The next morning.
After saying a few words of farewell to Fujitora, Ages set off alone for the island where the Marines were recruiting.
Sensing the passenger ship gradually receding, Fujitora murmured under his breath.
"Brat, I hope that the next time I see you, you'll be a strong fighter who can stand on your own..."
He then turned and left...
Little did he know, Fujitora had forgotten something important. Ages was indeed quite strong now, which was why Fujitora had let him go and join the Marines...
But Fujitora had forgotten that Ages was actually only ten years old, and that led to an awkward incident...
Aboard the passenger ship bound for the island where the East Blue Marine 44th Branch was stationed.
"Huh? What's wrong, kid? You look exhausted. Are you feeling unwell?"
A kindhearted young man watched Ages struggle along, sweat streaming down his cheeks, and asked with concern.
Ages wiped the sweat from his cheeks, smiled, and shook his head.
"I'm fine. It's just a little hot, heh heh, so I'm sweating..."
Hearing Ages say he was fine, the young man gave him a puzzled look and left, muttering as he went.
"Is it hot? Why do I feel so refreshed?"
After watching the young man leave, Ages breathed a sigh of relief.
"Phew, walking under four times gravity really is hard... I need to get used to it quickly, or people will keep thinking I'm sick."
The kindhearted young man wasn't the first person to say something like that to Ages.
Since yesterday, Ages had often had kind people ask why he was struggling so much to walk and whether he was sick.
Ages wasn't struggling to walk and drenched in sweat after just a few steps because he was sick. It was because he had discovered a good way to train his body and speed.
He applied gravity to himself, keeping himself under four times gravity at all times. This would not only train his body to withstand pressure but also improve his agility.
If Ages could overcome the resistance of four times gravity and move freely under it, then once he removed it, he would feel no resistance at all, and his body would become light and nimble.
At that point, his speed would reach a whole new level.
Of course, once he adapted to four times gravity, he could continue increasing the gravity applied to himself and keep training to improve his strength and agility.
After discovering this good training method, Ages had kept gravity applied to himself, letting no opportunity to train slip by.
After struggling for more than ten minutes to reach the passenger ship's dining room, Ages ordered some food and sat down to eat as he listened to the people around him chat.
"Hey, I heard another bunch of new pirates showed up in the East Blue, yelling that the One Piece belongs to them."
"Haha, I know about that. Mr. Garp sent them flying with one punch, hahaha!"
"Sigh... Ever since the Pirate King Gol D. Roger said those words before his execution, countless pirates have sprung up, all looking for the One Piece, the great treasure the Pirate King left behind. They've turned this into the Great Pirate Era."
"Yeah... But this dangerous era has its good points too. Where there's danger, there's opportunity. Look, to deal with this pirate era, the Marines have gone from recruiting once every three years to once a year."
At this point, the man's face lit up with excitement, and he continued.
"That gives us a much better chance! We don't have to wait a few more years. We can join the Marines sooner and make something of ourselves earlier, hahaha!"
His companion nodded excitedly at his words and began imagining the wonderful days ahead, when he would join the Marines, make something of himself, and gain both fame and fortune...
Listening to the two men's conversation, Ages chewed a mouthful of food and mumbled.
"Hehe... Pops was right. This world is much more interesting than I imagined... Mm... This food is delicious..."
After eating, Ages returned to his cabin, took out his wooden sword, and began swinging it, continuing his task for the day.
1,100 sword swings and draws...
Under four times gravity, swinging his sword 1,100 times and drawing it 1,100 times was much harder than Ages had imagined, but he persevered and completed the task through sheer determination.
Perhaps it was Ages's hard work and talent that would one day make him a peak powerhouse who shook the entire pirate world.
"Phew..."
Ages let out a long breath. Training under four times gravity had left his whole body aching, and having just finished exercising, he had used up all his strength. He felt as though gravity was about to press him flat.
But even though his whole body ached and he had no strength left, Ages didn't remove the four times gravity applied to himself...
Gurgle...
Hearing his stomach rumble, Ages rubbed it and said with a pout.
"Training under four times gravity really does use up stamina. It's only been a little while, and I'm hungry again..."
Ages headed toward the dining room, complaining as he went...
On the way to the dining room, Ages didn't waste any time. He spent the walk thinking about how to improve the flaws in his Moonfall: Starburst, and whether he could develop new moves based on it...
Bang!
Bang! Bang!
As Ages was thinking, several loud impacts rang out.
In an instant, the entire passenger ship began rocking from side to side.
Ages lost his footing-he was under four times gravity and had no strength left after training-and stumbled, nearly falling.
Roar!!!
Just as Ages grabbed the wall and steadied himself, a roar rang out.
"Hm? I can't be that unlucky, can I? This has to happen when I'm out of strength..."
Ages rubbed his rumbling stomach, a speechless look on his face.