I couldn't help smiling.
Not the polite smile I wore around the instructors.
Not the harmless little smile expected from a Celestial Dragon.
A genuine one.
"This kid..."
He was good.
Really good.
And perhaps that was exactly what I had been looking for.
I didn't know it yet, but the next three years were going to change quite a lot.
---
Three Years....
That is a long time.
Especially when you're actually doing something with it.
And I had no intention of wasting a single day.
The first thing that changed was our training.
Lucci kept coming back.
Every day.
Sometimes we trained in the private hall.
Sometimes outside.
Sometimes I simply watched him practice.
His foundation was still primitive by my standards, but his instincts were exceptional.
He learned quickly.
Too quickly,
I'd demonstrate something once.
He would try it.
Again. Again. Again.
And eventually...
He'd get it.
"Your stance."
He corrected it.
"Again."
He repeated it.
"Don't put so much strength into your shoulder."
He adjusted.
Better.
I nodded.
"Good."
That was enough.
He didn't need praise.
He needed someone to tell him where he could improve.
And I was more than happy to do that.
Eventually, I started teaching him things beyond Rokushiki.
Martial fundamentals.
Breathing, Body control.
How to move without wasting strength.
How to feel the movement of his own body before committing to it.
And then...
I thought of trying to teach him cultivation.
That part was considerably more interesting, as I don't know how that would work when tried by a native.
"So what is 'Qi' ?"
Lucci asked.
"Breath Of the World"
I sat across from him.
"Qi is what you're going to nourish your body and soul"
"How?"
"By first learning to feel it."
He closed his eyes.
I watched him.
For several minutes, nothing happened.
Then...
A tiny movement.
Barely perceptible.
I choked on my coffee, 'How...!!? Did he just feel Qi without even knowing what the Fuck that is??'
His eyes opened.
"I...I felt something, so warm"
I immediately crossed my legs,
"Good. Now watch this carefully. I'll make the Qi heat up so you can see the general flow, catch the threads, and lead it into Dantian"
He followed my instructions quite carefully as we sat on it for days.
Meanwhile, my own cultivation continued.
My Qi became denser.
My body became stronger.
And yet...The bottleneck remained.
Half-step Dou Grandmaster.
Still...Arghh
I could feel the next realm waiting beyond that final barrier.
But it refused to open.
Fine.
I wasn't going to force it.
A foundation built properly was worth more than rushing toward the next realm and discovering later that I'd built myself upon sand.
So I continued.
Late one evening.
The balcony was quiet.
The moon was casting pale light.
Lucci sat crosslegged before me.
His eyes were closed.
His breathing was slow.
I sat behind him, several acupuncture needles between my fingers.
"Relax."
"Hmn."
A pause.
"... Will this help?" he said with confusion.
"... Trust", I inserted the first needle.
His body tensed.
A low grunt escaped him.
But he didn't move.
Another needle.
Then another.
I guided my Qi through his body.
Checking his internal pathways.
His meridians and flow.
His body's response to cultivation.
Everything was proceeding normally.
Until my Qi was blocked... by something..?
I stopped.
"..."
I tried again, but no luck.
I frowned.
'No'
That wasn't a normal Qi vein.
I carefully traced the pathway.
My eyes widened.
"Wait..."
I checked another.
Then another.
My expression slowly changed.
"You're fucking kidding me..."
Lucci opened one eye.
"What?"
"Don't move."
He closed it again.
I continued.
Five. Ten. Fifteen.
Twenty.
I gasped!!
Thirty.
Thirty five.
!!!
Thirty six.
I froze.
Thirty six Opened Profound Veins !!!
I slowly withdrew the needle.
For several seconds, I simply stared at him.
Then something clicked in my head.
The absurd growth.
The monstrous physical ability.
The way his talent seemed completely disproportionate even among the strongest fighters of his generation.
The original Lucci.
The man who somehow returned after two years and had reached a level where he could stand against monsters who had been trained by legends.
It always felt strange.
Luffy had trained under Rayleigh.
He possessed the power of the Sun God.
He had inherited an absurdly powerful Devil Fruit.
And yet Lucci...
Lucci kept growing.
Not at the same pace, perhaps.
But enough to remain relevant among monsters.
Enough to become a threat again.
And now...
I understood.
My lips slowly curled upward.
"Heavenly Profound Veins..."
Lucci opened his eyes.
"What?"
I looked at him.
A grin spread across my face.
"Nothing."
That grin probably looked insane.
Because Lucci actually flinched.
Just slightly.
"From tomorrow onward, you're training with me every single day."
"I already train every day."
"Not like this."
"What are you going to teach me?"
I leaned forward.
"How to Go Against the Gods"
He stared at me.
"...I don't understand."
A pause.
"Just trust me hehehehe..."
Lucci nodded.
"Alright."
And that was it.
From that day onward...
His training changed completely.
Every day I worked on opening his meridians.
And every day...I became more convinced that this kid was something extraordinary.
.
..
....
Well, not everything in those three years involved cultivation.
Some things were considerably more peaceful.
Like Kalifa....
"George."
"Hm?"
"You're lying on my lap again."
I didn't bother opening my eyes.
"Yes."
"Why?...?"
"Comfortable."
She sighed.
"You have an entire sofa."
"But you have a lap."
Silence.
I felt her hand slowly move through my hair.
"...You're impossible."
"I've been told."
She continued reading.
I continued sleeping.
Problem solved.
Things between us changed naturally.
There wasn't some dramatic moment.
No grand confession....
We simply spent more time together.
And eventually...
Being together stopped feeling unusual.
She sat beside me while I cultivated...
I would occasionally steal food from her plate.
She stole it back.
Sometimes she'd rest against my shoulder while reading reports.
And I'd lean against her.
Sometimes neither of us would even speak.
It was comfortable.
Warm and Simple.
I liked it.....A lot.
"George."
"Yes?"
"You're staring."
"Hmm..." I reacted softly
She lowered her document.
"Is there something?"
I smiled.
"Just Admiring."
Her eyes widened slightly.
Then she looked away.
"...You're shameless."
"That I am, that I am..." I grinned
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
Neither of us said anything else.
But her ears stayed red for the next several minutes.
-----------
years passed like that.
Training.
Cultivation.
Learning.
Living...well, loving.
And somewhere along the way, Kalifa stopped behaving like an employee.
She would tease me.
Argue with me.
Correct me.
Sometimes even scold me.
Which was frankly hilarious considering what I technically was.
She'd walk into my room without knocking.
Sit beside me.
Take whatever she wanted from my desk.
And then act like she'd done nothing wrong.
"Oi, pretty lady. You took my pen." I said as I put down my scrolls
"No, I didn't."
"(⊙ _ ⊙ ).....It's in your hand."
She looked down.
"...Oh.
>ᴗ<"
I laughed.
It was normal.
Almost like we'd been doing it for years.
Because we had.
Lucci changed too... somewhat.
He was still quiet.
Still serious.
Still carrying that same cold expression most of the time.
But he talked more now... a little more, but hey, it's still progress.
He simply no longer felt the need to remain silent around me.
Sometimes we'd sit together after training.
He would ask something.
I'd answer.
There were things he wanted to know about me.
I knew that.
And there were things I wasn't telling him.
He knew that too.
Neither of us mentioned it.
Lucci simply understood that some answers were better left unasked until he was ready to hear them.
Whatever I was planning...
It was bigger than a Celestial Dragon's childish hobby.
He knew that.
And for now...
That was enough for Him.
---
The years continued moving.
My body grew stronger.
Lucci's cultivation slowly began taking shape.
Kalifa became increasingly comfortable around me.
And Guanhao...Became home.
Not Mary Geoise.
Not the Celestial Dragon estates.
Here.
This place.
These people.
This life.
For three years, the outside world was nonexistent.
Until Today,
The sun was just beginning to rise.
Golden light slowly spilt across the horizon.
I opened my eyes.
The room was quiet.
Kalifa was still sleeping beside me.
Her breathing was soft and peaceful.
I turned toward her.
For a moment, I simply watched.
Then I reached over and gently moved a loose strand of hair away from her face.
She didn't wake.
I smiled.
I leaned down and kissed her forehead.
Softly.
Then I pulled the blanket higher over her shoulders before getting out of bed.
I walked toward the balcony.
The door opened with a quiet click.
Cool morning air brushed against my face.
I stepped outside.
The sea stretched endlessly before me.
Calm and Quiet.
Almost impossibly peaceful.
I rested my hands against the railing.
And stared at the horizon.
For a long while...
I said nothing.
Behind me...
Soft footsteps approached.
I didn't turn.
Two arms slowly wrapped around my chest from behind.
Kalifa rested her chin against my shoulder.
"hmmm....."
Her voice was quiet.
Still carrying the softness of sleep.
"What's the matter, George?"
[DING!!]
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BLACK MYTH: REALM GATE UNLOCKED
START JOURNEY?
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