First Blood

Luca closed his bedroom door forcefully, taking a deep breath as he tried to process what had happened today. There was no doubt about it... what occurred in the workshop wasn't a coincidence.

He had stopped the wooden plank mid-air, but he didn't understand how he did it.

He moved toward his desk, looking at the scattered items on it: a pen, pirate stickers, a small key... ordinary things, but today, he no longer saw them the same way. He slowly reached toward a pen near the edge, but didn't touch it... instead, he focused on it with his eyes alone. "Move..." Nothing happened.

He furrowed his brows. He tried to recall the same feeling that had overwhelmed him in the workshop, that strange energy he had sensed in his mind. He exhaled slowly and tried again. "Move!" The pen trembled slightly, barely shifting from its position. But that was enough to make his heart race.

So, he wasn't imagining it... he really had this ability! Did he accidentally eat a Devil Fruit? Was it like Shiki's Golden Lion ability, or did it come with his arrival in this world? His curiosity grew, so he sat on the floor and placed a small key in front of him.

He clenched his fists and closed his eyes for a moment, trying to focus deeper. When he opened them, all his thoughts were fixed on the key.

"Rise..." He felt a slight pressure in his head, as if something inside him was trying to respond.

Long seconds passed... then, suddenly, the key lifted slightly off the ground—just a few centimeters—before falling again with a faint sound. Yet, despite that, he smiled.

He had succeeded... even if just a little. And that meant one thing: "I can do this." Moving small objects was difficult, but not impossible. And with training, who knew what he might be able to move later? With this power, he would have to adjust his thoughts and goals a bit... but first, he had to master it.

---

*One month later:*

Darkness enveloped the dense forest surrounding Loguetown, where no one dared to enter after sunset. The massive oak trees intertwined their branches like guarding arms, blocking even the moonlight from penetrating their thick leaves. In the heart of this forest, where only the chirping of nocturnal crickets could be heard, Luca stood in the darkness.

staring at a tree stump. Before him, on a rotting log, fifty iron nails were arranged in precise geometric patterns. The nails glinted faintly under the dim light seeping through a small gap in the foliage. Luca took a deep breath, feeling the cold, damp air fill his lungs.

He closed his eyes and began visualizing the energy field surrounding everything. "Not with the body... but with the mind," he whispered to himself, raising his hands slowly as if lifting an invisible weight.

The first nails began to respond. They trembled slightly, then separated from the wooden surface in slow, deliberate motion.

They moved as if swimming through a dense medium, each nail submitting to Luca's will, which was still taking shape. A cold drop of sweat slid down his temple as he channeled all his mental energy into precise control.

"One... two... three..." He counted the nails now floating in the air, forming a perfect circle around him. He reached fifteen before a dull ache began pulsing at the back of his skull. But he ignored the pain, determined to push himself to the limit. Suddenly, he flicked his fingers sharply.

The nails shot forward like an angry swarm of bees, striking a tree trunk ten meters away with astonishing precision, each embedding itself into the hard wood at equal depth. But his victory wasn't flawless.

Some nails veered off course, splashing into a nearby pool of water with a soft plop. Luca sighed and relaxed his stiff shoulders.

"Idiot!" he muttered under his breath. "Focus... must be absolute."

He stood up, stretching his tense muscles. He retrieved the fallen nail from the water with his bare hands this time, examining its wet surface reflecting the moonlight in fragments.

Deep down, he knew this strange power awakening within him was the key to his future. But he also understood it needed refinement—relentless, disciplined training. He returned to his starting position, determined to repeat the exercise. This time, he set out sixty nails. He knew exhaustion would soon overtake him, but he also knew every drop of sweat, every moment of pain, was another step toward total mastery.

"I will master this power," he vowed, closing his eyes once more as he prepared for the next round of training. In the darkness, the new nails began to tremble, obeying his command.

---

*Later:*

Noticing how late it had gotten, Luca put on his jacket, hid the nails, and headed home. He took the narrow alleys and side streets to shorten his path. But as soon as he entered one of the alleys, a towering figure appeared and glared at him. "Hand over everything you've got, kid, and scram," the man growled.

Luca studied the man—over two meters tall with a massive belly—and thought, "People in this world really have weird builds." He stepped back, intending to flee. He had no interest in fighting this giant and didn't want to reveal his powers prematurely.

But the moment he retreated, the man lunged with surprising speed for his bulky frame, throwing a punch at him. Luca barely dodged the blow and countered with a strike to the man's stomach—but his fist had no effect.

The man took advantage of Luca's proximity and kicked him square in the abdomen, sending him flying into a wall.

Luca hit the wall hard, blood trickling from his mouth. "I'm in trouble... This thief is too strong, and I left most of my nails in the forest. I only have three on me," he thought, sprawled on the ground.

The man approached arrogantly. "When I tell you what to do, you do it. Why make things difficult? You think you can escape me? Hahahaha!"

Luca pulled the three nails from his pocket and made them float in the air. The darkness concealed them as they spun rapidly. The nails shot forward, piercing the man's eyes and exiting the back of his skull before returning to Luca's hand.

The man collapsed like a felled tree, his glassy eyes staring blankly into the void where his vision had been mere seconds before. The three nails in my hand were warm, stained with grayish streaks of brain matter.

I took a deep breath, thinking: 'This was easier than I expected.' But my racing heartbeat betrayed me. It wasn't fear of what I'd done, but rather how easily I'd done it.

I grabbed the huge man's wrist and dragged him toward the sewer drain. 'People here are strong, but they die just like anyone else.' Before disappearing into the darkness, I made sure there were no witnesses. This power was my secret weapon, and the time hadn't yet come to reveal it."