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Chapter 51: How Strong Can I Get? One Year of Hardcore Training!
And so, my one-year training regimen with Perona finally began. I probably shouldn't be the one saying this, but… it was an incredibly hardcore training regimen. So, without further ado, I'd like to announce my daily training schedule! Brace yourselves!
First, the early morning. I wake up, rub one out, brush my teeth, wash my face, rub another one out, and groom myself. After that, I head out to the yard for some morning radio calisthenics to slowly wake up my body. From there, it's muscle training, stretching, and running sprints—pure physical conditioning without relying on Haki to build up my foundational strength.
Next comes the morning session. Right after breakfast, it's straight into practical combat training. And my sparring partner is… none other than Ray-san. Since I've already finished learning the basics of Haki, he offered to personally train me through actual combat. When you really think about it, having the Pirate King's vice-captain personally train you is an absurdly luxurious privilege. For Ray-san's sake, who is taking the time to teach me, I swore I would absolutely become stronger.
"There! Line! Your Armament Haki is too soft!"
"Oww!! W-Wait a sec—"
"If you tell them to wait, do you think your enemies will listen? There! There! There!"
"Oof! Gah! Hogee!!"
Normally, Ray-san is a huge softie of a dad, but during training, he is incredibly strict. I appreciate that he's focusing mainly on my weak point—Armament Haki—but his methods are purely Spartan. I don't feel like I can win at all.
Then, noon. I eat lunch and take a one-hour break. I snore away my exhaustion and, while I'm at it, relieve my sexual urges. About three times. Once the break is over, the mental training finally begins. This is where Perona steps in to help. She fires her spirit-breaking Negative Hollows at me, and I have to take them head-on.
"Horo horo horo horo! Here I come, Line! Negative Hollow!!"
"Ugh…!"
The point of this training isn't to avoid getting depressed. It's learning how to maintain my Haki perfectly, no matter how utterly crushed my spirit becomes. Gloom… It leaves me sinking into a bottomless pit of despair. Up to this point, it's fine. The real problem starts here. In this state, I have to… maintain… my Haki…!
Do your best! Me…! Ooryaa!
"H-Huu… Uuugh…! Ah… It's no use… I want to die…"
"Horo horo horo! As if my prized ultimate technique could be overcome so easily!"
Unfortunately, I failed. As expected, whenever your mind is in disarray, maintaining Haki is incredibly difficult.
"Haaa… It was impossible for me after all… I'm the worst… Someone like me could never save my homeland… I'd be better off dead… Uuugh…"
"Horo horo ho… H-Hey…? Are you okay…?"
"I'm nod… o-ogay… I'm completely useless…"
"T-That's not true! You're trying your best, Line! I-I'm sure you'll get the hang of it someday! Fight~!"
Having a Negative Devil Fruit user cheering me on with a "Fight~" was certainly something.
Once the negative training is over, the positive training begins. You might be wondering what "positive training" is, but it's exactly what it sounds like—the complete opposite of the negative training. It's a special regimen to ensure my Haki doesn't falter even when I'm in an overwhelmingly blissful state of mind. Observation Haki can be disrupted not just by negative emotions, but also by a mind that is too relaxed and happy. This is training to overcome that!
And the one keeping me company for this positive training is, of course—
"Come now, Big Brother! It's time for your positive training~♡"
—my rabbit little sister, Esune.
When we were first trying to figure out what exactly constituted "positive" for me, I was genuinely at a loss.
"What's positive for you, Big Brother? Isn't it obviously… boobs?" Esune had answered with a completely straight face.
I wanted to retort, Why would you say that?! But… it made a shocking amount of sense, so I couldn't even deny it. How frustrating. It was true; whenever I was enveloped in boobs, I felt overwhelmingly happy and positive. And so, my positive training became an absurd exercise where I had to maintain my Haki while being completely smothered by breasts.
"Ehehehe♡ Big Brother♡ Let's get you plenty of happy and positive energy~♡"
Naturally, the person providing the boobs for my positive training was Esune. No, no, no! I know it's a bit late to say this, but isn't it embarrassing and unpleasant to expose your chest to me like this? Besides… if she keeps doing this, my rationality won't hold out! I might end up crossing the line with my little sister!
I initially refused for those exact reasons, but—
"Big Brother. This is training, remember? Training means overcoming hardships to grow."
"I-I mean… that's true, but…"
"In other words, in order for you to grow, Big Brother… you must overcome the temptation of my boobs!!"
"What… did you say…!!?"
I wasn't entirely sure how, but her logic had completely defeated me. And so, my positive training became an insanely grueling ordeal where my entire body was enveloped by Esune's chest, and I had to desperately sever all worldly temptations just to maintain my Haki.
"Big Brother♡ Here we go♡ Pafu pafu♡ Please enjoy the softness of Esune's chest to your heart's content♡"
"Huuu… Clear the mind… sever all desires…"
"But you can't lose to temptation, okay?♡ This is training to temper your rationality and your Haki, after all♡ …If you succumb to the boobs and get all panting and dazed like usual, that's a fail, understand?♡"
"C-Clear the mind… sever all desires…"
"E—n—d—u—r—e ♡ Big Brother♡ E—n—d—u—r—e ♡ No getting dazed, endure it♡ Come on♡ You can do it♡ You can do it~♡"
"Clear the mind… sever all desires...!! LIKE HELL I CAN DO THIIIIS!!!!"
"Kyaa~♡♡♡"
This training was absolute torture! Before I knew it, I found myself going full Guile, completely indulging in the boobs. Obviously, maintaining Haki was impossible. My entire brain was just painted with the word 'boobs'.
"A difficult road ahead… So this is what it means."
Just like that, my entire afternoon was a continuous loop of Negative Training and Positive Training. My mind was relentlessly tossed back and forth.
Evening. It was time for flight training. Because it was getting dark, the risk of being spotted by normal people dropped significantly, making this the perfect time to train.
"Tail Copter!"
"Ear Copter!"
"Horo horo horo!"
⌁ "Jiii!" ⌁
Esune, Perona, Densuke, and I would take to the sky, playing a high-speed game of tag to improve our aerial mobility.
"Oraaa!! Get back here!!"
"Kyaaa~!"
"Like I'd let you catch me~!"
⌁ "Densuke is the best at flying!" ⌁
You might think we were just playing around… but this mid-air game of tag was more exhausting than you could ever imagine. For the record, Densuke had the highest flight capability among us. If my flying ability was the Warp Star, Esune would be the Light Star. Perona would be the Devil Star. And Densuke would probably be the Wing Star.
During one of these flight training sessions, we actually stumbled upon an uninhabited Sky Island by pure chance… but I'll save that story for another time. Once flight training ended, it was time for dinner. Ray-san, Shakky, Esune, Densuke, Perona, and I. We all gathered around the dining table together.
"Horo horo horo! Seconds!"
Perona had completely fit right in with us…
After the meal came free time… or rather, my plant research time.
"Hmm… I see… So because this part does this, the plant grows at an abnormal speed… Uh-huh. Then what happens if I tweak it like this? Fuhehehe…"
Before Luffy and the others had departed for the New World… I had actually bought a few Pop Green seeds from Usopp. (Esune was the one who paid for them). On the Boin♡ Archipelago, where Usopp spent his one-year timeskip, there were supposedly tons of mysterious, carnivorous plants that grew massive in an instant. The seeds of those plants were Pop Greens. As a member of the Tontatta Tribe, a race known for having 'green thumbs', I was incredibly fascinated by them.
"Fuhehehe! There isn't a single plant the Tontatta Tribe can't grow!"
That was why I spent every night researching the Pop Greens. I was constantly trying to selectively breed them to upgrade their capabilities. The Sky Island we found during our flight training… the "Island Cloud" that formed the ground there contained an abundance of nutrients that caused plants to grow massive. So, if I synthesized the properties of the Pop Greens with the components of the Island Cloud… I figured I might be able to instantly grow a ridiculously huge tree, just like the mangroves on the Sabaody Archipelago.
"It's not going too well, though. Mmmgh~"
Even for a Tontatta, selectively breeding plants was a massive challenge. But I wasn't going to give up! Someday, I would grow a ridiculously massive plant that only I could cultivate! I decided to add that to my list of dreams. Fuhehe!
"Say, Line-chan."
"Hmm? What is it, Shakky?"
"I understand that you want to grow a tree as big as the Sabaody Archipelago… but what exactly do you plan to do with something like that once you make it?"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk… Don't you get it? It's romance! Being huge is the ultimate man's romance! Fuhehehe~!"
"…You really do love everything 'big', don't you, Line-chan?"
Yes, I do. 'The greater serves for the lesser' is my personal motto, after all.
Night. Once plant research was done, I took a bath, relieved my sexual urges (about 5 to 6 times), and went to sleep. There was roughly a 20-30% chance that Esune or Densuke would sneak into my futon wearing sexy pajamas… but that was fine! I accepted it as training to suppress my rationality. …Though there were certainly days when I couldn't hold back and ended up groping them…
By the way, there was also a 4-5% chance that Perona would crawl into my futon. She was surprisingly prone to loneliness. And that was it! That was my daily schedule! What do you think? Sounds rough, right?
To summarize:
Morning: Physical conditioning and combat technique training.Afternoon: Mental and Haki training.Evening: Flight training.Night: Plant research.
By diligently completing this training menu every single day, I slowly… but surely, began to grow. There were so many times when I almost gave up, screaming, "I can't do this anymore!! I'm at my limit!!" But every time I felt that way, I thought of everyone back in my homeland, and I kept pushing forward. Whenever my spirit was truly on the verge of breaking, the image of Viola would suddenly flash through my mind. Was it an hallucination, or something else…?
Regardless. As a result of my unyielding training…
By the time one month had passed, I had mastered the "Hardening" technique of Armament Haki. By the time three months had passed, I could maintain my Haki perfectly even while in a negative state. By the time five months had passed, I could comfortably coat my body in Conqueror's Haki. By the time six months had passed, I could casually repel Perona's Negative Hollows using an "excessive output" of Haki. By the time ten months had passed, I could maintain my Haki perfectly even while sandwiched between boobs.
And then, by the time one year had passed—
"Haa, haa… Hahaha… I surrender!"
"…Eh?"
"It's my loss, Line. I yield!"
"…!!?"
Even though it was only a mock battle, I had finally…
"I-I won…? Me? Against Ray-san? U-Uwoooooooh!!!?"
Against the Vice-Captain of the Pirate King. Silvers Rayleigh, otherwise known as Ray-san… I had claimed victory in a serious, head-to-head clash for the very first time!!
"Yessss!!! I finally did it! I finally beat Ray-san~! Yahoo! Wahoo! Uhohoooi!"
I hadn't used any of my trademark sneaky tricks. It was a pure, honest, fair-and-square duel! We had fought on perfectly even terms for hours upon hours… until Ray-san finally ran out of stamina and declared his surrender. It was a victory by decision.
"Congratulations, Big Brother!"
"You did it, Line!"
⌁ "Jiii! As expected of Master!" ⌁
Esune, Perona, and Densuke all rushed over, tossing me into the air in a joyous celebration. All that hard work had finally paid off! Seriously… thank you, everyone…! For helping me so much…! Did I get stronger? I did, didn't I? I couldn't help but tear up.
"With this much power, I'm certain you'll be able to save Dressrosa," Ray-san said.
"Guh… Yeah! Thank you, Ray-san!"
"You are a son I can be proud of, Line. You did incredibly well."
"R-Raaaay-shaaaaaaaan!! You're a dad I can be proud of too!! Thank yoooou!!"
"Whoa there!?"
Overcome with emotion, I lunged at Ray-san, tackling him in a hug. Seeing that…
"Ray-saaan!!"
⌁ "Jiii!!" ⌁
Esune and Densuke joined in, leaping at Ray-san as well. We all tumbled to the ground with a heavy thud, laughing heartily together. It felt so warm.
"...…"
Amidst all that joy, I completely failed to notice the slightly lonely expression that flickered across Perona's face as she watched us.
…Even if it's only in name… a father, huh...… I wonder where you went… Moria-sama…
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