Zephyr's Training Ground

It was five o'clock in the morning, and the sky was still dark.

Zephyr stood in the center of the Training Ground, his hands behind his back, a wooden sword at his feet. He wore a gray training uniform, neither a navy uniform nor pirate attire. He had said that he belonged to neither side.

"Hurry up." His voice wasn't loud, but it could be heard throughout the Training Ground. "Anyone late will have to run ten laps around the island."

Everyone is present.

Kaido arrived first, Iron Club slung over his shoulder, a piece of meat dangling from his mouth. Bullet followed, tearing off his sleeve to reveal a scarred arm. Kuma stood silently in the corner, his palms slightly open. King descended from the sky, flames dancing in the morning breeze behind him. Moria rubbed his eyes and yawned. Inazuma arrived, panting, his long purple hair plastered to his face with sweat.

Ginny stood at the back of the group, not carrying a ledger, and dressed in light training clothes. Her sniper rifle was slung over her back, and the power of her Glint-Glint Fruit was already poised to strike in her eyes.

Lin Yuan was the last to arrive. He walked out of the door, put his hands in his pockets, and stood at the very edge of the line.

Zephyr glanced at him.

"You should practice too."

Lin Yuan pulled his hand out of his pocket.

"OK."

The eight people stood in a line. Zephyr stood in front of them, his gaze sweeping over each of their faces.

"My name is Zephyr, a former Marine Headquarters Instructor. From today onwards, I will be in charge of your training."

No one spoke.

"In the Navy, I've trained thousands of recruits. Some became Admirals, some became Vice Admirals, and some died at sea. Those who survived weren't more talented, but because they trained an extra hour." Zephyr's voice was calm, but every word struck like a stone. "Your talent surpasses that of any recruit I've ever trained. But talent isn't the reason for survival. There's only one reason for survival—being stronger than others."

Kaido yawned.

Zephyr walked up to him and looked up at him.

"You have a problem with that?"

"No." Kaido grinned. "But those recruits you mentioned, are they as tall as me?"

"No."

"Can I fight this?"

"No."

"Then what's the point of saying all this?"

Zephyr stared at him for three seconds. Then he punched Kaido in the chest. It wasn't a sneak attack, it was a direct hit. Kaido didn't dodge, nor did he use Armament Haki —he figured the old man's punch wouldn't be very strong.

The fist slammed into his chest muscles with a dull thud. Kaido's eyes widened. He staggered back three steps, his chest burning with pain, as if he'd been struck by a Sea Kings.

"Oh ho ho..." Kaido rubbed his chest, his smile fading. "That's interesting."

"Your strength is enough. But your speed is too slow. Your reaction time is too slow. Your Conqueror's Haki control is unstable." Zephyr withdrew his fist. "The opponents you've faced before were all weaker than you. You didn't need speed, you didn't need reaction time, you could win with one punch. But what if you encounter someone stronger than you?"

Kaido remained silent.

Zephyr turned and walked back to the center.

"Now, one by one. I need to know the bottom line of each of you."

The first one is Kaido.

Zephyr told him to stand in the center of the Training Ground and close his eyes. Kaido did as he was told. Then Zephyr picked up a wooden sword and stood two meters in front of him.

"Sense my location. Use Observation Haki."

Kaido closed his eyes, his brow furrowed. His Observation Haki was not weak, but he rarely used it—he relied more on Armament Haki. Now, sensing a stationary target with his eyes closed wouldn't be difficult. But Zephyr's aura was strange—very faint, like a stone, without a heartbeat or breath.

"You're in front of me," Kaido said.

"The direction is right. What about the distance?"

Two meters.

"No, it's 1.5 meters."

Kaido opened his eyes. Zephyr stood about 1.5 meters in front of him, a wooden sword pressed against his chest.

"Your Observation Haki accuracy is insufficient. A difference of fifty centimeters means death on the battlefield." Zephyr put down his wooden sword. "From today onwards, sense my location with your eyes closed every day. When the error is less than ten centimeters, you've passed the test."

The second one is Bullet.

Zephyr made him hit a wooden stake. Not an ordinary stake, but a raw Seastone. Bullet punched it, and a shallow fist mark appeared on the Seastone.

"The power is enough. But what about the density?"

What density?

"The density of your Armament Haki." Zephyr walked up to the Seastone and touched the fist-shaped mark with his finger. "Your Armament Haki has a wide coverage area, but the density isn't enough. It's sufficient for ordinary enemies, but not enough for enemies like Ochoku and Silver Axe."

How to practice?

"Compression. Compress your Armament Haki from your entire body to your fist. From your fist to your knuckles. From your knuckles to your fingertips. The higher the density, the stronger the penetration."

Bullet clenched his fist, black Armament Haki spreading from his arm to his fist, then compressing. The color of his fist deepened, changing from gray to black, and from black to inky black.

"Continue," Zephyr said.

Sweat beaded on Bullet's forehead. Compressing Armament Haki was more difficult than he had imagined. Covering his entire body with Haki was easy, but concentrating it on a single point required immense willpower and control.

The third one is Kuma.

Zephyr told him to stand on the beach and clap his hands at the sea. The Kuma raised his hand and slapped out. Air Cannon blasted into the sea, creating a huge splash.

"Distance?"

Five hundred meters.

What about accuracy?

Kuma was silent for a moment. His Paw-Paw Fruit could deflect anything, but the accuracy of the projectiles had always been a problem.

How to practice?

"Narrow down the target. Today we'll shoot at the surface, tomorrow at the rocks, and the day after at a specific spot on the rocks. We'll pass the test when we can hit a coconut from 500 meters away."

The fourth one is Ash.

Zephyr sent him flying into the sky, manipulating the giant rocks. Jhin raised his hand, and ten giant rocks rose from the ground, hovering in mid-air, arranged in a row.

What about the temperature?

What's the temperature?

"The temperature of your flames," Zephyr said. "Your flames can burn through steel, but what if you encounter a stronger opponent? Their Armament Haki can block your fire."

How to increase the temperature?

"Compression. Compress the flames from your entire body into a single point. The higher the temperature, the harder the compression. But once you succeed, no Armament Haki can stop you."

The flames behind Jin flickered. He raised his right hand, and a ball of golden flame condensed in his palm. The flame compressed, its color changing from gold to white, then from white to blue. The temperature was so high that the surrounding air seemed to distort.

The fifth is Moria.

Zephyr had him stand in the center of the Training Ground and build a wall with his shadow. Moria crouched down and placed his hands on the ground. The shadow burst forth from beneath his feet, transforming into a black wall.

"Kaido, give me a punch."

Kaido walked up and punched the Shadow Wall. The Shadow Wall cracked, but didn't break.

"Hit again."

Kaido another punch. The Shadow Wall shattered. Moria staggered back three steps, a trickle of blood escaping from the corner of his mouth.

"Your Shadow Wall can block one punch from Kaido. Not bad. But against someone stronger Kaido, you can't even block one punch," Zephyr said. "Compress your shadow from a large area to a small area. A wall that's too thick isn't as strong as a shield. A shield that's too strong isn't as strong as close-fitting armor."

Moria's shadow rose from the ground, no longer a wall, but a black sphere that enveloped him entirely. The shadow sphere was only a few centimeters thick, but its density was extremely high.

The sixth is Inazuma.

Zephyr made him stand in front of a steel plate. The plate was two centimeters thick. Inazuma raised his finger and lightly scratched the steel plate—it split in two.

"Not fast enough."

It's cracked.

"It's cracked, but your finger touched the steel plate. What if the steel plate was coated with poison? What if the steel plate was hot? What if the steel plate was made of Seastone?"

The Inazuma fell silent.

How to practice?

"Without touching the object. Use your ability to cut it before you even touch it. Your Haki senses the object's structure, and your ability cuts it. No contact is needed in between."

Inazuma closed his eyes, his finger stopping two centimeters from the steel plate. His fingertip trembled slightly. The steel plate did not crack.

"Practice a thousand times every day. You've passed the test when you can cut without touching the blade."

The seventh is Ginny.

Zephyr made her stand at the edge of the Training Ground, holding a sniper rifle.

"Your Glint-Glint Fruit allows you to see four thousand kilometers. But if you can see them but can't hit them, it's useless," Zephyr said from behind her. "Your goal isn't to see the enemy, it's to hit them."

Ginny aimed at a target 500 meters away. Her eyes glowed purple—the power of the Glint-Glint Fruit allowed her to see through the smoke and clearly see the pattern on the bullseye.

"Beat."

"Bang--"

The bullet flew out and hit the edge of the target.

"Again."

"Bang--"

Still on the fringes.

"Your eyes can see, but your hands can't keep up." Zephyr walked over to her. "First, practice steady hands. Hold the gun still for an hour. Then practice breathing. Hold your breath the moment you fire. Then practice mental focus. Before firing, don't think about missing, just think about hitting."

Ginny raised her gun and aimed at the bullseye. Her arm began to ache, but she didn't lower it.

The eighth is Lin Yuan.

Zephyr looked at him.

"Your ability is the Door-Door Fruit, spatial manipulation. I don't need to teach you."

"But your Haki technique is lacking."

Lin Yuan did not refute.

"Before you defected, I only taught you how to shave. You didn't learn anything else. Now I'll make up for it."

Zephyr picked up the wooden knife.

Use your door to hide. If you can't hide, you'll get beaten.

Lin Yuan raised his hand and opened a door beside him. Zephyr's wooden sword pierced through one door and emerged from the other, striking Lin Yuan in the back. It didn't hurt, but it made a loud noise.

"Your door can block the attack, but your reaction is too slow. What if your opponent is faster than Zephyr?" Ginny's voice came from the side.

Lin Yuan paused for a moment, then smiled.

"Practice."

Take a lunch break.

Kaido sat at the warehouse entrance, gnawing on meat. He still had the bruise from Zephyr on his chest.

"That old man has really hard fists."

"He's a Marine Admiral," Bullet said, sitting next to him. "He's right. You're too slow. Your reactions are too slow. If Ochoku hadn't cut your shoulder, but your neck, that day in the Ghost Sea, you'd be dead."

Kaido remained silent.

Lin Yuan sat on the edge of the Training Ground, holding a glass of water. Ginny walked over and sat down next to him.

Does your back hurt?

"Pain."

"Then why aren't you dodging?"

"There's no escaping it."

Ginny was silent for a moment.

"Zephyr said I need to practice my sniping. You need to practice your Haki. We both need to practice."

"Um."

"Then what are you still doing sitting here?"

Lin Yuan put down his water glass, stood up, and walked back to the Training Ground.

Training will continue in the afternoon.

Kaido versus Bullet. Power against power, Armament Haki against Armament Haki. Their fists collided, cracking the ground and sending shards of rock flying.

Kuma versus Jhin. Ranged versus ranged, Air Cannon against fire. Kuma's cannonballs were vaporized by Jhin's flames, and Jhin's flames were deflected by Kuma's Paws.

Moria versus Inazuma. Shadow versus scissors. Moria's Shadow Wall was cut open by Inazuma, and Inazuma's fingers were entangled by Moria's shadow.

Ginny held her gun, aiming at a coconut five hundred meters away. Her hand was trembling, but she didn't lower it. Zephyr stood behind her.

Your heart is unsettled.

"I know."

"Why?"

Ginny didn't answer. She took a deep breath and held it.

"Bang--"

A coconut exploded 500 meters away.

Zephyr looked at the exploded coconut and nodded.

"Not bad, but still far from good."

Lin Yuan stood in the center of the Training Ground, his eyes closed. Zephyr stood in front of him, a wooden sword pointed at his chest.

"Sense my location. Use Observation Haki."

Lin Yuan's Observation Haki was from several years ago; he hadn't practiced it much since his defection. He could sense Zephyr's location, but it was very vague.

"You're in front."

"Distance?"

One meter.

"No, it's half a meter."

Lin Yuan opened his eyes. Zephyr's wooden sword was pressed against his chest, less than ten centimeters away.

"Your Observation Haki is too weak." Zephyr sheathed his wooden sword. "Starting today, practice every day. You'll pass the test when you can sense my heartbeat."

Training ended in the evening.

Eight people stood on the Training Ground, covered in sweat. Kaido had a bruise on his chest, Bullet's fist was scraped, Kuma's palm was red, King's palm was charred, Moria had blood at the corner of his mouth, Inazuma's fingers were trembling, Ginny's shoulders ached so much she could barely lift them, and Lin Yuan's back was covered in red welts from being lashed by wooden swords.

Zephyr stood before them.

"First day went alright. Let's continue tomorrow."

Kaido grinned.

"Still playing tomorrow?"

"We'll beat them even harder tomorrow."

"OK!"

Late at night.

Zephyr sat alone on the Training Ground, looking at the moon.

Lin Yuan walked over and sat down next to him.

"Instructor, how was your first day?"

"Not bad," Zephyr said. "Your Observation Haki is too weak."

"I know."

"Then why don't you practice?"

"No time."

"Now we have it."

Lin Yuan remained silent for a moment.

"Instructor, why did you choose to come here?"

Zephyr gazed at the moon and remained silent for a long time.

"Because here, I don't have to watch good people go to their deaths."

Lin Yuan remained silent.

Zephyr stood up and picked up the wooden knife.

"We have training tomorrow. Go to sleep."

"Instructor."

"Um?"

"Thank you."

Zephyr didn't look back. He walked into the Castle and disappeared into the darkness.

(End of Chapter 62)