Early the next morning, the red-haired boy was shirtless, doing handstand push-ups.
"4951, 4952, 4953…" Sweat pooled into a small puddle beneath Rono's hands—his goal was 10,000 handstand push-ups. Beads of sweat dripped from his smooth red hair into the growing puddle below. That puddle… was made entirely of sweat.
(Can't help but say: terrifying as always, lol 2333)
Hell Training (Part 2):
10,000 handstand push-ups
10,000 sit-ups with 50 kg weight
30 km explosive run (modified to stationary bike; system tracks the distance)
2 hours of seated meditation
Time Limit: 30 days
Failure Punishment: No erections for half a year
Evaluation: The kind of training that makes you break out in a sweat—but only just that.
(Note 1: If you can't even handle this training, how can you call yourself the Pirate King!)
(Note 2: This system means what it says. Go ahead, try not completing it.)
(Note 3: Oh, by the way—the punishment time stacks.)
Friendly Reminder: All rights of interpretation belong to the System.
"…" Rono stared at the words 'Pirate King', ready to complain: "I don't even want to be Pirate King, alright?!"
And they made it sound like doing this training would automatically make him the Pirate King…
But as soon as he saw the punishment, a chill ran down his spine. He shoved all complaints aside and threw himself into training at full power.
When Vice Admiral Burning Mountain strolled into the training room with a cigar in his mouth, what he saw was Rono mid handstand-push-up.
"9981, 9982, 998…3."
There were two puddles on the ground—one right under Rono's head, and another about a meter away. Vice Admiral Burning Mountain was stunned. He hadn't expected Rono to be this dedicated… not drowning in despair after that beatdown… and even more, to really have the potential of an admiral!
No one is born strong—
(Well, okay, some are.)
But even the strong have faced opponents way above their level on the road to power.
A true powerhouse has a heart that grows stronger with every setback—commonly known as the heart of a strong person.
It gives them not only fearlessness but also persistence and diligence.
Though honestly, Rono wasn't quite that badass.
"Grows stronger through setbacks?" Well, maybe kinda. Mostly, the guy just had nerves of steel. As for persistence and diligence? Pfft, forget it. Without the System's threats, he'd still be snoring in bed.
But Burning Mountain didn't know about the System, so none of that mattered.
A strong heart, exceptional talent—isn't that the mark of a future admiral?
All in all, a beautiful misunderstanding.
---
"Wolf (Rono), about before… I'm really sorry. I'm a Marine, and following orders is our first priority… Tell you what: We've got about two months left before we reach Marine HQ. I'll teach you Haki. You know, that black and hard stuff."
Burning Mountain worried Rono wouldn't understand, so he added an awkward explanation.
He felt a bit guilty and figured this was a good way to make it up to the kid.
Of course, the main reason was that he saw real potential in Rono.
"Is that so? Haa—"
Rono finished his last handstand push-up and casually brushed him off, moving on to the next part of his routine: weighted sit-ups.
Rono had zero good feelings toward Burning Mountain.
When his own people got beat up, the guy didn't say a word—he even spoke up for the other side.
Just looking at him annoyed Rono, and he didn't want to learn Haki from him at all.
"So what you're saying is…"
Burning Mountain frowned. He could tell Rono wasn't happy with him.
But he asked anyway.
If the kid really didn't want his help, he didn't lose anything by backing off. Right?
Rono was mid sit-up when he suddenly froze, turned his head toward Burning Mountain, and said:
"Of course I forgive yo—ptoo! I mean, of course I want to learn Haki from you!"
"…Alright, if you really don't want to—wait, what? You agreed?"
Burning Mountain nearly dropped his cigar.
What the hell?!
Weren't you just giving me attitude a second ago?
Are you messing with me?!
Rono had his reasons.
Just now, the System issued its very first mission:
Accept training from Burning Mountain to develop two types of Haki.
Reward: One Hell Training (Part 2) task removed.
So Rono instantly threw his pride out the window and accepted the offer.
When he heard the system's sweet "Mission Completed" chime, Rono got a little emotional.
---
Burning Mountain shook his head in disbelief.
"Well then, you can stop your training for now. I'll start teaching you Haki in a bit."
"No way! I can't stop!"
Rono immediately weighed the pros and cons.
Asking for help with Haki was to reduce his risk of failing the training.
If he just skipped the training now, what was even the point?
He refused flat-out, but quickly came up with a reason:
"Vice Admiral Burning Mountain, this is a goal I set for myself. I've been working hard to reach it. You want me to just quit halfway?"
"Uh… but there won't be enough time for Haki training," Burning Mountain voiced his concern.
"I'll finish all my training in the morning!" Rono replied with firm determination.
He could save the meditation for night. As for the rest… Rono remembered a saying from his past life:
"Go big or go home—bet everything and turn your bike into a motorcycle."
Actually, the System had just released another mission:
Learn both types of Haki.
Reward: One Failure Immunity.
The System was surprisingly humane.
When Rono got shipwrecked or knocked out, it didn't force any missions on him.
Rono was honestly touched.
He naturally accepted the mission—after all, there was no punishment.
---
"Alright then, see you this afternoon," Burning Mountain didn't press the matter. He waved goodbye and left.
Back in the training room, Rono's screams of "Aaaagh!" echoed through the air, followed by loud "clang! bang!" sounds from equipment collisions.
Two hours later, Rono sprinted to the engine room, jumped straight onto the power bike (a tech device that converts biomass into energy for propulsion during no-wind conditions), and resumed his intense training.
The battleship's speed suddenly shot up, leaving a trail of white foam behind it.
The crew didn't mind.
"Arriving early means we get time off early. No complaints."
---
Vice Admiral Burning Mountain had originally been on a mission.
He only rushed over to the Seventh Branch after receiving a special order.
On the way, he picked up an unexpected guest—a man in sunglasses.
His transfer order was delivered at top speed by a special news seagull.
After all, talents with admiral-level potential were extremely rare.
Worse, many of them ran off to become pirates.
Back in the day, even Rob Lucci had been labeled "admiral-level potential"—a once-in-800-years talent.
Alright, now that this hole is filled in, let's return to the protagonist.
---
At noon, the sea was blazing under the scorching sun, hot enough to make people wish for death.
Rono sat cross-legged on the deck, shirtless, with a black cloth covering his eyes.
Behind him was Vice Admiral Burning Mountain, wearing a flashy red t-shirt and beach shorts, lounging in a chair with red sunglasses.
Next to him was a solid wooden stick as thick as a man's arm.
Burning Mountain puffed his cigar and took a sip of ice-cold soda.
"Are you ready yet?"
"Almost there!"
Rono answered out loud, but in his mind, he asked the System again:
"Is it ready?"
> Beep… 89%... 92%... 99%... Loading complete — System Buff: Meditation.
As the system uttered the final word, Rono instantly felt a shift.
His heart became like still water, and with each breath, he felt himself melting into nature.
"Oho! That talent, tsk tsk…"
Burning Mountain put out his cigar, picked up the stick, and stepped behind Rono—
Then swung it down hard on Rono's head.
Crack! Clunk.
The stick snapped in half. One end dropped to the deck.
"…"
Burning Mountain looked a little awkward.
He hadn't expected the kid's head to be that hard.