Training

On the island, the scents released by all kinds of delicacies mingled together, creating an incomparably enticing aroma.

But on the Grand Line, the more wonderful something seemed, the more danger it often concealed.

This island was formed from a giant plant scientifically known as Stomach Baron. Its outer forest contained enormous man-eating flowers. They were highly aggressive, yet they would not kill you. They would only drive you toward the center of the island.

Inside lay the Gluttony Forest, grown from the "Stomach Baron," where all manner of supreme delicacies could be found.

Any living creature driven in by the man-eating flowers would be lured in by the food, become addicted to its flavor, and gradually begin gorging itself.

Once the prey had eaten itself into a round ball and could no longer run, the island would begin to contract, delivering the prey into the enormous mouth at the very center of Stomach Baron.

At that point, prey that had turned into helpless balls could only watch as they rolled into that giant mouth.

Then they would become nourishment for Stomach Baron.

And their protagonist—Abraham Dawn—was now inside this giant plant.

Thinking of this, Dawn could not help sighing. Then he began checking the items he had with him:

One lighter he had been keeping for the Marine uncle who trained him.

A pirate corpse washed ashore by the waves had contributed a standard-issue blade, a rope used for capturing slaves, and some Beli that were completely useless here.

Still, he had to be grateful that the male corpse had provided a rope—though it had been intended to tie up brats like Dawn and sell them as slaves.

That rope had spared the pirate the miserable fate of rotting in the wilderness with even his clothes stripped off, and it had also spared Dawn from having to strip the corpse.

After all, without that rope, Dawn could only have used the pirate's clothes to make one.

On the Boin Archipelago, the difference between having a rope and not having one could mean the difference between life and death. Having seen plenty of death, Dawn did not mind taking something from a corpse if it could save his life.

Yet looking at the few items he possessed, Dawn's mouth still twitched.

In his previous life, when he watched anime, those trashy browser games were always shouting, "Start with one blade, and all equipment comes from drops."

But now that he was actually in that damned situation, Dawn could not laugh at all.

The reason Dawn called his current situation a silver-tier start was that he would not have to worry about running out of food on this island.

Not only that, the food on the island constantly gave off its own unique fragrance.

It would draw in nearby sea beasts, Sea Kings, and even birds from the sky to feed, but that was not dangerous, because those creatures could hardly resist the temptation of delicious food.

After all, even a person who did not understand this island at first would probably lose their life when Stomach Baron fed for the first time.

And once they had eaten themselves into a round, plump shape, there would no longer be much danger.

On the contrary, as long as he controlled his mouth and kept himself from getting fat, whenever Stomach Baron was about to feed, he only needed to tie himself to a tree to keep from falling.

Thus, the island's advantages and disadvantages were obvious, but its drawbacks could be avoided.

Its benefit, naturally, was the abundant food it could provide for Dawn's training.

Because Stomach Baron was a gigantic special plant, the food it produced possessed the special effect of being rapidly absorbed by the human body.

If Dawn used it as his food source and trained continuously, he could lay a solid foundation for himself.

Furthermore, Stomach Baron had fixed feeding times. As long as Dawn was careful, he could check the outer areas before new prey was drawn in by the scent.

The central area, meanwhile, was not dangerous at all.

Although the Sea Kings and other beasts attracted by the fragrance were highly aggressive, food covered the ground here. His tiny bit of flesh held no appeal at all.

Dawn had already proven that point when he fled to the center without being attacked.

After all, between an abundance of delicious food delivered right to their mouths and a tiny amount of raw meat that required hunting, anyone could tell which was more worthwhile.

With safety and food no longer a concern, and with the Three Forms of the Marine Six Powers he had secretly learned before, this was quite a decent island for his training.

Before that, however, Dawn had another problem to face.

Could he resist the temptation of delicious food? That was extremely important, since his life depended on it.

His body would also need a great deal of energy after training. If he gorged himself afterward, Dawn might unknowingly eat himself into a fat man.

And before he figured out the island's fixed feeding schedule, Dawn needed to be cautious—more cautious than ever.

He selected several fruits that looked rather ordinary. These were the foods he was most confident he could restrain himself from eating.

In his previous life, he had never particularly liked fruit, especially crisp fruit, so this time he chose types he disliked.

For example, apples were common fruit, but Dawn did not care much for them.

He took a bite from a large apple, and in that instant, juice brimming with apple fragrance exploded across his taste buds.

Its crisp, crunchy texture was incomparably refreshing.

Yet that unforgettable apple flavor lingered in his mouth, making Dawn unconsciously want to keep eating.

Dawn used tremendous willpower and even pinched his arm hard enough to leave it bruised before he finally stopped himself from continuing.

"Phew, I nearly couldn't stop eating. Good thing apples aren't one of my favorite flavors." Dawn looked at the apple before him, now reduced to nothing but its core, and felt a little relieved.

Fortunately, he had chosen something he did not particularly like. Otherwise, he would have become hopelessly addicted to the food.

Eating here was itself a special training ground for tempering one's willpower.

After a brief rest, Dawn began the simplest exercises: push-ups, squats, sit-ups, and the like.

But Dawn knew that even though he was not full, he could not eat any more. Even fruit that he rarely ate and did not love had nearly made him lose control. He could not imagine what would happen if it were a staple food.

No wonder so little information about this island had spread despite its existence for so many years.

After getting to his feet, Dawn began doing the most basic exercises he could perform in place.

As for running, he would not move around carelessly until he had investigated the surrounding area.

Under the intense training, sweat poured down like rain. Even as his arms trembled, Dawn did not stop.

He had come to this brutal world, only to be tossed and turned by fate before ending up on this small island.

After experiencing so much, Dawn knew that if he wanted to control his own destiny, effort was indispensable.

Because this was a world of freedom, and a world without order was paradise for the strong.

But it was a silent hell for the weak.