The next day dawned, sunlight spilling across their faces. The main training grounds were bustling with activity, alive with the energy of a new day.
Standing atop the platform, Zephyr watched the trainees below, their fighting spirit invigorating him. Perhaps, he thought, retiring to guide students like these wouldn't be such a bad idea.
"Is everyone here?"
"Reporting: Ethan Hale hasn't arrived yet," one of Zephyr's assistants said expressionlessly, standing beside him.
"Ah, then we won't wait for him. Let's begin training today," Zephyr replied.
"Reporting, Ethan Hale reporting!" A loud shout rang out as a figure sprinted forward at incredible speed.
"Good, take your place." Zephyr wasn't annoyed at Ethan for interrupting him. He had underestimated Ethan, expecting that he wouldn't even be up today. Yet Ethan was persevering with daytime training, a mix of relief and slight pain washing over Zephyr.
Everyone else stared in confusion. Ethan's condition was miserable. His face was bruised in dark purples and blues, and his body was covered with bruises from head to toe.
Curious, they all glanced at Akainu, wondering if Ethan had clashed with him the previous night.
Noticing their gazes, Akainu's face twitched. He snorted coldly, a flicker of chill passing through his eyes.
"Hey, what did you get up to last night? How did you end up looking like this?" Aokiji stood beside Ethan, inspecting him with a mixture of curiosity and disbelief. "You didn't go chasing someone else's girl, did you? Were you caught? And then…"
"Shut up." Ethan's expression darkened. He realized Aokiji had this surprisingly grim side to him. Still, Ethan explained, "I overexerted myself during training last night."
"You're crazy…" Aokiji blinked, stunned into dumbfounded disbelief.
And so, the academy spent the entire morning on physical training, the afternoon on the six techniques, with Zephyr occasionally explaining Haki. Each day was packed with purposeful activity. The only difference was that while everyone else rested at night, Ethan continued training. Aside from meals and four or five hours of sleep each day, almost all of his time was spent sweating and pushing himself to the limit.
Strangely, for an entire month, Ethan always appeared at gatherings battered and bruised, causing whispers that he might have a masochistic streak.
Aokiji pestered him about this for a full week, but ultimately, under Ethan's icy glare, he reluctantly gave up.
Unnoticed, a month passed. Today, the ninja academy was to get a new instructor. Originally it would have been Garp, but he was busy pursuing the Roger Pirates, so Sengoku took his place.
Zephyr, meanwhile, had gone out to deal with other pirate crews.
Whenever Sengoku taught martial arts, Ethan listened intently. If he didn't understand something, he would seek Sengoku's guidance, even late at night. Because of this, Sengoku had become quite familiar with him.
If asked who left the deepest impression on him, Sengoku would undoubtedly say Ethan. His relentless drive and fearless, shameless curiosity were deeply striking.
A month passed quickly. Every day was intense for Ethan. It should have been Garp's turn to train him, but he was missing, and Zephyr had returned to oversee him again.
That night, in the same training area, two figures collided one tall, one shorter with tremendous force.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Dust rose, wind howled, and Ethan fought at high speed, flesh clashing against flesh.
"Soru…" Ethan disappeared, reappearing behind Zephyr. His fingers stretched out, attacking with relentless precision.
"Finger Pistol…"
"Haha, not bad. Your speed is improving, and Finger Pistol works well. Looks like you haven't been slacking lately. Weapon: Straight Fist." Zephyr didn't even glance back, his dark right hand striking Ethan's sharp five claws.
"Finger Pistol: Weapon: Dark Night." Ethan's expression lit up.
An invisible layer enveloped his five fingers as he struck Zephyr again with renewed force.
Bang… Zephyr froze in place, while Ethan was thrown back, leaving a long trench in the ground before stopping.
"Here we go again." Zephyr vanished, leaving a large crater where he had stood, then reappeared in front of Ethan.
Ethan's pupils narrowed. He tilted his body slightly, deftly avoiding Zephyr's strike, then quickly used Soru to dart through the air, Moonwalk in motion, his eyes fixed warily on Zephyr.
Minutes later, Ethan collapsed, breathing heavily, utterly exhausted. Zephyr, meanwhile, was only slightly winded, clearly using less than half his strength against Ethan.
"I can't believe I lasted only five or six minutes before losing to my master. What a failure," Ethan muttered bitterly, struggling to stand.
"You are already very strong. In just one month, your three techniques and Haki have reached entry-level mastery. I am very pleased." Zephyr, sitting beside him, felt genuine pride; this disciple had surprised him countless times.
"Master, did you hear anything about the Golden Lion during your travels?" Ethan asked anxiously. A month ago, he had instructed Zephyr to find information on the Golden Lion, ideally also about Xiaoxi.
Zephyr thought for a moment, then said apologetically, "I did encounter the Golden Lion on this trip, but he was engaged with the Roger Pirates in the Water Sea region. The sea storms were fierce, and the situation chaotic. I couldn't capture him."
"I understand." Ethan's face showed a flash of disappointment, but he quickly straightened his resolve. He thought, This must be the legendary Water Sea battle. Roger is soon to become Pirate King. The main storyline seems to have only a few years left. I must use this time to increase my strength, rise to Vice Admiral or even Admiral, and only then can I use naval intelligence to locate Xiaoxi.
"Thank you, Master," he said earnestly.
"There's no need for such formality. We are master and student. By the way, in a few days, you will participate in live training exercises. Afterwards, the Navy will hold a friendly competition. The top ten graduates will complete training, and the top five will receive captain insignia, allowing them to fight pirate crews and earn merit. This is good news for you. If you want to find your sister quickly, you must rely on your own strength and achievements."
"Thank you, Master. I promise I won't let you down."
"Very good. Remember, you must reach the top three in the competition, ideally first place. While the top five all receive rewards, first place is always the best." Zephyr's words came fast, cheeks slightly flushed, feeling almost like cheating but for his cherished disciple, he would go all out.
Hearing Zephyr's words, Ethan's eyes brightened, teeth gritted in determination. Top spot in the competition would be his.
"All right, that's enough for tonight. Focus on solidifying your foundation over the next few days. In about five or six days, you will head to Beast Island for live combat training."
Watching the western wind fade into the distance, Ethan sat for a while, then walked toward the sea. Tonight, he wanted to relax.
He stood quietly on the beach, gazing at the endless stars and ocean, listening to the tide's gentle whisper, thinking of that silly girl. He wondered if she was eating well, sleeping soundly.
"Time for a swim," Ethan murmured, closing his eyes and activating his Observation Haki. Within a hundred meters, he detected no one nearby. Satisfied he was alone, he leapt into the water.
In the deep sea, Ethan fell into contemplation. He had recently discovered that his Devil Fruit ability was not weakened by seawater.
Unlike other Devil Fruit users, who lose their abilities completely upon entering the sea, Ethan's powers worked normally. Sometimes he even wondered if he had eaten the wrong fruit in this life.
The only explanation was that this fruit was different he had consumed it in a past life, not this one. After much reflection, he decided to keep this mystery to himself.
Furthermore, lacking a weakness to seawater allowed him to train using the ocean's natural pressure a perfect environment.
Most importantly, this could become a trump card. Ethan believed that, in critical moments, this immunity to the sea would give him unexpected advantages.
For example, in a battle at sea… Therefore, he chose to keep this ability hidden, even from Zephyr. Unless absolutely necessary, Ethan would continue pretending to fear the ocean and Sea-Prism Stone, just like other Devil Fruit users.