Lorne let out a low growl, forgot all about table manners, and lunged straight in. Both hands shot out, grabbing huge chunks of roast meat and stuffing them into his mouth.
His mouth seemed to have become a bottomless pit. He chewed at an astonishing speed, swallowing a huge chunk of roast meat in just a few bites.
The Marines in the mess hall were all dumbstruck.
"G-good heavens! Was this guy a starving ghost in his past life?"
"Did he eat a Glutton Fruit? A chunk of meat that big, gone just like that?"
"What am I seeing? He's eating more than our whole table put together!"
Everyone was stunned by Lorne's terrifying appetite, and cries of amazement rose one after another.
Zephyr sat beside him with a glass of hard liquor, watching Lorne wolf down his food, his face full of appreciation and delight.
"Gahahahaha! Eat! Eat more, damn it!"
He slapped the table and laughed.
"The more you eat, the faster you recover! The more you eat, the stronger you get! That's the ultimate truth for the strong!"
With Zephyr's encouragement and everyone watching in shock, Lorne single-handedly cleared enough food from the serving counter to feed an entire company of soldiers.
He belched and rubbed his round belly, feeling his depleted stamina return at a terrifying speed. A warm sense of strength filled every part of his body.
"Good." Zephyr nodded in satisfaction. "Now that you're full, get back and have a proper rest. Training resumes tomorrow morning!"
"Yes, sir." Lorne stood and answered respectfully.
Yet once Lorne returned to his dormitory, he could not fall asleep.
Whenever he closed his eyes, his mind filled with scenes of Zephyr thrashing him that day. That helplessness, that hunger for greater strength, burned inside him like a flame.
Rest?
How could the strong rest!
He rolled out of bed, slipped quietly out of the dormitory, and returned to the underground training ground.
"Soru!"
Recalling the sensation from earlier that day, he drove power into his legs.
Bang!
This time, instead of digging a pit, he successfully shot a short distance forward!
It worked!
Delighted, Lorne ignored the fatigue in his body and began practicing again and again.
What he did not know was that a pair of sharp eyes was quietly watching him from the shadows a short distance behind him.
As Zephyr watched that tireless figure on the training ground, his brows gradually furrowed.
He could feel that Lorne's body had reached its limit. Every exertion was causing tiny internal injuries to his muscles and bones.
Such injuries would normally go unnoticed, but as they accumulated, they would one day erupt and destroy a genius.
"Reckless fool!"
Zephyr stepped out of the shadows, a trace of anger in his voice.
Startled by the sudden voice, Lorne stiffened and nearly fell.
"T-Teacher Zephyr?" He looked at Zephyr's dark expression, feeling a little guilty.
"Who told you to do extra training here?" Zephyr walked up to him, his tone stern. "Didn't I tell you to go back and rest? Do you want to die?"
"I..."
"Do you think pushing yourself to the brink is a good thing?" Zephyr seized Lorne's shoulder, gripping so hard that it hurt. "Training requires both exertion and rest! After muscles tear, they need time to repair and grow! If you keep draining yourself without sleep or rest, you'll only cause irreversible internal injuries! You're ruining your own future!"
Seeing the undisguised concern and anger in Zephyr's eyes, Lorne felt warmth in his heart, but his words remained stubborn.
"Teacher, I know my own body."
He grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.
"I'm not that fragile!"
As he spoke, he actually lay straight down on the floor in front of Zephyr, put his hands behind his head, and began doing sit-ups!
One!
Two!
Three!
He moved swiftly. Every time he sat up, faint crackling sounds came from inside his body, as though countless tendons and bones were realigning themselves.
Zephyr's eyes widened in shock.
He could clearly see that as Lorne exercised, the muscles that had become taut and even somewhat swollen from overtraining were regaining their smoothness and elasticity at a speed visible to the naked eye!
The fine beads of sweat on the boy's forehead gave off faint wisps of white vapor, and his face, slightly pale with exhaustion, quickly regained its healthy color!
W-what kind of monstrous recovery ability was this?!
"See, Teacher? I'm fine." Lorne did a hundred in one go, then sprang lightly to his feet, bounced on the spot, and moved his arms and legs, as though his earlier exhaustion had been an illusion.
Zephyr stepped forward and clamped down on Lorne's wrist. An invisible force entered his body, examining it carefully.
No internal injuries!
His meridians, bones, and internal organs were all completely unharmed, and even a little tougher than before training!
"How could this..." Zephyr muttered. The medical knowledge and training principles he had built up over decades suffered an unprecedented shock at that moment.
As he looked at the innocent-faced boy before him, his astonishment could not have been greater.
"No!"
Zephyr abruptly raised his head, his gaze more grave than ever.
"Come with me!"
Without another word, he picked Lorne up again and strode off in another direction.
"Teacher, where are we going?"
"The Marine Headquarters hospital!" Zephyr's voice was firm and decisive. "I need a scientific explanation!"
Soon, the two arrived at the brightly lit Marine Headquarters hospital.
Zephyr went straight to the head of the hospital, an elderly military doctor wearing gold-rimmed glasses.
"Give him the most comprehensive examination possible! X-rays, blood tests, cellular activity... Run every test you have!"
The elderly doctor looked at Lorne, whom Zephyr had brought in, then at Zephyr's frighteningly serious expression. Not daring to delay, he immediately made the arrangements.
An hour later, a thick stack of examination reports lay before Zephyr.
The elderly doctor adjusted his glasses and looked at Lorne as though he were a monster, stammering to Zephyr, "A-Admiral Zephyr... Th-this is nothing short of a medical miracle!"
"The reports show that his body... has no problems whatsoever! Not only does he have no internal injuries, but his cellular activity, muscle density, bone strength... all far exceed the normal human range! His metabolic rate and self-healing ability in particular are simply... simply more extreme than those of Zoan Devil Fruit users!"
Listening to the elderly doctor's jumbled report, Zephyr slowly let out a long breath.
He picked up the reports and stared at the dizzying array of figures, every one marked "abnormal," remaining silent for a long time.
He finally understood why Garp had called this boy a monster born for battle.
"All right, I understand." Zephyr put down the reports.
As they left the hospital, the night sea breeze brushed their faces with a hint of chill.
Zephyr looked at Lorne beside him, still brimming with energy and curious about everything, and a mix of emotions filled his heart.
He was reassured, but not entirely.
He patted Lorne on the shoulder, his tone gentler than ever.
"Kid, you have a very unusual constitution. You're a born warrior."
"But remember what I say. Training is like drawing a bow."
"Pull the string too tight, and while it can loose a more powerful arrow, it's also more likely to snap."
Looking into Lorne's eyes, Zephyr said earnestly, "Knowing when to exert yourself and when to ease off is the proper way, in both scholarly and martial pursuits. The truly strong must understand not only how to become stronger, but also how to control their own strength. Don't push yourself too hard. Understand?"
As Lorne looked at the legendary old man before him, who sincerely cared about his well-being, a trace of warmth flowed through his wild, battle-hungry heart for the first time.
He nodded firmly.
"I understand, Teacher."
Before you continue