After leaving the House of Evolution, Ron walked calmly through the forest.
"Right now, in terms of pure physical strength alone, I've already surpassed the Dragon-Lower class. I might not match up to a Dragon-Mid level creature in raw might, but once I add Armament Haki to the mix, I can easily overwhelm them."
"But how does my current physical power, enhanced with level 8 Armament Haki, compare to a Dragon-Upper?"
As for Dragon-Peak, Proto-Deity, or even Deity-Class beings—Ron didn't even bother to think about them. With nothing but Armament Haki reinforcing his body, there was no way he could reach those heights.
"Right—I've still got evolution points to spend."
The thought suddenly came to him.
Ron halted and looked up at the floating stat screen that displayed all of his attributes, pondering carefully.
"My Devil Fruit powers and the three types of Haki aren't the priority for now… What I need is something that gives me an immediate and significant power boost."
"Shave doesn't really have much room for growth anymore."
"'Essence of the Demon'… that could be promising. If I push the integration to 100%, I might unlock that legendary technique—Maka Phatoma, the one that freezes time itself."
"The Nuclear Kick of Annihilation is at level 3. If I push it to level 4, the destructive power should double at least."
"But… if I really want the biggest bang for my buck—"
Ron's eyes fell to a particular entry on the screen: Greatsword Master (Perfected).
"One level beyond Greatsword Master Perfected, huh… 'Unknown'? Just what kind of realm lies beyond that?"
A flicker of anticipation sparkled in Ron's eyes. The decision was made in an instant.
"System, evolve my swordsmanship."
[Evolving swordsmanship requires 1 Evolution Point. Proceed?]
"Proceed."
[Beep! Evolution point consumed!]
[Swordsmanship evolving from Greatsword Master Perfected to—Unknown Realm. Parsing… please wait.]
Ron couldn't hear a thing anymore.
He stood motionless as countless sword techniques blossomed within his mind. His eyes were open, but blank—deep within his azure pupils, a golden sword light appeared, followed by a second, a third… an endless surge of radiant blades, bursting like stars across the cosmos.
[Parsing complete. New realm recognized as—Supreme Greatsword Master.]
[Current Swordsmanship: Initiate of the Supreme Greatsword Master Realm.]
All the countless sword lights within Ron's eyes collapsed into a single beam. His gaze sharpened—
—and in the distance, a mountain nearly a hundred meters tall was cleaved in half.
BOOOOOM!!
The upper half of the mountain crashed to the ground with a thunderous rumble.
Ron came back to his senses. He extended his right hand, palm up, and focused. A surge of blood and life force gathered in his palm and condensed into a faint, three-foot-long crimson blade of light.
It radiated a terrifying sword intent, sharp enough to make the very air tremble.
"So this… is the realm beyond perfection. The power to cut through all things—tangible and intangible alike. The realm of the Supreme Greatsword Master!"
"This is the realm that even Mihawk has been yearning for all his life!"
Ron stared at the crimson blade, forged entirely from his own blood energy, his heart brimming with joy.
He didn't even need to swing it. He knew—this sword's power was far beyond anything he'd ever unleashed.
Compared to his former self, the destructive force of his slashes had undergone a complete transformation.
If he were in the One Piece world right now, just one casual slash like this could easily slice a medium-sized island in half.
And this wasn't even his full strength—he could swing that slash hundreds of times without pause.
If he also infused the blade with Armament Haki, Conqueror's Haki, activated his Breathing Technique, and unlocked Limit Break…
Just imagining it sent chills down Ron's spine.
"I'd better keep a low profile in this world..."
He dispersed the crimson blade in his hand. The last thing he needed was to accidentally destroy a city or two during a sword test and get marked as a monster by that bald-headed demon king.
"System, show me my current stats."
[Acknowledged.]
[Host: Ron]
-> Age: 20
-> Vitality: 5740
-> Mental Strength: 4650
-> Transparent World: Level 5
-> Sun Breathing Technique Mastery: 100%
-> Swordsmanship: Breath of All Things; Grandmaster of Swordsmanship
-> Essence of Strength: Level 5
-> Signature Move: Ultimate Kick — Level 3
-> Devil Fruit Ability: Enhanced Float-Float Fruit (Second Stage)
-> Permanent Buff: True Essence of a Thousand Tempers
-> Lightning Resistance: 50%
Haki Proficiency
-> Armament Haki: Level 9 (Third Stage)
-> Observation Haki: Level 8 (Third Stage)
-> Conqueror's Haki: Level 8 (Third Stage)
Combat Techniques
-> Flash Step: Level 7
-> Moonwalk: Level 10
-> Tempest Kick: Level 10
Weapons
-> Supreme Grade Blade: Blood Moon
-> Great Grade Blade: Shusui
-> Great Grade Blade: Raikiri
-> Other Great Blades: Oto, Kogarishi
Special Skills
-> Mastery in Mechanics, Navigation, and Linguistics
-> Greater Healing
-> Purification
-> Forging
Artifacts
-> King's Treasury
-> Endless Wine Flask
-> Silver Revolver (Six Bullets per Day)
Unique Items
-> Senzu Bean
Special Item
-> Distortion Fruit
Special Abilities
-> Tenseigan Techniques:
-> Yin-Yang Release
-> Mastery Over Gravity & Repulsion
-> Dimensional Control
-> Vitality Absorption & Mind Control
-> Life Bestowal
-> Ice Imperial Arm: Essence of the Demon — Grants absolute control over ice (Current fusion: 50%)
-> Personal Pocket Dimension: Infinite Castle (Unbound)
Current Sign-In Points: 2
Seeing the entry for Infinite Castle, Ron suddenly remembered—
Ah, right. That too!
[Personal Pocket Dimension — Infinite Castle
Current Status: Unbound
Once bound, host will gain access to a personal subspace stretching 100 kilometers in diameter. The host can freely configure the terrain within.
Host may enter or exit at will from any location and forcibly bring in objects—or even living beings—from the real world.]
Ron didn't hesitate for a second after reading that.
"System, bind Infinite Castle."
[Beep! Confirm binding?]
"Confirm."
[Binding complete.]
Ron instantly felt the presence of the dimension. With just a thought, he vanished from where he stood.
"So this is… my Infinite Castle."
He stood atop a brilliant blue ocean, with the sky reflected perfectly in the waters below. Above him, white clouds drifted across another sea suspended upside-down in the sky.
Where the two horizons met, verdant islands floated like hidden jewels—an untouched paradise.
This was nothing like that gloomy and twisted Infinite Castle controlled by Muzan.
This was his own boundless domain—limitless, pure, and entirely under his command.