It had been a month since Samael started his training routine. Despite having to stay inside the worn-down laboratory the entire time to avoid any unnecessary confrontation with Caesar and his forces, the training was going incredibly well. After his first week of sparring against Apachai, he managed to land a hit.
By the end of the second week, he landed a clean combo. In the third week, he was able to fight Apachai for more than fifty minutes before being defeated. His growth rate was exponential—as he got used to fighting against a stronger opponent, his pain receptors were enhanced, now reaching x200. He could even dodge some of Apachai's attacks before being overwhelmed by his speed.
Of course, training with Nano wasn't the only thing Samael was doing. He had also incorporated Garp's training routine into his regimen. Every day, he attacked the laboratory walls using only his fists—punching in a single direction repeatedly. These walls were made from materials even more durable than the hull shielding that Garp and Aokiji used to strike during their own training. To complement this, Samael also found solid ground barriers to condition his shins, ensuring that his kicks grew as powerful as his punches.
The noise from his relentless striking was masked by the constant hum of machinery powering the Third Research Institute. The lab he occupied was located near the facility's power room, and the mechanical sounds it produced served to cover up Samael's destructive sessions—preventing anyone, including Caesar and his men, from discovering him.
When Samael asked Nano how Apachai was managing to keep up with him—since his own body was improving drastically—Nano explained that Apachai's body was directly identical to Samael's. It represented the potential Samael could reach if he fully mastered the Muay Thai that Apachai had achieved.
Today marked the end of the fourth week of Samael's training, and this time, he was managing to keep up with Apachai. His mastery over the basics and forms was slowly integrating into muscle memory, becoming second nature through constant life-and-death sparring. Every fight ended if he died in the simulation.
Samael blocked Apachai's shin kick with his own shin. It hurt, but he didn't mind. He responded immediately with a straight punch toward Apachai's chest, only for it to be blocked by the elbow. His bones crackled on impact, but Samael didn't flinch. After weeks of being struck in the most vulnerable spots, he had grown used to pain. His form no longer staggered; he could now stand toe-to-toe with Apachai in blow-for-blow exchanges.
Shin kick met shin kick, punch clashed with knuckles, elbow was parried by forearm. Samael's movements were no longer hindered by pain. His focus was absolute. Even though Nano continued releasing chemicals that amplified his fear—like a toxic dose of Scarecrow's gas—he felt none of it.
As the sparring continued, Samael landed a counter kick on Apachai, then connected a shin kick to the head, followed by an axe kick, and finally used the momentum to swing his other foot into Apachai's temple. After the hit, Apachai's figure stopped moving—then dissipated into particles.
[CONGRATULATIONS ON THE HOST COMPLETING THE FIRST STEP OF THE 5-STEP TRAINING PROGRAM.]
Nano congratulated Samael as he stood victorious. Muay Thai had become like a second nature to him.
"What now?" Samael asked, curious to know what came next.
[HOST WILL NOW UNDERGO ELECTRIC THERAPY.]
"What do you mean?" Samael asked, but before he could finish, an intense electric shock surged through his entire body. Nano was releasing over a million volts into every cell, while also amplifying his pain receptors a thousandfold to bypass the pain tolerance he had built up over the past month.
[CHOOSE A TECHNIQUE YOU WANT TO MASTER:
– Zoldyck Assassination Skills
– Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist]
Two options appeared before Samael. Both had been scanned and recreated by Nano to suit his physiology. He hadn't expected new techniques so soon; he assumed he would continue with the martial arts he hadn't selected previously.
"Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist," Samael answered without hesitation. He didn't need Zoldyck assassination skills—he wanted to reach Garou's level before his monster transformation in One Punch Man.
His brain was instantly filled with the basics of Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist, demonstrated in slow motion by Bang—as if dancing.
Samael was then transported to a dojo. Facing him was Bang, now his sparring partner. Samael felt confident—after a month with Apachai, he thought he had entered the realm of skilled warriors. But the moment he stepped forward, he saw something terrifying: a figure with hundreds of hands. It was an illusion, created by Bang's overwhelming defense and speed—an instinctive reaction that made Samael perceive him as having hundreds of fists.
Yet despite what he saw, Samael didn't hesitate. Even with Nano flooding his body with amplified fear chemicals and a million volts of electricity, there was no fear on his face—only a glint of excitement, proof of how far he'd come.
He opened the fight with his signature shin kick, aiming at Bang's knee. But Bang easily blocked it—and countered with ten precise strikes before Samael even registered the first move.
Samael collapsed instantly in both the real world and the simulation. Bang's attacks had precisely targeted all of Samael's physical weak points—including the heart. The pain, amplified a thousandfold, made Samael feel like his heart was exploding.
After a few moments, Samael stood up and ordered Nano to put him back into the sparring match. His attitude now mirrored that of Luffy and the rest of the Monster Trio—unyielding, relentless, the kind who would never give up no matter what. They would keep standing and fighting until the enemy was defeated.
For the next two hours, Samael experienced failure over and over again. He was up against Bang, whose physical strength matched his own, but whose skills—simulated by Nano based on memory—were leagues ahead. Samael's brain began to overload from the constant barrage of fear and pain. Even despair crept in, as Nano amplified his self-doubt to match the intensity of the pain. It was a psychological assault so severe that any normal person would have broken down and given up, but Samael kept bouncing back up.