Five years had passed. In the vast world of One Piece, that was a mere blink. Yet, for Regulus—isolated on his training ground—it felt like an eternity. Now thirteen, the scrawny child he once was had been replaced by a lean, wiry youth exuding quiet intensity. His every movement was purposeful, carrying the weight of years spent honing his body and powers.
The Garp Template, now at 55%, had reshaped his physique. Where once he was weak, he now possessed strength that surpassed even the most seasoned warriors. His raw physical abilities easily rivaled those of Yonko Commanders, allowing him feats of power unimaginable to the average man.
His training had become a brutal routine. The island, once an overwhelming wilderness, was now his dojo. The land bore the scars of his relentless exercises—landmarks of his progress. He could now sprint along the beach with speeds that left normal humans in the dust, his leaps effortlessly clearing towering rock formations. Boulders that once tested his strength now crumbled under the slightest push. Trees were uprooted with a single focused punch, and the very cliff faces shattered when he roared, his Conqueror's Haki flaring at the peak of his exertion.
However, his physical strength was just one part of his growth. The Inu Inu no Mi, Model: Fenrir, had become a part of him. He no longer struggled to control the power—it was now an extension of his will. His Hybrid Form was particularly versatile. He could shift between his human body and varying hybrid states, each serving a different purpose. At times, it was only sharpened canines and elongated limbs for agility and heightened senses. At others, his full transformation unleashed grey fur, sharp claws, and a lupine snout, increasing his speed and ferocity.
In his Full Beast Form, he stood nearly ten feet tall, a massive grey wolf with glowing amber eyes—an unstoppable force. His strength and speed were unparalleled, tearing through steel and outpacing the fastest predators of the sea. Mastery of his transformation had been hard-won. It had taken years of meditation and mental training, but he had finally learned to control the Fenrir's massive form, retaining his human consciousness while channeling its primal power.
The Frostfire, his Devil Fruit's elemental ability, had become a formidable weapon. Regulus now summoned the white-blue flames with mere thought, shaping their intensity and range. He had learned to craft walls of ice that shattered into flames upon contact, and to unleash focused beams of destructive energy, vaporizing anything in their path. He controlled both heat and cold with precision, melting rock or freezing the very air around him.
The "Fang of Fenrir" had grown into an extension of his own arm. A dark, menacing blade, its edge seemed to hum with latent power. His training with the sword, in both human and hybrid forms, had resulted in a fluid, deadly fighting style. The silver runes etched along its length pulsed when he channeled his Devil Fruit abilities or Haki, amplifying its cutting power.
While his Devil Fruit powers and physical training were crucial, Regulus had also honed his Haki. His Armament Haki had reached a level where he could coat his body in invisible armor, able to deflect even the strongest blows. His Observation Haki was finely tuned, allowing him to detect the subtlest changes in his environment and predict the movements of even the fastest creatures. Conqueror's Haki remained a powerful but unruly force within him, often flaring during moments of intense pressure, yet still eluding full control.
The journey had been difficult. The transformations had been excruciating, and controlling the Fenrir's wild power had almost overwhelmed him on numerous occasions. The Frostfire was particularly difficult to manage, often threatening to consume everything around him. But each challenge had only strengthened his resolve.
Now, as the sun sank lower in the sky, casting long shadows over his training grounds, Regulus paused in the middle of his kata with the "Fang of Fenrir." From his position on a rocky promontory, he could see the horizon stretching before him—endless and serene. Yet something had caught his attention. A subtle shift in the rhythm of the ocean, a disturbance in the air, signaled the approach of a vessel. Far off, but unmistakable.
His enhanced senses, honed by his Devil Fruit and Observation Haki, picked out a distant silhouette—large, with sails billowing in the wind. Something about its movement felt familiar, the way the ship cut through the waves. And there, standing at the bow, a figure with unmistakable red hair, barely visible at this distance.
Regulus's heart skipped. Curiosity mingled with caution. Could it be? Was it truly them? After so many years in isolation, was he about to see someone from his past again? He lowered his sword, amber eyes locked on the approaching ship. A mix of anticipation and unease gripped him. The silence that had been his only companion for so long was about to end. The Red-Haired Pirates were coming.