Pirate: I have a Hollow living inside me

Watching the merchant ship sail away, old Duke murmured, "Since you've decided to go to sea, then try your best to reach the top. Just don't die..."

He placed high hopes on Rocks not only because of Rocks' monstrous talent, but also because Rocks had long planned to set sail.

Although he admired the sea tyrant Rocks, he would never actually want his family to venture out to sea.

He knew how terrible and dangerous that sea was.

However, since going to sea was Rocks' own choice, he wouldn't interfere; he would simply choose to trust him!

Chapter 3 Arriving at Shuangyue Village!

Under the scorching sun.

The sea surface shimmered.

A small merchant ship is sailing on the sea.

It was the merchant ship that Rocks was on.

This wasn't Rocks' first time at sea, nor was he a teenager who looked only sixteen or seventeen.

I didn't feel much emotional distress about traveling far from home.

In the room.

Lox is testing his abilities.

"A fake bullet!"

With a flick of his finger, a turquoise energy ball the size of a marble shot through the air, blasting a deep crater into the steel plate in front of him with a loud 'bang'...

"Even a casual shot can have the power of a bullet; if fired at full power, its power should be no less than that of a cannonball..."

By counting on his fingers with one hand, Rocks estimated the power of the phantom.

This ability was only "unlocked" yesterday.

Rocks needs to learn about and familiarize himself with this ability.

Upon testing, its power was indeed considerable.

This gave Lox more means of long-range attack.

"The Phantom Beast Species - Void Form - Blackwing Great Demon did not give me a beast form or a humanoid beast form; it only allowed me to gradually master the abilities of the Void."

"It's not an ordinary animal-type, more similar to the Nika Fruit. Unless it 'awakens,' its appearance won't change..."

It has been seven years since he ate the Devil Fruit.

Rocks was fully aware of his own "abilities".

Although he is an animal, Rocks' appearance will not change.

However, they will gain more illusory power as they "develop" the fruit.

Calling it development is not actually accurate.

It should be said that the Hollow within Rocks became stronger, which in turn allowed Rocks to wield more power.

There is a certain "balance" between Locus and the Void.

“Teacher Kai said that when the mind and body can catch up with the ability, the resulting power is awakening.”

Lox habitually counted on his fingers with one hand, pondering, "For me, it would be the process of 'subduing' the weakness within my body..."

There are cases of failed awakening of Zoan-type Devil Fruit users.

The reason is that they are not strong enough to "subdue" the "demon" inside their bodies.

This is roughly the same situation as that of Locus and the Void!

"Only by completely 'subduing' the emptiness within my body and awakening my abilities can I completely resolve this 'threat.' And to awaken my abilities, I need to be strong enough."

"The most crucial thing is to be strong yourself."

Lox exhaled, his eyes flashing: "Fighting and killing strong opponents is dangerous, but it is undoubtedly the fastest way to become stronger..."

Every so often.

The void within Lox would then launch an "attack" against him.

The battlefield between the human and the virtual is not in the outside world, but in the spiritual world and within consciousness.

Faced with the Void's attack, Lox has two ways to deal with it.

The first method is to eat a lot to replenish the body's energy, allowing the body to absorb as much energy as possible, with the main purpose of "soothing".

The second approach is to directly confront the attack of the Void. Once the Void is driven back, it will quiet down for a while.

At first, Rocks was able to suppress Hollow, but now he is starting to feel the pressure.

The speed at which the internal energy of the body transformed from weak to strong exceeded Rocks' expectations.

Now, Rocks is focusing more on "appeasement," and as a result... the Hollows are becoming stronger and stronger, posing an increasing threat to him.

The disadvantages of becoming stronger outweigh the advantages.

The balance between the two is showing signs of being broken.

The Sword of Damocles, hanging overhead, was getting closer and closer.

This is also the fundamental reason why Rocks wanted to go to sea.

He went to sea not to become a sea monster, but to fulfill the will of Rocks, and simply to resolve the hidden danger of his internal weakness...

"Let's go eat first, to store up more energy for when we need it..."

Once Locke had set his sights on something, he stopped thinking about it.

I got up and left the room, intending to go eat first.

Although we appeased the Void's "attack" yesterday, we don't know when the Void's next "attack" will come.

Lox needs to prepare first.

Thanks to the power of the Hollowform Blackwing Daima Devil Fruit, Rocks can store the energy he replenishes through eating within his body.

Even if this energy isn't used to "pacify" the Void, it can still enhance Rocks's regenerative abilities.

Similar to the Life Return technique in the Six Styles.

Don't let the fact that Rocks is only seventeen years old fool you; he is quite powerful.

He had never actually fought anyone, only battled wild beasts in the mountains.

Actually, Rocks was also very curious.

What level of strength do I have now?

What level of opponent can he fight against?

I think we'll find out soon.

Even the East China Sea, the weakest of seas, is not actually peaceful...

……

A few days later.

The merchant ship, after traveling to several islands, finally arrived at the island where Shimotsuki Village was located.

It was quite easy to fold along the way.

We didn't encounter a storm.

It was so safe that even Rocks wondered if this place was a hidden paradise.

Location of the pier.

Lockes paid for the fare and food and then disembarked.

I walked toward the location of the Isshin Dojo that I remembered.

Although it has been almost three years since I last came, the roads have not changed much.

Rocks wasn't some green-haired, directionally challenged guy, so naturally he wouldn't get lost...

"Oh, it's you? What brings you here?"

As he walked, Rocks heard a voice coming from his left. He turned around and saw a familiar green-haired man: "It's you, Zoro..."

The green algae head is none other than someone else.

It is none other than Roronoa Zoro, one of the future Straw Hat Pirates!

Zoro is currently just a sixteen-year-old teenager with striking green hair in the sunlight. He looks Rocks up and down and asks, "What are you doing here?"

"Let's fulfill a promise," Lockes said.

"Agreement?"

Zoro paused for a moment, then realized something: "Your promise with Kuina?"

"Ah."

Locke nodded, then asked, "I remember your house isn't in this direction. You're not lost again, are you?"

"How...how is this possible!?"

Zoro's face instantly turned bright red: "I've lived here for over ten years, how could I possibly get lost!"

"Your words don't carry much weight."

Lox's lips twitched.

If the green-haired person's terrible sense of direction is a disease, then it's clearly a terminal illness...

Zoro: "..."

This guy is still as annoying as ever!

After a pause, Zoro continued, "I remember your agreement was that whoever won would have the final say, right? That only applies to swordsmanship. Your swordsmanship... well..."

Zoro stopped there.

He was truly impressed by Rocks's swordsmanship.

He's hard to judge...

Zoro changed the subject, saying, "Kuina is very strong. If it's just about swordsmanship, you wouldn't stand a chance against her."

"How many times have you lost to her over the years?"

Rocks glanced at Zoro and asked curiously, "I remember when I left, your record against her was 0 wins and 2,889 losses, right? Have you broken 4,000 yet?"

Zoro: "..."

This guy is just as annoying as ever.

I hit his sore spot the moment we met!

Chapter 4 The Three-Year Agreement!

"Alright, you don't need to say anything more, I understand."

Seeing Zoro's expression, Rocks knew he understood.

This kid must have lost a lot lately.

Don't tear people apart when they're in trouble.

He stopped attacking the other party...

Zoro's face darkened, and he said unhappily, "What do you know? I will defeat Kuina fair and square one day."

"Instead of being like you used to be!!"

"War is not like hosting a dinner party, writing an essay, painting an embroidery, or being elegant, composed, refined, gentle, courteous, and modest. War is a skill, a skill of fighting."

Rocks said calmly, "To go all out and catch your opponent off guard is a technique, a tactic. You still have a lot to learn, Zoro."

Upon hearing this, Zoro fell into deep thought: "..."

That seems to make some sense?