Back in Marineford, it was late at night.
In his single dormitory, Loya muttered to himself as he took his medicine: "Tch, it's not a good thing that I'm seasick, but I still have such a heavy hand…"
After taking the medicine, Loya began to eat the roast suckling pig brought to him by Ms. S while reflecting on his recent experiences.
Through his battle with the Silverback Great Ape, Loya discovered several problems.
Aside from the unavoidable issue of the Wang Baquan technique in melee combat, he realized that using magic power wasn't easy.
He found himself unable to use magic effectively, whether it was in the initial gathering phase or the final manifestation.
Even though he had developed powerful moves such as Ice Coffin, Ice Bomb, and Orochi, those were all simple applications or merely commands to the system.
For instance, he had imitated the ice coffin created by Gray's "Absolute Freezing" technique. As long as he focused on that idea, the ice he produced would be cooler and harder than usual. However, the formation of the magic was not influenced by his subjective consciousness; everything felt natural.
The only proactive thing he could do was inject magic power into the spells at a faster rate, which enhanced both the speed and intensity of the magic's presentation.
Everything was done with the help of the system, and he didn't even fully understand how it worked.
Once the spells were cast, they could not be canceled, much like playing a game.
Loya thought, "The system clearly looks down on me for living in an age of technology! I'm just a magic idiot!"
However, through that battle, Loya, having consumed a lot of magic power, caught a glimpse of what he needed to change. This understanding could help him break free from his current limitations and reach a point where he could truly control his abilities.
Additionally, there was the "Beginning Solution" move, which operated on the principle that it required purification after major supplementation. As long as the dragon's power activated by the frost was restored, this state would lift without his control.
These issues might not have been significant when he was still caught between the navy recruit battalion and the elite battalion, but for a true strongman, they were glaringly obvious.
As Kuzan said, learning to control power is always easier than gaining it.
This would be a long process, requiring Loya to reflect and study repeatedly.
Silently reciting the system's details, Loya opened the interface that granted him this power.
Name: Christopher Loya
Energy Stage: Second and Fifth Layers
Energy Value: 900/900
Mana: 6000/6000
Mana Recovery Speed: 550/s
Dragon Power: 6/100%. Dragon Power can increase the strength of the Dragon Slayer Magician's Dragon-Slaying Magic. However, when it exceeds 30%, his body begins to transform, and at over 90%, the Dragon Slayer's body fully transforms into a dragon.
Dragon's Body: 22/100%. The body gradually adapts to the Dragon Power, enhancing the overall quality of the Dragon Slayer. It can temporarily increase adaptability by consuming energy, but the side effects are significant.
Moves: Ice Dragon's Roar, Ice Dragon's Iron Fist, Ice Dragon's Wing Strike, Ice Dragon's Claws, Ice Dragon's Broken Teeth, Ice Dragon's Grip, Ice Shape Magic.
After three days of training and battle, his energy value could finally be upgraded again. The Dragon's Body had surpassed the 20% mark, officially confirming his second run.
However, seeing the big "6%" behind Dragon Power made Loya's mouth twitch.
"God, give me a break; at least let me think clearly."
Despite the Dragon Power reaching 6%, Loya could test his previous hypotheses.
Putting down the clean bones in his hands, Loya stood with his eyes closed. His hands slowly moved closer together, and a strong cold radiated from him uncontrollably, causing a layer of ice crystals to form on the objects in the room.
Suddenly, he opened his eyes and shouted in a low voice, "Coffin of Frozen Ice!"
With his actions, a large amount of magic power quickly surged from his palm. The cold current came into contact with the moisture in the air, instantly turning into small ice shards, making the flow of magic power—previously invisible—clearly visible.
Click!
The sound of ice freezing echoed, and a piece of ice appeared before him in an instant. Loya stared closely at the ice cube in front of him and tapped it with his fingers.
Ding ding~
The sound was crisp, and it was as if he could almost taste the cumin in the air.
Loya let go of his hand in disappointment. The 6% Dragon Power did not qualitatively change the ice cubes created by his modeling magic. While their strength had increased, they still fell into the general category.
Although the essence of magic power was the same, modeling magic and Dragon-Slaying Magic were fundamentally different at the same level.
It was like comparing an ancient hydraulic press to a modern 10,000-ton hydraulic press; the same water flow force could only squeeze oil in the former, while the latter was capable of manufacturing high-strength alloy forgings.
This limitation was inherent. Unless Loya could develop stronger modeling magic on his own, he could only see the current limits of his strength.
Thus, Loya was deeply concerned about whether the Dragon Power could enhance the strength of his modeling magic.
After completing the experiment, Loya noticed the upward arrow next to his energy value and chose to upgrade. After all, this system was the foundation of his power, and every point of strength could potentially save his life.
Without the support of this system, he might one day become mere cannon fodder for the narration.
Hum!
The familiar blue formation appeared at his feet, and the upward airflow tousled his hair, making him feel like the strongest warrior in the universe.
"Should I cut my hair?" Loya wondered, as the roots of his hair felt as if they were trying to fly off his scalp, causing his scalp to tingle.
The blue diamond on his wrist began to disintegrate, like a swimming snake crawling all over his body. Intense blue energy filled the air as it quickly surged into Loya's body.
He could feel the magic boiling within him with each upgrade, and the sensation of growth made it impossible for him to stop.