Maynard chuckled at Kaji's remark and said, "A monster? Perhaps..."
"I joined the 321st Branch at the same time as Captain Darren, and I vividly remember his very first day of training five years ago..."
A rare trace of nostalgia flickered in Maynard's usually stern and resolute eyes.
"Back then, he was scrawny. Running just ten laps around the training ground would completely exhaust him. He had to rest for half an hour before he could even stand again."
"Among the recruits, his physical abilities were the weakest."
"But he never gave up."
"Every day, he trained persistently, constantly pushing himself to the very limits of his physical endurance."
"It started with dragging a cannon barrel. Then he moved on to pulling a small wooden boat... It took him three whole years to barely manage to move that decommissioned warship by a single meter."
"Compared to someone like Rear Admiral Sakazuki, who is a 'monster' by nature, Captain Darren is a different kind of monster."
Hearing this, both Gion and Kaji fell silent.
Clang!
Darren dropped the massive iron chain and stood panting under the scorching sun. His throat and lungs felt like they were being ripped apart, his entire body ablaze with searing pain.
But he had long since grown used to this kind of torment.
Turning back, Darren glanced at the long trench left in the ground by the warship he'd just dragged. He roughly estimated the distance.
101 meters...
Finally, he'd broken his own record.
He focused inward, sensing the data of his body.
Physique: 58.106 (+0.03)Strength: 53.837 (+0.06)Speed: 57.539Fruit: 71.345
Physique had increased by 0.03, and strength by 0.06.
"The rate of growth is slowing down. Looks like it's time to switch to a larger warship," Darren muttered to himself, staring at his "data panel."
His unique "perception" talent allowed him to discover and develop the best methods for self-improvement.
By analyzing feedback from various data points, he could determine the effectiveness of his training.
The human body has a remarkable ability to adapt. Identical weights, pressures, or training methods might yield good results initially, but the effects would diminish over time as the body adapted, eventually plateauing.
This was a scientific principle Darren had learned about before his reincarnation. Professional athletes also constantly adjusted their training regimens to achieve sustained improvements in performance.
The principle of progressive overload was fundamental in sports science.
It meant gradually increasing the load within the body's tolerance to enhance physical performance.
For Darren, who possessed the ability of "precise perception," this principle allowed him to use data feedback to evaluate the effectiveness of his training with unmatched accuracy.
That's why, even though others viewed his daily training as "hellish torture" or "monstrous," Darren embraced it wholeheartedly.
Because he could see immediate progress.
Every extra push-up, every additional weighted squat, it was like watching his "attributes" rise in real time.
It was almost like being in a video game.
But this world wasn't a game. It was all too real.
Darren understood the perils of the world of pirates better than anyone else.
That was why he trained harder than anyone else.
Only through relentless effort could he hope to compete against the true "monsters" of these seas.
Thanks to his unique talent, he firmly believed that with enough inhuman effort, he could one day become as powerful as Whitebeard himself, possessing unparalleled strength, capable of effortlessly stopping a speeding warship with his bare hands.
"Alright, time for physique training," Darren said to himself, preparing for the next round of grueling exercises.