To Become Strong, You Must Take a Beating

Standing alone on the training ground, Ye Chen felt as though all the sounds around him had vanished. He found the atmosphere comforting, because it made him feel safe.

Bang!

With a thunderous explosion, Ye Chen punched a lead block designed for striking practice. It exploded with smoke and flames swirling around it, sending out a shockwave that blasted the block away.

However, the force was still too weak. The lead block was undamaged; it had merely been pushed back some distance.

Every night, Ye Chen trained like this, attacking without pause and constantly developing his explosive powers. His progress was slow, but compared to when he had first started, the difference was enormous.

At the beginning, Ye Chen's Bomb-Bomb Fruit could only produce a little smoke. If it was in a good mood, it might give off a few sparks, and that was all.

But now, with one punch, anything within three meters would instantly explode. That was the difference.

Ye Chen understood that the Bomb-Bomb Fruit was merely a key, one that had opened the door to power for him. If he wanted to gain strength, he still needed hard work and sweat.

So whenever he trained, Ye Chen never slacked off.

Ye Chen had not thought too much about developing the Bomb-Bomb Fruit, since he had plenty of time in the future. Apart from internal and external development, he had also considered extending abilities based on its explosions, such as shockwaves, flames, thick smoke, and countless other possibilities.

Bang! Bang!

Explosions rang out continuously beneath the moonlight as a figure swung his fists, drenched in sweat.

After three hours, Ye Chen stopped on time, because the appointed time had arrived.

In the darkness, Vergo, who was slightly taller than Ye Chen, walked out. His breathing had yet to settle, clearly showing that, like Ye Chen, he had been using his nighttime rest to train.

The two stood together, their shadows stretched long by the moonlight. Neither said a word. Almost simultaneously, they charged at each other and began grappling.

There were no techniques involved; they were fighting entirely on instinct. In the eyes of the strong, Ye Chen and Vergo probably looked like children fighting, completely without form or method.

But they were children to begin with, so both sides were full of openings when they fought.

A punch struck Ye Chen in the face. He tilted his head slightly, blood hanging from the corner of his mouth, but his expression did not change. He immediately kicked Vergo in the chest.

The two pulled apart, then charged at each other again. They continued their disorderly brawl, trading punches and kicks with surprising ferocity.

Half an hour later, the two lay on the ground, bruised and battered, gasping for breath.

As for why they met here every night to fight on time, it was because Vergo had once discovered Ye Chen training. Both wanted to become stronger, so they had simply started fighting each other.

Before they knew it, they had fought their way into a friendship.

Neither of them liked talking, and both were quiet by nature. It seemed as though they pursued nothing but strength. After a while, they began coming here every night for a fight; otherwise, they felt uncomfortable all over.

The reason they fought like this every night was because of something Zephyr had said.

That was right. About half a month ago, while everyone had been running laps, Zephyr had said, "You new recruits can't even keep running laps. How are you supposed to become strong?

"The most basic thing for a strong person is taking a beating. Only by taking a beating can someone truly rise to become strong. As for you lot, you're still far from it. Add ten more laps today."

Many people had not taken those words seriously, but Ye Chen and Vergo had remembered them deeply. That was because Zephyr was a true powerhouse. Every word he spoke was experience, and besides, he had no reason to lie to them.

"Here, you're the only one I admire."

Lying on the ground, the right side of Vergo's face was red and swollen, and his voice was slightly hoarse.

"Likewise."

Ye Chen's left eye was bruised purple and badly swollen, narrowed to a slit as he looked at the stars. He replied with only one word.

After that, neither spoke again. Once their ragged breathing had calmed, they supported each other and headed back toward the dormitories.

It had to be said, the Marines were truly wealthy—or perhaps it was only fitting for the strongest force on the seas. Every student had a room to himself. Although the rooms were not large, that alone was enough to show the Marines' current status.

But as the two supported each other away, they did not know that two figures had been watching everything from the darkness.

"Tsuru, what do you think of those two youngsters?"

The voice was rich and magnetic. If Ye Chen had been there, he would have immediately recognized it as Zephyr's.

A wise voice came from beside him. "Very good. They have potential. They're only slightly inferior to those three monsters."

"Hmph, you mean Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Kuzan? I dare say that if nothing unexpected happens, those two will one day stand shoulder to shoulder with them. Although those three are Logia users, their resilience is not as strong as these two boys'. Vergo may be a little lacking, but I have high hopes for that Ye Chen."

"You think that highly of him?" Tsuru was slightly stunned.

"When that kid gets ruthless, he's like a wild beast. He's also a Devil Fruit user, but unlike Sakazuki and the other two, he hasn't relaxed his physical training just because he has a Logia. He's different. He seems to place great importance on physical training. Not only does he complete his daytime training, he exceeds it by a lot. At night, he develops his abilities, then fights Vergo on schedule without using them."

"I hope so. But Logia users aren't so easy to surpass." Tsuru did not argue, merely smiling.

"Then it depends on him."

The next day, as usual, everyone gathered on the training ground as soon as the sky brightened.

"Again? What have you two been doing at night? Every time I see you, your old injuries haven't even healed before you get new ones."

Smoker frowned as he looked at the bruised and battered Vergo and Ye Chen. He felt as though they were hiding something from him, and it irritated him.

The other friends, such as Hina and Very Good, were also looking at Ye Chen and Vergo.

Everyone in the group now knew that Ye Chen and Vergo not only trained fiercely, but were also particularly cold. They never took the initiative to speak or make friends. It was as if their world contained nothing but training, leaving them completely isolated from the rest of the group like rare animals.

"Training."

Vergo glanced at Smoker with an expressionless face, then coldly looked into the distance.

Smoker's expression stiffened. He had asked that question many times, but he always got the same answer.

Smoker walked over to Ye Chen and opened his mouth, but in the end, he said nothing. He merely turned his face away and left.

He knew that even if he spoke to him, Ye Chen would not respond. It was not the first or second time he had hit a wall with him.

It was not just Smoker. Hina and Shu were the same. Perhaps only Vergo occasionally heard Ye Chen's replies during their nighttime sparring.

"Silence."

Zephyr suddenly appeared on the platform. Seeing that Vergo and Ye Chen were still bruised and battered, he said, "You two can go to the infirmary for treatment after every training session. I've already informed them. I don't want it affecting your daytime training."

"Yes."

Vergo and Ye Chen straightened up and answered, then fell silent again.

After warning the two, Zephyr looked at everyone. "You're all carrying different weights, and you should be used to them by now. Today, five hundred push-ups. Rest for ten minutes. Five laps of squat jumps. Rest for half an hour."

"Ah!"

A wave of groans rose up, only to be silenced when Zephyr glared at them.

"Begin now."