Bepo's pupils shrank, and the scene he had seen in the morning reappeared in front of him. He nodded suddenly: "That's right!"
"I just witnessed Mina's powerful strength."
"Although Colonel Sanji's position is only the chef on this ship, he is one of the top four fighters on this ship, but when facing Mina, the navigator, he has no resistance at all."
"This can only mean that she has been hiding her strength!"
"Exactly."
Chopper nodded, and his body even expanded uncontrollably at this moment.
In a few seconds, he turned into a human form that was extremely strong, like a small mountain.
At this moment, he was breathing out hot air from his mouth and nose, and his whole body exuded the aura of a strong man.
Seeing this, Bepo no longer had the original fear.
The more he thought about everything Law had done, the more he could understand why Chopper had to forge such a strong body.
There was no medicine that could cure all diseases, so all possible threats could only be eliminated!
Then, as a navigator, what should he aim for?!
The answer is obvious…
"Second-rate navigators predict the direction of the climate, plan reasonable routes, and avoid potential risks, but they follow the rules and eventually fall behind."
"Bepo!"
Chopper's voice suddenly rose a few degrees, and he looked at Bepo with a sharp gaze: "When your fists are strong enough to tear through the skies and the seas, nothing will ever block your path ahead!"
"No place is unreachable, no enemy unbeatable."
"This is true freedom!"
"So, in my eyes, a top-tier navigator should be a pioneer, not a rule-follower!"
Bepo stood frozen, thunderstruck, Chopper's words echoing in his heart.
Freedom...
That's right!
When Law described his dream, it was all about freedom!
To sail the seas without restriction, unbound by anyone or anything.
But if one must compromise due to terrain, weather, or enemies, is that really freedom?!
No!
He refuses to accept that kind of freedom!
"A navigator should be the one who forges the path forward."
"That's why Mina hides such strength in secret? Because what she wants to become is exactly what Chopper just described, a pioneer?!"
"To go anywhere, to fear no one, to smash all obstacles with your own fists, that's the ultimate goal of a navigator?!"
Bepo kept repeating Chopper's words.
The more he thought about it...
The more he compared them with his own past experiences, the more he felt Chopper's words were the ultimate truth for navigators!
"That's right!"
"If I had been stronger when we faced Golden Lion, Law wouldn't have had to compromise, and Penguin and Shachi wouldn't have needed to fight to the death to stop Spandine's men!"
"How could someone as weak as I am ever be a pioneer?"
"I..."
Bepo's eyes turned red, shame surging through him because now, he suddenly felt like all the navigation theory he'd studied his whole life meant nothing at all.
Power!
Only those with the strength to shatter all obstacles and carve out a path of freedom from desperation, only they had the right to be called a navigator.
"Pioneer!"
"Chopper, I know this might be a bold request, but please teach me."
"Isn't that a given?!"
Chopper smiled, clearly pleased: "We're friends, after all!"
… … …
The next morning, on the deck where people were training, a new figure had joined them, a white bear lifting weights with all his might.
That white bear was, of course, Bepo.
He wore a headband inscribed with the word pioneer, and his eyes were full of steely determination.
Even though his whole body was trembling from exhaustion, he didn't retreat a single step.
But Bepo's body hadn't undergone serious training in a long time, and his Mink tribe talents had gone unused for far too long.
Within just a few minutes...
Bepo's movements started to slow, his body heavy as lead, completely drained of strength.
"You're too slow, Bepo!"
Chopper, whose build was as imposing as a wall, held a whip in hand and lashed it hard across Bepo's body, tearing a bloody gash through his snow-white fur.
"Ugh!"
Bepo grunted in pain but, with great effort, steadied the barbell in his hands.
Seeing this, Chopper said in dissatisfaction: "If this is the extent of your resolve, then I suggest you go back to being a second-rate navigator. Cower behind Law and live like a coward!"
"Never!"
With a roar, Bepo suddenly felt a surge of power welling up from deep within his already exhausted body and forcefully lifted the barbell overhead.
"This feeling..."
Feeling the power continuously flooding his body, for the first time in his training, Bepo felt something beyond just pain.
It was like being trapped in a desert for days and finally finding an oasis, drinking sweet spring water that nourished both body and soul.
The sensation nearly drove Bepo mad with the desire to experience it again and again...
"More!"
"More!"
"More!"
...
As Bepo trained with increasing fervor, the onlooking crew, who at first looked at him with disdain, gradually began to show signs of approval.
"That's it!"
"It's this kind of resolve, to stake everything in order to become stronger, that will take you further!"
"Rookie!"
Some, however, felt regret: "With that kind of resolve, and yet he's not one of us. What a shame."
"Isn't that the truth?!"
"It's been a long time since we met someone who shares our spirit!"
While everyone chatted, Gin glanced at Bepo and, seeing the determined look in his eyes, felt a strange sensation: "This guy... He was born to be one of us!"
"Gin, I feel the same way."
Zoro slowly put down the barbell he'd been lifting, causing the deck to tremble. His gaze fixed on Bepo, filled with unspeakable anticipation: "But I heard Chopper say unintentionally that Bepo already has his own companions."
"So what? Just bring them in, too. We've still got plenty of empty spots on our ship."
"True enough."
At the same time... in the captain's quarters, Gawain happened to spot the crazy, self-driven white bear training on the deck and couldn't help but exclaim: "The training atmosphere under my command has gotten this intense already?!"
"Chopper going all in after joining the crew was one thing, but now even Bepo, who technically isn't even a crew member, is getting swept up in it?"
"Well, whatever."
"It's not a bad thing in the end."
… … …
Time passed, and night fell.
Since Bepo was not an official member of Gawain's crew, he didn't benefit from any badge enhancements. Training at such an intense level pushed his body to the brink.
Yet what excited him the most was the sensation of his muscles tearing from pain and swelling, a pain that was both excruciating and oddly euphoric.
"According to Chopper, this means my muscle cells are dividing and growing."
"Only by enduring this process can my strength grow, even giving me a physique as strong as Chopper's."
Where Bepo had once seen Chopper's overly muscular human form as grotesque, he now saw it as beautiful.
Power!
Power is beauty!
As his thinking began to warp, so too did his sense of beauty, shifting toward greater strength, bulk, and intimidation.
He even began to fantasize about what it would be like to stand before Law again, reborn in a brand-new form.
"Law..."
"You'll be happy to see how I've changed, won't you?!"
"I won't let you carry all the burden alone anymore!"
... ... ...
At the floating island, Law finished training with Golden Lion and lay on the ground, gasping for breath.
Every bone in his body felt shattered.
"This level of training wouldn't even be considered a warm-up in our era."
"If this is all you've got, you're still a long way from being my right-hand man."
Golden Lion stood nearby, speaking indifferently, as though stating a mundane fact, but there was a hint of admiration in his eyes he couldn't quite hide.
Although still immature, this kid had top-tier conviction and talent. The day he might surpass him didn't seem entirely out of reach.
As that thought crossed his mind...