A Duel! The Battle of Honor Between Diner and Chef! (Second Update!)

After finishing 100 laps, Loa only felt a slight ache in his calves. A little movement was enough to return them to normal.

A Dragon Slayer was no longer truly human apart from outward appearance. Whether in strength or endurance, he far surpassed ordinary people. Loa paced slowly, occasionally shaking out his limbs to relax.

On the second floor not far away, Zephyr watched through the glass. His tightly furrowed brow eased somewhat. Though Loa had been knocked unconscious by a single punch from Momonga and lacked defensive power, this endurance was still worthy of praise.

"Perhaps I should arrange more physical training for him. At this intensity, it won't achieve the purpose of training at all."

Thinking this, Zephyr turned to Kuzan, who had just arrived. "Have you been that idle lately? Wandering around the Recruit Camp?"

"Ah, don't be like that, Teacher Zephyr." Kuzan still wore that bored expression as he leaned against the wall, his gaze passing through the glass to Loa, who was stretching his body. "Fleet Admiral Sengoku told me to give the kid some pointers on developing his Fruit abilities when I had time. That counts as a mission too."

"Hmph. How can someone who only relies on Fruit abilities become strong?" Zephyr snorted in displeasure, then stopped looking at him.

Isn't Kizaru exactly like that? Kuzan did not say it aloud. He had a good relationship with Zephyr, who had once been his teacher. Acting lazy in ordinary times was one thing, but provoking Zephyr over this matter would be going too far.

"But speaking of which, according to Momonga, his ice abilities focus more on temperature than range. I don't know how much I can teach him. After all, it isn't a Logia Fruit."

"That's for you to consider. Mythical Zoan Fruits are incredibly rare to begin with, let alone one based on a legendary creature like a dragon. Although I don't agree with him devoting most of his energy to developing his Fruit abilities, we can't waste such a promising talent."

"Yes, yes. I understand."

Dragon-Dragon Fruit: Ice Dragon Form.

That was the Fruit ability Loa had fabricated for himself. Before arriving at Marineford, Momonga had repeatedly probed into his background and Fruit abilities. While this world had nothing as rigorous as a population census or identity cards, being hounded endlessly would still be troublesome.

So, he had made up a tragic orphan's background. He had worked as a deckhand aboard a merchant ship, only for pirates to attack during the return voyage. The ship sank, and he alone drifted through a storm to that isolated island, where he found a Devil Fruit.

The seas of this world were unimaginably vast. The Marines had no way to investigate where the obscure merchant ship Daxiong had come from, nor could they know which pirate crew used a blue-furred, white-bellied raccoon dog as its flag. Perhaps it was a flag that crew used to conceal its identity. There were simply too many unknown factors in every part of the story, making the tale practically flawless.

After the run ended and they had rested for less than five minutes, the major general instructor assigned the second training exercise: squats with iron plates on their backs.

Loa's performance once again earned Zephyr's praise. Ordinary recruits could manage between fifty and a hundred squats with an iron plate on their backs. Those below fifty were at the bottom of the class and could only start as Seamen First Class after graduation.

As for Loa, the instructor only made him stop because he had grown impatient and decided it was time for the next exercise.

During that time, the recruits in his group counted for Loa. He had completed a full ninety-seven squats! His movements were standard, his pace steady, and aside from breathing a little hard afterward, he had no other problems at all.

After all, Loa's Dragon Body had reached 18%, and the boost it provided was incredibly powerful. Momonga was a vice admiral who specialized in swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat. Being knocked unconscious by one of his punches did not mean Loa was truly weak.

The Recruit Camp's physical training was still quite easy for Loa, and the morning quickly passed. At the instructor's command, everyone climbed up from the ground and brushed the dust from their hands.

"You have one hour to eat! Training resumes this afternoon! Dismissed!"

"Food!" Loa's eyes lit up, and he could not help swallowing.

After advancing to the second rank, a Dragon Slayer needed even more food than before. The few buns he had eaten in the morning had been completely digested by midmorning, and his stomach had long been beating like a drum.

Even though his belly was growling with hunger, Loa sadly could not feel the slightest bit of fatigue. His magic power and stamina remained abundant, and he even felt full of energy. That intense contrast made him miserable.

Now that he heard he could eat, he excitedly leaped into the air, located the cafeteria, and shot away atop ice blocks.

After watching his performance that morning, the veteran recruits had formed a fairly good impression of the newcomer. They had been about to call him over for lunch when Loa suddenly took to the air, leaving them staring in stunned disbelief.

"Loa is a Devil Fruit user too!"

The news spread without wings, swiftly sweeping through the Recruit Camp.

Although Devil Fruits were countless across the seas, and one might be hidden in some unknown corner, their numbers were still far too small compared to the population of the entire world. Their Marine parents might have been ability users, but the appearance of one in the Recruit Camp still drew plenty of attention.

Watching Loa's rapidly departing figure, Zephyr asked, "Kuzan, can you move like that?"

In Loa, Zephyr saw the possibility of gaining control of the skies. Golden Lion in the past and Marco, the Whitebeard Pirates' First Division commander, in the present had both caused the Marines endless trouble with their flying abilities. He urgently wanted to solve that problem. However, Kuzan's answer disappointed him.

"At short range, yes. At long range, it's difficult and not worth it. I'd be better off attacking directly."

Kuzan had eaten the Ice-Ice Fruit and was an Ice Man. His body was made of ice, and every chunk of ice used in his attacks split off from his body rather than appearing out of thin air. If there were liquids in the air, he could freeze them with a momentary touch to form ice blocks and use them as footholds. Without any, though, he could only watch helplessly.

Otherwise, Marco's flying ability as the Whitebeard Pirates' First Division commander would not be considered unsolvable. One could simply leap up and punch him, and as an admiral, Kuzan's speed would absolutely be faster than Marco's.

Loa knew nothing of Kuzan and Zephyr's conversation. He had only one goal right now: eat!

He dove to the ground, rolled repeatedly to disperse the impact, then pounced like a tiger before Ms. S at the cafeteria. After sweeping his gaze over the food, he immediately knew what lunch was.

"Twenty portions of white rice and stew, plus a whole pot of meat soup!"

"A whole pot?" Ms. S froze for a moment, then viciously pressed the ladle against Loa's forehead. "Kid, can you even eat that much? If you dare waste food, I won't let you off!"

Loa stepped back, lifted his head, and licked the meat juices from the bottom of the ladle clean. Smiling at Ms. S, he said, "Don't worry, I absolutely won't waste food! I'm just afraid you won't make enough for me!"

"Hah? I've cooked in Marineford for thirty years, and no one has ever dared say that!" Ms. S tossed the ladle aside, picked up a clean one, and held it upright before her chest in a fighting stance. "You must be the reason Vice Admiral Momonga told us to make twenty extra portions for every meal! Then let's duel! Let's see whether my cooking can keep up with your eating speed!"

Loa's appetite was instantly stirred, but after thinking it over, he dejectedly gave up on that wonderful prospect. "Forget it. I still have training this afternoon. I'll be punished if I'm late."

"I see." Ms. S's tone softened. She had suddenly remembered that this cafeteria served the Marineford Recruit Camp and Elite Training Camp. She knew the strictness of recruit training better than Loa did.

"Ms. S, since he has training this afternoon, you can have your duel tonight. A lot of recruits go home for dinner then, so there won't be many people either." A chef watching the excitement offered the two of them a suggestion. Vice Admiral Momonga had sent someone to notify the cafeteria yesterday, and they were all quite curious about Loa's appetite.

At those words, both of their eyes lit up.

"Then let's duel! Tonight it is!"

"Mm, yes, yes, yes!"