Hellish Training (1)

Even standing in the shadows, with the cool sea breeze blowing around him, Reg could not calm the burning heat in his heart... This was the Six Powers!

The heart, body, and skills could all be trained... Even Haki could be gradually developed step by step with this as a foundation.

Paper Art's evasion... the basic application of Observation Haki.

Iron Body's defense... the basic application of Armament Haki defense.

Shave's advanced technique, Moon Walk... the basic application of Armament Haki attacks.

After all, Armament Haki could attack the flowing bodies of Logia users... Using that as a foundation to attack the "air" with one's feet and walk through the sky was not some absurd fantasy.

"Then what is the other shortcut, Teacher Colin?" After thinking it over, Reg asked sincerely.

"It's simple... Do you know why I named this course 'Hell Training'?" Colin smiled brilliantly.

Yet the sight of that smile made Reg's scalp tingle and his limbs turn cold... He nearly dropped the dumbbell in his hands.

"It's simple... Fight me until you give up, or until you can no longer stand." Colin took a sip of red tea.

"And then?" Reg swallowed with difficulty.

"Meditation training... Do you know why we use an honorific when referring to Mountain Hag? She's clearly younger than many of the instructors." Colin's expression turned strange... as though he had recalled something unpleasant.

Reg thought back... Among P9, Kumadori was the one who had mastered Life Return to an extraordinary degree.

With that level of control over his body, his mother... was probably even more terrifying.

"Life Return?"

"Just as food gets digested after you eat it... You've read Meditation Training too. Everyone possesses this ability. It's just that users of the Six Powers employ it more effectively and powerfully." Colin explained casually.

"Lady Mountain Hag... She is a very, very professional assassin. None of the people she kills suffer much pain. She is a master of meditation. I already asked her, but I didn't succeed." Colin smiled bitterly.

"..." Reg was utterly dumbfounded... If it had not worked, how could this continue?

"But Lady Mountain Hag's son agreed... He will be responsible for teaching you meditation training." Colin paused dramatically.

Reg scratched his head. "Kumadori is only four, right?"

"Aren't you only five too, Reg? Don't underestimate the descendants of P members. The training they receive from childhood is extremely strict." Colin was very serious.

"Yes, Teacher Colin." Reg relaxed... Then there was no problem.

"Teacher Colin, Reg... I'm here."

Jabra and Kumadori appeared atop the tower at the same time, carrying a huge pile of food.

"Have you two made up your minds?" Colin asked.

"Yo yo yi... Teacher Colin, I want to give it a try."

Kumadori answered while shaking his head... He was probably imagining that strange manner of speech again.

"No problem. I also want to train with Teacher Colin." Jabra was exceptionally confident.

A curve appeared at the corner of Colin's lips. "So there are three of you now... Little devils, enjoy your final moments of leisure. In 0 minutes, gather at the outer perimeter of the safe zone."

"Yes, Teacher Colin."

The three answered at once. Colin nodded and walked down the stairs.

"Body techniques, assassination and stealth, knowledge reserves... The first two can be handled here, but you two must not forget about Old Mister Joey." Reg began rapidly devouring the food.

At the mention of Joey, Jabra's face fell... He would rather train himself to death than study that boring stuff.

But the missions P9 members would carry out in the future would not be limited to assassination... Assuming false identities, disguising themselves, gathering intelligence, and the like all required a certain amount of knowledge.

Kumadori seemed entirely unconcerned. Having undergone meditation training for a long time... he could concentrate his attention very easily, so learning naturally took half the effort for twice the result.

After noticing Jabra's troubled expression, Reg thought for a moment before speaking. "Um... Jabra, I'll write simple, easy-to-understand notes on what I learn."

"Really?!" Jabra happily clenched both fists.

"Mmph... That would be more efficient."

Reg nodded, eating, talking, and training without missing a beat... It would benefit him as well, allowing him to sort through and integrate the knowledge he learned.

Reg believed in the saying that knowledge could change one's fate... No matter where one was, it applied everywhere.

After all, the future changed every moment... You could never predict what would happen in the next instant.

As long as one possessed sufficient knowledge, the methods and paths available to deal with situations would increase accordingly.

At the boundary line of the safe zone, Reg and the other two met up with Colin.

"Not bad. Gathering five minutes early was the correct choice... These are the backpacks for the three of you. Inside are bandages, medicine, weapons, and my Life Card. What the three of you need to do is this: over the next eight hours, I will move at irregular intervals. Every five minutes, one of you must launch an attack on me. If not..."

Colin's gaze swept over the three of them, and he grinned, showing his teeth. "The interrogation room... Each failure raises the punishment by one level."

"You still have minutes to discuss your plan and divide up the work... Synchronize your watches." Colin glanced at his watch.

After Reg and the others synchronized their timepieces, they exchanged glances and quickly fled from in front of Colin... P's punishments were arranged like this: five escalating categories—physical, mental, hypnosis, drugs, and composite torture.

Under normal circumstances, they learned by watching the interrogation methods of "Impel Down," or "Undersea Prison," broadcast live through Den Den Mushi projections... It was simply inhumane.

But no one sympathized with them... They were pirates. Those qualified to be locked up there had basically killed hundreds of civilians.

Reg didn't want to endure any of it... Not because he feared pain, but because it was far too humiliating.

As he moved, Reg rapidly considered possible countermeasures... A Life Card was a "blank sheet" made from a person's fingernails. It could not be soaked by water or burned by fire, pointed toward its owner's location, and displayed their state of health.

If a Life Card started to spontaneously combust, it meant that person's body had suffered tremendous damage... There was no need to consider that here. With Colin's Doriki, he could run rampant across the island without restraint.

They also had to deal with poisonous insects, savage beasts, and harsh conditions... Yet fighting Colin would draw the hostility and attention of the other creatures.

Infiltration, assassination, battle... All three would have to play out at every moment.

Reg's plan was not complicated, but it was comprehensive enough... While one person attacked, the other two could prepare food and investigate the surrounding area. Colin moved around, which was why they had the Life Card.

"I'll make the first attack... Jabra, you're the fastest, so scout the surrounding area. Kumadori, go hunt for food."

"Kumadori will launch the second attack... I'll gather food, and Jabra will do the usual."

"Jabra will make the third attack... Kumadori will hunt for food, and I'll scout the environment."

"We'll keep rotating like this... After all, we're fighting a war of attrition."

"If anything unexpected happens..."

Reg did not finish the sentence. Jabra and Kumadori shuddered, breaking out in cold sweat... Neither of them wanted to suffer that inhuman treatment.

"Dismissed."

After the three quickly split up, Reg held Colin's Life Card in his hand... The half-square sheet of white paper slowly shifted northward.

With a serious expression, Reg drew his dagger. After taking a deep breath, he entered the dense jungle... He knew perfectly well what kind of opponent he was about to face.

The moment he dared to attack, Colin would undoubtedly give him a "vicious beating"... Even in training, Colin would not crush him with raw power, but the experience he had built through years of training could not be ignored.