Ronan took a deep breath, letting it sink to his dantian. In an instant, the aura around him changed completely—becoming heavy, ancient, like a bronze bell tempered by countless years.
"The name of this technique is—Thirteen Guardians Horizontal Iron Body Skill!"
In his previous life, during that era where martial arts had declined, Ronan had never practiced this technique.
It was simply too difficult.
Not only did it demand extreme physical talent and medicinal soaking from a young age, but even a slight deviation in breathing could damage the internal organs. In a peaceful era, it had no practical use at all—and required an absurd amount of money.
But in this world of pirates, everything was different.
The human physique here was downright broken.
Luffy's recovery ability was terrifying—there was no injury that couldn't be fixed by eating a huge meal.
Zoro was even worse, a monster who could sleep once and come back at full strength.
On top of that, this world had all kinds of miraculous beast meat and rare ingredients—it was practically heaven for horizontal body cultivation.
As for Ronan himself, he possessed the [Perseverance] system panel.
As long as he trained, he would grow stronger. No bottlenecks. No limits.
This so-called "stupid hard work" technique from his past life was destined, in his hands, to bloom into something far more terrifying than the original.
"Ready?"
Ronan undid the buttons of his shirt, revealing a well-defined, powerful physique. Under the moonlight, his muscles contained explosive strength.
"Come on!"
Zoro stripped off his shirt as well, revealing his lean upper body, casually tossing his cup aside.
Luffy lowered his straw hat with a grin and assumed a fighting stance.
"First, memorize this breathing method."
Ronan began demonstrating.
His chest rose and fell violently, his throat emitting a low roar like thunder from a tiger or leopard.
With every inhale, his abdomen sank deeply inward.
With every exhale, the muscles across his entire body tightened instantly—like an iron plate.
"Let the qi circulate through the Ren and Du meridians. Keep your intent at the dantian. The moment an attack lands, hold your breath and force the muscles outward!"
"Now—close your eyes. Feel my attacks!"
Ronan barked.
In the next instant, the deck became a training ground.
He didn't use his iron spear—only his fists.
His figure blurred under the moonlight, fists whistling through the air as they mercilessly struck toward vital points.
"Left!"
Zoro clenched his brow, eyes shut tight, trying to catch the faintest disturbance in the air. He twisted sharply to the right.
Bang!
A dull impact rang out.
Ronan's fist wasn't on the left—it slammed squarely into Zoro's right shoulder.
"Ghn!"
Zoro grunted as he staggered, but immediately followed Ronan's instructions, tensing his muscles and tanking the blow head-on.
The pain was bone-deep, but he could feel the force vibrating across his skin, as if hammering raw iron.
"It hurts… but it feels amazing!" Zoro's eyes gleamed with madness.
"Luffy, your turn!"
Ronan spun and snapped out a whip-like kick.
Luffy kept his eyes closed, ears twitching, relying on beastlike instinct as he ducked sharply.
Whoosh—
The kick grazed his scalp.
"I dodged it! Shishishi—!"
Before he could celebrate, Ronan's follow-up was impossibly fast. The kick shifted downward, turning into a cleaving strike that slammed into Luffy's back.
Smack!
"Ow! That hurts, that hurts!!"
Even as a rubber man, Luffy still grimaced under Ronan's deliberately applied penetrating force.
"Stop yelping! Circulate the breathing technique! If you don't want to get hit, dodge with Observation Haki!" Ronan shouted coldly—now fully the demon instructor.
"Again!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Under the moonlight, a brutal and peculiar "beatdown" played out on the deck of the Going Merry.
Ronan played two roles at once—Observation Haki sparring partner and iron hammer for horizontal body training.
His fists and kicks fell like rain, mercilessly striking Luffy and Zoro.
At first, it was pure one-sided punishment.
The dull thuds of flesh colliding echoed across the silent sea, making Nami and Usopp watch with pale faces.
But gradually, subtle changes began to appear.
Zoro's body was covered in bruises, yet his resistance to blows was visibly improving.
His breathing grew steadier, his muscles instinctively hardening at the instant of impact—quantitative change building toward qualitative transformation.
As for Luffy, his beastlike intuition was awakening.
Eyes closed, his body began making strange, instinctive twists and evasions.
Out of ten attacks, where he used to get hit every time, he could now dodge one or two.
Meanwhile, Ronan himself was enjoying it immensely.
Though not as insane as the five-times deathmatch mode, the three-times battle mode multiplier was more than enough.
Sweat flew like rain.
Heat steamed off the three men's bodies, making them look like war god statues being forged in flame beneath the cold moonlight.
Nami wrapped herself tighter in her blanket, her earlier disgust slowly turning into admiration.
"…They're really monsters."
The sea wind grew stronger, snapping the brand-new skull flag overhead, as if playing accompaniment to this brutal training.
The Grand Line lay ahead.
And they were forging their bodies into the strongest weapons capable of conquering it.
...
East Blue, an unknown sea.
The sky at the horizon had just begun to glow pale white. A thin layer of morning mist veiled the ocean like a sheer curtain.
The Going Merry drifted gently with the current, wooden planks creaking softly, breaking the silence before dawn.
Yet the deck was already solemn.
"Haa—inhale—"
Three figures stood side by side, knees slightly bent, rooted to the deck like ancient trees.
Ronan in the center, Luffy and Zoro flanking him.
As the first golden ray of sunlight pierced the clouds and washed over their bare torsos, their chests rose in unison. A low rumble echoed from their throats before they exhaled a sharp, condensed stream of white breath.
That breath lingered in the cold morning air, stretching several feet without dispersing.
Ronan slowly ended the session, his joints cracking like exploding beans.
Beside him, Zoro released his stance. Sweat coated his upper body, glistening under the sunrise.
His well-defined muscles flexed subtly with each breath, brimming with explosive power.
Zoro looked down at his arms, squeezing them hard—his skin made a tough, leathery sound, like thick parchment being rubbed.
"Hey, Ronan."
He raised his head, barely containing his excitement.
"That 'Thirteen Guardians Horizontal Iron Body' thing we trained yesterday… it's seriously effective."
"In just one night, my skin feels insanely resilient—like I'm wearing invisible armor."
Luffy laughed beside him, stretching his cheeks.
"Yeah, yeah! Even though I'm rubber, my skin feels thicker! I accidentally slammed into the mast just now, and it didn't hurt at all!"
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