One Piece: The user of the Nen-Nen Fruit, who overturned the sea.

Six months is neither a long nor a short time.

But on Beehive Island, six months is enough for a person to be completely transformed.

Before the morning sea fog had even dissipated, the first roar echoed around Beehive Island.

In addition to the main island of Beehive Island, six newly relocated uninhabited islands connect to Roy's training grounds.

This greatly expanded the training grounds on Beehive Island.

At this moment, a fierce battle is raging in one corner of the training field.

Barrett activated his White Tiger Beastman form, his snow-white fur standing on end like steel needles, and his tiger tail swept across the ground, creating a crack more than ten meters long.

With a roar, the surrounding inorganic matter transformed into a purple torrent, surging towards Barrett and condensing into a suit of armor around his body. He was surrounded by ghostly energy, making him resemble a white Asura.

On the other side, Crocodile remained unmoved.

He took a deep drag on his cigar, and his body rapidly transformed into a ferocious eight-headed serpent.

Sand seemed to swirl on the surface of the snake's body, and its eight heads hissed as they lunged at Barrett.

"That's enough of the sandcastle-building game, Crocodile!"

Barrett unleashed a punch, the power amplified by the Momo-Momo Fruit reaching its limit; the pressure of the punch arrived first, followed by the shadow of the punch.

The seven heads of the Yamata no Orochi were instantly torn apart by the force of the punch, and sand and dust rained down in all directions like a storm.

But Crocodile is no longer where he was.

Using the sandstorm as cover, he circled behind Barrett, and the Sand-Sand Fruit, one of the three Devil Fruits, allowed him to blend into every grain of sand.

With his right hand outstretched, the sand blade condensed into a curved sword several meters long. Flowing Sakura and Armament Haki wrapped around it simultaneously, slashing down towards Barrett's nape.

"when--!"

Barrett didn't even turn his head.

The power of the Fusion Fruit was already applied before the sand blades even landed. The skin on the back of the neck assimilated into the material structure the moment it came into contact with the surrounding sand, making it as hard as seastone.

The sand blade shattered, breaking into a pile of sand.

Barrett grabbed Crocodile's head with his five fingers, forcefully pulling the semi-elemental body out of the sandstorm.

"I've found you."

Crocodile was pinned to the ground, his Sand-Sand Fruit surging wildly as he tried to transform and escape, but Barrett's Fusion Fruit had completely fused his lower body to the ground, rendering him unable to move.

"Should we admit defeat?"

"It's still a long way off!"

Crocodile cursed hoarsely, and a high-speed spinning sand bullet condensed at the tip of his left finger, shooting towards Barrett's face in the blink of an eye.

Barrett dodged to the side, the sand bullet grazing his ear and blasting a boulder dozens of meters behind him into dust.

"Still trying to struggle?"

Barrett grinned and tightened his grip even more.

"snort."

Crocodile was enveloped in purple smoke, and the golden hook in his hand, coated with terrifying venom, slashed toward Barrett's arm.

Barrett was forced to temporarily give up, as Crocodile's poison was not so easy to withstand.

Meanwhile, in the test area, Tesoro was practicing combos alone against the ruins of three mountains.

A golden field unfolded, the ground within a radius of several hundred meters gleaming dazzlingly in the sunlight, completely covered by liquid gold.

Tezzolo stood in the very center of the area, his burgundy suit perfectly in place, and snapped his fingers with his right hand.

Lightning struck from the sky, hitting the golden ground. The current surged wildly throughout the entire area, following the conduction of the gold, and the ground was scorched with black streaks.

He then raised his left hand, and the phantom of Cerberus materialized behind him. Its three mouths opened simultaneously, unleashing a barrage of flames, lightning, and golden particle cannons that flattened a small hill in the distance.

The explosion made the main island of Beehive Island tremble slightly.

Tesoro adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, a slight smile playing on his lips:

"The combination of the three fruits is even smoother than I expected."

The Red Earl's figure moved like a red lightning bolt, darting rapidly between the six islands.

The teleportation fruit, combined with his already top-tier speed, has made him almost ghostly.

The Blood-Blood Fruit allows him to draw energy from any splattered blood, while the Vampire Fruit grants him near-immortal regenerative abilities.

He had just finished a fight with Hawkeye when he rushed into the battlefield between Barrett and Crocodile, attacking both Crocodile and Barrett simultaneously.

Blood-red claw shadows wove a large net in the air, completely blocking the two's escape routes.

Barrett punched through the blood net, and Crocodile's Sand Blade slashed back at Red Earl's main body.

The three of them got into a chaotic mess, and the entire island's terrain was turned upside down in just a few minutes.

Roy stood on the highest cliff of Beehive Island, looking down at everything.

His Observation Haki covered the six training islands, and the flow of every breath was as clear as glowing lines, weaving a dynamic battle map in his mind.

Barrett's strength has increased by 30% compared to six months ago.

The White Tiger form and the Momo-Momo Fruit have become one, and the use of the fusion fruit has changed from being conventional to an instinctive reaction that integrates offense and defense.

Crocodile's Yamata no Orochi form is still under development, but with the support of his three elemental abilities, he can always find the most tricky angle to launch a counterattack.

Tesoro's three Devil Fruits are now 100% synchronized. The lightning and hellfire within the Golden Realm work in perfect harmony, making it a veritable mobile artillery platform.

Red Earl was the most enigmatic member of the group; his three-fruit configuration made him a true ghost—appearing without a trace and disappearing without a trace, his every move drawing blood.

There are also bears, Cyrus, Savage, Kuina, Yamato...

Everyone's aura is stronger than it was six months ago.

Roy looked away, tapped his fingers lightly on his knee, and muttered to himself:

"This force is enough."

·······

Hawkeye stood on the beach for a day and a night.

The rocks beneath his feet were soaked and dried by the waves, and his black knife was stuck beside him at night, its blade gleaming coldly in the moonlight.

The sea breeze ruffled the hem of his black overcoat, revealing the burgundy shirt underneath.

With his eyes closed, he replayed in his mind every exchange he had with the cadres over the past month.

Barrett picked a fight with him.

With the amplification from the Momo-Momo Fruit and the Fusion Fruit, Barrett surpasses him in both attack power and sustained combat ability.

Tezzolo challenged him to a fight.

The lightning and hellfire within the golden realm trapped him, and no matter how fast his strikes were, they couldn't outpace the conduction of electricity.

The Red Earl didn't fight him; he just watched from afar.

Finally, he left out a sentence:

"Kendo is your foundation, but the fruit is merely a tool."

Those who reject tools will eventually be surpassed by those who use them.

These words are more painful than any knife wound.

Hawkeye looked down at his hands.

These hands have wielded knives their entire lives, cutting their way from the Western Sea to the New World, and have never felt that the knives were not sharp enough.

But now, my companions are all getting stronger, while I'm stuck in the same place. This feeling is absolutely terrible.

"It's time to make a decision."