Three days later.
Marine Headquarters.
Inside a small villa, a shirtless boy was carrying a full ton of weight on his body while repeating a monotonous set of push-ups.
Under the sunlight, golden rays fell across his body.
His near-perfect muscle lines stood out clearly. Veins rose across his upper body like fierce centipedes, each muscle filled with explosive power.
Drip.
Drip.
Sweat slid down his body and fell to the ground.
Under the scorching heat, the boy was drenched in sweat.
His bronze skin radiated a fierce, masculine aura.
And on his back…
was that terrifying demon-like pattern.
His "demon back" looked savage and oppressive, as if a devil itself had branded the design onto him.
It was enough to make one's scalp tingle.
"Nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-seven!"
"Nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-eight!"
"…"
The boy muttered the count under his breath. Sweat rolled down his forehead, along both sides of his cheeks, then dripped from his chin to the ground.
This was, of course, Kai.
Even beneath the blazing sun…
he continued his daily hellish training.
Persistence.
Relentless discipline.
That was the principle Kai had always followed.
Over these three days, Kai's strength had improved again by a small but noticeable margin.
As for the uproar outside…
he did not care much.
Even when people questioned him, he never personally stepped forward to explain anything.
Three days had passed.
Kai did not even know that the noise outside had gradually settled down.
His appointment as a five-year-old Headquarters Rear Admiral had now been accepted by the more than one hundred thousand Marines stationed in Marine Headquarters.
No one questioned his appointment anymore.
With his overwhelmingly brilliant record, Kai had won the recognition of every Marine.
By comparison, more than eighty percent of Headquarters Rear Admirals felt deeply inferior before this newly appointed Rear Admiral.
Because of that, Kai was able to enjoy some peace.
With no one disturbing him…
he could continue his hellish training every day.
He strengthened himself constantly.
He pushed himself further.
All so he could reach the level of a Marine Admiral as soon as possible.
That was Kai's current goal.
Only Admiral-level combat power could truly be called top-tier strength on this sea.
Kai was already far from weak.
He already possessed combat power above most Vice Admirals.
But in his own eyes, that was still not enough.
He refused to stand still.
So he took Admiral-level strength as his next target and challenged it head-on.
"Ten thousand!"
After completing ten thousand weighted push-ups, Kai immediately felt waves of soreness spread through his limbs. Every muscle in his body ached.
"Haa…"
He let out a heavy breath and dropped down onto the ground to rest.
After removing the one-ton weight from his body, he lay on the cool floor and stared at the sky, quietly enjoying the brief peace.
A breeze brushed past.
Flowers and grass swayed gently.
A faint fragrance filled Kai's senses.
Without the weight pressing down on him, his body felt incredibly light, as if a single breeze could carry him away.
Ten thousand weighted push-ups had completely drained his stamina.
At the same time, the system's voice sounded in his mind again.
[This training session gained: Strength +0.001, Speed +0.001, Stamina +0.001!]
[After 100x training effect amplification…]
[Host gains: Strength +0.1, Speed +0.1, Stamina +0.1!]
The moment the system's voice faded—
Boom!
A roar sounded inside Kai's body.
A warm current appeared out of nowhere and quickly rushed through his organs, washing over his meridians, bones, blood, and every corner of his body.
This warm current was strengthening his body.
A moment later, the system's enhancement ended.
Kai's strength improved again by a small margin.
At the same time, his exhausted state recovered slightly.
"Although the strength I gain from each training session is now almost negligible…"
"small gains add up over time."
"I believe…"
"if I accumulate this for another year or so, my strength should be able to break into Admiral-level combat power."
Kai thought silently.
After a while, he suppressed those thoughts and slowly stood up, brushing the dirt from his body.
He returned to his room and picked up the towel by the window, wiping away the sweat covering his body.
Just as he was preparing to wash up…
without warning—
Knock, knock, knock!
A crisp knocking sound came from the door.
"Hm?"
"Who's here?"
Kai was slightly surprised.
He walked to the door.
Creak.
He opened it.
Outside stood a Marine Colonel wearing a coat of justice. He had a lean build, sharp features, and carried the faint aura of someone accustomed to giving orders.
However…
the moment he saw Kai open the door, the Marine Colonel immediately restrained his aura and became extremely respectful.
His eyes were full of admiration as he looked at Kai. Then he spoke politely.
"Rear Admiral Kai, the Fleet Admiral has ordered you to prepare. Tomorrow, you will set sail with Vice Admiral Tsuru to carry out a mission."
Of course he knew who Kai was.
The youngest Headquarters Rear Admiral in Marine history.
The most terrifying genius the Marines had seen in centuries.
A monster with combat power no weaker than a Vice Admiral.
Facing such a prodigy, this Marine Colonel naturally did not dare show any neglect or contempt.
He did not even dare meet Kai's eyes directly, keeping his head lowered the entire time.
"Go to sea with Vice Admiral Tsuru on a mission?"
"So after three days, my first mission has finally arrived?"
Kai understood at once.
He was not surprised by the arrival of a mission.
From the moment he had been appointed Headquarters Rear Admiral a few days ago, he had already prepared himself to go out on missions at any time.
Having just been promoted to Headquarters Rear Admiral as an exception, it was only natural that he would receive missions from above and be sent out to execute them.
No one could avoid that.
The trainees from this graduating class had likely all received their own assignments by now.
After all…
the Marines did not support idle people.
The training camp had spent a full year and a half cultivating more than seventy elite Marines. Naturally, the Marines would not waste their strength.
Besides…
that year and a half of special training had already given them enough time to rest from field operations.
During their time as training camp cadets, they had not been assigned any official combat missions.
Now that they had graduated one after another…
it was time for them to start contributing to the Marines.
"Only…"
"My mission is to go out with Vice Admiral Tsuru?"
"Not a solo mission?"
Kai's expression became slightly strange.
Any mission that required him to accompany Vice Admiral Tsuru could not possibly be simple.
Vice Admiral Tsuru was a veteran Marine powerhouse.
She was from the same generation as Garp and Sengoku.
Any mission requiring her personal involvement was definitely not ordinary.
"Do you know what mission the Fleet Admiral wants me to carry out?"
Kai asked the Marine Colonel in front of him.
"Inviting a Warlord of the Sea."
The Marine Colonel answered truthfully.
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