Beginning Training

The Big Top sailed east across the ocean along the route laid out by the Square-Faced Navigator.

Waves rolled across the vast sea, leaving a clear trail behind the ship.

Buggy covered his burning mouth and glared ruefully at Shuma behind him, who was grinning from ear to ear and carefree as ever. The rest of the pirates had suffered the same devastating blow: their mouths were swollen beyond recognition.

Shuma had been in charge of cooking for the past two days. No one knew how many peppers he'd added, but his cooking was so delicious that it was impossible to resist. It was like opening Pandora's box: they knew it would be unbearably spicy, yet couldn't help eating every bite. Only afterward did they realize their mouths had swollen horribly.

Fortunately, after a few days of scolding and getting used to one another, Shuma finally realized that nobody else loved spicy food as much as he did. He'd reduced the amount of his local specialty, "Destruction Pepper." According to him, he'd only added a tiny sliver of it, so there was no reason it should taste spicy...

Whenever Buggy thought about how Shuma had brought a whole pot of Destruction Peppers aboard, his teeth ached for some reason.

Mohji's Devil Fruit ability seemed to be the Paramecia Store-Store Fruit. It let him absorb damage from outside and store it in a space within his body, then draw on that power to strengthen himself or his weapons. It wasn't limited to damage, either—anything tangible could be stored in the space inside him.

Although it seemed incredibly powerful, a closer look suggested it was a fruit geared toward passive abilities. If he hadn't absorbed any damage, he couldn't unleash a powerful counterattack. What's more, the amount of damage he could store was limited; once he exceeded that limit, he'd suffer even worse damage.

Still, Devil Fruits had no fixed ranking of strength. How far he could develop his ability depended entirely on his own training.

"We're here."

Standing on deck and gazing into the distance, Buggy finally spotted the island ahead. Judging by his memories, he was sure he'd reached their destination. The Square-Faced Navigator nodded to confirm it, though he didn't know why Captain Buggy wanted to come to such a terrifying place.

The island was eerily quiet, devoid of any sign of life. Only the waves lapping against the shore and the breeze rustling through the shrubs broke the silence now and then.

"Drop anchor. We'll land here." At Buggy's command, he jumped off the deck. He landed bent almost double and nearly couldn't straighten up. That familiar feeling... Yes, this was the island he'd visited a year ago.

Cabaji and Mohji carefully climbed down the rope hanging from the ship. The discomfort of the island's gravity grew stronger with every step.

"So this is where we're training!"

Though he'd be staying here for a while, Shuma couldn't help getting excited at the sight of the unfamiliar island. He took a huge step and leaped toward the beach without a care. His whole body slammed into the sand like a cannonball, sticking fast to the ground.

"S-so heavy!"

Buggy watched Shuma struggle, rubbing his swollen mouth with a trace of satisfaction at getting even. "Shuma, I forgot to tell you. This is... Gravity Island..."

"The island's structure is different from that of an ordinary island, and the gravity weighing us down is much stronger..."

Cabaji had waited until the rope was only a meter or two above the ground before jumping down. He walked over and continued where Buggy had left off. "The gravity around the island's outer edge is about two or three times that of an ordinary island. The farther you go toward the island's center, the stronger it gets."

This was Gravity Island, where gravity radiated outward in concentric circles from the center!

For people in this world, enduring one or two times the usual gravity wasn't particularly difficult. But unlike ordinary weight training, increased gravity affected the body itself. It felt as if lead had been poured into every part of the body, making movement deeply unnatural.

It was like taking a fish that lived in fresh water and putting it in the ocean. It would soon die. That sudden change and stark contrast made the discomfort hard to bear.

Even so, training in a place where the pressure was so intense was precisely what could unlock one's potential and help one grow strong enough.

Compared with those who had trained relentlessly since childhood, Buggy and his crew were already far behind. If they wanted to surpass them, they had no choice but to take the dangerous shortcut that ordinary people wouldn't dare attempt!

They set up camp and lit a bonfire, establishing the Buggy Pirates' base on the island.

Adjusting to the increased gravity was a very long process. Buggy trained against the clock, practicing the Six Powers by day and honing his Devil Fruit abilities at night.

The two officers who'd followed Buggy for years watched their captain grit his teeth and keep going despite his exhausted body. They could hardly believe it, but they also resolved to force themselves to train. Even Shuma, usually so lively and carefree, cleared his mind and started training in earnest.

After several days of study and practice, Buggy realized he'd made no progress at all with the Six Powers.

Even with Gray's notebook full of explanations, techniques, and insights, he was still an amateur. The Six Powers weren't something one could learn so easily.

After all, they were a set of martial arts forged and refined over a hundred or even a thousand years by the world's largest military organization!

I really was too naive... Buggy thought to himself. Forget mastering the techniques; even getting started was this difficult. For now, he'd have to change his original plan.

He'd originally planned to master the Six Powers and train his Devil Fruit abilities within a year or two, then learn Life Return.

But given the actual situation, one or two years was far too short. Even with the external pressure of Gravity Island forcing him to push his limits, it would be difficult to achieve the results he'd hoped for.

After weighing the pros and cons, Buggy decided to focus first on Shave, Tempest Kick, and Finger Pistol—the three offensive techniques among the Six Powers.

Even learning just these three would take at least a year or two, assuming everything went as well as possible.

Buggy had been waking up early these past few days and concentrating all his attention on learning Shave.

Shave involved kicking the ground more than ten times in an instant and using the explosive recoil to move. The more times you kicked, the faster you could move.

Buggy tensed his body and rapidly stomped across the beach. But on this island, with gravity weighing him down, his rapid stomping under full concentration looked like a slow-motion replay. His movements were not only strange but rather comical.

He tried stomping and sprinting dozens of times, but still couldn't move with the ease and speed he wanted.

For the next few days, Buggy kept practicing Shave. Eventually, he realized he'd fallen into a misconception.

That was, anyone could learn the Six Powers...