wet, but a smile played on his lips:
- Tomorrow... I will definitely be able to cut it...
Three months passed like this.
K-cha!
— Misty Sword: Black Tide!
Reith struck with all his might. The Black Tide's blade finally split reef "1" cleanly, and the residual force of the blow died just before reef "2."
Reilly:
- Passed.
Reith excitedly raised the Black Tide, but immediately sank back under the water.
Gurgle-gurgle-gurgle…
Reilly:
— That'll be thirty thousand beli.
Reith scratched his head:
"Brother Raleigh, can I borrow some? Next time I have the money, I'll pay you back right away."
Yes, Reith's little stash was empty. Although Reith made fewer and fewer mistakes in the following days, that nasty old man Raleigh raised the price by a hundred belli every day. Eventually, he simply quoted a price at random, whenever he felt like it.
Reith's little stash was finally exhausted today.
Next, Reith faced his final exam. His three "foster fathers" chose a super-sized Sea King for him.
As soon as Reith found it, the Sea King shattered the pirate ship with a single blow of its tail. If this had been three or four months ago, Reith would have been powerless against such a massive Sea King. The reason is simple: he couldn't penetrate its defenses. As soon as the creature plunged into the sea, it emerged from its mist field, making it impossible to poison.