Breathe in strong through the nose, Breathe out gently through the mouth. Breathe in fully, filling the lungs to capacity. Breathe out completely, not leaving any air left. Full, empty. In, out. Calm. Controlled.

Not gonna lie, pretty fucking hard to maintain when you're being hunted by something that can kill you in an instant. Something so much stronger, larger, and deadlier than you it's not even funny. It's a wake up call, a shock. I didn't realize just how outclassed I'd be. How hilariously obvious it is that I am not the top of the food chain here, not even close. I'm like the mouse that Scar plays with at the beginning of Lion King. Everything is bigger here. The trees, the flowers, and even the bugs are all huge, but the beasts take the cake!

I hadn't heard a fucking thing, not a snap of a twig, or a gust of a breath, or anything, when completely by luck, I had randomly glanced back behind me and made eye contact with the biggest, King Kong sized, Fuck off big cat I had ever seen in my life, crouched and ready to pounce. I immediately dove behind a massive tree root, which was shredded in my place by massive claws the length of my arm loaded in paws as wide as I was tall!

I was currently in the center area of the island that houses Typhron kingdom. I had known when coming here that it contained the strongest beasts on the island. I had been clearly told, that the only place in the entire world with more deadly animals than these was the grand line and the calm belts. I thought I understood what they were talking about. I was wrong.

The kingdom of Typhron technically refers to the entire island, but the only place that people can live are the outside edges, near the ocean. The further you went in to the interior of the island, the deadlier the beasts became. That was one of the first things I had learned about this island, from the two hunters who had first saved me from the snake. That time was all kind of fuzzy, but I remember that we didn't have to travel very long to get to town, meaning we hadn't even been all that far in. The island on a map kind of looked like some sort of massive ancient crater, almost too circular. Around halfway between the outer edges and the center point of the island, was a circular mountain range called the Crown of Fangs, or just "the crowns" for short. Once you passed this mountain range, you entered a bowl like area known as the Center Valley, and while I had guessed there would be some kind of power spike, I had NO idea how bad it would be.

Now, I know you may be asking, "Jasper, if the island has a gradual progression of animals, why would you head straight to the center when you haven't beaten any of the outer ones yet?" That's a great question. I guess I just wanted to see how strong they really were. I hadn't come here for a straight up fight, I'm not an idiot, but I had thought I could at least make it through the valley to the other side of the island! I had been trying to reach the capital, which was on the opposite side of the island as Hogton, which was the town I had been in when I stole the pot and machete. Ever since then I had been training hard, free running through the forest and doing body weight exercises on branches. The main thing I was trying to build for now was my stamina and my senses. To always keep my guard up, to pay attention to my surroundings. I'd even been somewhat successful! To test myself, I had been running expeditions deeper into the forest for a while now, and I had gotten confident in my ability to at least detect large creatures and avoid them. Or at least, I had been, until I had almost fucking died to Ghostcat McMurderpaws.

I was currently hiding like a little bitch in a deep crevice I had found in the trunk of a tree. There had been a wolf sized rat in here, but it was far better than dealing with the monster leopard that was waiting outside. I had immediately drawn the Machete and gone for the neck, and Mammoth Mickey had helped me out by jumping aggressively toward me, skewering himself clean through in the process. I guess he didn't think a little thing like me could possibly have a 'claw' as big as Sourpuss out there. I started cleaning the blade as the smell of blood permeated the air, and I was deeply unnerved by a deep, near inaudible rumbling that I felt in my chest more than I heard with my ears. As I finished cleaning the machete and returned it to the sheathe, I realized what I was hearing. The cat was purring.

It was entertained by the situation. It enjoyed the fact that I hadn't instantly died, and the smell of blood had exited it further. It had found a fun toy to play with. I don't know why, but the thought that the Diego the Dinocat was having fun with this, was just having a grand old time sniffing blood and terror from the mouth of my tree cave made me LIVID. And you know the worst part?! I couldn't do a fucking thing about it! Puddy Tat had held all the cards! A tear slid down my cheek as I started to break down, sinking to the floor. The first thing I had checked was if the narrow cave had any other exits, but no. The only way out was the way I entered. Once the the first drop had breached my tear ducts it was like the floodgates were opened, and I started audibly sobbing. I curled into a ball and ran my fingers through my hair. "W-What am I going to do?" I whispered to myself. I couldn't think. I'm boxed in. there's no way out!

I heard an echoing thump as the cat laid down, settling in for the long haul. Now that it wasn't standing, could I outrun it? No, I couldn't, I realized as I remember how big it was, what long reach those paws had. It wouldn't have to stand up to bat me around like a cheap feather toy, and I'm not sure if I'd even survive the first hit! I was boned, and this furry asshole knew it. I winced as the blood of the rat spread far enough that it reached me, seeping between my fingers. "Ugh" I stood up, wiping my sticky hand on my shorts. I rubbed my fingers together Idly, wracking my brain for a solution. Wait… Rat blood.

Rat!

I didn't just have me in here! I had the rat! I couldn't cook it as it was way too wet in here to start a fire, but that didn't matter! I wouldn't be the one eating it! It was a simple plan. Throw the rat as a distraction, hope the cat goes for it, and haul ass while it's busy! It was foolproof!

Fuck…I'm gonna die.

I breathed deeply, oxygenating my blood like I used to do before a big race when I was on swim team.

In strong through the nose till full…out gently through the mouth till empty.

Sniiiff…

"Hoooooh"

"I know it sucks to loose Jasper, but it sucks a hundred times worse to miss an opportunity, and always know from then on that you never tried your best"

Sniiiff…

"Hoooooh"

"Failure is always better than never trying at all. There is honor and grace in an honest performance, no matter the outcome."

Sniiiff…

"Hoooooh"

I grabbed the rat by its back fur and hoisted it up. Even if death took me, it would have to drag me kicking and screaming.

Sniiiff

I swung the rat back, beginning a "heave-ho" motion.

"Hoooooh"

I swung it forward, building momentum.

Sniiiff…

I swung it back for the final time, planting my feet.

GO!

Using all the power in my body from my legs, hips and core, I launched that big ol' rat with all my might, sending it flying through the cave mouth like a cork from a bottle.

With the machete on my back, I waited a split second and then sprinted out of the tree crevice and hung a right, all my focus concentrated on staying alive.

Time seemed to slow as I risked a single glance toward Gigapuss. It looked like Jerry had met Tom, the rat was clutched between its jaws. I whipped my gaze forward, the last thing I wanted to do was trip, and just as I almost reached the edge of its range, like a burst of clarity, I felt with every fiber of my being that it had seen me! Like an ethereal voice crying out, betraying how it wanted to attack, I saw its massive paw in my minds eye swiping at me from the left! Out of pure reflex I dove to the ground and rolled to keep my momentum, and heard the whoosh above me as the paw came barreling along the exact path I sensed.

Not in the mental state to realize this was strange, I leaped out of my roll and kept running. I spotted a fork between two trees and tore off toward it, knowing my pursuer would be too big to follow me through. Again I felt the path of its intent, seeing how it would leap through the air in a pounce at me. I skidded to a stop, and Panthera Gargantua went sailing clear over me! I sidestepped the path of it's flailing paw as it tried to take a mid-air swipe at me, and when it landed with a thunderous boom, I sprinted toward the only place that didn't reverberate with danger, and took a flying leap onto its ringed tail. I latched onto its fur like a baby gorilla, and as it began to whip me around, I held on for dear life and finally realized what I'd been doing!

Holy shit! Observation haki!

As my focus wavered, I lost track of the "voice" of Death Leopard. Unable to brace myself in the proper direction, it flung me off, sending me flying past the trees and above the forest canopy!

Good news:
I had escaped Thelvethter Thtalone.

Bad news:
I was in free fall 800ft above the ground, hurtling forwards at speeds close to 125 mph.

I took a deep breath, tapping into the same deep focus as before, and dozens of powerful luminous "voices" bloomed into existence in my minds eye. While it was nice to know where the animals were, I had a more immediate problem. I focused harder. Looked deeper. While the "voices" of the living animals were powerful and easy to sense, there was a wealth of of other "voices", whispering in the background, like the world was drawing breath. I couldn't consciously decipher their meaning but I didn't need to, this was a work of subconscious instinct. I closed my eyes as I fell, and with a sudden urge I whipped my hand out and caught a vine, which tore free from its anchor and sent me swinging forward in an arc, my momentum bleeding off.

I held on for dear life with all my limbs as I Tarzan swung down toward the ground, the vine just long enough to make me feel like I could reach out with my foot and kick a pebble as I streaked by. The wind howled in my ears and I started to rise again, swinging back up towards the treetops. When I reached the maximum height of my swing I stalled, and felt weightless for a moment, before swinging back the way I came. Now reasonably sure I wasn't in imminent mortal peril, I started cackling like a madman. Allowing myself to mentally relax, the "voices" faded into the background, and I allowed myself to enjoy what was quite possibly the worlds greatest rope swing of all time! My whole body tingled and trembled with adrenaline, and I couldn't seem to stop laughing! It seemed appropriate, so I hollered out in the best imitation of the Tarzan bellow that I was capable of!

"OAAAAAAHHHOOUAOAOAOAAOAAAAAAAAAAAUUOAOAOOAOAAAAAAAAAAHH!"

After I had swung back and forth a few times, I had slowed down enough to safely dismount. I had some difficulty maintaining my balance, and I stumbled like a drunkard for a few steps before falling on my ass. Spots were in my vision as tried to catch my breath. My body wanted to pass out but I knew I wasn't truly safe. I was essentially out in the open and while I couldn't hear any predators, I knew now that didn't mean shit. As I exerted myself once again into that deep level of focus, I started getting a pounding migraine. Breathing through it I managed to activate observation once again, and set off toward a tree trunk where I could sense the "voices" of two wolf sized creatures I assumed were more tree rats.

As I spotted another "tree cave" I realized that they weren't natural structures at all, but rather they were burrows. This burrow was much higher up on the tree, but that suited me fine, it was probably safer that way. I climbed at a snails pace, muscles shaking in exertion. After what seemed like an eternity I finally reached my destination. I stumbled into the burrow, machete drawn, and used observation one last time to predict their movements, allowing me to make two noodle-armed slashes through their throats. After they were dead, I went deeper into the burrow, and seeing some kind of nest-like bedding, I crashed down, and slept.

—

When I woke up, it was to the sensation of water dripping on my forehead. I think I was interrupted from a dream or something, because for a few seconds all I could do was blink stupidly, wondering where the hell I was. It all came back to me when I tried to bring my right hand up to rub my eyes, and a deep shooting pain came from my shoulder. As I flinched, intense soreness bloomed in my abs, my neck, my chest, my arms, my legs and well… I don't think I could pinpoint a single muscle in my entire body that didn't feel like it was made of dried up, well beaten leather. My whole body was scratched up and bruised, and a few of my toenails had split, one of them all the way down to the root.

"Oooooowwowowowowow"

I massaged my shoulder, which was the worst pain other than my toenail, and as I stretched it painfully over my head, there was a kind of weird squelching pop like an old knuckle, a flash of intense pain followed by sweet relief, and it loosened up considerably. Yikes. Looks like It hadn't been fully dislocated, but I had certainly yanked it a bit out of whack when I grabbed that vine. The events of the previous day played out in my head one by one, and a wide grin stretched across my face. Observation Haki! Just to see if I could do it again, I breathed deeply, centering myself enough to reach for that deep focus I had found yesterday. And just like yesterday, the world breathed, the "voices" of nearby animals shining brightly like luminous notes.

It was a whole other sense I had never experienced before, one that I had spent all my previous life deaf/blind to! As I continued to experience the world with my brand new sense, the same type of headache from yesterday slowly started making itself known. As it increased in intensity, I was forced to relax, ending the lightshow. Even still, I had an ear to ear grin on my face. I marveled at just how amazing this world was! Toddling sorely to my feet, I winced as I caught the aroma of rotten flesh. I limped stiffly to the front of the burrow, and as I heard the unpleasant sound of buzzing flies, I cursed. I had been too tired to gut the rats last night, and from the looks of it, their bowels had burst, completely ruining the meat. My stomach rumbled emptily, and I felt nauseous, the smell and my hunger not making for a pleasant combo. Plugging my nose, I used my non wounded foot to shove the rotten corpses to the mouth of burrow, and sent them tumbling down over the edge with a kick. I risked briefly tapping in to Observation Haki again, to check if anything was coming this way.

Thankfully it looked like nothing had smelled it yet, but I knew that wouldn't last long. Relaxing my focus and heading back into the burrow, I started shifting from foot to foot, doing some basic aerobic stretches to loosen up my sore body. My head pounded as I got my blood pumping, and I smacked my lips together, realizing I was probably dehydrated. I had punctured my homemade water skin yesterday in the fiasco with the leopard, and I would need to rehydrate soon. Looking around the burrow, I realized that the fluid dripping from the walls that had woken me up was probably sap. I went over to the wall and noticed that most of the sap was coming from deep scratches the rats had made. Did they drink it? Using the machete, I made my own gouge in the wood, and a thin, watery fluid came flowing out. Sap!

Whetting my finger, I put it into my mouth for a taste. It tasted like fresh water, with maybe a hint of cool mint and pine needle bitterness. I shrugged. This was probably pretty dumb, but I also knew it was a lot less dumb than drinking straight out of a stream. Digging into the wood a little deeper, the flow increased and I used it to rinse my hands, before cupping them to pool the sap. Once I gathered a good amount I drank it, slurping it out of my cupped hands. It tasted heavenly. I went back for more a few times, and as the flow slowed, I went back to my stretches for a bit before re slicing the wood and drinking more. I went through this cycle a few times until I was full, my body feeling immeasurably better. Observation was easier to activate too, and so I left the burrow and climbed down to the ground.

I dug into my pocket, pulling out the compass I had managed to lift off one of the merchants at the port. I sighed in relief when it was unbroken, and I flipped up the view finder and lifted it up to my eye. I lined up the direction of East-Northeast with the slit in the viewfinder, and sighted a landmark. Putting the compass back in my pocket, I set off toward the landmark, heading back toward home. Yeah, that's right. Home. Fuck the capital. I'm not coming back through here until I'm strong enough to directly contend with the wildlife. That means being able to activate observation constantly with no strain, and an equal proficiency with armament, whatever that looks like. I needed to work hard on increasing my physical ability as well, compared to Battlecat back there I was slow as molasses and hit about as hard as a snowflake. No. I wouldn't be coming back here in a looong time. I'm done being the bottom of the food chain! Never again!

I reached the tree I had used as landmark and docked under one of its massive roots, deactivating observation for a rest. When the headache had fully disappeared, I reactivated it and skirted around to the other side of the tree and used the compass to sight another landmark. I continued this process, avoiding animals along the way. I didn't see any more Thundercats (HOOO) thank goodness, but there were a few herbivores in a small herd of five that looked like Tapirs, sorta like a mix between a pig and a short trunked elephant. They were each almost as big as the cat, and I knew herbivores could be nastier than predators some times, so I detoured around them as well. Other than them I never got close enough to see the other animals I sensed, which suited me fine. The whole time I was in the forest I never let my guard down even for a second, and I breathed a sigh of relief when I finally crested the ridge between two of the mountains that made up the Crown of Fangs. I looked back toward the bowl like depths of center valley, and promised myself to return. I wouldn't set off to sea before I had grown stronger than every beast on this island, I had always known that, but now I had a clear bar to strive for. I would return, and when I did, I'd be the king of the jungle!

I took one last look, then turned away and set off towards home. I strolled lazily downhill, taking a swig of sap from my mended water skin, before corking it and returning to my hip. I contemplated my experience. I had almost died. I had come this ' ' close. That kinda put things into perspective. I realized I was being an idiot by not visiting the orphanage. I had kept telling myself that I would swing by for a while now, but I never did. I wanted distance. And while I wouldn't be moving back in, that was absolutely no excuse for going no contact like I had. So I had a crush on Lia that she would never return. Big deal! If I had died I would have never seen her ever again. She would have thought that I had just disappeared, never to return. I knew she viewed me as one of her sons and I had left anyway due to my own selfishness. I wanted her and the kids in my life, no matter what form that took. And while I knew I would eventually leave to set out for the Grand Line, it wouldn't be without a proper goodbye.

I finally reached the tree-line, and was struck with how small everything looked. I stretched my neck back and forth, then rolled my shoulders and cracked my knuckles. The branches were plenty low to the ground to reach and small enough to use as handholds. If I hurried, I could be back home before nightfall. I dashed up to a good speed than settled in to a quick but sustainable pace that ate up the miles. When there was an obstacle on the ground I leaped up and took the trees, my shoulder aching a little but it wasn't bad. When there was a gap I couldn't swing across I leapt down to the ground, resuming my run. I took glances at the compass every once in a while, and made sure I was heading the right direction. A 40 foot long monitor lizard burst out of the undergrowth to try to make me a meal, which a few days ago might have had me shitting my pants, but now it just seemed mildly hazardous. I easily dodged its charge and kept running. It tried to chase after me but wasn't fast enough and turned back when it got tired. I chuckled to myself, "Never try to pursue a pursuit predator buddy, you'll just get left in the dust." I would have had a problem if we had fought, but as it was he couldn't even touch me. I loved this! I felt like I was in my element, like I was capable! I pushed down my cockiness. Just cause I've seen way worse doesn't mean the stuff around here isn't nasty, I could still easily get killed. I activated Observation, but attempted to reduce the range to just my immediate surroundings to conserve energy. It was tricky, kinda like squinting a third eye you've never had before, but once I figured it out it helped a lot. My radius was super small now, only about 25ft, but I could keep it up for a good while before I had to give it a rest. Settling into my pace, and snagging a large fruit from a tree and taking a bite, I continued bounding on towards home.

A/N: So Jasper has unlocked observation Haki! I went over Skypiea again to really get a handle on how observation works and its limitations, because a large chunk of that arc is developing "Mantra" as a system.
It's interesting to see the gulfs in skill between characters. People like Satori lose grasp on their "Mantra" if they lose an argument and get frustrated, but people like Big Mom and Whitebeard are to the point that they use observation in their sleep. Literally. Like, while they're sleeping. It has become just another sense to them, no exertion required! I think that's pretty cool.
If I had to rate Jasper's physical "stats" right now I'd say his stamina is easily his best trait, with strength, speed, and durability all being tied for second. For anyone who's wondering, the giant leopard is basically as strong as a blue sea Sea King/Neptunian, but on land. Sorta like the lord of the coast that ate shanks arm.

Lopez760: Thanks for the support! Hope I don't disappoint! :)

JJafan: I completely agree! I really want Jasper to feel like a real person, and making him a mindless smut engine would completely defeat the purpose of the whole story.

T4ndoris: Don't worry he wont. Jasper realizes that would never go well.

Guest: I don't know who you are, but I'm glad you approve! I'm honestly split on having him meet Luffy and the gang. If I do, It will be WAY later, maybe not till after the time skip. He wouldn't join their crew I don't think, but its pretty clear that canon is heading for a final showdown with the WG, and that might appeal to him by then. I don't know if I'll get that far lol. As far as 'cool powers' go, I hope my portrayal of Haki and other techniques will peak your interest ;)