Chapter 13: 27 Years to Live — Arrival on Drum Island

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Rayleigh's attacks echoed across the sea as he hunted down ten massive Sea Kings, their corpses dragged toward the ship one by one. The hunt took several hours, and Gin Uchiha had to shift the ship's location several times to gather the massive beasts.

Finally, Rayleigh caught one more — enough meat for several days.

The warriors from Amazon Lily swiftly butchered it and packed the meat into the ship's refrigeration hold.

"All done! Let's head back!" one of them called out.

"Nice work, everyone!" Gin grinned.

"Thank you, Uncle Rayleigh. That was incredible!"

"Haha! Just a little warm-up! Don't forget what you promised me though... the wine."

"Of course. I'll bring out my best!"

"Then we have a deal!"

Back at Sabaody, Gin made a quick trip back to the Shinobi World, returning moments later with over a dozen bottles of rare wine from his personal cellar.

"Uncle Rayleigh, here—some of my best vintages. I doubt you've had anything like these before."

"Oho?" Rayleigh raised an intrigued brow as he accepted the bottles. "Looks like... wine from Wano Country? Let's have a taste!"

He uncorked one bottle, took a whiff, and his expression immediately brightened.

"Now this is wine! Rich aroma... Mm!" He took several long gulps. "Excellent! Truly excellent! Hahaha! Thank you, brother Gin!"

"Hehe, glad you like it! I figured something stronger would suit you more than simple sake."

"Oh! That reminds me—" Rayleigh suddenly slapped his forehead. "I've finished recording my experiences with Haki: Armament, Observation, and even some thoughts on Conqueror's Haki and Rokushiki! I'll get it!"

He returned with a stack of notes and handed them over to Gin.

Gin quickly absorbed the contents—his eyes scanning and memorizing everything with incredible speed. But as he set the final page down, his brow furrowed.

"Impressive knowledge, but... unfortunately, I'm not strong enough to practice most of this right now. My body's still too weak. Even trying Observation Haki would strain it."

He was right. His constitution, though recovering, was still fragile. Attempting Armament Haki or physical arts like Rokushiki might damage him beyond repair.

As for Conqueror's Haki, Rayleigh's notes suggested it was innate—something you either had or didn't. While he'd written general theories about awakening it—strong willpower, mental refinement, spiritual presence—there were no clear steps.

But Gin disagreed.

Reading between the lines, Gin believed that will and reason were things that could be cultivated. With his talent, "Heaven Rewards Diligence," he was confident that, with time, he could awaken it on his own.

"Hahaha!" Rayleigh laughed. "Wait—you actually remembered and understood everything? You're not pulling my leg, are you?"

"Of course not!" Gin smirked. "I've got an excellent memory... and sharp instincts."

"Well then!" Rayleigh raised his bottle. "I'll look forward to your progress after you recover."

"You won't be disappointed, Uncle."

For the next five days, Gin remained at Shakky's bar on Sabaody, meditating and performing restorative exercises. His condition improved daily.

Hikari made sure he returned to the Shinobi World regularly to tend to clan affairs—though peacetime meant there weren't many.

After fifteen days in total, they bid farewell to Rayleigh and Shakky, departing Sabaody aboard a ship bound for Drum Island.

It was a ten-day journey. Every day, the effects of his congenital defect weakened. Thanks to the nourishing Sea King meat, Gin's frail body grew steadily stronger. He began to fill out. The unhealthy thinness vanished. Even his height jumped ten centimeters in just over a week—now 1.1 meters, the lower limit of healthy for his age.

Status:

Name: Uchiha GinTalents: Space-Time Gate, Heaven Rewards DiligenceLife Expectancy: 27 years, 5 months, 12 days(Source of Life: 6.13 / 10)Chakra Nature: Water, Wind, Fire, Earth, YinSkills:

Uchiha Chakra Refinement (1/100 – Entry Level)

Traditional Medicine (3314/10,000 – Grandmaster)

Health Exercises (1145/5000 – Intermediate)

Uchiha Meditation (134/500 – Professional)

Drum Island — Port Village

"Should we wait here for you?" the ship captain asked as they disembarked.

"No need," Hikari said with a smile. "You've already done more than enough. We'll stay here a while for treatment. Head back home—we'll visit you again once Gin has recovered."

"You're far too kind!" the captain bowed. "Amazon Lily will always welcome you both! Safe travels!"

From the departing ship's stern, Boa Hancock waved enthusiastically.

"Gin! Sister Hikari! Visit me soon!"

Gin noticed a notification:

Boa Hancock's favorability has reached 67 points.

"Tch... Still not enough for a contract," he muttered under his breath.

"Oh?" Hikari raised an eyebrow. "Seems like Hancock's got her eyes on you. She's a beauty, that one... If she becomes part of the family, your mother won't object."

Gin: "…"

"Let's talk about that later. I need 80 points minimum for a contract. She's close, but not quite there yet."

He turned to the nearby villagers.

"Let's find Dr. Kureha."

After some quick questioning, they learned where the eccentric doctor lived.

And so began their journey into the snow-covered mountains of Drum Island.