Chapter Ten: Cat

CP9's training base is located in the Grand Line. To get there from the South Sea, there were only two routes. One was to cross the Calm Belt directly and head to the first half of the Grand Line. In an era when warships weren't yet equipped with seastone, crossing the Calm Belt was suicidal. The countless sea kings dwelling there formed an impassable chasm separating the Grand Line from the four seas. Moreover, in this era of wooden sailing ships, traversing a windless sea was unimaginably difficult.

The ship that brought Louis to the training camp clearly lacked the power to traverse the Calm Belt. Thus, they had to take the second route: crossing Reverse Mountain to enter the first half of the Grand Line. Safety was greatly improved, but the only drawback was the immense distance. Even with non-stop sailing, the estimated travel time was three months.

Louis didn't find three months difficult. Instead, he felt somewhat fortunate. Just the journey to the training camp would take three months. He could use this time to further strengthen himself.

Three months was a long enough time. From obtaining Tekkai to accidentally comprehending Life Return and deriving two unique Tekkai techniques, Louis had taken less than half a year. Now, three months was more than enough.

Since he didn't have the training methods for the other Rokushiki techniques, Louis's training naturally couldn't focus on that. He began to consider how to compensate for his greatest weakness.

Louis knew very well that his biggest flaw wasn't his techniques or moves, but his Dao Force—his fundamental strength, speed, and physique. In short, it was his age.

His age limited the speed at which he could grow stronger. He was only twelve this year, barely on the cusp of puberty. His rapid growth spurt hadn't arrived yet, which meant that for the next few years, his physical starting point would be far behind that of his peers. The CP9 training camp wouldn't accept any mediocre talents. If talent couldn't be quickly converted into strength, Louis wasn't sure if he could stand out.

Therefore, it was time to overcome the disadvantage of his age.

To overcome the age gap, Louis knew that only a Devil Fruit called the Age-Age Fruit could achieve such a feat. However, indirectly improving his physical condition was also possible.

For three months, Louis did only one thing: cultivate Life Return.

The essence of Life Return was to achieve complete control over one's body by injecting willpower into it. Before boarding the ship, Louis could only control his hair and some of his skin from previous experiments. Now, he began to attempt to control a third part of his body.

Not muscles, nor anything else, but his internal organs. To be precise, his stomach, then his liver and pancreas, followed by his small and large intestines—his digestive system.

Even with the limitation of his age, eating more would greatly promote physical development. This was only natural.

What Louis wanted to do was to enhance his body's digestive capacity and nutrient absorption efficiency. By consuming large amounts of high-energy food, he aimed to forcibly push his body into a rapid development phase, thereby compensating for the age gap.

Honestly, this was much simpler than controlling his hair at the beginning. A person's hair numbered around one hundred thousand strands. Louis had a relatively thick head of hair, close to one hundred twenty thousand strands. The sheer quantity had made Louis dizzy and see stars when he was training, not to mention that controlling hair required manipulating the hair follicles to stimulate hair growth and instantly lengthen it. Louis had almost developed trypophobia.

Even so, Louis's training progress wasn't fast. After all, internal organs were more crucial than hair. Any slight mistake could lead to irreparable consequences. Louis was extremely cautious, never seeking quick gains or acting rashly. He'd rather be slower than reckless.

Louis spent the three months very productively. He spent eighteen hours a day cultivating, four hours exercising and practicing Rokushiki to ensure steady progress in his physical functions. The remaining fourteen hours were entirely dedicated to controlling his stomach, liver, and pancreas. The remaining six hours were for rest and meals. Fortunately, his mental strength was exceptionally strong, and his energy was abundant, making only four hours of sleep per day sufficient.

Louis was like a ghost on the ship, not interacting with anyone, just silently doing his own thing. But this was normal. The ship was a disguised merchant vessel, and its crew were all CP agents, not exactly the warm and hospitable type. The large ship remained silent for these three months.

They entered the Grand Line more than a month after setting sail. They charged up Reverse Mountain and then plunged directly into the sea from its cloud-piercing summit. The wind whipped against his face, and his body felt as if it were about to fly.

Ahead lay the vast expanse of the world's greatest sea—the Grand Line.

Upon entering the Grand Line, the most immediate change Louis felt was the weather. Although he had heard about it, the sudden, drastic, and unpredictable changes still caught him somewhat off guard. However, there was no need to worry, as the ship had an excellent navigator who could sail freely even in the harsh weather of the Grand Line.

Although it was three years before the opening of the Great Pirate Era, the Grand Line was still very chaotic. Louis and his companions did not dock at any islands. When supplies were needed, mysterious ships would approach to deliver them. Along the way, they avoided the seven routes of the first half using an Eternal Pose. Even so, they encountered several pirate attacks.

Of course, these foolish pirates were easily dealt with by the CP agents on board. Louis then noticed that the captain of this ship was definitely a formidable character with a Dao Force exceeding one thousand. With such a protector, he only needed to focus on his own cultivation.

Three months passed in cultivation. Just as Louis finally gained preliminary control over his digestive abilities, a deserted island appeared before him.

The CP series seemed to favor building training grounds on uninhabited deserted islands. The South Sea Training Camp was like that, and this island was no different.

The surface was barren; the training camp was underground.

Led by a specialist from the ship, a passage was opened in the trunk of a large tree, leading underground. This massive training ground was then revealed to Louis. All the facilities were complete, like a small city. It was hard to imagine such a huge training ground being prepared for only a dozen or so trainees.

Louis was taken to meet the training camp's chief instructor, a towering, muscular man with hard, black muscles. He had nothing to say about Louis's arrival, simply directing him to the logistics department to collect his supplies. After storing his belongings in the dormitory, he was to begin training.

Taking the opportunity to collect his supplies, Louis explored the training camp. Indeed, it was excessively large, with very few trainees in sight. Following the map to his dormitory, he had to admit that using such a luxurious villa as a dormitory was somewhat wasteful. Despite being reserve agents, the hardware conditions were exceptionally superior.

The dormitory required no tidying; everything was already prepared. After putting down his belongings, Louis found himself unsure of what to do next.

"Ding!"

The doorbell rang. Louis was slightly surprised. Pushing open the door, he saw a cat.

No, it was a man who looked like a cat.