One Piece: Holy Light Swordmaster

"What do you think are the essential conditions for becoming strong?" Wright selected a large tree, cut it flat, and turned it into a desk. The three little ones sat around it, staring at him blankly.

"Hard training!" Ace was the first to answer.

"A calm mind!" Sabo thought for a moment and then responded.

"Hmm… courage!" Luffy struggled for a moment before shouting.

"Not bad." Wright smiled and nodded. "Hard training, a calm mind, and fearless courage are all essential qualities for becoming strong—but there's one more thing that you've overlooked."

"Knowledge!" Wright tapped the desk and addressed the three little ones, who looked somewhat unconvinced. "Knowledge isn't just about learning poetry and literature. It's about understanding your own power, the enemy's power, knowing how to find the direction in which you can grow stronger, and how to use your strengths to exploit your enemy's weaknesses.

"For example, my strength is swordsmanship, so I need to understand all sorts of swordsmanship knowledge, in order to develop the techniques that are most suitable for me, and also to learn how to use my swordsmanship to face opponents who are skilled in various fields."

"Luffy, you ate the Gum-Gum Fruit, but right now, you can't even throw a proper punch…" Wright looked at Luffy, who was pouting, while Ace and Sabo snickered. He pointed at the two of them.

"Ace, you focus on the basics of training, which is good, but do you know how to develop that strong foundation into powerful combat ability? Steel is very tough, but when forged into a sword, it can deliver several times the destructive power!

"Sabo, you have both courage and strategy. Honestly, I'm quite impressed with you—I don't think even Captain Garp knows you exist. But when Luffy wasn't around, it was because of you that Ace worked so hard on his training.

"You might not match Ace in terms of foundational strength, but when it comes to actual combat, you're no worse than him—your knowledge is richer than his, you just haven't realized it yet."

Looking at the thoughtful expressions of the little ones—Luffy still looked confused—Wright nodded. "That might be a bit too vague, so let me give you an example.

"I once encountered an enemy… a very talented enemy…" Wright thought for a moment, then found an example.

"He was a Devil Fruit user, just like Luffy… but the difference was, he ate the Ito Ito no Mi (String-String Fruit), which gave him the ability to control strings."

"Strings? Like the kind used to sew clothes?" Luffy had never heard of another Devil Fruit user besides himself, and he was very interested. Ace and Sabo were equally intrigued.

"Exactly, but it's far stronger than that. What do you think this ability to control strings could do?" Wright asked the three little ones, who were listening seriously.

"It doesn't seem very useful…" Ace thought for a moment but couldn't come up with much. "Sew clothes? Sew something else? Could he maybe stitch up an enemy?"

Sabo frowned and said, "If the string is tough enough, it could be used as a weapon… thin strings can sometimes cut better than a knife or sword."

Luffy scratched his head and pondered for a while before saying, "Could he fly a kite?"

"…." Ace and Sabo stared at Luffy as if he were an idiot. A kite?

"Hahaha…" Wright tapped the desk to bring the three little ones' attention back. "You don't even understand the strings you see in everyday life. This is what lack of knowledge looks like—it prevents you from realizing what strings are really capable of."

"So what did that guy do with this ability?" Ace asked, unwilling to back down.

"Strings can, first of all, stitch things together—but Ace, it's not just about stitching up enemies; he can stitch up himself!"

Seeing Ace's confused face, Wright drew his sword. "If you were cut by a blade, blood pouring out, but the fight wasn't over yet, what would you do to stop the bleeding?"

"I… would press on the wound?" Ace began to understand.

"Good. But that would leave you with only one usable hand—this could easily cost you your life. That person, however, could use strings to stitch up his wounds and stop the bleeding. He could even stitch up internal bleeding, giving him the ability to keep fighting without worrying about his injuries!"

"Oh!" The three little ones exclaimed in amazement.

"Sabo's idea of using strings as a weapon is correct. That person could also use the strings to cut things, and the strings were so tough that he could shoot them out like bullets from a handgun, killing enemies!"

"Oh!"

"Luffy, your idea of flying a kite… don't laugh, a kite can fly, and that person could tie his strings to the clouds in the sky, allowing him to fly!"

"!!!" The little ones were stunned into silence.

"He could weave strings into nets to defend against sword attacks!

"Even more impressive, he could use strings to bind people's limbs, controlling their movements like puppets!

"He could even use strings to create a clone of himself—a completely controlled copy, replacing him to fight enemies!

"He could even use strings to envelop an entire town, trapping everyone inside, so no one could escape!"

"…"

"So, if that person didn't understand enough about strings, would he be able to do all that?

"An ordinary Devil Fruit, and he found countless ways to use it!"

"Wow…!" The three little ones' eyes were sparkling as they looked at Wright, who thought to himself: Doflamingo, your secrets have been completely exposed, no thanks needed…

"So, do you understand the importance of knowledge now?" Wright concluded.

"Mm-hmm! Uncle Wright, tell us more stories like this!" Luffy said eagerly, nodding repeatedly.

Wright stood up. "That's all for today. From now on, after morning exercises, you'll have a lesson—this is the time when your minds are clearest, and it's easiest to remember things. After that, we'll do basic training and actual combat!

"By the way, don't tell Dadan that I was here. Captain Garp doesn't want the mountain bandits to be scared just because a Navy officer visited."

"Got it! Uncle Wright!"

Then, the three little ones were treated to something even the highest-level training camps at Navy HQ couldn't offer—Wright's healing support training method!

Extreme training to the limit—half-dead—healed and restored—continue training—half-dead—restored… repeating this cycle.

"Your bodies are still growing, so you can't train like this without my healing assistance in the future. It would be harmful and useless!" Wright scolded.

"Extreme training should be done only after the age of sixteen when your bodies have stabilized. Only then can you attempt it with a coach's guidance!"

"Yes!"

…

As the days passed, one morning during the lesson, Wright pointed to a torch in his hand and asked the now much stronger little ones.

"Do you know… what fire is?"

"Fire… it's hot! It burns things!" Luffy answered eagerly. The three little ones had come to enjoy Wright's lessons.

"Yes, that's right. What else?"

Ace and Sabo exchanged confused looks—what secrets could something as ordinary as fire have?

"Well… today's lesson will introduce you to a special Devil Fruit—the Mera Mera no Mi (Flame-Flame Fruit)!"

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