Mobius's Growth: The Sea's Tornado

Mobius had already made up his mind. He walked to the iron frame, looked at the standing, clamped wooden stick, and placed his feet on the two supports in front of the frame, securing it to prevent instability during training.

The three joints in both his arms were dislocated, forcibly pulled apart by Teach. Although some time had passed, the pain wasn't as intense as before. Enduring the pain, Mobius tried to control his right arm to lift. A sharp, piercing pain shot through his brain.

"Hiss!" Mobius took a deep breath, his mind clearing. This brought a heightened sensitivity to pain. He lifted slightly, gritted his teeth, and swayed his body, trying to use his shoulder's strength to move his right arm. But then he froze. This wouldn't work; it wouldn't train his arm effectively.

Gritting his teeth, Mobius knew his goal: to learn this move within a month. He didn't know if he could, but he had to. It wasn't just to gain Teach's approval, but for himself.

"Bang!" Enduring the pain, Mobius controlled his arm, swinging it, flicking it. Teach's previous use of Snake Hand flashed in his mind. He mimicked it. Though not perfectly clear, he was exceptionally lucid in his pain, and the impression deepened.

His eyes filled with determination, tears streamed down Mobius's face, but his hands didn't stop. Like a whip, he struck from left to right, then from right to left.

A bone-chilling pain coursed through him. Mobius gritted his teeth, forcing himself to persist, tears welling up in his eyes.

Gradually, Mobius's tears dried up. His right arm felt numb. The skin on both sides was torn from the whipping, and blood trickled out.

The air was filled only with the "thump, thump" sounds. Time seemed to stretch on endlessly, but it was meaningless. Again and again, he struck. The wooden stick finally couldn't take it anymore, cracks appearing on its surface. The fissures showed Mobius's progress; he was starting to see results.

The cracks on the wood became more apparent. Mobius's heart seemed to race with excitement. Finally, with a "crack," the wood broke.

Mobius lowered his arm and couldn't help but glance at Teach. Teach was still training, doing push-ups, his face flushed red, his lips tightly shut. It was incredibly difficult now; each exertion took about five seconds to complete one push-up.

He hadn't expected Teach to keep going. Mobius thought, I can't stop either.

With difficulty, he removed the broken wooden stick. Bending down, he picked up another piece from the ground and secured it to the iron frame.

This time, it was his left arm. Mobius resumed his training. Unbeknownst to him, Teach, not far behind him, looked up at his retreating figure, the corners of his mouth turning up into a smile.

The training continued. It was unclear how long it had been, from morning until dusk, Teach continuously swung his iron sword.

Finally, another cracking sound rang out. Teach stopped his movements and looked at Mobius, who had already finished his training. He checked the time; it had been a full eight hours since morning, including lunchtime.

Mobius looked at his day's results and collapsed onto the ground, tears of joy on his face. He had succeeded.

"Alright, I'll put your joints back in, and then we'll eat," Teach's voice came. Mobius nodded. His stomach suddenly growled. He had forgotten about time, lost in training, forgetting everything. Only now did he realize how hungry and weak he was.

Teach worked quickly, not giving Mobius a chance to react. With "crack, crack, crack!" sounds, the joints in both of Mobius's arms were reset.

"Ugh!" Mobius grunted, slightly lifting his arms. His arms felt like they weren't his own. Twisting his joints felt awkward. Mobius shook his arms, the sounds of his bones and muscles moving echoing. He kept making the same movements, his body stiff.

However, he could also feel that his strength seemed to have increased. He swung his arm forcefully through the air, a faint whistling sound accompanying it. Mobius knew it was likely a temporary muscle pump from the training, not long-lasting, but it was enough to excite him, proving the training was effective.

Mobius had regained control of his arms. The injuries on his arms couldn't be changed, but he felt a sense of lightness.

Dinner was brief and leisurely, a rare moment of rest. After eating, Teach resumed his training: strength, swordsmanship, all night long.

Mobius naturally wouldn't give up easily and began his strength training.

Life at sea was incredibly monotonous. This was a fixed route, frequented by many merchant ships, with no pirate raids.

Mobius also noticed that Teach's life was extremely simple: train, eat, train, he didn't even sleep. Occasionally, he would go out to watch the wind and the sea.

He trained with Teach on the first night. Seeing Teach not sleeping, he also didn't stop. Finally, he was so exhausted he couldn't move. The moment he closed his eyes, he fell into a deep sleep.

When he woke up in the morning, he saw Teach training. It was like this on the first day, the second day, and the third day.

Mobius finally couldn't help himself and asked Teach during a meal, "Boss Teach, why don't you ever sleep? Aren't you tired?"

Teach didn't stop his movements. "I can't sleep. It's been like this since I was born. When I'm tired, I just rest a bit," Teach said slowly.

"What? How can someone not sleep! In that case, Boss Teach, you have far more training time than others!" Mobius exclaimed, suddenly thinking of Teach's non-stop training day and night, feeling a bit envious.

"Hahahaha, I consider this a cursed constitution. If I want to train, I can train for twenty-three hours a day. I just need one hour to rest, but it robbed me of my right to sleep," Teach chuckled, not angry, as he had long since come to terms with it.

"The pain of not being able to sleep?" Mobius was a little confused. But thinking about how sleepy he was, yet unable to sleep, he had persisted until late at night the previous two days, but eventually, he was too tired and fell asleep the moment he closed his eyes.

If he couldn't sleep, Mobius shivered, a chill running down his spine.

He looked at Teach, finding it increasingly hard to imagine not being able to sleep since birth. How could anyone endure that?

It was no exaggeration for Boss Teach to call it a curse. But Boss Teach had overcome this curse, not yielding. It was precisely because of this that Boss Teach had become even stronger, possessing a breadth of mind and potential unmatched by others. He would surely reach the pinnacle soon.

Thinking this, Mobius was filled with renewed fighting spirit. I can't slack off either. I must follow in Boss Teach's footsteps. I want to become stronger, or I'll only be able to watch Boss Teach's back, perhaps not even see his back.

In just a few days, Mobius's progress was very noticeable. His arm strength increased significantly. On the first day, he spent a full eight hours to complete his training. On the second day, he finished half an hour earlier. On the third day, he spent seven hours.

To train his strength, he saw Teach wearing wrist and ankle weights. He made himself some as well, since he couldn't craft equipment on the ship. He tied a few stones to his hands to train his arm strength.

By the fourth day, today, Mobius only spent six hours, an hour more efficient than yesterday.

Feeling his progress was his motivation for training. Because of this, he became more and more engrossed in his training. It might be tough at first, but if he persevered to the end, all the results would be worth it.

Teach noticed Mobius's progress with some surprise, but it was within reason. Teach didn't praise him or encourage him; he wasn't that kind of person. Besides, it was still early. Training was just the beginning. The one-month deadline was serious. If he slacked off even slightly in the middle, Mobius would likely fail.

However, at present, Mobius was doing quite well. He persisted through the first day's training without giving up, and trained diligently in the following days.

If Mobius could truly master this move within a month, Teach couldn't say what his future would hold, but he could say his future was promising. Combined with a good Devil Fruit, he could become a strong individual.

The people on the ship had grown accustomed to these two who never came out except for meals and didn't bother them. It was no one's business. Occasionally, someone would come in to deliver news, and they could see Teach and Mobius training.

This was normal. The New World's magnetic field was very unstable, causing strange weather. This route was very long; it would take at least twelve or thirteen days to reach their destination, not counting unforeseen accidents. From the day they set sail until now, they hadn't seen the first island. Teach had Mobius ask the people on the ship. Since they frequently traveled this route, they knew it would take at least another day or two to reach the first island.

One day, Teach was training when the ship suddenly lurched. The kerosene lamp on the wall flickered. Teach stopped his movements. Was something happening outside?

"Everyone prepare yourselves! A massive tornado has appeared on the route ahead. We will be detouring around it. There might be some minor turbulence, so hold on tight and steady yourselves!" the captain's voice boomed from outside, followed by the sound of urgent footsteps on the deck. The sailors and guards were all ready. Having sailed the seas for years, they were very experienced.

A terrifying natural disaster like a tornado could result in the ship being destroyed and lives lost if they got too close. However, they were still far away, and there were many ways to avoid it. Even after detouring, it would take them longer.

"Wow! A tornado, a tornado! Such a big tornado." Through the window, a strong wind blew, and from afar, one could feel a suction force, the power of gathering winds. Mobius, stunned, pointed forward about a hundred meters away. It was a super-large tornado, a waterspout. Looking up, the tornado was at least a hundred meters tall and thirty meters in diameter.

This was undoubtedly a terrifying natural disaster. Suddenly, the merchant ship lurched violently, and the furnishings inside began to slide. The entire ship tilted at a thirty-degree angle and began to turn, changing direction. Beneath the tornado was a terrifyingly vast whirlpool; they absolutely could not be sucked into it.

Mobius's eyes widened. It was his first time seeing a tornado, and such a massive one at that.

"Idiot, be careful not to get sucked out! We won't be able to save you then," Teach rushed over. Seeing Mobius leaning against the window, which was extremely dangerous, he slammed the window shut and locked it. Hearing Teach's words, Mobius recalled the danger and felt a chill of fear.

This merchant ship's luck was not good. "Hey! Everyone be careful! Keep turning, that tornado is moving, coming this way!" Teach's voice echoed throughout the entire ship. "What?" The captain's expression changed upon hearing this. He immediately gave orders, "Continue, don't stop, accelerate!"

He didn't doubt Teach's words. Who would lie at a time like this?

Moreover, with his years of sailing experience, he hadn't noticed at first. After Teach's reminder, he quickly detected a hint of abnormality. The tornado was indeed approaching them.

"Quick, quick, hoist the sails and escape this giant whirlpool!" the captain shouted. Soon, he found the best escape route, calculating the tornado's path. It was coming towards them from the left, and they needed to skirt around it from the right.

"Boss Teach, is it okay?" Mobius asked nervously. The ship swayed precariously as it navigated the great whirlpool. Powerful currents buffeted the hull, and cracks appeared in several places, with seawater leaking in.

"Hahahaha! No problem! This captain is a very experienced old hand, and the other sailors have been through a lot. Weather like this in the New World can't defeat them!" Teach laughed heartily.

And so, under the wise guidance of the merchant ship's veteran captain, Teach watched as the tornado slowly receded behind them. The crisis was over.

In just a few short minutes, the captain and his crew were mentally and physically exhausted, collapsing on the deck to rest. The ship's hull also had some damaged areas, and they needed to find a place to properly recuperate. After all, the ship was still taking on water, and even with simple repairs, it wouldn't hold for long.

"Captain, there's an island ahead!" someone exclaimed excitedly, having spotted it.