Zoro wiped the sweat from his face. Though excited, he had not forgotten his other goal.
He lowered his head to look at the bruises on his body. Though they were fading, they were still there, and he frowned slightly.
"Hey, Ronan."
Zoro raised his head, a trace of dissatisfaction in his eyes:
"I've basically mastered beginner Observation Haki, but... I feel like the Second Stage of this 'Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Refinement' is progressing far too slowly."
He slapped his chest hard, producing a series of muffled thuds:
"Although I'm tougher than before, I still seem far from what you described—being impervious to blades and spears, capable of breaking weapons."
Luffy, standing nearby, nodded hard and pouted.
"Yeah, yeah! It still hurts so much when I get hit by a gunstock! My rubber body may be tougher now, but it hasn't turned into steel yet!"
Ronan listened to their complaints, and the corner of his mouth twitched helplessly.
These two ungrateful bastards...
For ordinary people, reaching the Second Stage of Bronze Skin Iron Bones with this technique would take at least ten years of grueling training, not to mention expensive medicinal ingredients.
They had only trained for a week, yet they could already withstand strikes from his iron spear. Their progress was practically rocket-fast!
"More haste, less speed."
Ronan sighed helplessly and said earnestly:
"How many days have you even been training? Your bodies are already undergoing a qualitative transformation."
"Horizontal Training Kung Fu emphasizes gradual effort, accumulated bit by bit."
"If you rush for results, you'll only damage your foundation."
"But..."
Luffy was unconvinced. He moved close to Ronan, his big eyes wide with greed for power.
"I just want to become impervious to blades and spears faster! Isn't there a quicker way? I'm not afraid of pain! Even if it hurt ten times more, I could take it!"
Though Zoro said nothing, his blazing gaze remained fixed on Ronan, as if saying, As long as there's a shortcut, I'd dare charge into hell itself.
Facing these two pairs of eyes, hungry for strength like starving wolves, Ronan felt enormous pressure.
He knew that was what defined the main cast.
They were never satisfied with their current state and were always challenging their limits.
Ronan pondered for a moment, countless possibilities flashing through his mind.
"A faster method..."
Ronan suddenly looked toward the churning sea in the distance, his gaze sharpening slightly.
"It's not like there isn't one."
Ronan looked at the eager eyes of Luffy and Zoro, then said after a moment of thought:
"There really is a faster method, but... it costs money. A lot of money."
"What method?" Luffy and Zoro asked almost in unison, their voices filled with urgency.
Ronan slowly uttered two words: "Medicinal baths."
"Medicinal baths?" Luffy tilted his head, looking utterly confused. "What are those? Are they tasty?"
Ronan shook his head and patiently explained:
"A medicinal bath uses large quantities of rare, valuable ingredients, such as century-old ginseng, tiger bone, deer antler, lingzhi, and so on."
"They are brewed into a medicinal soup according to a specific ancient formula, then you jump in and soak while the water is extremely hot."
"Soaking in a bath?" Zoro froze, clearly unable to connect something so enjoyable with such brutal training.
"Don't underestimate a bath." Ronan's expression turned serious.
"Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Refinement is an overbearing hard qigong technique that emphasizes 'destruction' and 'reconstruction.'"
"Our beatings now are 'destroying' muscle fibers, while medicinal baths provide the most perfect 'reconstruction.'"
Ronan pointed at the bruises on Zoro's body. "Under the effect of heat, the essence in the medicine will seep into your body through your pores."
"Not only can it instantly eliminate the subcutaneous bruising and hidden injuries caused by daytime beatings, preventing your body from being ruined by training—"
"More importantly—it can penetrate deep into the bone marrow. Like adding rare metals when forging steel, it fundamentally strengthens the density of your bones and the resilience of your muscles!"
"This is the shortcut to training Horizontal Training Kung Fu!"
"There's... actually something like that?!"
Zoro's heart surged with excitement, and a terrifying gleam shot out from his eyes.
As a sword fanatic willing to pay any price to grow stronger, such a method for improving his physical strength held a fatal attraction for him.
"Is the effect really that good?"
Zoro abruptly stood up, one hand already on his sword hilt. He looked around with murderous intent. "How much money do we need? I'll go rob someone!"
Looking at Zoro's expression that practically screamed, "I'm a bandit," Ronan smiled helplessly and pressed a hand onto his shoulder.
"Don't rush. The problem right now isn't money—it's that even with money, you can't buy good medicinal ingredients."
"Where are we supposed to find century-old ginseng on this vast Great Sea? Once we reach a prosperous island, we'll stock up properly!"
"All right, that's enough training for today."
Ronan let out a long breath and lay flat on the deck in the shape of a spread-eagle, enjoying the sea breeze.
"Too much is as bad as too little. We need to rest properly. Only by balancing work and rest can this tightly drawn string avoid snapping, allowing us to go farther."
As the three finished their hair-raising "self-torture" training, Nami and Usopp, who had been watching from the side, finally breathed a sigh of relief and stepped onto the deck.
"Ah, you finally finished training!"
Usopp stretched exaggeratedly and leaned against the railing as he complained:
"I was bored to death!"
Nami also sighed helplessly. Looking at the Navigation Chart, she furrowed her brow slightly.
"These past few days, the ship has been stopping and starting to accommodate your training. It's seriously affected our voyage."
Ronan turned his head slightly to look at Nami's delicate but faintly anxious face, smiling gently.
"The training has reached a stopping point, Miss Nami. For the time ahead, let's enjoy the pleasures of sailing."
As he spoke, he completely relaxed, looking up at the clear blue sky and white clouds overhead as his thoughts gradually emptied.
Zoro hugged Wado Ichimonji and leaned in the shadow by the ship's railing, resting with his eyes closed. His breathing became deep and steady.
A rare sense of peace and tranquility returned to the deck.
However, for certain hyperactive people, such tranquility was simply torture.
Luffy rolled around on the deck twice. Unable to stand the boredom any longer, he suddenly jumped up and threw an arm around Usopp's neck.
"Hey, Usopp! Since there's nothing to do, let's practice using the cannons!"
"The cannons?" Usopp's eyes lit up. The sniper DNA in him stirred. "Sure! Let This Lord show you my divine skill of never missing a shot!"
The two ran excitedly to the side of the Merry, where a cannon was mounted.
"Target—"
Luffy pointed at a huge black reef protruding from the sea several hundred meters away. "That one!"
"Heh heh, it's too close, way too close!"
Usopp confidently adjusted his goggles and skillfully loaded the gunpowder and cannonball.
He narrowed one eye and raised his thumb, measuring the wind speed, distance, and the ship's rocking through his line of sight.
Though Usopp was usually timid and prone to trouble, the moment he picked up a weapon and aimed at a target, his entire demeanor changed dramatically.
It was the focus and confidence of a top-tier marksman.
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