Chapter 24: Passing Down the Golden Light Spell

“Hee-yah!”

“Take this!”

The childish shouts pulled Karl out of his sleep.

Last night he’d ended up in a drinking contest with Newgate and got way too drunk. He’d underestimated the booze in this world, forgetting that a land of pirates might have seriously strong spirits. He’d blacked out by the end and Krell had to drag him back.

“Drinking always gets me into trouble. I really need to cut back next time.”

Karl rubbed his temples. He still felt a bit groggy, but the discomfort faded quickly—no doubt thanks to his Titan bloodline kicking in.

He vaguely remembered hearing a notification from the system last night, but hadn’t had the chance to check it.

Not bothering with that now, Karl focused on the voices outside—definitely Long Yi. He hurried out of the room.

Warm sunlight bathed him as he stepped outside.

Not far off, Krell was putting Long Yi and Long Er through some simple physical training.

“You three, come here!”

“I’m going to teach you a way to use energy. Let’s see if you can master it.”

Karl decided to pass down the Golden Light Spell. Its defensive abilities alone were impressive enough to make it worth sharing.

He also wanted to test if skills from his hero templates could be taught to people in this world.

If it worked, he could rapidly boost his crew’s strength—though he’d have to make sure their loyalty was strong. He wasn’t really worried about his secrets getting out, but it never hurt to be cautious.

Krell was visibly excited, grabbing Long Yi with one hand and Long Er with the other, practically bounding over to Karl in a few steps. With Karl so powerful, whatever he was teaching had to be a path to getting stronger.

“Sit down. I’ll circulate the energy through your bodies once. Try to sense it carefully.”

“I’ll leave some of the energy inside you. Try to move it throughout your body.”

Long Yi and Long Er had Dragonfolk blood, and Krell was a Fishman. None of them were exactly human, so Karl wasn’t sure if this would work—but it was worth a shot. If it did, it meant even people from this world could cultivate these techniques.

The three of them immediately sat cross-legged in front of Karl, eyes bright with excitement. Karl was powerful, and they had absolute trust in him.

“We’re ready, Sir Karl!”

Seeing the anticipation in their eyes, Karl got to work, placing his hand on Krell’s shoulder first.

“Hiss…!”

Krell felt a gentle, strange energy flow from Karl’s palm into his body.

This unfamiliar energy moved along his meridians, circling once through his body. It was a pleasant, soothing sensation—like soaking in a hot spring.

Krell realized his body craved this warmth, and even some old wounds were slowly healing.

But as the energy forced open a few blocked meridians, Krell broke out in a sweat. The process hurt, but it was necessary.

Since he was an adult, most of his bones and muscles were already fully developed, so this energy also helped unblock his main meridians.

“Focus on the feeling.”

After guiding the energy through Krell, Karl left a trace behind and then placed his hands on Long Yi and Long Er’s shoulders.

“Hiss…!”

The process was mostly the same for them, but the pain was milder. They were younger and their bodies hadn’t finished developing.

It took little effort to open their main meridians, and the energy completed its circuit easily.

After finishing the sequence, Karl clasped his hands behind his back and watched the energy swirl inside the three students.

All three sat with their eyes tightly shut, totally absorbed in feeling the energy within.

Suddenly Karl noticed Krell’s right hand flicker with a faint golden light.

A possibility began to form in his mind.

“Congratulations, Host. Your skill from ‘Under One Person’ can now be passed on in the One Piece World. The world line has changed slightly.”

“Shop module unlocked!”

As the system’s voice echoed, Krell jumped up, his hand wrapped in golden energy.

It was the Golden Light Spell, clear as day. The glow soon faded, though—he’d lost focus.

“I got too excited.”

“What is this power?”

Krell’s excitement had made him fumble the technique, letting the golden light dissipate.

“This is a method I created—it’s called the Golden Light Spell.”

“I trust you, so I’m passing it to you.”

“Don’t let me down.”

Sorry, Elder Heavenly Master—borrowing the name ‘Golden Light Spell’ for now. Hope you don’t mind.

“Rest assured, Sir Karl. I’ll be absolutely loyal and carry out your orders without question.”

Krell knelt on one knee, hands clasped in front of him, his tone solemn.

“Us too!”

Long Yi and Long Er quickly followed Krell’s lead.

“Alright. I believe in your loyalty. Stand up.”

While Karl let them stand, he couldn’t help feeling pleased. Now he knew hero template skills could be introduced to this world. Growing his own power just got a whole lot easier.

“You need to practice using this energy as much as possible.”

Karl instructed them to train diligently, running the energy through their bodies until it became second nature.

“Yes, Sir Karl. I won’t slack off for a moment.”

For Krell, whose physical abilities had long hit their ceiling, this new way to get stronger was exactly what he’d been waiting for.

“Aah!”

“Thud!”

Long Yi collapsed facedown. Long Er was holding a golden whip, the tip fastened firmly around Long Yi’s ankle.

“Hahaha!”

Long Er grinned, sticking out his tongue at his brother’s expense.

Under Karl’s watchful gaze, he quickly retracted the golden whip.

“You two are picking it up fast. Krell, make sure to train them hard.”

Karl wasn’t even mad. He hadn’t expected those two to master the Golden Light Spell so quickly.

“No problem, Sir Karl. I’ll make sure they don’t slack off.”

Krell cracked his knuckles and gave them a fearsome grin.

Long Yi and Long Er hugged each other tight, clearly intimidated.

“And you’d better stick to the training method I showed you. Work on your physical strength as well.”

“Come on, follow my moves.”

“First this, then this…”

A few hours slipped by in no time.

“From now on, you’ll train at least four hours every day.”

“What? Are you kidding?!”

Long Er started to complain—he was just a kid after all, and liked to play. But the second he saw Karl’s frown, he fell silent.

“Got it. We’ll complete the training.”

He changed his tune in an instant.

“There’s one more thing: you must master Armament Haki and Observation Haki.”

“Those are key to becoming truly strong.”

“I’m just starting out myself, so I’ll bring in someone to teach you.”

Karl sighed. He’d only awakened Armament Haki while fighting Newgate and Kong, which other people couldn’t exactly copy.

He had no idea how to train Observation Haki, either.

Since he barely understood them himself, there was no way he could teach them these advanced skills. He’d need to find a teacher for that, too.

“Train hard, all of you. Don’t let my efforts go to waste.”

This was his first batch of core followers. He had to help them grow—after all, he’d invested a lot in them.

Otherwise, all his hard work would be for nothing!