The Cat

CP9's training base was located on the Grand Line. There were only two ways to get there from South Blue. The first was to cross the Calm Belt directly and reach the first half of the Grand Line. In an age when warships had yet to be fitted with Seastone, crossing the Calm Belt was tantamount to suicide. The countless Sea Kings living there formed an impassable barrier between the Grand Line and the four seas. What was more, in this age of wooden sailing ships, anyone could imagine how difficult it would be to cross a windless stretch of sea.

The ship taking Louis to the training camp clearly wasn't capable of crossing the Calm Belt, so they could only take the second route: cross Reverse Mountain and enter the first half of the Grand Line. It was much safer, but there was one problem—the journey was far too long. Even sailing without stopping, the estimated travel time was three months.

Louis didn't mind the three-month journey. In fact, he was somewhat glad. Just getting to the training camp would take three months, and he could use that time to further strengthen himself.

Three months was a long time. It had taken Louis less than half a year to learn Tekkai, accidentally grasp Life Return, and develop two unique Tekkai techniques. Now, three months was more than enough.

Since he had no training methods for the other Six Powers, Louis couldn't begin his cultivation that way. He started thinking about how to make up for his greatest weakness.

Louis knew full well that his biggest shortcoming wasn't technique or moves, but his Doriki—the most basic aspects of strength, speed, and physique. In other words, his age.

His age limited how quickly he could grow stronger. He was only twelve, barely on the cusp of puberty, and his period of rapid development hadn't yet begun. That meant his physical abilities were bound to lag far behind those of his fellow trainees for the next few years. There wouldn't be any mediocrities in the CP9 training camp, and talent couldn't be turned into strength overnight. Louis wasn't sure he could stand out.

So now was the time to overcome the disadvantage of his age.

As far as Louis knew, only one Devil Fruit could overcome the age gap: the Age-Age Fruit. But it wasn't impossible to change his body indirectly.

For three months, Louis focused on just one thing: training in Life Return.

Life Return worked by infusing the body with one's will, allowing complete control over it. Before boarding the ship, Louis had only been able to control his hair and some of the skin he'd experimented on earlier. Now he began trying to control a third part of his body.

Not his muscles, or anything else, but his internal organs. More specifically, his stomach, then his liver and pancreas, followed by his small and large intestines—in other words, his digestive system.

Even with the limitations of his age, eating a little more would greatly promote his physical development. That was only natural.

What Louis wanted to do was improve his digestion and the efficiency with which he absorbed nutrients. That way, he could force his body into a period of rapid development by eating large amounts of high-energy food, making up for the gap in age.

Honestly, this was much easier than controlling his hair at first. People had around a hundred thousand strands of hair, and Louis had a particularly thick head of hair, with nearly a hundred and twenty thousand strands. When he first trained, the sheer number had left him dizzy and seeing stars. Not to mention, controlling his hair meant manipulating the follicles to stimulate growth and make the strands lengthen in an instant. Louis had nearly developed trypophobia.

Even so, his training progressed slowly. Internal organs were far more important to the body than hair, and the slightest mistake could lead to irreparable consequences. Louis was extremely cautious and never tried to rush things. He would rather go slowly than take a reckless risk.

Louis spent those three months very productively. Every day, he spent eighteen hours training and four hours exercising and practicing the Six Powers to keep his body steadily improving. He devoted the remaining fourteen hours to controlling his stomach, liver, and pancreas, and used the last six hours to rest and eat. Fortunately, he had an exceptionally strong mind and abundant energy, so sleeping only four hours a day was more than enough.

Louis was like a shadow aboard the ship. He didn't speak to anyone and quietly went about his own business. That was only natural, though. The ship was a disguised merchant vessel, and its crew were all agents of the CP series. They weren't exactly a friendly bunch. Silence fell over the ship for those three months.

They entered the Grand Line a little over a month after setting out. The ship climbed Reverse Mountain, then plunged straight down from its cloud-piercing peak into the sea. The wind buffeted Louis's face, and his body felt as if it were about to take flight.

The vast stretch of sea ahead was the greatest ocean in the world: the Grand Line.

After entering the Grand Line, the first thing Louis noticed was the changing weather. He'd heard about it before, but its violent, unpredictable shifts still caught him off guard. There was no need to worry, however. Among the crew was an exceptionally skilled navigator who could sail with ease even through the Grand Line's foul weather.

Though it was still three years before the Great Pirate Era began, the Grand Line was already in chaos. Louis and the others didn't set foot on a single island. Whenever they needed supplies, a mysterious ship would come alongside and deliver them. With the help of an Eternal Pose, they avoided the seven routes in the first half, but even so, they were attacked by pirates several times along the way.

Of course, the CP agents aboard the ship easily dealt with those foolish pirates. Only then did Louis realize that the captain had to be a formidable man with a Doriki Value above a thousand. He was remarkably strong. With someone like that protecting him, Louis only needed to focus on his training.

The three months passed in training. By the time Louis had finally gained rudimentary control over his digestion, a deserted island had appeared before him.

The CP series seemed to like building training grounds on deserted, uninhabited islands. The South Sea Training Camp was the same, and so was this island.

The surface was nothing but desolation. The training camp was underground.

Led by a staff member from the ship, Louis opened a passage in the trunk of a certain tree and went below ground. Only then did the enormous training facility reveal itself. It was fully equipped, almost like a small city. It was hard to imagine that such a vast training ground had been built for only a couple dozen trainees.

Louis was taken to meet the camp's Chief Instructor, a burly man built like an iron tower with hard, dark muscles. He had little to say about Louis's arrival. He simply told him to collect his things from the logistics department, put them in his dorm, and then begin training.

While collecting his things from the logistics department, Louis took the opportunity to look around the training camp. It really was enormous—he could barely see any other trainees. He followed the map to his dormitory. Honestly, using such a luxurious villa as a dorm was a bit of a waste. The facilities were remarkably comfortable for a camp for prospective agents.

There was no need to tidy the dorm. Everything had already been prepared. After setting down his things, Louis wasn't sure what to do next.

"Ding!"

The doorbell rang. Somewhat surprised, Louis opened the door and saw a cat.

No, a man who looked like a cat.