The next day.
The sun slowly climbed up from the edge of the sea, hanging bright and golden over Marineford.
Warm light poured down from the sky, spilling across the island and painting the buildings, the plazas, and the tall training grounds in a soft glow.
Morning—
Was when Marineford truly woke up.
On the main training field, rows upon rows of Marines in uniform were already lined up. Under the shouts of their instructors, they ran, sparred, and pushed themselves through drills, sweat flinging from their chins as they moved.
They were young.
They were loud.
The atmosphere was full of raw, surging energy.
But—
Even among this crowd of hard-working Marines, there was someone who'd been up earlier than all of them.
Kai.
In his new single-person dorm, before the sky had fully brightened, he'd already started his daily "hell session."
At the moment—
He was face-down on the floor.
Back loaded with five hundred kilograms of iron weight.
Arms locked straight, body rigid as a board.
Up.
Down.
Up.
Down.
His muscles screamed, but he kept going.
"Three thousand nine hundred ninety-six…"
"Three thousand nine hundred ninety-seven…"
"Three thousand nine hundred ninety-eight…"
His voice was calm, but his body was trembling.
Sweat streamed down his forehead in thick drops, tracing his jawline and falling onto the floor.
Drip.
Drip.
They hit the tiles, spread into tiny dark spots—
Then quickly evaporated in the warmth of his body heat.
Kai's face was expressionless, but his lungs were burning, his arms were numb, and his entire body felt like it had been torn apart and stitched back together.
A full hour and a half.
Five hundred kilos pressing down on his back.
Non-stop, no breaks.
He was pushing past yesterday's limit—
Straight toward a new one.
"Just a bit more…"
"Almost there…"
His muscles twitched violently, his arms threatening to buckle, but he gritted his teeth and pressed on.
"Three thousand nine hundred ninety-nine!"
"One more…"
"Four thousand!"
His arms finally locked out one last time—
Then collapsed.
Thud!
His body dropped flat onto the floor.
He lay there on the cool tiles, chest heaving, limbs limp as lead.
Sweat soaked his shirt, his shorts, his hair—all of him.
The icy chill from the floor seeped into his skin, washing away some of the burning pain, leaving behind a strange, intoxicating comfort.
This was what he lived for.
That moment when your body hits its limit—
And then you break past it.
He stared up at the ceiling, eyes half-closed.
His muscles throbbed.
His arms and legs felt like they didn't belong to him.
Every time he trained like this, it was the same—
It was hell in the moment.
But afterward, when the strain faded and the strength settled in…
That feeling of becoming stronger was addictive.
Right on cue—
A familiar mechanical chime rang in his mind.
[This training session yielded: Strength +0.002, Speed +0.001, Stamina +0.002]
[After 100x training amplification—]
[Final gains: Strength +0.2, Speed +0.1, Stamina +0.2]
BOOM—
Heat surged through his body.
A wave of warm current seemed to erupt from his chest, rushing through his veins, bones, muscles, and organs, washing away fatigue and knitting microscopic damage back together.
His overworked muscles were repaired and strengthened.
His limbs regained strength at a visible rate.
His body—
Was being rebuilt again.
It was a feeling he'd grown very familiar with.
After a few minutes, the warmth faded.
The soreness dulled.
The weakness vanished.
Kai pushed himself up slowly, rolling his shoulders and flexing his fists.
"Not bad…"
"I've gotten a bit stronger again."
He called out in his mind:
"System, open my status panel."
[Host: Kai (Luen)]
[Strength: 34.9 (+1.1)]
[Speed: 28.1 (+0.9)]
[Stamina: 36.1 (+1.1)]
[Mental Power: 17.4 (+0.4)]
[Demon-Back Completion: 10.99%]
[Overall Training Amplification: 100x]
He scanned the numbers.
Strength up.
Stamina up.
Speed… still his relatively weakest stat.
Of course, with Soru, he could temporarily compensate for that lack in raw speed. In actual combat, as long as he wasn't fighting true top-tiers, he effectively had no real shortcoming.
But even so…
There was something missing.
"A finisher…"
"A proper, decisive move."
Rokushiki gave him a powerful toolkit, and Life Return multiplied that power.
But when it came to a true fight-changing ultimate move—
He still felt a gap.
He needed a technique that could decide a battle in one blow.
But that kind of personal trump card couldn't be rushed. It had to be developed over time, born from real battle, refined through blood and experience.
"For now…"
"If I can just master the two basic types of Haki—"
"Then I don't really need some fancy 'ultimate technique.'"
"Armament Haki itself is the strongest offense."
Once he had Armament…
Every punch, every kick could become a finisher.
And the fastest way to get there…
Was through Zephyr's training camp.
Just as he was thinking that—
Knock, knock, knock—
Someone knocked on his door.
Kai's thoughts paused.
This early?
Who is it?
Gramps?
Bokato?
Or maybe… Aokiji?
He wiped the sweat from his body with a towel, pulled on a clean shirt, and walked over to the door.
Click.
The door swung open.
Standing outside—
Was a middle-aged man with a massive frame, muscles like iron, short purple hair, a stern, steady gaze…
And a white coat with the word "Justice" written on the back.
The aura he gave off—
Was overwhelming.
Strong.
A real powerhouse.
"You are…?"
Kai's eyes narrowed slightly.
He definitely didn't know this man personally.
"Name's Zephyr," the man said flatly, looking him up and down. "Marine Headquarters Admiral."
The corners of Kai's mouth tugged slightly.
"So this is… Admiral Zephyr."
In this era, Zephyr still had both arms, his massive frame intact.
He'd already gone through the tragedy of losing his family to pirates, but instead of snapping, he'd chosen to step back to the rear lines, dedicating himself to training new Marines.
He was no longer in his prime—
But an Admiral-level presence was still not to be underestimated.
No ordinary foe could make light of him.
Kai straightened slightly.
"Admiral Zephyr."
"May I ask why you've come to see me?"
Zephyr stared at him for a long moment.
Then spoke, voice deep and direct.
"Garp says you're his grandson."
"He also says you're a once-in-a-century prodigy, with talent far beyond the norm."
"I don't believe him."
"So I came to test you myself."
"To see with my own eyes whether you're really worth bending the rules for—whether you deserve to enter my training camp in the middle of a term."
Simple.
Blunt.
Very Zephyr.
"So that's how it is," Kai murmured.
In other words—
They were going to fight.
"Come out," Zephyr said, rolling his shoulders, joints popping faintly. "We'll find a place."
"Don't worry."
"I won't be using my full strength."
"I just want to weigh your abilities."
He was, after all, an Admiral of Headquarters.
If he went all-out against a four-year-old and it somehow got out—
He'd die of embarrassment.
Kai thought for a few seconds.
Then nodded once.
"Alright."
He'd never had the chance to cross fists with an Admiral-level opponent before.
This was something he absolutely didn't intend to waste.
They soon found a wide, open clearing not far from the dorms.
Green trees ringed the space.
The air was fresh.
Birds sang quietly overhead.
No other Marines were around.
No distractions.
A perfect arena.
Zephyr walked to the center of the clearing and turned around, facing Kai.
"Come," he said, raising his chin slightly. "Show me what you've got."
"Only then will I decide…"
"If you're worthy of joining my camp."
Kai exhaled slowly.
His eyes sharpened.
"Then, Admiral Zephyr…"
"Please be careful."
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