Bang, bang, bang, bang... bang, bang...
The unceasing pounding sounded like a battle hymn, and it even had a steady rhythm.
Ares suddenly furrowed his brows and muttered, "Looks like I need to find someone to help me pound my back. My back really is difficult to train."
Back in his hometown, he could use his back to ram trees and mountains.
But here, he had no way to do that. If he rammed into something, the house would collapse.
And his violently developed muscles made it impossible for him to bend and twist his arms like a normal person to pound his back.
The trapezius muscles on his back and the deltoids on his shoulders were each frighteningly huge, becoming obstacles to his training.
They filled him with strength and explosive power, but at the same time reduced his bodily flexibility. It was unavoidable.
Ares could only use an iron rod to pound the areas he could reach. For the time being, he was unable to train the area above the center of his back.
Three or four hours later.
It was already around eleven or twelve at night.
After finishing his training, Ares left the training room and headed toward Skull Castle.
Quite a few pirates were staggering drunk in the streets.
A large man wearing silver armor approached him. It was Silver Axe.
When he saw Ares, Silver Axe looked surprised and walked over to greet him. "Huh? How did you end up bald, kid? And why haven't you gone back to rest?"
His hair had been perfectly fine when he fought Golden Lion earlier. How had Ares's head become completely bald by nightfall?
Ares reached out and rubbed his smooth head. "I was training my Haki, and somehow all my hair fell out. Where are you headed?"
A lecherous, lascivious grin spread across Silver Axe's face. "Of course I'm going to find some beauties, open our hearts, and have a frank heart-to-heart talk. You wouldn't understand. I'm off."
He waved his hand, then impatiently let out a series of snickering laughs as he headed toward a brightly lit brothel.
Ares truly did not understand why the smile on Silver Axe's face was so strange. He always felt an urge to punch him in the face.
He went straight back to his room.
After washing up, he lay down in bed and fell into a deep sleep before long.
In his mind.
The scenes from the day replayed over and over, from his battle with Golden Lion all the way to his swordsmanship training.
The images were not blurry in the slightest. Instead, it felt like he was experiencing everything all over again, as though he were wearing VR goggles and immersed in the scene.
His impressions and understanding of swordsmanship, combat, Haki, and the like deepened slightly as well.
The next day.
Ares got up early as usual. His biological clock seemed to have been set by heaven itself.
He woke up right on schedule.
It had not changed for a single day, at least not in the past few years.
Full of energy, he began training in the training room again. Only when Whitebeard Newgate arrived did Ares end his morning exercises.
"You're up early enough. A fellow with both talent and diligence!" Whitebeard praised him with a laugh. "Ares, go eat breakfast first. For the entire day today, you're mine!"
After breakfast.
Whitebeard brought Ares to a forest far from the town. He planted Cloud Piercer into the ground, left it standing there, and folded his arms across his chest.
With a smile on his face, he looked at Ares. "Ares, let me see what that fellow Shiki taught you yesterday."
"Mm!" Ares nodded, then raised his arm.
He slashed downward with tremendous force.
Whoosh!!
A dazzling blue sword light immediately shot out.
It crashed into a tree trunk with a boom, and the severed trunk fell to the ground.
"What?!"
"You learned how to slash in half a day?!"
Whitebeard stared in shock at the fallen tree. Although a slash of this power could not compare to one unleashed by a master swordsman, it was still more powerful than many cannons.
The key was that Ares had been studying swordsmanship for less than half a day!
He restrained the astonishment on his face, his expression becoming solemn and serious. He walked up to Ares, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "The reason you were able to learn how to slash in such a short time is 'absolutely' because of your extraordinary natural talent."
"It has nothing to do with Golden Lion being a good teacher. Anyone else teaching you swordsmanship would have produced the same result."
Although he was extremely shocked inside, Whitebeard refused to admit that any of this was Golden Lion's achievement.
It had to be Ares's own talent that allowed him to comprehend the Flying Slash so quickly—a technique that took others several years to master.
Whitebeard's proud heart would not allow him to lose to Whitebeard, and he thought, If I teach Ares Body Arts, I can definitely make this kid even stronger!
I absolutely won't lose to Golden Lion's swordsmanship!
He then began teaching Ares Body Arts!
True killing techniques!
Whitebeard's gaze sharpened. It was an extremely dangerous signal, and his voice became somewhat low. "Ares, a true powerhouse is flawless in every aspect!"
"Through training, you can build a body full of muscle, but very few people can mobilize their strength at any time, control their bones, and use the power in every part of their body—your abdomen, waist, legs, arms, back, and so on—and twist it into a single force!"
"Then unleash and release all the power within your body."
"And even after you accomplish all that... your Body Arts will only have just entered the basics!"
"What a true powerhouse masters is the energy within the body. This energy includes blood, muscles and bones, Haki, and more. Only after reaching this realm can you truly be called a master of Body Arts."
"Even when you grow old, the muscles in your body will never go soft, and you will not show signs of premature aging or early death!"
"·······"
A new world opened before Ares. It was a world called Body Arts!
It let him understand.
The powerhouses of this world were far stronger than he had imagined.
From conventional punches and kicks and controlling the body, to reacting and responding, as well as how to neutralize and weaken an opponent's strength.
Whitebeard explained everything in great detail and taught him with utmost seriousness.
He absolutely did not want to lose to Golden Lion.
One day was spent training swordsmanship, and the next was spent training Body Arts.
As for the mornings and evenings, Ares used them to train and temper his body.
After seven or eight days like this, his progress became visible to the naked eye.
This day.
Ares also received his first mission.
Ochoku had informed Ares about the operation a day in advance, and that morning he took Ares to the port of Hachinosu Island.
Quite a few pirate ships were docked at the port, along with many merchant ships belonging to black-market merchants and underground criminal forces.
Mornings were also the busiest time of day.
Many strong sailors and laborers were busy moving all kinds of cargo.
Ochoku stood beside Ares and said, "Ares, get on the ship. This mission will be easy. It should take about a month to complete."
After several days of training.
He had also discovered that Ares was different. The aura around Ares seemed to have become slightly sharper and more imposing.
"Mm."
Ares, carrying a large iron staff on his back, climbed aboard via the gangplank. Quite a few pirates were already busy on the ship.
Some were untying the mooring ropes, some were carrying supplies, some were hauling in the anchor, and others were checking the wind direction.
Fortunately, Ares was an official crew member and did not need to do these things.
A moment later.
Ochoku also boarded the ship, and a pirate immediately came forward to report, "Captain Ochoku, the supply list is here."
He took the supply list, examined it carefully, and, after confirming that there were no problems, handed it back to the pirate.
He shouted to the navigator aboard the ship, "Set sail as soon as everything is ready!"
With a splash.
The massive sail was lowered, and the pirates beneath the mast immediately tied it down with ropes.
"The anchor has been hauled in!"
"The sail has been secured!"
"The helmsman is ready!"
"········"
Ochoku puffed out his chest and shouted spiritedly at the top of his lungs, "Raise the sails—set sail!!"
Before you continue