Inside the small wooden hut, the night felt heavier than usual.
Lalmin sat with a serious face, arms crossed, looking like someone who had just discovered a terrible truth.
"I knew it," he said in a low voice.
Kima and Akima looked at him, already tired and slightly shaken from the fight.
"Knew what, Grandpa?" Akima asked.
Lalmin leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice as if revealing something secret. "We have joined dangerous people."
Silence.
Kima frowned. "What?"
Lalmin continued, his imagination already running. "Think about it… powerful enemies, hidden enemies, people attacking at night… this is not normal. These people… they are definitely involved in something big."
Akima blinked. "…Or maybe we just got unlucky?"
"No," Lalmin said firmly. "This is a conspiracy."
The two brothers looked at each other.
Lalmin narrowed his eyes and said, "They are training you, feeding you, making you stronger… why? So that one day—"
He raised his hand dramatically.
"—you become their frontline soldiers!"
He even added in a low dramatic voice, "Go… fight for us…"
"…HAHAHAHA…"
Kima stared at him.
Akima stared at him.
"…Grandpa," Kima said slowly, "…you're overthinking again."
Akima nodded. "Way too much."
Lalmin frowned. "…You don't feel it?"
"…No."
"…Not even a little?"
"…No."
Lalmin leaned back, still unconvinced. "…Still, be careful."
This time, the boys didn't argue.
Because—
Their mood wasn't good either.
Kima lowered his head slightly. "…We were useless."
Akima clenched his fists. "…We couldn't even fight properly."
They remembered clearly.
Every attack.
Every mistake.
If Miya hadn't stepped in at the right time—
They might not be sitting here now.
Kima said quietly, "I thought we became stronger…"
Akima added, "…but that fight…"
"…was reality," Kima finished.
Silence filled the hut.
Then—
Footsteps.
The door opened.
Roma stood there.
Carrying a basket.
Ten spiritual fruits inside.
The faint glow filled the room.
All three looked up.
Roma stepped in and said simply, "I'm sorry."
They froze.
Roma continued, "I didn't expect this attack. That's my mistake."
Silence.
He placed the basket down.
"These are for you."
They didn't move.
Roma looked at them and said, "From now on, I'll make sure you're protected."
A pause.
"Me, Arun, Riz… we'll handle the front."
Lalmin watched silently.
Roma continued, "We won't do anything unethical. No dirty work, no unnecessary killing. But…"
He paused slightly.
"…the road ahead won't be easy."
The room stayed quiet.
Roma added, "Growth requires it."
Then he said again, more simply, "Sorry."
That—
Was unexpected.
Kima looked up.
Akima looked at him.
Something shifted.
Not fully trust.
But—
Something.
"…We understand," Kima said quietly.
Akima nodded. "…We'll get stronger."
Inside—
The system reacted.
[System Notification]
Kima Loyalty +2
Akima Loyalty +2
Roma paused slightly.
That… worked?
Then—
Another notification.
[New Skills Unlocked]
Kima → Spear Technique
Akima → Shield Defense
Roma blinked.
I didn't do anything…
This—
Was unexpected.
A pleasant one.
Roma didn't show it.
He simply nodded and said, "Rest well."
Then turned and walked out.
Behind him—
The hut felt quieter.
But lighter.
Roma entered his own room.
Closed the door.
Sat down.
Then finally focused.
"…Let's see."
Roma closed the door behind him and sat down, finally getting a moment of silence. The chaos of the night had settled, the bodies were gone, the damage temporarily handled, but his mind was still running. Too many things had happened too quickly, and for the first time in a while, he felt real pressure building.
"…Annoying," Roma muttered.
He focused, and the system panel appeared in front of him. Two new skills. Kima — Spear. Akima — Shield.
"…Let's see what you actually got," Roma said.
He opened Akima's skill first.
[Skill: Meat Shield]
Roma read it once, then again more carefully, then leaned forward slightly.
"…Absorb damage?"
He continued reading.
The skill increased physical durability drastically, expanded health capacity multiple times, reduced incoming damage heavily, and most importantly, allowed Akima to link with one ally and absorb a portion of their incoming damage. The deeper mechanism revealed that all incoming damage could be converted and stored inside the body, but if the accumulation crossed a limit, it would start damaging him internally and would require healing or time to stabilize.
Roma leaned back slowly.
"…So this is not just defense."
His eyes sharpened.
"…This is a damage storage system."
He imagined it clearly. Akima standing in front, taking hits not just for himself, but for others as well.
Roma said, "A walking wall…"
Then paused.
"…No. A damage container."
That was more accurate.
He tapped the table lightly.
"…If this connects with something else…"
Then he opened Kima's skill.
[Skill: Rebound Spear]
Roma read silently.
The skill allowed Kima to store damage received within a short time window, convert it into piercing force, and release it through a single concentrated spear thrust. The mechanism clarified that damage could be stored over roughly two seconds, scaling the output based on accumulation, but overcharging could cause recoil damage.
Roma's expression changed.
"…You're joking."
He read it again.
Then stood up.
"…One absorbs damage… the other converts damage…"
He stopped mid-step.
"…This is a loop."
Now his thoughts accelerated.
"If Akima absorbs damage, and Kima uses that damage…"
A pause.
"…Then they don't even need to get hit directly."
Roma's eyes narrowed.
"…They can recycle damage."
That was the real strength.
Not defense.
Not attack.
But conversion.
"This is not a normal skill," Roma said quietly. "…This is a team combat system."
He sat back down, a faint interest appearing on his face.
"…Very interesting."
This changed things. It meant weaker members could fight stronger enemies if used correctly.
Roma exhaled slowly.
"…Good."
Then his expression shifted again.
Serious.
"…But not enough."
His gaze turned inward.
Stage 6.
Stable now.
But still not enough.
"I need to break through," Roma said.
Without hesitation, he stood up.
A few hours later, he was walking through another market, not his own store this time but a competitor's. He entered normally without disguise.
"Spiritual fruits," Roma said.
The merchant looked at him. "How many?"
"Ten."
The exchange was quick. Money for goods. No unnecessary talk.
Roma returned.
Back inside his room, he placed the fruits on the table and looked at them for a moment.
"…Let's try."
Chakra flowed.
Food Maker activated.
The fruits began to change subtly. Their aura deepened, condensed, something inside them shifting unnaturally.
Roma stared.
"…Devil fruits."
Stronger.
Denser.
More dangerous.
He picked one up and paused.
"This might hurt," Roma said.
Then he ate it.
Immediately, energy surged through his body, violent and unstable. His muscles tightened, his veins felt heavy, and his breathing grew uneven.
"…Not Too much… maybe because I have the meat Sheild skill now"
He didn't stop.
He took another bite.
Then another.
Chakra flooded his system, pushing against his limits, testing his control.
"…Break," Roma said through clenched teeth.
The energy surged again.
Stage 6 trembled.
His foundation shook, cracks forming under pressure as pain spread through his body.
The pressure intensified.
Heat.
Pain.
Force.
Everything condensed into a single point.
Then—
Broke. He broke through 7th stage.
Roma exhaled slowly, sweat running down his face as his body steadied.
Roma opened his eyes.
"Maybe because of the skill I did not feel so much pain, truly blessing."
A faint smile appeared.
Outside, the night remained calm.