[Note:
" * " : Indicates abilities that can be upgraded with practice, experience, or unique opportunities.]
> System inner voice ["speaking"] <
> Ash inner speech "speaking" <
{}
LUCY'S TRAIL:
Lucy stepped forward into the trial alongside the others, hands planted firmly on her hips, fists clenched, standing tall as if ready for anything. "Ash, what should we do now?" she asked with confidence.
Receiving no response, she frowned and turned—only to freeze. The others were gone.
For a brief second, faint, dotted outlines of their figures lingered in the air before fading completely, like an afterimage vanishing into nothingness.
Lucy's eyes nearly shot out of her skull. Her jaw dropped.
"N-Nani?! Guys?! Where did you go?!"
Panic surged through her as she flailed her arms, whipping her head left and right in frantic desperation. "Oi, oi, oi! This isn't funny! Where are you guys?!" She spun in circles, kicking up dust, her wild search growing more and more frantic.
But no matter where she looked, she was alone. Nothing but an endless, empty land stretched before her.
Lucy did something she rarely ever did… she used her brain.
Her eyes lit up as an idea struck her. A smug grin spread across her face as she crossed her arms, basking in her own genius. "Oh-ho~ I got it!" She nodded to herself, looking incredibly proud. "Didn't Ash say I can find them with this Soul Bind Bracelet?"
Brimming with confidence in her flawless plan, she closed her eyes and focused on Ash and the others, expecting the bracelet to guide her straight to them.
A few seconds passed…
More seconds passed…
A few hours later…
Still, no response. A question mark practically popped above Lucy's head as she pouted. "Hah? Nande? Why is this not working?"
She scowled at the bracelet, then—slap! She smacked it once. Still nothing.
Her lips curled into a pout as she slapped it again, harder. "Oi! Don't ignore me! Work, damn it!"
After several more failed attempts (and increasingly aggressive slaps), her frustration boiled over. Growling, she bared her teeth and chomped down on the bracelet in anger.
CRACK!
"GYAAAAAAA!!!"
Lucy stumbled back, clutching her mouth, eyes brimming with tears. "I-Itaiiiii!!! My tooth!!!"
She stared in horror at the bracelet, completely unscratched, while one of her teeth now had a noticeable chip.
Sniffing dramatically, she shot the bracelet a betrayed glare. "You're supposed to help me, not break my teeth, you damn thing!"
After wiping away her (definitely not real) tears, she finally gave up, clicking her tongue in frustration. "Tch! Whatever! I know they can take care of themselves! I'll just do this trial on my own!"
With that, she leaped into the air with one hand holding her straw hat so it doesn't fall, scanning her surroundings for the first time properly.
The land stretched endlessly in all directions—dry, cracked ground with patches of sand scattered around. The air felt hot, and waves of heat shimmered in the distance. Far away, she spotted a few scraggly trees, their twisted branches reaching toward the sky like bony fingers.
Lucy decides to trudge toward what looked like a forest in the distance using soru. But by the time she finally reached it, her stomach let out a loud, pitiful growl.
"Ughhh… I'm starving! It looked so close…," she groaned, heaving before plopping down in a huff under the shade.
With a sigh, she reached into her inventory bag and pulled out some water and food—Ash's cooking, which she had secretly stored for emergencies. Without wasting a second, she dug in.
Halfway through her meal, she suddenly heard a faint rustling in the leaves.
Her cheeks were stuffed full like a squirrel hoarding nuts as she froze, eyes blinking. Seeing nothing, she shrugged and kept eating.
Her chewing slowed as she heard it again. She looked up—still nothing.
The third time, she simply rolled her eyes thinking just some small animals and went back to eating—only for her food to vanish right off her plate in front of her eyes.
Even her observation kicked in too late when it happened. Her eyes nearly popped out of her skull for the second time again, and in her shock, she almost choked.
Coughing violently, she punched her chest to clear her airways before gulping down water.
"Haaah… I almost choked just now…," she muttered, before furiously scanning her surroundings.
"Oi! Who stole my food?! Come out!" she shouted, cracking her knuckles with a tick mark on her head.
Rolling up her sleeves, she stood up, ready to beat the thief to a pulp. Receiving no response, Lucy plopped back down, staying alert but ready to wait.
But just as she settled, a small stone flew out of nowhere— smack! —hitting her square on the head.
Her eyes nearly popped out again as she clutched her head in pain. "Owww!! What the hell?!"
Looking down, she noticed the stone looked like Armament covered. No wonder it hurt like hell.
Her teeth sharpened like a shark's as she snarled. "Who's there?! Come out, you coward!"
A laugh echoed around her.
"Ha ha ha ha!"
Lucy's head snapped in every direction as she frantically searched for the source.
But before she could spot anything— smack! Another stone hit the back of her head.
"AGH! AGAIN?!" she roared, clutching her head.
Teeth grinding, she spun around, eyes blazing, finally catching sight of the culprit.
What she saw made her freeze.
Standing before her was a shadow-like figure, its entire body pitch black yet completely solid. The only thing visible was a wide, sharp-toothed grin gleaming in contrast to its dark form and with red eyes. In its hand— her stolen food.
Lucy's eye twitched. "Oi! That's mine! Give it back, you thief!"
Without hesitation, she used Soru, vanishing in an instant to snatch it back—But the shadow was too fast. It effortlessly slipped away, dodging her with ease. Lucy skidded to a stop, whipping around in shock. "What the—?!"
The shadow paused a short distance away and, as if to taunt her, stuck out its pink tongue as if mocking her.
A vein popped on Lucy's forehead as her anger flared. "You little—!"
Before she could finish, the shadow shoved her stolen food into its mouth and began eating right in front of her.
Lucy's jaw dropped. "DON'T YOU MOCK ME!"
With a burst of speed, she lunged at the shadow again—only for it to dodge at the last second.
And so, a game of cat and mouse began, Lucy chasing relentlessly while the shadow effortlessly evaded her.
Lucy pushed herself to the limit, but no matter how much she tried, she couldn't even lay a finger on the shadow. Her current Observation Haki wasn't advanced enough to predict its movements.
Meanwhile, the shadow continued taunting her, effortlessly dodging every attempt she made. But Lucy wasn't one to back down.
Mid-chase, steam erupted from her body as she suddenly activated Gear 2, combining it with Soru to push her speed to an even greater level. In an instant, she closed the distance—
Surprising the shadow. Yet, it didn't move.
Instead, it just smiled. Then, at the last moment, it simply tilted its head, narrowly avoiding Lucy's hand with an almost playful ease.
For the first time, they stood face to face. Lucy clenched her fists. She wouldn't let this thing mock her.
By this time the shadow has eaten all her food making Lucy more angry.
Without hesitation, she unleashed Jet Gatling, the move she once showed Ash during training her own idea where her fists turning into a blur as they rained down a relentless barrage in Gear 2.
Yet—The shadow avoided every single hit. Effortlessly. Lucy came to a stop, stunned seeing one of her powerful move easily avoided. "What the hell…?"
Before she could process it, the shadow grinned—then suddenly used the exact same move.
Lucy's eyes widened seeing it perform her move she just used. She tried to react, forcing her Observation Haki to its limit, but—She couldn't perceive its speed.
In the next instant, blows rained down upon her, striking at every opening. The barrage finally stopped, and Lucy collapsed to the ground, pain coursing through her body.
Lucy gritted her teeth, pushing herself back up despite the pain wracking her body. Every muscle ached, but she refused to stay down.
"Who... the hell are you?!" she demanded, wiping the blood from her lip. "And how can you use my rubber powers?!". Lucy has some doubts about the shadow in her mind. But instead of a response—The shadow just made a goofy expression.
Its arms and legs suddenly coiled up like springs, flailing around in an exaggerated, comical motion while letting out a carefree laugh.
Lucy's eye twitched. "Tch… Are you mocking me?!"
Irritation flared, and without another thought, she charged again—this time determined to land a solid hit. The shadow didn't even bother dodging. Instead, it raised a single hand and caught her punch effortlessly.
Lucy's eyes widened. "What—?!"
Before she could react, the shadow tightened its grip, lifted her off the ground—then slammed her into it with overwhelming force.
The impact sent a shockwave through the ground, leaving a crater beneath her. And it didn't stop there.
Before she could recover, the shadow yanked her up again—slamming her down once. Then twice. Then from every direction. A few seconds later, it finally let go.
Lucy's battered form lay sprawled in the crater, small trails of blood dripping from her mouth.
The next few seconds, the shadow hopped and bounced around without a care in the world, as if Lucy weren't even worth its attention.
Meanwhile, Lucy gritted her teeth, frustration burning in her chest. She hated this. Hated how weak she felt. Her fists clenched.
With a sharp inhale, she forced herself back up, legs shaking but unwavering. She spit out the blood from her mouth, then wiped it away with the back of her hand.
Breathing heavily, she lifted her gaze—defiant. "I'm not done yet." She met the shadow's gaze head-on.
"It's gonna take a hell of a lot more than this to put me down," she declared, her voice steady despite the exhaustion in her body. "Because I'm going to be the Queen of the Pirates! If I can't even handle this, how the hell am I supposed to achieve my dream?!"
Unwillingly, her emotions surged—and with them, an unseen force rippled through the air.
Her Conqueror's Haki leaked out.
The shadow, mid-bounce, suddenly froze. For a moment, everything fell silent. Then a wide, toothy grin spread across its face.
It tilted its head, then let out a loud, booming laugh—
"HA... HA... HA!"
The shadow suddenly copied Lucy's earlier stance, steam bursting from its body like black smoke.
Lucy's eyes widened in shock recognizing, but there was no time to be surprised. Gritting her teeth, she too activated her own Gear 2, her body steaming as she reinforced herself with Tekkai and layered on with invisible Armament Haki. She too wasn't going to holding back.
Both figures exploded forward at the same time. Lucy struck first, throwing a flurry of punches with rapid speed, but just like before—the shadow weaved through every attack effortlessly. It was untouchable.
Then, without warning, it counterattacked.
A powerful blow crashed into Lucy's side, knocking the wind out of her. Before she could recover, another hit landed. Then another. The shadow's fists slammed into her from all sides, each one striking clean despite her enhanced defenses. Her Tekkai shook. Her Armament strained. And yet—she refused to go down.
Even as pain wracked her body, Lucy kept attacking. She wouldn't lose like this!
Then, after long time something shifted at midst of the relentless battle.
For a brief moment—a flicker in her mind. A split-second instinct. She moved—dodging just barely, a punch whizzing past her cheek as if time slowed down. It wasn't perfect, she still took remaining hits, but she had avoided an attack.
Lucy's eyes widened in realization.
In that instant, her body reacted before she even thought about it—she countered! Her fist shot toward the shadow, surprising it. But at the last moment, it twisted, avoiding her strike with ease before leaping back to create distance.
And then—it grinned.
Lucy blinked, breathing heavily. Then, as the realization sank in, a grin of her own stretched across her face. She had a breakthrough. But there was no time to celebrate.
The shadow rushed her again, unleashing Gatling punches again with some other moves. Lucy took a deep breath, clearing her mind. The same feeling she had a moment ago—she focused on it.
The first punch came. She dodged. Then the second. The third.
The more she moved, the sharper her reactions became. Her body flowed instinctively, avoiding each strike by inches.
The shadow didn't stop. But neither did she. Seconds stretched into minutes.
Suddenly, the shadow halted its attack, its grin stretching wider. Without warning, it threw a punch straight at Lucy, its arm stretching forward at blinding speed. Lucy reacted instantly, dodging to the side.
But she didn't notice—the fist curved mid-air.
Before she could even register what was happening, the attack snapped back like a whip and smashed into her side. Her eyes widened in shock as she was sent staggering back.
The shadow didn't stop. It continued launching punches, but this time—they didn't fly straight. Each strike shifted direction unpredictably, twisting and curving in mid-air before slamming into her from unexpected angles.
The speed of its attacks suddenly increased, overwhelming her completely.
Lucy gritted her teeth, trying to dodge, but it was useless. Every time she avoided one attack; another came from behind. The relentless onslaught battered her from all directions until—a final heavy blow sent her crashing to the ground.
She groaned, pain pulsing through her body.
Lucy pushed herself back up, clutching her aching side. "Hey, how did you do that?" she demanded, but the shadow only smirked in response.
Frustration burned in her chest, but then she paused, replaying the move in her head. The way the shadow's attacks had curved, how they changed direction mid-air—there had to be a trick to it.
Seeing that the shadow had momentarily stopped attacking, she took the chance to experiment. She kept recalling the move, her observation helping during this and finally she understood after carefully recalling it.
Deciding to try it, she stretched her arm back and launched a punch, trying to make it bend like the shadow's. It failed.
She tried again. And again. Each time, her fist flew straight, refusing to shift like she wanted.
Time passed. Then, finally—it worked.
Her fist shot forward, then curved sharply in mid-air, whipping around with unpredictable precision. A grin spread across her face as she named the new technique—
"Gum-Gum No: Jet Culverin!"
She used Tekkai and coated her arm with Armament Haki again, reinforcing the attack before launching it straight at the shadow with a confident smirk.
But the shadow simply smirked back.
Out of nowhere, it pulled out a shield, blocking the attack effortlessly.
Lucy's grin faltered as she watched it mirror her smirk perfectly, as if acknowledging her progress.
Lucy retracted her punch and stomped her foot. "Oi! That's cheating!" she whined, pointing at the shield.
The shadow simply grinned.
"Fine then!" she huffed, summoning her steel gauntlets onto her fists. As she clenched them, a memory flashed in her mind—her father once telling her that weapons can also be imbued with Haki.
Even in the middle of battle, she shamelessly yelled, "Oi! Teach me how to coat my weapons with Haki!" Lucy didn't know why she asked but gut said it she followed.
The shadow only laughed hearing her request.
"Ha ha ha!"
Before she could press further, it suddenly lunged at her, a sword materializing in its hand.
"Eh? Oi, oi! What are you doing?!" Lucy yelped, raising her gauntlets just in time to block the first slash. Sparks flew as metal clashed against the shadow's blade.
From that moment, the battle intensified.
Lucy relentlessly defended herself, countering whenever possible, but each strike she threw was either dodged or brushed off with ease.
To keep up, she incorporated her Kami-e (Paper Art) to weave past slashes, her Soru and Geppo (Moonwalk) to reposition mid-air or to evade and strike from different angles.
At one point, Lucy combined Geppo and Soru, pushing her speed to the limit—the fight leaving the ground entirely.
Their battle raged in mid-air, clashing at high speeds without touching the ground. Blades and fists met in rapid succession, creating shockwaves in the air.
Like this, the fierce struggle continued, neither side letting up.
As the battle raged on for hours, Lucy pushed forward despite the exhaustion creeping into her limbs. Her movements became sharper, her instincts keener—her body and gauntlets moving as one; she just acted instinctively.
Amidst the relentless exchanges, the invisible Haki coating on her body naturally extended to her gauntlets—a thin, unseen barrier reinforcing them.
But she is so caught in the heat of battle, Lucy didn't even realize what she had done or achieved.
The shadow noticed what she did but, as always, it just grinned. It didn't stop there, instead a wave of pressure rolled off it—raw, crushing willpower flooding the battlefield.
Lucy faltered for just a split second, her breath hitching. But then, her own Conqueror's Haki roared to life in response. The air crackled as their wills clashed.
Blow after blow, the battle raged on. Lucy could feel her body reaching its limit, muscles screaming, lungs burning. But the shadow?
Not even shows a hint of exhaustion.
And as they fought, the very ground beneath them began to crack, split— breaking apart under the sheer force of their relentless exchange.
Lucy, gritting her teeth, pushed through the pain, the exhaustion—everything. She threw everything she had. Every attack, every counter, every defense.
But no matter what she did, the shadow slipped through her grasp, dodging, deflecting, evading and even counter attacking. Still, she refused to stop.
Then—finally it happened.
Lucy's movements blurred, her fists striking in a relentless storm. One arm unleashed a rapid-fire Gatling, the other launched a Jet Culverin— both attacks weaving together into a devastating combo.
And this time— her fist connected.
Just a scratch. A thin line on the shadow's cheek.
As soon as Lucy's attack landed, both she and the shadow instinctively moved back, putting distance between them.
Breathing heavily, Lucy with a triumphant grin on her face. "Finally… I landed a hit on you."
The shadow, unfazed, slowly raised a hand to its cheek, rubbing the faint scratch.
Then, with that same damn smirk, the wound simply vanished— as if it had never been there.
Lucy's eye twitched seeing this. "Oi… you're cheating again!"
Then the shadow dismissed its weapons with ease, then raised a hand, curling its fingers in a taunting motion—beckoning Lucy to come at it again.
Lucy, barely standing, her body screaming in exhaustion, felt a vein pop on her forehead seeing this. "Tch…" Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to move.
Summoning every ounce of strength she had left, she activated Gear 2, her body steaming, muscles tightening. At the same time, she reinforced herself with Tekkai, her body and muscles hardening like steel to its max limit.
Her fists clenched. Invisible Haki coated her arms then her whole body, flowing naturally into her gauntlets without her realizing—her will, her spirit, unknowingly pushing her beyond her limits.
She reinforced her body with Tekkai, hardening her muscles to her max limit, and on top of that, Armament Haki surged coating not just her fists but extending over her gauntlet still without her realizing it.
Then, without hesitation, she bent her leg like a coiled spring launches forward building initial momentum and immediately combines with Soru, her speed breaking through the air as she closed the distance in an instant.
With all her remaining strength, she pulled back her fist, every ounce of power compressed into a single, devastating blow.
"Gomu Gomu no: Jet Impact!"
Her Tekkai-reinforced, Haki-coated gauntlet slammed into the shadow's chest, the force of the strike rippling outward like a shockwave.
The shadow stood there took the full brunt of Lucy's attack without even flinching. For a moment, she smirked, thinking she had finally done some real damage—but her triumph was short-lived.
The shadow appeared to be knocked back from the impact, its body bending unnaturally as it absorbs and takes all the force. But just as it seemed to be falling it stopped, and it snapped back upright with even greater momentum.
In rapid motion, it gathered all the stored energy into its fist. Without hesitation, it twisted its body and unleashed the accumulated power in a single devastating counterattack.
Before Lucy could react, her own strength was hurled back at her—tripled in intensity.
Her eyes widened.
A crushing shockwave struck her square in the front, her body folding inward as the sheer force launched her backward like a ragdoll.
Lucy coughed up a mix of saliva and blood as a sharp cry of pain escaped her lips. The sheer force sent her flying back at twice the speed, her body smashing through thick tree trunks, bark and splinters scattering in all directions.
The air was knocked from her lungs just before she crashed into a massive boulder with a sickening thud, the impact cracking the massive stone behind her.
Lucy's body remained wedged against the boulder, pinned by the sheer force of her own impact. Her limbs felt heavy, exhaustion dragging her toward unconsciousness.
She had already poured everything into that last attack, but sheer willpower kept her from blacking out completely. A faint, involuntary pulse of Conqueror's Haki flickered around her, raw and unrefined.
The shadow approached without a care, its presence looming over her. As it stood before her, a wide, toothy grin stretched across its darkened face looking at her with it mischievous red eyes.
Between ragged breaths, Lucy forced out the doubt gnawing at her mind. "Are you… the previous user of my Devil Fruit? The one Ash told me about?"
The shadow's only response was a hearty, echoing laugh—"Aha Hahaha…!"—before it twirled and danced around her like a carefree specter as if agreeing to her question.
Lucy could only smirk. "Ash said you were strong… that people used called you a god. Bu…cough…. But I'm going to surpass you."
Her voice, though weak, eyes burned with unshaken determination. "I'm going to be Queen of the Pirates. I might've failed this time, but once I recover. I'll definitely defeat you. I'll not back down."
Her words carried weight, so much her will started pressing outward. The Haki she had been unknowingly releasing surged, growing denser, more defined.
The shadow, still grinning, shook its head as if to say there was no need.
Then, without a word, a bottle containing a swirling, colorful liquid materialized in its hand.
Moving toward Lucy with slow, deliberate steps, it placed the bottle into her clenched right fist, gently pressing it into her grasp.
Then, just as casually, it stepped back, flashing the same wide, toothy grin before giving her a thumbs-up—wordlessly telling her that she had passed.
As soon as it did, the surroundings began to glow, light pulsing and intensifying.
Lucy, still catching her breath, frowned in confusion. "Wait… what do you mean by that? Wait—did I pass? No… no, I'm not done yet! I want to fight you again!"
But the shadow didn't answer. It simply stood there, watching as the world around them began to blur with an overwhelming radiance.
"Oi! Don't ignore me!" Lucy yelled, her frustration mounting. "You idiot! Let me fight you again! I'll beat you this time!"
Just then, amidst the blinding light, a sound echoed—deep, rhythmic, and powerful.
A drumbeat.
It was slow at first, then another followed, then another—steady and unyielding. The beats resonated throughout her body, sending an unfamiliar yet oddly familiar shiver down her spine. Her breath hitched. This sound… what was it? It feels funny!?
Then, just before her vision was completely consumed by the radiant glow, Lucy's eyes widened at what she is seeing.
The shadow… it was changing.
Its form warped and shifted, its silhouette stretching. Tall and fluid, its wild, unbound hair seemed to flow upward, merging with a flickering, flame-like cloud hovering over its shoulders. The ever-present grin stretched wider with eyes becoming more redder, a haunting contrast to the boundless sense of freedom emanating from its stance.
It looked… free.
But before she could fully process what she was seeing, the light engulfed her.
And with one final beat of the drums, Lucy vanished.
To be continued...
Hey everyone! I'm always looking for ways to make this story even better, and I'd love to hear your ideas. What powers do you think should be available in Ash's store? Maybe you have some cool concepts for abilities, weapons, or items that could make the adventure even more exciting!
Feel free to drop your suggestions in the comments, and if there's anything specific, you'd love to see in future chapters, let me know! I might even integrate your ideas into the story.
Also, don't forget to give some Power Stones if you're enjoying the journey! Your support means the world. 😊