Early the next morning.
Kuro and Akin dragged their nearly exhausted bodies out of the training room, limping as they went.
The dark circles beneath their eyes and their constantly trembling legs testified to how brutal their training had been the night before.
"Heh, already out of strength?"
Kuro forced himself upright, straightening his back as though nothing was wrong, then turned to glance sideways at Akin, who was practically unable to get up.
Akin gritted his teeth and snapped back, "This doesn't even count as a warm-up for me!"
"If your legs weren't shaking while you said that, it might've been a little convincing. But now~"
"Tch~"
Kuro curled his lip, making no mention of how every inch of his body ached, or how he did not even have the strength to lift his hand.
Akin scoffed. "You should worry about yourself first!"
"Oh, really?"
Kuro forcibly suppressed the tremors in his legs and replied calmly, "Looks like you still have some strength. Perfect. I suddenly feel like going back in for two more sets of bench presses."
Akin refused to back down. "Bring it on!"
Suddenly.
A familiar voice sounded beside them. "Senior, is this the place on the ship meant specifically for training?"
Having rested all night and fully recovered, Zoro looked exceptionally energetic.
He had been especially thrilled to learn that such a small pirate ship even had a room dedicated to training, and he had rushed over at the first opportunity.
After all, for someone determined to become the World's Number One Swordsman, what could possibly be more important than training?
Kuro looked at the newcomer and recalled the talent he had displayed the night before. *After getting brutally beaten by Gawain for an entire day and night, you still aren't going to rest and