Training with a Big Shot

Three days after the duel...

"Maybe we should stop drinking, Gaban." Carter was already swaying drunkenly.

Gaban picked up a large bowl and drank as he spoke.

"No, I can still drink. I can keep fighting. I said I'd drink until that kid woke up, so I have to see it through. Otherwise, where would I put my pride?"

"Uncle Carter, Uncle Gaban, stop drinking! Hurry and save Ryan! It's already been three days. What if he never wakes up? Sob..."

Beli's voice was already choked with tears.

"You brat, stop crying and making a fuss. The kid's just exhausted. His physical condition is too poor right now. He couldn't withstand the sword intent of Kamusari Swordsmanship. He should wake up soon. If he doesn't, this old man won't be able to hold on much longer either."

"Gaban, you keep drinking. I can't take it anymore."

With a thud, Carter collapsed to the ground and immediately began snoring. The flush on his face told everyone that something must have happened just moments ago.

Two hours later...

Ryan slowly opened his eyes. He had never expected the consequences of forcibly using power beyond his limits to be so severe. His entire body felt as though it had fallen apart, and he could not muster even the slightest bit of strength.

"Water... I want water, and food too. I'm so hungry!"

For Ryan, who had not eaten for three days, his stomach felt as if it were on fire.

Hearing Ryan's voice, Beli anxiously said,

"Ryan, it's great that you're awake! I was so worried about you. I'll go get you something to eat and drink right away."

"Thanks, Beli."

The corners of Ryan's lips lifted slightly. Having a friend who cared about him felt really nice.

"Kid, you've got a good companion." Gaban's voice came from beside him.

"Of course. Beli is my best friend in this world."

Beli had just brought over the food. When the two saw him approaching, they tacitly stopped talking.

Ryan fell silent because he remembered the way Beli had looked at him before. As for Gaban, he believed he was now their teacher, so naturally he had to put on the air of a strict master.

Seeing Ryan and Gaban chatting, Beli's curiosity was piqued. After placing the food in front of Ryan, he asked curiously,

"What were you two talking about just now? Were you talking bad about me? Old man, I know I lost to you, but I definitely won't lose again next time."

Ryan and Gaban immediately burst into laughter.

"Keep it up, Beli. I believe you can do it!"

"You're still far from it, kid!"

"That's enough. I'm going to sleep first. Starting tomorrow, I'll lead you two in training." With that, Gaban fell asleep on the spot.

"You two drank like this for three days?" Ryan asked curiously.

"Yeah. Uncle Gaban said he would drink until you woke up, and then the two of them kept drinking until now."

How impressive. Sure enough, the people in the pirate world had monstrous stamina.

The future battle between Akainu and Aokiji on Punk Hazard, which lasted ten days and ten nights, was the best proof of that.

"Uncle Gaban really suffers for the sake of his pride."

"Ryan, we can finally train together and become stronger tomorrow. Even though you're stronger than me right now, I'll catch up."

Beli was extremely excited when he heard that training could begin tomorrow.

"Let's work hard together and become stronger together." Ryan smiled faintly at Beli.

"Ryan!" Beli tightly gripped Ryan's hands.

"Be..."

"Hurry up and get some rest. It looks like you haven't rested in a long time either."

That was close. I almost got assimilated by Beli. How could I, Ryan, become like that?

Ryan remembered hearing the system notification about defeating Gaban before he lost consciousness. He wondered how many attribute points he had gained.

He could not wait to check.

Congratulations, Host, for defeating Scopper Gaban and obtaining 80,000 attribute points.

Scopper Gaban? Wasn't that the left-hand man of Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King?

No wonder he was so powerful. If the system had not displayed it, Ryan would never have believed that this middle-aged man before him was truly the legendary Gaban!

Ryan quickly opened the system panel.

Attribute Panel

Current Host Attribute Points: 80,000

Host: Portgas D. Ryan

Physique: 24/1000 Beginner

Martial Arts: 2/1000 Beginner

Swordsmanship: 162/1000 Sword Trainee [Using Kamusari Swordsmanship deepens comprehension of swordsmanship and increases attribute points]

Conqueror's Haki: None

Armament Haki: None

Observation Haki: None

Devil Fruit Ability: None

Skill: Kamusari

Weapon: Supreme Grade Sword Ace

Ryan had not expected to gain 80,000 attribute points from Gaban through a single accident.

Ryan immediately felt overjoyed. This was truly a windfall. With as many as 80,000 attribute points, he needed to carefully plan how to use them most reasonably.

First, he would increase his physique. Second, he would put points into swordsmanship. Ryan realized that he could be considered a swordsmanship genius. His initial swordsmanship attribute had been as high as eight points, far exceeding his other attributes. That was Ryan's advantage.

Since he had an advantage, he naturally had to maximize it. Ryan still understood the principle of playing to one's strengths and avoiding one's weaknesses.

However, he could not invest all his attribute points at once.

First, because a sudden increase in strength of that magnitude would be abnormal and difficult to explain, especially in front of Gaban.

Second, because blindly increasing them would not be very useful. He needed to ask someone like Gaban for advice first. Gaban would give Ryan good suggestions. He would keep the attribute points for now and ask tomorrow.

As he thought, Ryan slowly fell asleep as well.

At noon the next day, the sun hung high in the sky.

"Gaban, then it's settled. You'll take Ryan and Beli with you for three years of training. After three years, I'll come pick you two up."

Leaning casually against the wall, Gaban said lightly, "Don't worry, old Carter. I'll take good care of them."

"I'm leaving. Ryan, Beli, study hard with Gaban and train diligently. Strive to become strong." Carter said as he rubbed Beli's head.

"Uncle Carter, I'll miss you," Beli said tearfully.

Ryan patted his chest and promised, "Don't worry, Uncle Carter. The two of us will take good care of ourselves, so you don't need to worry. As for Beli, I'll keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't mess around."

"Then I'll be off."

With that, Carter strode out of the courtyard.

At the corner of the alley, Carter stopped, turned around, and waved. "Keep it up. I believe you'll definitely become outstanding Marines."

Hearing this, Beli shouted, "Uncle Carter, I'll definitely train hard and become an outstanding Ma... Marine?"

"Ryan, weren't we going to become pirates? Why are we becoming Marines now?"

Fortunately, Uncle Carter had already gone far away. Otherwise, Ryan suspected that if Carter heard this, he would definitely run back and drag them both away for an ideological lesson.

Hearing that, Gaban said with a mischievous grin, "So you two little fellows were fooling old Carter. Can you tell me why you want to become pirates, Beli?"

After spending some time with them, Gaban knew it would be far too difficult to get anything out of sly little Ryan.

Beli was different. The kid was simple-minded and basically answered whatever he was asked.

Sure enough, upon hearing Gaban's question, Beli answered without hesitation, "Ryan said he would take me to find the best crew in the world, see the customs and sights of the world, taste all the food in the world, drink the strongest liquor, flirt with the most beautiful women, and become the freest person in the world."

"The freest person in the world? What an amazing dream. Just like the captain's."

The corners of Gaban's lips rose slightly. "Then do you want to become the Pirate King?"

"The Pirate King?"

Ryan smiled. "I won't become the Pirate King for the sake of becoming the Pirate King. But if I somehow become the Pirate King during the journey, that would be pretty good too."

"The most important thing about a journey isn't the destination, but the scenery along the way. The process matters more than the result, doesn't it, Teacher Gaban?"

The most important thing about a journey was not the destination, but the scenery along the way. Gaban quietly savored those words.

"Yes, Ryan, you're right. The process matters more than the result. I really miss the days when I adventured with everyone."

Gaban looked deeply at Ryan. Those words had actually come from the mouth of an eight-year-old child.

From that moment onward, Gaban knew that this eight-year-old, far more mature than his peers, would definitely stir up enormous waves across these seas in the future.

The child's talent was also exceptional. Gaban immediately began looking forward to training Ryan.

"Come on. Follow me to my room. I'll first explain some basics and decide on your training plans from there."

After saying that, Gaban left, and Ryan and Beli immediately followed.

"Do you two know how many types of strong people there are on the seas?"

Ryan answered, "Martial arts, swordsmanship, Haki, and Devil Fruit users. Right, Teacher Gaban?"

"Looks like old Carter taught you some basics before coming here. Then let's directly choose your directions and make your plans."

Upon hearing that, Beli's weak voice sounded from nearby. "I don't know, Teacher Gaban. Uncle Carter never told me."

Gaban: ...

Ryan: ...

"Fine, then let's continue. Ryan was right. Broadly speaking, there are these types. Neither of you has eaten a Devil Fruit, so we'll set that aside for now. You're both too young to train Haki yet, so your current focus should be building a foundation."

"That leaves martial arts and swordsmanship. Everyone's talents are different. Some people are better suited to martial arts, while others are better suited to swordsmanship. And people have limited energy; it's impossible to excel at everything. So training needs priorities."

"Find a training method that suits you, and your rate of improvement will be very fast. Take me, for example. I focus mainly on martial arts and Haki. Training any ability to its limit can make you one of the world's top powerhouses."

Ryan understood what Gaban meant. For example, future Luffy would focus on his Devil Fruit, with martial arts and Haki as support.

The three Marine Admirals would all develop their Devil Fruits to the point of awakening. Donquixote Doflamingo would also develop his Devil Fruit to awakening. If Luffy's protagonist aura had not been so powerful, he would not have lost.

Gaban continued, "For example, Ryan has strong talent in swordsmanship, so he can focus on swordsmanship. As for you, Beli, from what I've observed, you have good talent in martial arts. You can train with martial arts as your main focus. Do either of you have any questions?"

Ryan and Beli answered in unison, "No problem."

"Good. I'll first make a one-year training plan for you. Ryan, from now on, you'll train your punches with me every morning."

"In the morning, run ten laps around the town. Once you gradually adapt, I'll increase the number of laps and the weight you carry. In the afternoon, temper your body, with a focus on arm strength. An excellent swordsman needs powerful arms so his sword strikes will have strength. At night, practice basic swordsmanship."

"I don't know much about swordsmanship, but I do know its most basic moves are thrusting, lifting, cleaving, chopping, and sweeping. As long as you build a solid foundation in those basics, learning advanced swordsmanship later will be much easier."

"Understood!" Ryan answered.

Ryan actually understood this principle as well. Anyone who had watched One Piece knew that Hawkeye fought with basic attacks, but Hawkeye had already reached the level of returning to simplicity. Ryan, on the other hand, was only just getting started.

Gaban continued, "Beli, you'll also train your punches with me every morning, and run laps with Ryan in the morning. In the afternoon, you'll temper your body as well, but your training must be more comprehensive. Every part of your body needs to be trained. At night, I'll give you one-on-one guidance in martial arts training. Do you understand?"

"Also, every seven days, you two will spar so I can see your results. Based on your sparring, I'll revise and adjust your future training plans. Whether you can persevere depends on yourselves. If you can't, then go straight back to old Carter."

Gaban's training plan was packed full. Apart from eating and sleeping, there would barely be any time to rest throughout the day.

Ryan and Beli both saw something called determination in each other's eyes. Ryan went without saying; after all, his true age was eighteen, and he understood the principle that only those who endured hardship could rise above others.

As for Beli, he had grown accustomed to hardship since childhood. Though he could be a little reckless, his willpower was extremely strong. His previous breakthrough beyond his limits was enough to show that.

"Rest well today. Training officially begins tomorrow."

Tomorrow represented hope and the future. This was where Ryan and Beli's fates began to change.