Ability Training

"Bang!"

At the center of the training ground, two figures crossed paths and collided at astonishing speed. Their fists and feet met with a succession of explosive cracks that set the surrounding railings humming.

Armament Haki covered Smoker's hands. His White Smoke Fruit powers no longer erupted wildly as they once had; instead, the smoke was compressed with precision around his arms and legs, flowing like a cyclone with astonishing explosive force.

"Flash!"

Roy vanished, then appeared behind Smoker the next second. His fist, coated in pitch-black Armament Haki, shot toward Smoker's back like lightning.

"I saw that coming!"

Smoker sneered and abruptly dispersed into his elemental form. White smoke spun through the air, instantly coalesced again, and swept out with a backhand Tempest Kick!

Roy flashed aside like a bolt of lightning, dodging the slash while drawing a deep breath—

"Life Return: Giant's Breath!"

In an instant, his muscles swelled dramatically, and he grew to nearly four meters tall. A metallic sheen spread over his skin, Armament Haki covered his hands like iron gauntlets, and his fighting spirit blazed!

"What?!"

Smoker's pupils contracted, but his fighting instincts drove him forward without hesitation.

"Bang—boom!!"

The violent collision of their fists unleashed an enormous shock wave. Dust flew, and the railings around the training ground all collapsed from the impact.

In the spectators' seats, Hina bit down on her straw, her pink hair fluttering gently in the wind. Surprise flashed in her eyes. "Smoker can actually keep up with Roy's pace now..."

Garp held a bag of rice crackers, beaming. "Hahaha, that kid has been training like his life depends on it ever since Roy spurred him on!"

Zephyr stood quietly at the edge of the field, his gaze behind his sunglasses sharp yet gratified. "Smoker's progress is indeed remarkable, but Roy..."

His gaze fell on Roy's fists, gleaming with pitch-black Armament Haki, and he silently marveled.

More than a year ago, Zephyr had worried that Roy would rely too heavily on the Teleport-Teleport Fruit's powers and neglect his training in the Marines' basic physical techniques.

To his surprise, however, the young man had not slacked off at all. Instead, he had trained harder than anyone else!

Under Zephyr's grueling special training, Roy had thrown himself into mastering the Six Powers:

Soru, the perfect setup for teleportation, flowed seamlessly into his Devil Fruit powers, creating an even more unpredictable teleportation footwork technique.

By combining Geppo's aerial mobility with teleportation, he could change direction multiple times in midair.

He had combined Tempest Kick's Armament Haki-enhanced slashes with teleportation ambushes, creating a startling series of surprise attacks.

He had modified Tekkai and Life Return to an almost freakish degree, allowing him to instantly harden his body to the level of steel while in his Giant's Breath state.

Even with Shigan, he could use teleportation to appear before an enemy like a ghost and launch an attack before they could react.

All of this had earned Zephyr's quiet admiration:

The Teleport-Teleport Fruit is only his tool. His real weapons are his refusal to admit defeat and his talent for making every kind of power his own.

As the dust settled, Smoker knelt on one knee, a trace of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. His gaze remained as sharp as a blade. "It's not over yet..."

Roy's body returned to its normal size, but the layer of deep-black Armament Haki still covered his fists. He looked at Smoker with a hint of pride. "Smoker, you've gotten stronger."

"Cut the chatter!"

Smoker gritted his teeth and stood. The white smoke and Armament Haki coiling around his arms had nearly taken solid form, and a vortex-shaped shock wave surged around him. "One last attack!"

"White Smoke Impact!"

Amid a roar, his fist transformed into white smoke and shot skyward with astonishing explosive force, making even the air tremble.

Roy took a deep breath and crossed his arms before his chest, his gaze resolute.

"Tekkai: Steel Bone!"

"Boom!!"

With a tremendous explosion, Smoker's enormous white-smoke fist slammed squarely into Roy's defense, but it did not budge, as though the blow had struck a mountain.

"What?!"

Smoker's pupils contracted as he watched Roy slowly raise his head, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "Smoker, your Haki still isn't strong enough!"

The next second, Roy struck back with a Flash Shigan, stopping it at Smoker's throat in the blink of an eye.

"...I lost."

Smoker admitted it through gritted teeth, but there was no trace of discouragement in his eyes. Instead, his fighting spirit burned brightly. "Next time, I'll win for sure."

Roy slowly withdrew his hand and patted Smoker on the shoulder. "Still, you really have made a lot of progress."

Zephyr stepped forward, his arms crossed, a look of unprecedented approval in his eyes behind his sunglasses. "Well done, Roy."

Then his tone shifted, stern yet expectant. "Remember, no matter how powerful the Teleport-Teleport Fruit is, it's only a tool!"

"Your fundamentals, physical techniques, and Haki are what you can truly rely on! Don't disappoint me!"

Roy stood at attention and saluted, his voice ringing out. "Yes, Instructor Zephyr!"

Smoker wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his lips curling upward slightly. "Teleportation or the Six Powers, just you wait, Roy. Next time, I'll surpass you!"

"Hahaha!"

Garp laughed beside them like a chipmunk. "Good lads! That's the spirit that makes things interesting!"

The wind swept across the training ground, scattering the dust and stirring the fighting spirit of a new generation. At this port, they were growing into true Marines, one step at a time.

Zephyr looked at the two of them with satisfaction. "Good. You've both grown."

He turned to Roy, a rare note of praise in his voice. "Roy, you've mastered Life Return even faster than I expected."

Roy scratched his head and smiled. "It's all thanks to old man Garp's 'special training of love'..."

Garp roared with laughter beside him. "That's right, that's right! My special training is very effective!"

Zephyr shook his head helplessly, though his eyes were full of satisfaction.

Late at night in the dormitory, Roy sat cross-legged on his bed, his eyes closed in concentration.

His awareness spread with his Observation Haki, sweeping across the entire Marine Base like an invisible radar and extending even farther out over the sea.

"1,000 meters... 1,500 meters... 2,000 meters..."

A year ago, his teleportation range had been limited to a hundred meters within his line of sight.

Now, with the perception granted by Observation Haki, he could lock onto a target several kilometers away!

On the training ground, Zephyr raised a pair of binoculars and pointed toward a distant lighthouse. "Roy, teleport there."

On his first attempt, he had moved only 500 meters before falling into the sea, and Zephyr had hurriedly fished him out.

On his second attempt, he had barely made it to the foot of the lighthouse, but he was dizzy and disoriented.

But now—

"Whoosh!"

Roy vanished in an instant, appearing atop a Marine lookout tower two kilometers away the next second!

The night wind howled as he stood steadily, the corners of his mouth rising.

"I did it!"

The next morning, Roy was eating in the cafeteria when a flash of golden light suddenly appeared—

"Yo~ little Roy~"

Borsalino appeared before him, holding a steaming cup of coffee. "Help your senior out with something, would you?"

Roy looked up. "What is it, Vice Admiral?"

Kizaru adjusted his sunglasses. "Take this coffee to the Marine hospital five kilometers away. My adjutant is sick~ Make sure he drinks it while it's hot~"

Roy said, "Vice Admiral, if I remember correctly, you can move at light speed too..."

The Marines around them turned red in the face trying not to laugh.

Seeing Borsalino's expression, Roy took a deep breath and accepted the coffee. He extended his Observation Haki to its limit, and the outline of the Marine hospital five kilometers away gradually became clear in his mind.

"Whoosh!"

He vanished, appearing at the hospital entrance the next second without spilling a drop of coffee!

The nurses stared in astonishment. "R-Roy?!"

Roy smiled. "A token of Vice Admiral Borsalino's concern. Please pass it along."

When he teleported back to the cafeteria, Kizaru was sitting with his legs crossed, eating rice crackers. "Not bad~ Next time, help me deliver a boxed lunch~"

Garp slapped the table and roared with laughter. "Hahaha! Kizaru, you rascal, are you treating Roy like a deliveryman?!"

That afternoon on the training ground, Zephyr folded his arms. "Today we're testing teleportation with another person."

Hina immediately had a bad feeling. "Hina refuses..."

"Refusal denied."

Zephyr pointed coldly. "Roy, take her to the mountaintop across from us and back."

Roy scratched his head and held out a hand to Hina. "Sorry, Hina."

Hina sighed and reluctantly took hold of his arm. "Hina thinks you're all picking on her..."

"Whoosh!"

The two vanished, appearing on a mountaintop a kilometer away the next second.

The sea breeze brushed their faces, sending Hina's long pink hair flying. She froze for a moment. "...That was pretty fast."

Roy smiled. "Hold on tight. We're going back."

On the return trip, Hina instinctively hugged Roy's arm tightly.

As soon as they landed, she let go, the tips of her ears slightly red. "Hina was just afraid of falling!"

Smoker, a cigar clenched between his teeth, snorted nearby. "Boring."

Garp suddenly sprang out. "Roy! Take me to the cafeteria! I'm hungry!"

Roy said, "...Yes, sir!"

"Whoosh!"

The two vanished, and the next second—

"Bang!"

Garp landed on a cafeteria chair, raising a fist and cheering, "Meat!!!"

The cooks were in tears. "Vice Admiral Garp! It's not mealtime yet!"