Chapter 39 — Shock
A "Heart of a Strong Man"?
What was that supposed to mean?
Ain had been troubled ever since Zephyr mentioned it that day.
She had been thinking nonstop about what this so-called stronger's heart even was.
As for Eiger daring to attack Teacher Zephyr—she wasn't surprised at all.
This was the same man who had slapped the Chief Instructor of Marine Headquarters twice in front of his three disciples.
But what did that have to do with the "heart of a strong man"?
She knew her determination to grow stronger was second to none.
If she lacked conviction, she wouldn't be out here training at dawn while Binz was still busy drinking.
And honestly… she truly didn't believe that man had anything like a strong man's heart.
After all—
She got up before sunrise to train.
He dragged himself out of bed only after the sun was blazing overhead.
So why did Teacher Zephyr say she lacked a strong man's heart… while he had it?
Her mind drifted back to Zephyr's words, and she once again stopped mid-practice, staring blankly at the tree she had just chopped down.
"What exactly is a strong man's heart?"
Is it hard work?
The desire to grow stronger?
She had all of that.
Yet none of it explained what Zephyr meant.
Eiger refused the invitation to join Marine Headquarters.
He trained after retiring, yes—but every morning he started later than her, acting like someone who just wanted a quiet family life.
How could that possibly be the heart of a strong man?
"…Eiger."
Ain lifted her head and looked toward the back mountain.
"That guy should still be training right now."
She knew he trained from sunrise to sunset every single day.
Her training ground was some distance away, but truthfully… she was curious about how he trained.
But going to peek felt… improper.
Especially with him.
Watching him train would feel like she was admitting defeat in front of Teacher Zephyr.
"Forget it. Keep training."
After a moment of silent staring, Ain shook her head and raised her twin short blades again.
"I want to see just how strong someone becomes after retiring, refusing Headquarters, and indulging in family life."
But just as she lowered her gaze to resume practice—
BOOM.
A scorching, massive light flared in the distance.
Like a colossal golden axe descending from the heavens—ready to split the world in two.
What…?
Ain's head snapped up, her eyes widening in disbelief.
That direction was—
Before she could react—
RUMMMMMBLE!
The earth shook violently.
Trees trembled.
Birds scattered in swarms.
It felt as though an entire mountain had shifted.
She was so far away, yet the shockwave reached her clearly, unmistakably.
Then, as quickly as it came, the tremors faded.
Ain stood frozen, the look of shock still etched on her face, staring at the point of impact.
That direction was unmistakably…
Eiger's training grounds.
What was that just now?!
An earthquake?
A tsunami?
That massive light—what was it?
Even from this distance, she had seen it clearly.
Felt it clearly.
For the first time, Ain's resolve wavered.
Her desire to sneak a look—
Suddenly surged with overwhelming force.
Curiosity. Doubt.
Both swirled chaotically inside Ain's chest, making her grip her twin blades tighter without realizing it.
She stared at the now-silent mountains in the distance. After a long moment of hesitation, she lowered her head again, lips pressed together.
Nearly fifteen minutes passed before she finally lifted her head.
The hesitation in her eyes vanished, replaced by a firm, almost stubborn resolve.
"I'm just… checking whether a strong enemy has invaded the back mountain. That's all."
She told herself this loudly inside her heart.
Yes—just now, that terrifying quake and blinding light…
It might have been caused by a powerful intruder.
Having convinced herself, she no longer lingered. She sheathed her blades and sprinted toward the back mountain.
As she approached, her footsteps gradually slowed.
Uncertainty crept back onto her face.
But only for a moment.
Her eyes hardened again, and with her head lowered, she pushed forward.
When she finally stepped into Eiger's usual training zone, she heard nothing—not even the sound of breathing.
She lifted her head, confused.
He… left already?
But the sun hadn't set yet.
Why would he leave so early today?
And that question that had been tormenting her for days—
"What exactly is a strong man's heart…?"
—floated back to the surface.
But the instant she raised her head fully—
All her frustration vanished.
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
Before her—
Rows of mountains had been split wide open.
The mountain bases had been cleaved apart, leaving behind deep chasms like crude roads forced through stone.
So… this was how he trained?
She hadn't expected him to already be capable of smashing open mountains.
Then again, he had sliced a ship in half with a single blow before.
Even if that had been through technique and buildup, destroying stone bit by bit wasn't unreasonable.
Ain raised a trembling hand and touched one of the cuts near the mountain's base.
From the jagged scar in the rock, she could sense the repetitive effort, the discipline, the resolve behind every strike.
And here—
six whole mountains had been split open.
Her heart tightened.
Perhaps… he wasn't nearly as lazy as she'd assumed.
A complicated expression surfaced on her face as she stared quietly at the six ravaged mountains.
But then—
"...No. Something's off."
Her eyes sharpened.
She abruptly turned her head, staring past the six split mountains… toward the next one behind them.
A mountain far larger than the others—taller, broader, far more massive.
Her pupils shrank to pinpoints.
In an instant, the complexity and nostalgia vanished from her face.
Only shock remained.
She ran toward it involuntarily—her legs moving before she could think.
Up close, the sensation hit her like a wall—
An oppressive, scorching pressure radiated from the cleft before her.
This mountain had been split too.
But unlike the previous six—which had been gouged open from the bottom up—
This one…
had been bisected cleanly from top to bottom.
A perfect vertical split.
A mountain neatly cut into two halves.
How?
HOW?
No—was this really done by that man?
Ain stared into the massive chasm stretching endlessly through the stone like a corridor carved by a god.
Her right hand rose again, trembling violently as she touched the cold rock.
He… he actually did this?
In that instant—
Ain felt she finally understood what Teacher Zephyr meant by a strong man's heart.
---
Meanwhile…
After completely splitting a mountain in half—cleanly and flawlessly—Eiger descended with a spring in his step, brimming with energy.
The unexpected breakthrough had put him in such a good mood that he decided to head home early and celebrate properly.
Even though his Devil Fruit ability kept his stamina topped off even after using such a technique, he still wanted to enjoy dinner with Nico.
Maybe a bottle of green-grape wine…
A couple candles…
Some good food…
And once the mood was perfect…
A little… exercise.
But the moment he reached the winery—before he could even find Nico—he was intercepted by the overly excited village chief, Marin.
Before Eiger could ask what was happening, Marin grabbed him by the arm and practically dragged him inside.
"You brat! Why'd you come down so early today? Don't tell me—you sensed the wine was ready? Hah! You always say you don't care, but clearly you've had this winery on your mind all along! Come! Come! Try the first batch we made with the machines!"
"..."
I had no idea… at all…
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