"One day to get started with swordsmanship…"
"One day to control Conqueror's Haki…"
Garp kept muttering under his breath.
Each claim alone was already shocking.
Together?
They were straight-up world-breaking.
Was it possible?
No.
Impossible.
Garp rejected it instantly.
Who could go from swordsmanship newbie to entry-level in one day?
Nobody.
Even the world's greatest swordsman—Hawk-Eye Mihawk—couldn't do that.
As for controlling Conqueror's Haki in one day?
Even more ridiculous.
Even with a top-tier teacher, you wouldn't go from "awakening" to "fully controlling it" in a day.
It required time, gradual practice, steady refinement.
And Raifeng?
This kid didn't even have a teacher.
He was supposedly self-taught.
That made it even less believable.
In the end, Garp made his judgment.
"Kids like to brag and exaggerate. That's normal."
"Raifeng's talent is terrifying, sure…"
"But these claims? No way."
Beside him, Bogard held the same conclusion.
So the two of them only looked at Raifeng with strange, doubtful eyes—without pressing further.
Raifeng, meanwhile, felt even more tired.
Fine.
Don't believe it.
He wasn't explaining anymore.
Even if they didn't say it out loud, Raifeng could see their disbelief clearly in their eyes.
"Whatever. Time is long."
"Sooner or later, even if you don't want to accept it…"
"You'll have to."
He even looked a bit excited, a smile tugging at his lips.
"Just hope you two keep that skeptical attitude."
"Because when the time comes…"
"Don't blame me when you get slapped in the face."
On the other side—
Helmeppo tugged at the still-dazed Koby.
"Koby… you okay?"
"I… I'm fine," Koby forced a breath, barely stabilizing his emotions.
Then he let out a bitter smile.
"I really didn't expect… Raifeng to be this strong."
He couldn't stop thinking about how confidently he'd bragged before.
Now his face felt hot with embarrassment.
Turns out…
From the very beginning, he'd been a clown in Raifeng's eyes.
No wonder Raifeng had been so calm.
No—Raifeng hadn't even taken him seriously.
"Instantly… defeated…"
Koby still looked like he'd lost his soul.
The loss was too brutal.
He couldn't calm down at all.
"But…" Helmeppo frowned. "Wasn't Raifeng weaker than us before?"
Koby also found it hard to understand.
"Yeah… I felt that too. In that forest training."
So what changed?
What happened in one day that made Raifeng leap to this terrifying level—
Enough to one-shot Koby?
"Could it be…" Helmeppo swallowed.
"That Raifeng really did it in one day?"
Koby's throat went dry.
That would be horrifying.
One day.
And he got surpassed like it was nothing.
Koby swallowed hard, eyes wide with fear.
That couldn't be real.
A person's growth couldn't be that exaggerated—
A difference like heaven and earth in a single day.
"But in the forest… I clearly felt he was behind us…"
Helmeppo's mind raced.
Koby nodded—he felt the same.
So what in the world happened?
"One day… how can someone change this much?!"
Koby's eyes went blank.
Right there, on the spot, he started questioning his entire existence.
Helmeppo finally sighed.
"Maybe… that's what a genius is."
Koby gave a bitter laugh.
"No…"
"That's not a genius."
"That's a monster."
So this whole time…
He'd been comparing himself to a monster?
Koby couldn't help but laugh at himself.
What was he even doing?
A human and a monster—how could they be compared?
"By the way," Helmeppo suddenly lit up with a mischievous grin, "I just remembered something important."
"What?" Koby asked warily.
Helmeppo leaned in.
"Yesterday… you swore very seriously that if you lost to Raifeng…"
"You'd eat everything you—"
Before he could finish—
Koby instantly cut him off.
"Huh? What? I didn't hear that."
"Oh no—my ears are severely injured."
"Raifeng's swordsmanship must've accidentally damaged my eardrums."
"Helmeppo, I'm going to get treatment right now."
"Don't follow me."
And with that—
Koby turned into a runner, and bolted like his life depended on it.
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