“Hu… hu…” Heavy breathing echoed as Nokiyoru felt his heart burning as if set ablaze, causing his vision to blur.
Under the scorching sun, sweat poured down his back like rain, yet Nokiyoru gritted his teeth, breathing heavily as he jogged forward.
Weakness overwhelmed him, and his legs felt foreign. There was a moment when Nokiyoru wanted to sit down and rest, but he violently suppressed this thought as soon as it emerged.
An hour later, most of the recruits had completed the 100 laps and were lying on the ground, gasping for breath. Akainu, Kizaru, and Aokiji were the most relaxed, followed by future Vice Admirals like Onigumo, Yamakaji, and Momonga, all quite young.
“Is that monster trying to run himself to death?” Gion, a close friend of Tsuru and a future Admiral candidate, looked on in shock at the boy drenched in sweat, still jogging with heavy breaths audible even from a kilometer away.
“He’s asking for it. Overloading like that will eventually break his body,” sneered a rough-looking boy, glaring at Nokiyoru with deep hostility. He was jealous because Gion, whom he admired, was concerned about Nokiyoru.
Chaton had confessed to Gion twenty times to date, only to be rejected every time. Seeing Gion concerned about Nokiyoru made him jealous.
“Chaton, how can you say that?” Gion frowned, annoyed.
“But he is pushing it too far. This kid has passed out five or six times in the past week due to overtraining. No one else is that desperate,” said a fierce-looking boy, admiring Nokiyoru despite knowing he was a Zoan Devil Fruit user with incredible recovery abilities. Even so, it was terrifying.
“Unbelievable.” A lazy voice spoke as Aokiji stood up, dusting himself off and exhaling cold air, looking helpless.
“Aokiji, what are you doing?” Akainu, with a deadpan expression, asked. At around twenty years old, Akainu had already eaten the Magma-Magma Fruit but was still in the early stages of his power development.
“Well, well, it seems that loner has made a friend,” said Kizaru, a young man already starting to look sleazy, a future Glint-Glint Fruit user.
Both Akainu and Kizaru looked down on Nokiyoru. As Logia users, they felt superior to other Devil Fruit users, especially Zoan users like Nokiyoru.
To Akainu, no matter how hard Nokiyoru worked, he could never surpass a Logia user like himself. He was more accepting of Kizaru and Aokiji, fellow Logia users.
Moreover, Nokiyoru was always alone, focusing solely on training, making his social interactions sparse. Aokiji was perhaps his only friend.
“Stuck with this guy is really a pain,” Aokiji muttered, rubbing his head as he followed Nokiyoru, starting to complete the extra laps Zephyr had assigned. Nokiyoru had already run 120 laps.
Hearing footsteps, the dazed Nokiyoru turned his head slightly and saw Aokiji following him. “Hu… hu… what are you doing?”
“Keeping you company. Seeing you all alone, I felt bad,” Aokiji shrugged, genuinely wanting to be friends with this guy.
“If that’s the case, make it cooler. It’s too hot,” Nokiyoru panted, his heart pounding, and his blood boiling as if it were flowing backward.
“You…” Aokiji’s face darkened but soon emitted a cold aura, filling the air with chill. Nokiyoru sighed in relief, feeling rejuvenated.
“For the first time, I think your ability is pretty nice, like a natural ice pack.”
“Don’t talk to me. I might just punch you,” Aokiji gritted his teeth. How could he not be irritated by such comments?
“Seeing them work so hard, maybe I should too?” Gion stood up, watching Nokiyoru and Aokiji run and talk.
“Gion… you…” Chaton, irritated, followed her.
Soon, Yamakaji, Onigumo, and other recruits joined the run, creating a wave of motivated training. Of course, some didn’t continue, including Akainu and Kizaru, who felt it was unnecessary for Logia users.
Watching this, Zephyr didn’t interfere. He knew that becoming strong wasn’t solely about Devil Fruits. The foundation of any power was the physical body.
If Devil Fruits were the middle floors of a skyscraper, then the physical body was the foundation. Only a strong foundation could support a tall building. Moreover, for those who could use Haki, Logia users were not invincible.
At this time, Akainu and Kizaru hadn’t realized this and were too reliant on their fruits. They didn’t understand that a strong body was the true strength. Zephyr might have mentioned this, but it hadn’t sunk in for the young and headstrong recruits.
“Hu… hu… 148… 149… one more lap,” Nokiyoru panted, collapsing to the ground, his body limp, chest heaving.
“Excellent. Not only did you complete 100 laps, but you ran 50 more. Well done,” Zephyr smiled for the first time, pleased with the overachieving recruits.
“Rest in place for two hours, then carry one-ton iron weights and do 1,000 squats. If you don’t finish, no dinner,” Zephyr announced, his stern face leaving no room for objections, despite the recruits’ groans.
“Teacher Zephyr, may I replenish my energy?” Nokiyoru asked, struggling to sit up, his eyes calm.
“Yes, you overachieved and consumed a lot of energy. You may replenish,” Zephyr nodded and instructed a soldier, “Prepare food for 50 people, and deliver it within 20 minutes.”
“Yes, Admiral Zephyr.”
“Teacher Zephyr, we want to eat too.”
“Anyone who overachieved may replenish food,” Zephyr ordered, adding another 50 portions.
With enough food and his recovery ability, Nokiyoru believed he could regain half his strength in two hours, enough to complete the next training task.
Twenty minutes later, a mountain of food was placed before Nokiyoru, who immediately dug in and devoured the massive pile at a rapid rate.
Perhaps due to his Devil Fruit, Nokiyoru had an enormous appetite, extracting immense nutrition from food. He needed to eat dozens of portions each meal, especially after training.
“Gulp… gulp…” Nokiyoru’s plates piled up as he ate, astonishing everyone despite having seen it before.
After finishing his meal, Nokiyoru sat cross-legged, his body emitting a faint flame. This state, discovered two days ago, allowed him to rest and gradually improve his flame control and temperature.
Nokiyoru had set a strict training regimen: physical training, Six Powers, and Haki during the day (though he still needed to start these) and Devil Fruit development at night.
He didn’t want to waste a second, determined to turn a day into a year. He kept himself too busy to worry about Nokishio’s safety by pushing his limits.
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