The hillside was over 700 meters high. Even though it wasn’t very steep, rolling down it like a ball required immense courage and meant enduring physical pain. Along the way, some sharp stones acted like blades, easily tearing through flesh.
The moment Foxy began rolling, he felt a surge of fear. He could only curl up with his hands over his head, peering through the gaps in his arms to see ahead. As his speed increased, the pain from rolling on the ground contorted his face.
He tried his best to avoid the sharp stones along the way, even suspecting that Zephyr had them placed there deliberately to torture them. Foxy didn’t know the benefits of such training, but he was sure Zephyr wouldn’t do anything pointless. After all, Zephyr’s strength was undeniable, and his experience far surpassed Foxy’s.
As Foxy’s speed increased, he lost control of his body, and the injuries he sustained became more severe. However, he held on to Zephyr’s words about protecting his head and vital areas.
Leaving a trail of blood, Foxy’s clothes were reduced to tatters, his back a mass of bloody wounds, making him look like a bloody specter.
At the foot of the hill, five or six captains awaited them, led by the rear admiral who had demonstrated the roll. Compared to Foxy’s sorry state, the rear admiral was unscathed, and his clothes were not even torn.
“Here they come.”
Looking up, the rear admiral saw Foxy rolling down like a whirlwind. He signaled one of the captains, who flew up and stopped Foxy, catching him by the collar and tossing him to the ground.
Lying on the ground, Foxy felt a burning pain all over his body, bruises and wounds covering him. Seeing the waiting rear admiral and captains, Foxy became even more confident of his thoughts; Zephyr would never let them die.
Following in succession, Gasparde, Shuzo, Drake, and the others landed in equally sorry states. They lay on the ground gasping for air, their eyes wide with lingering fear and excitement.
Everyone wore pained expressions, grimacing from the intense pain.
“Do you have time to sit around?”
Seeing Foxy and the others not moving, the rear admiral looked surprised.
Gasparde and the others were stunned, then enraged.
“Damn it.”
With a curse, everyone dragged their wounded bodies back up the hill.
Zephyr had given them only 20 minutes. On a typical day, they could easily climb the hill in five minutes. But after carrying logs for 100 kilometers and getting battered from rolling down the mountain, their bodies were exhausted.
The 700 meters up the hill seemed as daunting as a 100-kilometer run.
Foxy’s legs twitched, and his whole body was weak and in pain. The others were no better off. Zephyr was pushing them to their limits.
Foxy couldn’t help but recall how Garp similarly tortured Luffy in childhood—thrown into areas with wild beasts, into bottomless pits, tied to balloons, and sent into the sky… Luffy was only seven or eight years old then, and the life force he gained from Garp’s training turned him into a powerhouse.
Each time Garp pushed Luffy to the brink, he rarely taught Luffy any techniques. No Rokushiki, no Haki, not even a mention of Haki. He merely put Luffy through endless life-threatening situations.
Despite facing many more vigorous opponents, Luffy consistently won due to his tenacious life force and fighting spirit, continuously breaking through his limits. Luffy’s resilience could match a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user, even without consuming one.
Garp’s methods might seem laughable and harsh, but they were meant to strengthen Luffy’s life force. Without a vital life force, one would easily be defeated or killed by more vigorous opponents, whether as a marine or a pirate. A tenacious life force allows one to stand up repeatedly, continuously breaking through limits.
Whether it’s Rokushiki, Haki, or Devil Fruit powers, all rely on physical strength. Strong foundations are indispensable. Many discussions on forums suggest that Luffy’s ability to defeat many powerful foes and recover quickly from injuries owes a lot to Garp. Garp laid a strong foundation for Luffy, making his future training and battles more effective.
Improving Haki, particularly, requires reaching one’s limits in combat. Without a tenacious life force, reaching one’s limits could mean death at the hands of an opponent, preventing any breakthroughs.
But Luffy’s strong life force allowed him to repeatedly break through his limits, enhancing his Haki and growing stronger. It was a smooth progression without any instability.
Rayleigh taught Luffy a lot about mastering and improving Haki, but all this was built on the foundation Garp laid. Without Garp’s training, even if Rayleigh had taught Luffy Haki, Luffy wouldn’t have achieved what he did.
Thus, Garp’s training was crucial for Luffy’s development.
Many overlook this, attributing Luffy’s success to the protagonist’s aura. While that’s partly true, Luffy’s blood, sweat, and tears behind the scenes were no less than anyone else’s.
There are no free meals in the world.
Even if someone has the protagonist’s aura, they won’t get far if they need more time to be useless.
In this world, every strong person has paid unimaginable prices. If it were easy, everyone would be substantial.
Luffy’s personality and impulsive actions might not be commendable, but there’s no denying the sacrifices he made to become stronger.
Everyone has flaws, including Luffy.
The early stages of “One Piece” were quite reasonable. However, as Luffy’s background was revealed, it became clear he had a robust network supporting him.
His grandfather was the Marine hero, Garp; his father was the leader of the Revolutionary Army; his brother Ace was the son of the Pirate King and a commander under Whitebeard; and his other brother, Sabo, was the chief of staff of the Revolutionary Army. His mentor Rayleigh was the Dark King, and his benefactor and friend Shanks was one of the Four Emperors.
Not to mention the extended connections through these relationships.
With such a robust background, many strong enemies probably hesitated to kill him outright, knowing the significance of the name “Monkey.”
Who would dare take a lethal shot at him?
Become a Patron read up to 40 chapter ahead public release ^_^
Please join Discord Server so we can talk ^_^
