(send power stones please)
Chenos had a whole barrage of complaints brewing in his head.
But faced with the overwhelming pressure radiating from the sword-bearing CP0, he immediately backed down and obediently rolled off to start training.
However, once the training actually began, Chenos quickly realized something surprising—
This training… wasn't nearly as hard as he'd imagined.
He'd originally thought the workload was insane, the kind that would require grinding himself half to death over an entire day just to barely finish.
Yet in reality, he completed everything in half a day.
And he didn't even feel exhausted.
Just… mildly tired.
After experimenting for a while, Chenos finally figured out why.
His Devil Fruit ability was subtly acting on his body the entire time.
During training, the rebound ability continuously acted inward, reducing the effort required for each movement—making every exercise feel lighter, more efficient.
At the same time, the absorption ability kept drawing away muscle soreness and micro-injuries caused by intense exercise, preventing fatigue from building up and allowing him to train far longer than normal.
The real victims, however, were the surrounding plants.
As Chenos trained, he kept unconsciously forming small absorption spheres—each one packed full of muscle soreness and training-induced damage. When these spheres brushed against nearby grass or flowers, the plants would instantly wilt and collapse.
This completely caught Chenos off guard.
He hadn't expected his Devil Fruit to be usable in such a way, and it opened his eyes to even more possibilities for future development.
More importantly, he could clearly feel it—
The Devil Fruit inside him was becoming more active.
All in all, another case of turning disaster into opportunity.
Nearby, the sword-bearing CP0 was staring at Chenos in shock.
To be honest, he hadn't actually expected Chenos to complete this training. The original plan had been to use the absurd workload as an excuse to start teaching Chenos some Rokushiki fundamentals.
But instead…
Chenos finished everything.
And he did it easily.
Compared to the Chenos from a few days ago—who'd be gasping for air after minimal training—this was practically a different person.
"So even Devil Fruit development comes naturally to him…?"
The CP0 agent realized that no matter how highly he estimated Chenos's talent, he was still underestimating it.
He walked over, fell silent for a moment, then spoke:
"Today's performance… was acceptable."
"Since you finished early, and there's still some time left, I'll teach you some combat techniques."
"Otherwise, if you get beaten to death out there, people will say my teaching was trash—for producing useless students like you."
Chenos understood perfectly.
This was concern—just wrapped in the tsundere shell of a CP0 agent.
"Thank you, Master."
The CP0 agent's pupils shrank slightly.
Behind the mask, the corner of his mouth lifted almost imperceptibly.
In the world of pirates, the title "Master" carried enormous weight.
One day as a teacher, a lifetime as a father.
By saying those words, Chenos had acknowledged the CP0 agent's position in his heart.
The CP0 agent didn't reject the title—nor did he acknowledge it outright.
But that silence was, in itself, acceptance.
"During your last fight, your speed was clearly lacking, and your responses were crude," the CP0 agent said coldly.
"Against anyone with proper combat experience, you'd already be dead."
"So now, I'll teach you combat fundamentals."
"In truth, combat boils down to a few things: evasion, defense, engagement, and attack. Master these, and you can handle most opponents."
Chenos nodded repeatedly.
But as the explanation continued, something began to feel… very familiar.
"Evasion is simple—avoid the enemy's attacks. To do that perfectly, you must relax your body, make yourself as light as paper. When the enemy attacks, follow the airflow created by their movement, adjusting your body accordingly. That way, their attacks will never truly connect."
"Defense is even simpler. Temper your body until it becomes as solid as iron. When attacks land, they won't be able to cause real damage."
"Engagement…"
Chenos's eyes grew brighter by the second.
This is… Rokushiki.
The Marines' Six Powers—one of the most powerful physical combat systems in the One Piece world. A path that allowed ordinary people to stand toe-to-toe with Devil Fruit users and Haki practitioners.
A combat art meant only for those who'd pushed their bodies beyond human limits.
Of course, monsters like Luffy—who could learn it after seeing it once—didn't count. That was the result of Garp's "loving" hell training.
For Chenos, though—
Devil Fruit + Haki + Rokushiki
was more than enough to let him survive against the vast majority of enemies.
This time, however, progress wasn't instant.
Unlike Haki or Devil Fruit experimentation, Chenos struggled. Even after a long time practicing under the CP0 agent's guidance, he still couldn't properly grasp the techniques.
And that, oddly enough, made the CP0 agent happy.
For the first time, he felt genuine satisfaction as a teacher.
"You idiot! How can you mess up something this basic?"
"Relax your entire body—don't you understand what that means?!"
"Soru is high-speed movement—continuous, explosive steps! With your sluggish pace, how do you expect to pull it off?!"
...
Time flew by in the middle of this harsh—but strangely joyful—instruction.
Before they realized it, the remaining half-day had passed.
The CP0 agent found himself reluctant to stop. For the first time, he actually wanted to continue training a student.
But reality intervened.
This wasn't a CP training island.
And Chenos wasn't a CP trainee.
He was a Celestial Dragon's slave.
No matter how much authority he had, the CP0 agent couldn't break the rule—
Unless summoned for entertainment, slaves had to return to their cages at night.
With a sigh, he escorted Chenos back.
Chenos, on the other hand, genuinely wanted to keep training.
He could clearly feel it—his strength was skyrocketing.
Just today alone, his muscles had visibly thickened. At this rate, becoming a full-on muscle monster wasn't some distant dream.
Still, he wasn't in a rush.
Because tomorrow was bath day.
And that bath…
was the key to whether he could ever escape this hell.
Tonight, he needed proper rest.
Only by being at his best could he face whatever unexpected dangers tomorrow might bring.
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