In the early morning, the sea breeze dispersed some of the mist.
Sunlight spilled onto the deserted island's granite platform. Kenya stretched deeply and sat up on the hard stone.
After a night's rest, the stamina he had spent yesterday had fully recovered.
Not only that, he could feel the domineering power inside him growing more active.
"Garp's training methods really are the best fit for this physique."
Kenya patted his solid chest in satisfaction.
But soon, he frowned in frustration.
The weighted runs around the island he had originally planned now seemed to have very little effect.
Even carrying a boulder weighing dozens of tons and running ten laps only made him break a sweat.
That amount of exercise simply couldn't stimulate further integration with the Garp Template.
"Looks like I need to try something new."
Kenya rubbed his chin, turning his gaze toward the surging sea.
The resistance of the seawater, combined with the pull of the undercurrents, would definitely take far more effort than running on land.
"That's right. How could a Marine hero's training leave out the sea?"
His mind made up, Kenya leaped off the mountain peak wearing nothing but shorts.
A tremendous splash rang out.
He struck the sea in a huge burst of spray and swiftly dove into the depths like a black sailfish.
Meanwhile, a dozen or so nautical miles from the deserted island.
A small warship flying the Land of Water's insignia was struggling through the mist.
It was a border patrol vessel from Kirigakure.
With undercurrents surging through these waters lately, compounded by the thick fog that never lifted all year, they had unfortunately strayed off course.
On deck, several Kirigakure ninjas were anxiously working the sails.
"Captain! The fog ahead is too thick, and the compass has stopped working!"
A Genin on lookout duty shouted his report.
The middle-aged ninja addressed as captain had tightly knitted brows and a grim expression.
"Everyone, stay alert! These waters are a legendary forbidden zone, full of sea beasts."
"Slow down, and make sure we don't hit a reef!"
The Kirigakure ninjas gripped their weapons tightly, as though facing a formidable enemy.
Suddenly, the Genin in the lookout tower rubbed his eyes, as if he had seen something unbelievable.
"C-Captain! Look in the water!"
The Genin's voice warped with terror.
The Kirigakure captain hurried to the railing and looked in the direction the Genin was pointing.
On the surface of the sea, a few hundred meters from the warship.
A black head bobbed among the waves.
"Someone fell overboard?" The Kirigakure captain froze for a moment.
But he soon noticed something was wrong.
That person wasn't struggling to survive.
He was... swimming backstroke!
That's right, backstroke!
And he was astonishingly fast, each stroke throwing up a trail of white spray across the sea.
Just like a small steam-powered speedboat.
"W-What kind of monster is that? How could a human swim so fast through such strong undercurrents?"
The Kirigakure captain sucked in a sharp breath.
What made his scalp prickle even more was this.
The person swimming backstroke seemed to have noticed their warship, and actually changed direction, swimming straight toward them!
"Everyone, on guard! Prepare for battle!"
The Kirigakure captain roared, cold sweat instantly soaking his back.
A bizarre humanoid creature appearing in this godforsaken place was definitely bad news!
The Kirigakure ninjas aboard the warship drew their kunai, and some even began forming hand seals to prepare Water Release.
In less than half a minute, the figure had swum directly in front of the warship.
"Yo! Good morning!"
Kenya poked his head out of the water, wiped the seawater from his face, and waved at the Kirigakure ninjas on deck.
In the sunlight, his muscles, harder than obsidian, gleamed with a heart-stopping luster.
The Kirigakure ninjas exchanged looks, seeing the same bewilderment in one another's eyes.
"W-Who are you? Why are you here?"
The Kirigakure captain mustered his courage and demanded loudly.
Kenya ignored his questions.
He swam to the warship's bow, his gaze settling on its thick iron anchor chain.
"This chain looks pretty sturdy. Let me borrow it."
Kenya grinned.
Under the dumbfounded stares of the Kirigakure ninjas.
He reached out with both hands and seized the steel anchor chain, which was as thick as a thigh.
Then he took a deep breath, and the muscles in his arms suddenly bulged!
"Heave!"
With Kenya's thunderous shout.
The warship, which had been sailing steadily, suddenly jolted violently.
"What's happening?! Why did the ship stop?"
"This is bad, Captain! That guy... that guy grabbed the anchor chain!"
The Genin in the lookout tower was so frightened that his voice cracked.
The Kirigakure captain leaned over the railing and stared down in disbelief.
Kenya lay on his back on the sea, both hands gripping the anchor chain tightly while his legs churned madly through the water like a motor.
The next second.
A terrifying force that inspired despair traveled along the anchor chain into the entire warship.
"Creak... creak..."
The warship's wooden keel groaned in agony.
This armed patrol vessel, with a displacement of several hundred tons, was actually being forcibly dragged across the sea!
"Th-This is impossible!"
"Is he even human?! He's actually swimming through the sea while pulling a warship with one hand... no, both hands?!"
Every Kirigakure ninja was scared witless.
The knowledge of ninjutsu they took such pride in was completely shattered at that moment.
Even with every last ounce of strength, an ordinary person couldn't move a warship an inch.
Much less in seawater, with its tremendous resistance!
Yet this bizarre sight was truly unfolding before their eyes.
Kenya swam faster and faster, even starting to shout in excitement.
"Hahaha! Now that's more like it! This is the resistance I wanted!"
"Now this is what I call special training!"
Dragged along by Kenya, the warship actually moved faster than it could under full sail!
Its bow cut through the waves, throwing spray more than ten meters high.
The Kirigakure ninjas aboard were tossed this way and that, their faces pale as though they were riding a roller coaster.
"Captain! We're getting farther and farther off course! Where is he dragging us?!"
A Chunin clung tightly to the mast and shouted in terror.
The Kirigakure captain watched the fog-shrouded deserted island drawing closer ahead, cold sweat pouring down like rain.
His instincts told him that if they were dragged onto that island, they would have absolutely no chance of survival!
"We can't let him keep dragging us!"
The Kirigakure captain gritted his teeth, a vicious glint flashing through his eyes.
"Quick! Adjust the bow cannon! Blast him to pieces!"