Rubber Body

The next morning.

Goa Kingdom, Mount Colubo.

The thin mist had yet to disperse, and the forest was filled with damp air.

Sunlight slanted down through gaps in the branches and leaves, beam after beam like columns of light cut apart.

The occasional birdsong made the mountain forest seem especially quiet, but that peace was soon shattered—

"Huff... huff..."

Heavy panting echoed through the woods.

Luffy and Ace were running back and forth with boulders as tall as they were strapped to their backs, their feet pounding the muddy ground.

"Thud... thud..."

The impacts were heavy and powerful, kicking up clumps of dirt.

Sweat slid down their foreheads and dripped from their chins onto the ground.

Their clothes had long since been soaked through.

Yet neither of them faltered, their breathing heavy but steady.

They even... still had the energy to talk.

"Hey!"

Ace suddenly exerted himself.

He thrust his shoulder upward, steadying the boulder that was about to slip.

His muscles tensed, veins faintly rising beneath his skin.

He grinned, filled with stubborn defiance.

"Don't underestimate us."

Beside him, Luffy was carrying a boulder too.

His posture was a little crooked, but he still wore that carefree grin.

"Yeah, yeah!"

He ran while shouting at the top of his lungs.

"Compared to Gramps's training—"

"This is way easier!!!"

Perched atop a boulder, Rock rested his chin on one hand and quietly watched, one brow slightly raised.

Easy?

His gaze swept over the two of them, and a flash of red gleamed in his eyes.

The next instant—

Their "inner pasts" unfolded rapidly in his mind like scenes from an opened book.

Garp's voice echoed through the visions.

"Survive, and bring back prey."

There was no guidance or protection, only the most primitive rule—survival.

The two had been thrown into