Arrival at Headquarters

It had been nearly three days since they boarded the warship.

The good news was that Dawn didn't get seasick.

This was no trivial matter. First of all, even though Navy warships were large, they were still wooden sailing ships.

They were nothing like the colossal steel cruise liners of his previous life, which could sail steadily across the sea and make you feel as if you were standing on solid ground.

On top of that, the Grand Line's weather was unpredictable. With the rough sea constantly rocking the ship, getting seasick was perfectly normal.

Fortunately, Dawn didn't get sick enough to vomit his guts out. That was definitely good news.

Otherwise, in a world where traveling meant relying entirely on ships, he would probably have had to keep vomiting until he got used to it.

Just thinking about it was terrifying.

After resting for a few days, Dawn began training on the deck. The Marines aboard the ship trained alongside him. With Aokiji stationed here and Marine Headquarters already close by, there was no need to worry about a sudden battle breaking out while the soldiers were exhausted from training.

Dawn's training arrangements clearly differed from those of the other Marines.

After all, he was still a child and naturally wasn't suited to the methods used for adult Marines.

However, because he had demonstrated his value and potential, Aokiji personally tailored Dawn's training plan.

Dawn had already built a solid foundation through extensive basic training on the Boin Archipelago, but he still couldn't fully bring out his own strength.

That was because Dawn's control over his own power was insufficient, so Aokiji began guiding him in how to control his strength.

Thus, Dawn practiced exerting force under Aokiji's guidance, striving to unleash the full might of his strength.

Even the strength enhanced by his Devil Fruit ability required constant adaptation until he could fully master it.

Otherwise, in Aokiji's eyes, it was merely superficial power. It was fine against weaker opponents, but against someone stronger, failing to control his own strength properly could get him instantly defeated.

A sudden surge in power also meant more openings. Against an enemy only slightly stronger than himself, even a momentary opening could prove fatal!

Aokiji also set aside his lazy nature. Aside from teaching Dawn how to exert force, he often had Dawn apply his aura buffs to him before sparring with him in actual combat.

He let Dawn gradually familiarize himself with and master his own power through real combat and repeated beatings.

Furthermore, practicing under the aura buffs was very helpful for mastering his strength in a normal state.

After all, both strength and speed were greater in an enhanced state than in a normal state. As long as he could gain even some control over that power, his control in a normal state would improve by a huge margin.

It was like mastering fifty percent of one hundred units of strength, while being able to master ninety percent of fifty units of strength. The improvement would naturally be enormous.

Once his control over his basic strength improved, he would also adapt more quickly to the explosively increased strength during enhancement.

Perhaps because Aokiji had previously served aboard Garp's ship, this fanboy of Garp's favored close combat and a hard-hitting style when teaching Dawn, despite being a Logia user.

That was very Garp-like.

Still, although it was the kind of reckless style that charged straight at opponents and fought head-on, it unexpectedly suited Dawn's simple and brutal way of fighting.

Aokiji had likely devised this training method based on Dawn's ability to enhance his own attributes.

After all, the abilities Dawn had displayed so far all enhanced himself. As long as he could control his own strength, he only needed to use the aura buffs to crush his enemies!

Dawn also began to enjoy the sensation of fists striking flesh.

The more he fought Aokiji, the more Dawn felt himself gradually breaking free from that monotonous world of gears. He also felt increasingly like he truly belonged in this world.

Eager to grow stronger, Dawn absorbed and digested those techniques like a sponge, developing his own potential.

With Aokiji's guidance over the past few days, Dawn made tremendous progress in both physical combat and Devil Fruit development.

In such fulfilling days, time always passed quickly. Before he knew it, Dawn had spent over half a month aboard the ship, yet he still felt no boredom at all.

After all, on the path to becoming stronger, even tedious training was, in Dawn's eyes, a necessary process.

As long as he could feel himself growing stronger day by day, he would never find it dull. In fact, he enjoyed it!

After half a month of sailing, the warship finally reached its destination today.

Over the past half month, Aokiji had also taught him some basic techniques of the Six Powers. However, Dawn's practice of them surprised Aokiji, since he had already trained them many times on the Boin Archipelago.

Dawn also frankly explained that he had memorized them earlier by watching the Marines train aboard the ship.

Then, after being stranded on the island, he had used those training methods to keep himself from getting fat and being eaten.

That only deepened Aokiji's regard for Dawn.

As the saying went, one step ahead meant every step ahead. Whether he was a genius or an ordinary person who worked hard, few children his age could so skillfully master a foundational training method that incorporated the basics of the Six Powers in advance.

And that was exactly what Dawn wanted.

Now that he was heading to Marine Headquarters, if he didn't want to disappear into the crowd, he needed to display his value to the fullest.

Only then could he gain the attention of the Navy's higher-ups, receive more resources, and be guided by stronger people.

When the warship docked, a massive fortress, magnificent yet filled with a chilling air of death, came into Dawn's view.

On its towering, imposing walls were seagulls holding scales, the symbol of the Navy.

There were also the enormous Chinese characters for "Navy."

Then there were the countless heavy cannons on the fortress and the densely packed warships. The impact of it all left Dawn deeply shaken.

As expected of Marine Headquarters. Unless one stood before it in person, one could never understand the pressure it exuded.

A war fortress that imposed overwhelming pressure upon anyone who saw it!

"Hahaha, isn't it impressive?" Yukimura burst out laughing as he watched the stunned Dawn.

"When I first saw Marineford, I was the same. This will be where you live and train from now on. Come on, I'll take you to where you'll be staying first."

With that, Yukimura led Dawn into the fortress.

As he stepped into the fortress and looked at Marine Headquarters before him, Dawn couldn't help feeling excited.

This would be the place where he grew stronger, with the finest teachers and resources.

And this was also the first step toward taking control of his own will.

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