I Am In One Piece Summit

Chapter 8: 008 Iron-Eating Beast! · Chapter 8: The Iron-Eating Beast! · Looking at the massive influx of Merit points credited to his panel, a satisfied smile played across Messer’s lips. · Merit points were incredibly versatile; they could be used to manifest various Gifts that he hadn't yet fully realized into reality. · A staggering 50,000 Merit points—it was a literal windfall. In this moment, Messer’s opinion of the Wapol brothers actually improved slightly. · "I hope this kind of good fortune keeps coming. I could never have too much of this kind of luck." · Glancing at the 【Luck: C-】 on his panel, Messer had every reason to believe this incident wasn't just ordinary luck. · Furthermore, Messer had used the "Appraisal" feature on Dr. Kureha before, and her Luck attribute was only a D. · Just one grade higher than Luck E. · Even Garp’s Luck was only a D+. As for ordinary people, they generally sat at Luck F-. · Messer didn't have much insight into the Luck stat yet; he only knew that from birth until now, his luck had always been quite good. · Turning his attention back to the present, he looked at the greyed-out Gifts on his panel. Messer focused his mind on 【Breathing】 and 【Precision】. · Breathing went without saying; he had been practicing Abdominal Breathing since birth. · Until now, though he hadn't grasped any supernatural techniques, the breathing method Dr. Kureha had refined offered significant benefits for both physical and mental growth. · As for Precision, the name alone suggested it was a formidable Gift. · Thus, Messer spent all 50,000 Merit points. In the next second, his consciousness became ethereal as a flood of complex insights rushed into his mind. · Simultaneously, his body began to undergo unexpected changes. · His breathing pattern changed—and yet, it didn't. Each breath became more refined and delicate; his perception of time slowed down significantly. · In that moment, it was as if Messer had returned to the womb. A new "umbilical cord" seemed to connect him to the world, making him feel as though he were floating in amniotic fluid once more. · Every pore on his body seemed to open. Messer sat quietly in his chair, his inhalations and exhalations finding a brand-new rhythm and frequency. · With every breath, oxygen was drawn through his throat and into his lungs, where it was converted and delivered to every corner of his body. · Time slipped away unnoticed as that specific frequency became instinctual. Everything transformed silently. · Messer opened his eyes, having fully digested the novel insights regarding his breath. Using both his breathing and Observation Haki to sense the changes within, he completed several cycles of breath and reached a conclusion: · "My body hasn't become stronger, but my perception and control over it have become far more refined. Not bad at all." · He opened the Gift column on the light-screen panel to look at his newly acquired ability: · 【Grade A Gift: Breathing】 (Self-Evolution capable) · 【Gift Effect: Qi flows through the whole body, drastically improving physical application. Grants a permanent, massive growth acceleration to 'Physique' and 'Soul' attributes of Grade A and below.】 · 【Gift Evaluation: Is this just a breathing technique? No, this might be the foundation of a profound cultivation method.】 · "No wonder it felt like oxygen was being delivered to my entire body. It’s that 'Qi flowing through the whole body' effect. Combined with the massive growth boost, it's like I've turned on an experience cheat." · Messer didn't fully understand every nuance of the change yet, but he could guess that with his already gifted talent now bolstered by the Breathing Gift, his potential would be explosive. · He checked his status panel next: · 【Physique】: Strength: F → F+ | Endurance: F → F+ | Agility: F → F+ · 【Soul】: Will: F → F+ | Perception: F+ → E- | Spirit: F → F+ · 【Special. Mystic (Energy)】: F → F+ (Observation Haki growth bonus active.) · With his natural growth over the past year and a half, Messer’s basic attributes had reached the limit of Grade F, and his Perception had even stepped up into the Grade E level. · In terms of ordinary people, even without using Observation Haki, he could now shout in the streets that he could take on ten men at once. · Just then, a "crunch-crunch" sound reached his ears. Messer turned his head and saw a black-and-white furball sitting in the corner, its large face puffed out like a steamed bun. · Messer stood up, softened his footsteps, and walked over to look behind Winter. · Messer’s eyes widened. The weapons, firearms, and treasures he had seized from Wapol’s men were mostly gone, devoured by Winter. · The little guy grabbed a gold bar and shoved it into its mouth, chewing it like a wafer. Each bite was crisp and effortless. · A gold bar wasn't large, weighing maybe 100 grams. With gold prices at roughly 10,000 Berries per gram, that meant this little cub had just swallowed a million Berries in one bite. · And Messer had brought back the gold by the kilogram. At that moment, a feeling he couldn't describe welled up in Messer’s heart. His right hand slowly reached out and squeezed Winter’s head. · "What are you doing? Eating alone isn't what a good boy does. Care to explain?" · Messer spoke calmly, his fingers pressing into Winter’s head. He felt the little bear’s body go stiff. · Curious about what Winter would do next, Messer watched as the bear held out the gold bar it was about to shove into its mouth. · Those big, watery eyes seemed to say: Messer, you have this. It’s delicious. · Messer gave Winter’s head a light, exasperated smack. "Stop eating the gold bars. They’re incredibly valuable. You can eat the other stuff, but leave these." · Winter looked confused, letting out a soft "Ying?" · "One of those gold bars can buy a whole room full of ribs. It can buy a massive bamboo forest. It could keep you fed for a long, long time. Do you understand?" · As Winter listened to Messer’s explanation, its eyes went wide, and its mouth hung open. · "Ying ying ying!!!" · Crying out anxiously, Winter suddenly opened its mouth wide and shoved its right front paw inside. A few seconds later, it pulled out an irregular lump of cast gold. · Looking at the purity, it was clearly better. It had been refined. · Messer sighed and rubbed his forehead, speechless at Winter’s ditziness. · Winter handed over the gold. Messer noticed there was no saliva or residue on it. · The power of a Devil Fruit was truly miraculous. · Messer didn't take it. Instead, he thought for a moment. "You should be able to turn what you eat into part of your body, right? Show me." · Winter tilted its head, confused. "Ying?" · "You just ate blades and guns, right? Try turning your paw into a blade for me. Like this." · Messer explained further, drawing a standard military saber from its sheath to show Winter. · Winter scratched its head with a paw, then held the paw up in front of its face to stare at it. Its left paw began to clench and unclench. After about ten seconds, Messer saw Winter’s left forearm begin to change. · Though the process was slow, it was steady. Winter stared blankly as its forearm transformed into a blade. It lifted the edge to its mouth and gave it a nibble with its white teeth. · Crk-crk. · Winter looked at its own arm in terror and began to shake it violently. · Messer jerked back to avoid the swinging blade, watching the tip flash past his eyes. · He propped himself up on the floor and flipped away from Winter, exhaling sharply. "Phew, that was close. You almost got me." · Winter let out a distressed whimper, staring at Messer while frantically shaking its left arm, trying to shake the blade off. · Messer sighed and called out to the idiot bear, "Calm down." · Once the bear steadied itself at his command, Messer stepped forward and pinched its chubby cheeks. · "Think carefully. Remember what your arm used to look like. Focus on that and try to change it back." · Messer gently stroked Winter’s head, his voice soothing. A few seconds later, Winter’s arm returned to normal. · Instantly, Winter began rolling around on the floor in joy, letting out happy "ga-ga" sounds. Once it settled, Messer said: · "Now, turn your arm into a blade again, then change it back. Go." · Following his words, Winter sat on its rump and began shifting its arm's form. With each attempt, its proficiency visibly increased. · As expected. · Gaining a Devil Fruit power was like growing a new limb or organ. With enough effort, one could use it as naturally as their own hands and feet. · This was something Messer had read in the introduction of the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia. It was a profound statement: Because of this, Winter can adapt to its ability quickly. · "If man-made weapons can be manifested, what about natural organisms? Like the eyes of an eagle, the tail of a dinosaur, or the skeleton of a tiger? A chimera with no side effects?" · It was highly possible, but it required Winter to understand and develop the power, and it required Messer to guide it. · It was an interesting project. · Now, the Domestication Gift was becoming more necessary. But, he was broke. · There were only a few ways to earn Merit points. Messer scratched his head. "Is the world forcing me to cause trouble? The most convenient and stable way is to increase my own Legend status." · After a moment, he shook his head. He’d leave it to fate. At his current age, causing trouble was too risky. · He stopped overthinking and watched Winter play with its new ability until the bear got tired and went back to eating the remaining scrap metal. · It left the gold alone this time. · Watching the foodie munch away made Messer hungry. · Smelling the ribs cooking in the kitchen pot, Messer went to dish out a bowl. Seeing Winter drooling, he prepared a basin for the bear as well. · One boy and one bear ate happily. · After finishing, they cleaned up. · Messer gave Winter a task—refining the gold lumps into small gold beans—and sat down at his desk to continue reading. The house fell silent. · Only the "shasha" of Messer turning pages and the sound of Winter’s chewing remained. · Inhale... Exhale... · The Secret Language of Cells. · Messer was reading a book on cell theory—not a basic text, but an advanced one. · It discussed human cells, brain cells, microbial cells, and the communication methods between various compartments within a cell. · It covered the immune system, blood vessels, the gut, brain tissue, microbes, and all sorts of fascinating knowledge. · Some were proven theories; others were conjectures. · Through books, he understood the human body; through reading, he refined himself. · With Observation Haki and his new Breathing ability working in tandem, he could perceive, verify, and reflect from different angles. · Messer’s knowledge was growing steadily. · Across all fields. · While the bookshelves were mostly filled with medical texts, there were plenty of other subjects to explore. · At some point, Dr. Kureha came down from the second floor, a smile on her face suggesting she had made some progress. · Reaching the bottom of the stairs, she saw Messer had fallen asleep at his desk again, with the black-and-white furball sleeping by his feet. · The bear smacked its lips occasionally in its sleep. · Dr. Kureha sighed, shaking her head. As she approached, her expression suddenly froze. She looked at Messer in disbelief. · "Huh?" Her Observation Haki flared as she pressed her fingers against Messer’s body, examining him inch by inch. "This brat’s breathing... it’s changed." · "Interesting. Truly interesting. Hee-hee-hee-hee!" · Using a specialized application of her Observation Haki like a precision diagnostic tool, she continuously checked Messer’s physical condition and breathing frequency. · She flipped his breathing log to a fresh page and began to organize her findings. Relying on her own absolute control over her body, she began to optimize her own breathing patterns and fine-tune the frequency. · Half an hour later, Dr. Kureha stretched. She stripped Messer of his outer clothes, tossed him onto the bed, and after a quick wash, went to rest herself. · As for the changes in Messer’s breathing, she had plenty of time to learn and adjust. There was no rush. · The next day. · Messer woke up naturally. After washing up, he went outside for his daily morning run and breathing cultivation. · A round furball followed closely behind him, struggling to keep up. · Inhale, exhale. Oxygen cycled through his body; waste gases were expelled. · He sensed the flow of air within his body, using it to deepen his self-perception. · He maintained a rhythmic jog that matched his breathing frequency. As he ran, for the first time, Messer felt a sense of total freedom. He could immerse himself completely, his body overflowing with inexhaustible energy. · Drawing in the scent of nature while standing amidst the vast world, he began to accelerate. He ran wildly, feeling the thumping of his heart as oxygenated blood surged through his entire being. · Hearing Winter’s anxious "wang-wang" from behind, Messer slowed his pace. He turned to look at the silly panda, who was panting heavily, tongues out, and breathing out clouds of white mist. · Messer slowed to a walk, swinging his arms, kicking out his legs, and twisting his waist while performing deep, powerful breaths. · The cold air entered his nose and took on the warmth of his body before being exhaled as two plumes of pale white mist. · It looked like a smoker blowing smoke out of their nose. · "Except mine is all-natural." · [END]