An hour passed quickly. Foxy didn’t try to develop his Devil Fruit abilities but instead focused on resting and recovering his strength. From how Zephyr looked earlier, the afternoon training session would likely be even more brutal, and he needed to maintain his energy.
“Line up!”
Foxy had barely closed his eyes, feeling like he had just fallen asleep, when he heard Zephyr’s voice. The others were in the same state, treasuring one hour of rest and sleeping like dead pigs.
Though Zephyr’s voice wasn’t loud, it sounded like a bomb in everyone’s ears. Those asleep jolted awake and quickly stood to assemble on the training ground.
Foxy felt like a few people were missing, though he couldn’t be sure.
“Roll down from here. Your target is the Quicksand Swamp. A 100-kilometer run with no obstacles. Today, you’ll familiarize yourselves with the terrain. Follow me.”
With that, Zephyr grabbed Hina and flew down to the foot of the mountain, leaving the trainees with a look of despair.
“Do we have to roll again?” Shion looked at the sloped mountain path, where sharp stones glinted ominously in the sunlight.
“I can’t keep going.” Berry Good’s legs trembled.
“What are you afraid of?” Drake lifted his chin, immediately folding his arms and rolling down first.
Seeing Drake disappear in a flash, Foxy felt a pang of envy. No wonder Zoan-type ability users were fearless in self-torture; they were unstoppable.
“Hmph.” Gasparde and Shuzo stepped forward, casting a disdainful glance at Shion and the others before disappearing down the slope.
“We can do it.” Foxy encouraged Shion and Berry Good before gritting his teeth and rolling down again.
Left with no choice, the others followed suit.
Amidst the cries and howls, they soon found themselves at the base of the mountain, even more battered and bruised, gasping for breath.
“Run!” Zephyr commanded, pointing to a path on the left.
Dust flew as they ran another 100 kilometers. Fortunately, there was no added weight or logs to carry, making it more accessible.
No one dared to rest along the way. Some ran fast, others slow, but everyone gritted their teeth and reached the final destination.
Covered in sweat, Foxy panted heavily as he looked at the vast swamp, which stretched as far as the eye could see.
It resembled a desert more than a swamp, with the sands flowing like water. Foxy couldn’t fathom the principles behind it but assumed it was artificial, likely due to a Devil Fruit power. The swamp had clearly defined paths like a swimming pool.
“The Quicksand Swamp stretches for a kilometer. It won’t drain an ability user’s strength, but you can’t stop midway, or the quicksand will swallow you. I don’t need to explain what happens if you get swallowed. Today, you’ll familiarize yourselves with it. Swim a lap.”
“Zephyr-sensei, I can’t swim,” Sicily said, raising his hand, his face pale.
“Me neither,” several others said, including Dakon and Katakompo.
Foxy wasn’t among them since he knew how to swim in his previous life. It felt ingrained in his soul.
“If you can’t swim, you’ll learn. Even if you have to cling to a swim ring.” Swim rings were prepared nearby, dashing the hopes of those who wished for leniency. They drooped like wilted vegetables.
“You can all use swim rings for the next five days. After that, you won’t have them. Begin.”
Not wanting to show off, Foxy initially decided to use a swim ring to adapt.
Jumping into the swamp, Foxy immediately felt the difference. It was all sand, yet it flowed like water, pressing from all directions, making his body feel heavy.
The bottom was unfathomably deep. Foxy instinctively began to swim but found it much more challenging than expected. It felt like someone was weighing him down, making swimming far more strenuous than usual. What seemed like an easy 1,000 meters now felt like swimming tens of thousands in water.
Foxy quickly realized that without the swim ring, he might become exhausted and sink halfway through.
The swim ring turned out to be more critical than he thought, making him reconsider his initial bravado.
Drake led the group again, followed by Shuzo and Foxy. Gasparde, Hina, and others needed to catch up, possibly due to their less proficient swimming skills.
The 1,000 meters proved more challenging than anticipated, and everyone took considerable time to complete it.
After the grueling task, they lay on the ground, barely able to move. Fortunately, Zephyr allowed them to rest for 20 minutes to regain strength.
Once the break ended, everyone assembled again.
“The school is still 100 kilometers away. You’ll do 20 kilometers of frog jumps, 20 kilometers of fingertip handstands, 20 kilometers of single-leg hops, 20 kilometers of frog jumps, and 20 kilometers of running.”
Zephyr demonstrated each exercise: frog jumps with hands behind the back relying solely on the legs; fingertip handstands requiring balance on ten fingers, not palms; single-leg hops using only one leg at a time; frog jumps mimicking frog movements on all fours; and straightforward running.
Hearing the training regimen, everyone felt despair wash over them.
This wasn’t a 100-meter dash but a 100-kilometer ordeal. Twenty kilometers of frog jumps alone were unimaginable.
The fingertip handstands sounded even worse; balancing on ten fingers while upside down could make one’s head explode from the pressure.
Single-leg hops, frog jumps—none were easy.
This was wild, a death march!
“You have five hours until dinner and nightfall. I hope you can make it back to the school within the allotted time. Good luck, and don’t even think about slacking off—the consequences will be severe.”
With that warning, Zephyr vanished, presumably returning to the school.
Five commodores stayed behind to oversee the training. As they watched, the trainees reluctantly began the grueling exercises.
First up was the 20 kilometers of frog jumps. Even the thought of it was terrifying.
Then came the fingertip handstands, single-leg hops, frog jumps, and running, all 20 kilometers each.
It’s a hundred kilometers in total. In Foxy’s previous life, driving a car at 100 kph on the highway would have taken an hour. Running such a distance was exhausting, let alone using these strenuous methods.
Five hours was an almost impossible target.
This world was indeed not for the faint of heart. It was terrifying and relentless.
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