Tonight was somewhat dim. Only a few stars dotted the sky with light, and even the moon seemed as though someone had taken a bite out of it, smiling like a crescent.
As always, Ye Chen arrived at the training ground early in the morning to continue developing the Bomb-Bomb Fruit. Once he was done, he waited for Vergo to arrive.
But tonight was destined to be anything but peaceful. A few sneaky figures had decided to launch a nighttime surprise attack because Bai had gotten curious.
Sometimes, people were just like that. The less they could get something, the more they wanted it. The more curious they were, the more they wanted to figure it out. Many people suspected that the reason Ye Chen and Vergo were always bruised and battered was that Zephyr had been giving them special training.
That made many people unhappy. They felt they were being treated differently. Otherwise, how could those two bastards have surpassed everyone else in such a short time?
So, led by Smoker, Hina, Shu, and Very Good, who had been dragged along by force, followed Ye Chen and hid in a nearby grove early on.
But after crouching there for two or three hours, all they saw was Ye Chen training by himself. There was nothing unusual about it.
As for Ye Chen's abilities, everyone already knew them. The same went for everyone else's abilities. They all knew each other's strengths and weaknesses, so there was nothing particularly surprising.
At first, when they learned that Ye Chen possessed the Bomb-Bomb Fruit, everyone had been quite shocked. It sounded incredibly powerful just from the name. But compared to Smoker's Logia, a Paramecia still fell a little short. After all, Logias were far rarer than Paramecias.
Shu's Rust-Rust Fruit and Very Good's Berry-Berry Fruit seemed even more ordinary by comparison.
It could be said that Ye Chen did not have much of a reputation among this group of trainees. Aside from training harder than most, he had nothing else that stood out.
If there were any notable figures among these trainees, they were undoubtedly Vergo and Smoker.
Smoker stood apart from everyone else simply because he was a Logia user. Then there was Vergo. In terms of training, he was much like Ye Chen. More importantly, he was not a Devil Fruit user, yet his strength was acknowledged by all the trainees.
On top of that, Ye Chen was quiet and reserved, always immersed in his own world. That made him rather unsociable, and his presence was somewhat faint.
At last, they did not have to wait long before Vergo appeared.
But what puzzled Smoker and the others was that Vergo immediately started brawling with Ye Chen. Ye Chen did not use his ability either. The two simply traded punch for punch, each blow landing solidly as they fought wildly.
Hina's eyes widened as she saw Vergo punch Ye Chen across the bridge of the nose, sending blood spraying. Then Ye Chen punched Vergo in the face, and it immediately swelled red.
Those two were fighting for real.
"Have they gone crazy?"
Shu swallowed as he watched blood splatter. Before long, both of them were bruised and battered.
"Now I understand why those two guys' injuries never healed. They aren't normal people at all." Very Good's mouth twitched. What he was seeing was deeply shocking to him. After all, they were still children.
"Why hasn't Instructor Zephyr shown up?"
Hina looked around, her face full of confusion.
"Let's wait a little longer. Instructor Zephyr will definitely show up." Smoker refused to believe that Ye Chen and Vergo had nothing better to do in the middle of the night than come out and get beaten up.
One minute, five minutes, ten minutes...
"Smoker, I don't think Instructor Zephyr is coming. Ye Chen and Vergo probably got those injuries from fighting each other. Instructor Zephyr hasn't been giving them special training."
Very Good was getting impatient.
"I think so too." Shu nodded.
"Forget it. Let's go out." Smoker also realized that he might have guessed wrong.
"Stop!"
Smoker and the others' sudden appearance temporarily interrupted the fight between Ye Chen and Vergo.
Turning around, their faces swollen high, Ye Chen and Vergo looked calmly at the four of them.
"So this is how you get injured every day? Instructor Zephyr wasn't giving you special training?"
Looking at the two miserable figures, Smoker felt annoyed.
Beside him, Hina clenched the hem of her skirt and watched the two curiously.
Without answering, Ye Chen and Vergo exchanged a glance before fighting again.
Ye Chen and Vergo's disregard made Smoker even angrier. At their age, they were competitive, hot-blooded, and rebellious, so...
"White Fist."
Using his ability, Smoker's right hand transformed into a white fist of smoke. It was only about the size of a wok, but it looked quite impressive.
Left with no choice, Ye Chen and Vergo separated, both wearing unpleasant expressions.
"Smoker, what do you mean by this?"
Vergo's tone was heavy.
"I'm joining too."
Smoker's face flushed as he looked at Ye Chen and Vergo. Watching them grow stronger every day, he was unwilling to lag behind.
"Ye Chen."
Vergo glanced at Ye Chen, asking for his opinion.
"You're not allowed to use your ability."
Ye Chen's gaze was cold. To be honest, after fighting Vergo for so long, both of them were getting tired of it. Since Smoker wanted to join in, they could try something different.
"Hmph! Fine, I won't use it." Smoker was proud. He would never let those two surpass him.
Thus, the three of them began fighting, each for himself, with none willing to give way.
Meanwhile, Hina, Shu, and Very Good watched.
Time passed quickly. From time to time, agonized screams rang out through the night.
The next day, everyone gathered early again. But today, there was a slight change, as many people were staring at Smoker.
To be honest, everyone had already grown used to Ye Chen and Vergo being bruised and battered every day. If either of them ever showed up completely uninjured, that would be surprising.
But what was going on with Smoker today? His injuries were even worse than Ye Chen's and Vergo's. His face was swollen like a pig's head, covered in bruises, and his eyes were reduced to narrow slits. Everyone wondered whether Smoker could even see.
"Damn it... those two bastards."
Smoker had been in pain all night and had not slept at all. Both his body and mind had suffered severe trauma.
In contrast to Smoker's furious cursing, Ye Chen and Vergo felt that today's weather was somehow different. It seemed more beautiful than usual.
As unpredictable as ever, Zephyr suddenly appeared.
When Zephyr saw Smoker's miserable appearance, he was briefly stunned. But he said nothing. After thinking about it, he more or less understood what had happened.
Then, as always, they began by running laps to get their bodies moving, followed by frog jumps and push-ups. Any exercise that could make their muscles work was not spared.
It had to be said that Zephyr was truly suited to being an instructor. His foundation was extremely solid. As long as they completed Zephyr's training regimen, learning the Six Powers in the future would surely allow many trainees to get started quickly.
That was the difference between being taught by a famous teacher and having no famous teacher. Clearly, Ye Chen had made the right choice. By joining the Marines before he had the ability to protect himself, he could not only survive safely but also rapidly increase his strength.
P.S. You can't have a girlfriend. She'd delay me from writing my book, damn it!
I want one, but I can't fucking find one, damn it!
Before you continue