Terrifying Growth Rate!

"Remember, you trash! The fact that you can stand in this formation means you're worse than everyone else! You're all garbage!"

"Get up and keep running, damn it! Are your legs broken?! Do you want me to help break them?!"

"You stragglers at the back! Sweeping toilets or chopping vegetables in the mess hall, have you decided?!"

As the main force fighting pirates, the Marines have an extremely high casualty rate. They have always believed in "sweating more today to bleed less tomorrow," not in ivory towers. As a result, the training at the Headquarters' New Recruit Camp is hellish. The instructors in charge are all fiercer than the last, and their voices are louder!

After a morning of training, the exhaustion was bearable, but the assault on his eardrums left Ron speechless. Fortunately, the upcoming meal shifted his focus, and he happily followed the main group to the mess hall.

As Ron picked up his tray at the serving station, he was about to join the queue when he suddenly noticed that the line in front of him had automatically parted, leaving a clear path to the window.

What's going on?

Ron was completely bewildered.

He had forgotten that because of yesterday's "dorm bullying" incident and last night's "Vice Admiral Garp imprisoned" incident, after a night and morning of fermentation, everyone in the New Recruit Camp now knew that a monster had joined them.

Just like the legendary Three Admirals, just like the former New Recruit Camp overlord Smoker a few years ago, Ron, a Logia-type Devil Fruit user!

And... he had an extremely terrible personality!

Everyone in dorm 301 and its surrounding dorms, as well as an unnamed dorm supervisor, expressed that it's best not to provoke him... The legend of Logia-type users being invincible in the early stages is known throughout the Grand Line, let alone Marine Headquarters. Moreover, Ron wields dangerous lightning. The new recruits didn't want to experience being electrocuted. Thus, seeing him arrive, they wisely made way, avoiding disaster.

Spotting a familiar figure in the crowd, it was Zoro, who had previously knocked his luggage to the ground. Seeing the fearful expression on his face, Ron suddenly understood.

"So that's how it is, so that's why!"

He had no time to bother with these bystanders; his only concern was getting stronger. Since the path was cleared, he might as well take the shortcut. He swaggered forward and, under the astonished gaze of the serving uncle, pointed to his tray.

"Fill this up for me..."

"Y-yes."

The serving uncle paused, then remembered his duty and promptly took the tray, filling it to the brim. Then Ron reached out... past the tray, lifted the large iron pot filled with food, and swaggered off to find a seat to eat, leaving behind a dumbfounded serving uncle and the new recruits queuing behind him.

Damn it!!

"Ron! What are you doing?!"

Just then, a roar of anger drew everyone's attention.

Hearing the voice, Ron flinched, turned his head, and saw Shuzuo looking furious. Combining this with his current actions, he awkwardly explained.

"Instructor Shuzuo, it's not what you think..."

The afternoon training continued. Ron, carrying weights, was the first to arrive at the designated area. The instructor in charge had been waiting for a long time and, without further ado, blew his whistle.

"Count for yourselves, 300 push-ups, begin!"

Peep!!

With the piercing whistle, Ron's afternoon training began. 300 push-ups weren't the end, just the beginning. After finishing the first set, Ron got five minutes of rest before starting the second set of 500.

By the time the sun set and night fell, Ron, after eating dinner, ambled back to the dormitory.

"Ah... I'm exhausted!"

Marine Headquarters, it's this terrifying!

What can I say?

Truly living up to its reputation for tailored instruction!

The day's training ended, all items on the checklist completed, perfectly draining every last bit of Ron's stamina!

Even he himself couldn't estimate his physical limits, yet outsiders had easily discerned them. If not for the replenishment from a full stomach, Ron would have collapsed by now... This showed how much experience the Marines had in training new recruits!

Compared to the combat-based growth of pirates, this method was undoubtedly safer, more convenient, and faster, suitable for mass training. Marine Headquarters' New Recruit Camp lived up to its reputation!

On the first day, Ron, for the first time in a long time, didn't engage in his usual self-harming exercises. He collapsed onto his bed, his eyelids feeling as heavy as lead, and instantly fell into a deep sleep.

Time flew by, and three days later...

In the evening, on the roof of the New Recruit Camp building, Zephyr twitched his mouth as he held a document and looked up, "Shuzuo, do you think I'm an idiot?"

I'd rather be an idiot myself!

Shuzuo thought in confusion, then noticed Zephyr's unfriendly gaze and quickly replied, "Teacher, these data are recorded in real-time, there's no falsification!"

"Of course, I know there's no falsification, or do you believe I'll have you lying in the garden behind here right now?"

Zephyr retorted irritably, then picked up the document, his eyes filled with shock.

"This growth rate, it can't be wrong! It's the effect of that thing!"

In reality, very few new recruits knew or paid attention to the fact that while they were undergoing their daily training, the instructors in charge of each project would evaluate them, determine their individual progress, and then compile the data for Zephyr.

This data was the primary factor in deciding adjustments to the new recruits' training programs.

Logically, in just three days, a person couldn't possibly achieve significant growth. After Ron's data was reported, Shuzuo instinctively skimmed over it, preparing to file it. However, he suddenly noticed the red mark indicating "urgent change" at the bottom of the document and immediately pulled it out again in shock.

After reading it carefully, he immediately rushed to Zephyr's office to report the information to him.

Because...

"In just three days, he's perfectly adapted! And after the training, he still has at least twenty percent of his stamina left! He was so exhausted he couldn't even crawl before, but today... Is he even human?"

The training regimen set for the new recruits aimed to drain every last bit of their stamina, with no exceptions. Let alone that Ron's training course was personally drafted by Zephyr, and as a former Admiral, Zephyr's judgment would absolutely not be wrong!

So if Zephyr wasn't wrong, the problem naturally lay with Ron...

Shuzuo had seen geniuses before, but "genius" was an adjective used to describe humans. With this kind of growth rate and adaptability, was Ron really not some other creature in human form?

"Hmm... probably... right?"

Zephyr didn't know how to answer this question. Decades ago, that incident was classified as top secret by Fleet Admiral Kong, and to avoid causing trouble, even the World Government was unaware.

After a moment of hesitation, Zephyr asked, "Where is Ron now? Has he returned to the dormitory?"

"Huh? Are you looking for him, Teacher?"

Shuzuo was taken aback and replied, "No, he had energy left today, so he wanted to continue using his method of stimulating his body with lightning. To avoid disturbing others, I left him in the training room."

"That self-mutilating training again!"

Hearing this term, Zephyr snorted coldly, "Fortunately, Ron has super strong self-healing abilities, otherwise, training like this, he would have ruined himself long ago! That bastard Garp, knowing this, didn't stop him!"

Regarding the "emotional entanglement" between two senior masters, Shuzuo looked up at the sky, focused on his nose, and pretended not to hear.