"Bring it on!"
"Then I won't hold back."
"Hit faster, or I might not be able to hold it in."
"The way you say that makes it sound like you could hold it in if I hit slower."
Zoro rolled up his sleeves, a perverse smile spreading across his face. "Make sure to speak up if you can't take it, alright?"
...
Thud!
A fist landed on Luffy's stomach. He took a deep breath, a mocking expression appearing on his face. "Is it because you haven't eaten, Zoro?"
Smack! Then smack, smack, smack, smack!
Zoro watched as Luffy was forced back a few steps, a look of pure satisfaction on his face. "Ah, compared to my full power, it is indeed a bit weaker."
This feels great!
Luffy's infuriating personality often made Zoro want to draw his sword and cut him down. Then he'd remember this was his captain and comfort himself—he'd made his choice.
"Then stand still, don't get sent flying by my punch."
Luffy grinned, his fist already stretching out several dozen meters.
"Hey, that's cheating?!" Zoro yelled, exasperated.
"Just tell me, is it one punch or not?!" Luffy was completely justified this time.
Dammit, it really was!
That one punch nearly knocked the bile out of Zoro.
The two began a magical exchange of blows.
It was hard to say who had the worse end of the deal.
Eventually, even Luffy discovered that rubber couldn't block everything; his abdomen felt numb and sore. Zoro didn't look like he was having a great time either. When it came to taking hits, these two brothers were truly giving it their all.
"Hey, are you guys playing some kind of... innovative new game?"
So early in the morning, and you could already hear the sound of fists hitting flesh.
Usopp, woken by the noise, looked up to find both Luffy and Zoro missing from the bunk beds next to him.
Zoro was normal; it would be abnormal for this training maniac to still be sleeping.
But Luffy was supposed to be his good buddy who slept in until the sun was high in the sky!
He walked out to take a look.
Usopp couldn't hold it in.
What were these two guys doing?
"Y-you should give up, Luffy."
Zoro's face was contorted, and he was breathing in huge gulps of air, his clothes soaked through with sweat.
The difference in quality couldn't make up for the disparity in quantity. After all, it was ten punches for one. Even with damage reduction, Luffy couldn't take it forever, especially since he'd already been training before Zoro even got up, expending a lot of stamina.
"I-It's still early." Luffy was experiencing the same feeling he had when Garp used to drill him.
He wanted to stop too.
Over ten years had passed since Luffy ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi and Garp started training him with the goal of turning him into an elite Marine soldier.
He had something to say about that.
After training hard for over ten years, couldn't he just enjoy himself?
That was the adventure he wanted.
But, Luffy glanced at the glaring warning message; it was like holding a knife to his throat.
So what could he do?
Just give in, agree to it.
It wasn't like Luffy hadn't resisted. It's just that the pendant's punishments were too变态, and they upgraded. It started with electricity, then when that didn't work, it switched to... bowel movements. Then, as if it had discovered Luffy's weak point, the punishment even became fixed.
Sparring was actually quite fun, much better than training alone blindly.
It was a thoroughly exhilarating fight!
Zoro grimaced, his teeth clenched. He somewhat regretted suggesting sparring with Luffy. Even though he knew they were both genuinely hurting, the thought that the other was a rubber man made him feel like he was still getting the short end of the stick.
"Aren't they in pain?"
Watching the two trade blows, Usopp's face was a picture of sympathetic pain. It looked painful just watching.
Was this kind of training even effective?
Although he'd heard that combat was the fastest way to improve, was this between Luffy and Zoro considered a form of combat on some level?
I'm proud to have such partners!
Usopp was quite clear about his own role. Seeing the force behind Luffy's punches against Zoro, one hit would make him see stars.
Even Zoro, who looked like a tough guy, was starting to shake a little.
In the distance, the morning sun slowly rose.
"I-Is it time yet?"
After taking another volley of punches, Luffy really couldn't take it anymore. If someone gave him a ton of food right now, he could definitely inhale it.
"Y-You win."
Zoro lay down against the wall, breathing heavily.
He was growing more and more recognized of this captain.
At first, it was out of gratitude for saving his life. Even though Luffy seemed a bit unreliable, Zoro had gritted his teeth and joined.
Now, he truly believed Luffy would be the man to become the Pirate King!
The most important thing about becoming strong is being ruthless to yourself. If you aren't ruthless to yourself, your enemies will be doubly ruthless to you.
So what if it's a month of chores?
...
Meanwhile, on the sea not far away, a Marine warship and the Going Merry found their courses unexpectedly converging.
Pirates and Marines are natural enemies.
However, the quality of Marines in the East Blue wasn't very high, unless you ran into Garp, who was back on vacation from Marine Headquarters.
In that case, you might as well just surrender peacefully.
"Lieutenant Commander Roddy! A pirate ship has been sighted!"
"Oh? Give me the telescope."
The Marine lieutenant commander named Roddy had been dispatched from Marine Headquarters. He'd heard that Captain Morgan of East Blue Branch 153 had been defeated by some pirates.
Had some powerful pirates appeared in this godforsaken part of the East Blue?
Although the possibility was small, out of caution, Headquarters had sent a Lieutenant Commander.
Many people thought the East Blue was the weakest sea.
But some of the older, more experienced Marines knew quite well that many of the big names on the seas were born in the East Blue.
The Pirate King, the Hero of the Marines... even the leader of the Revolutionary Army!
These were existences whose very names could scare people to death.
Roddy glanced at the bounty posters in his hand; none matched the pirate flag.
Freshly minted pirates? You're out of luck running into me, Lieutenant Commander Roddy.
"Prepare to fire the cannons!"
Not just in the East Blue, even on the Grand Line, few pirate crews were willing to go head-to-head with the Marines' sturdy ships and powerful cannons.
Unless it was the ship of one of those great pirates.
"Hey, can you guys still move? Luffy! Zoro!"
Usopp was shouting frantically.
The Marine cannons were already aiming their way!
"Usopp, I'm counting on you." Zoro waved a hand weakly; he couldn't move an inch right now.
[Automatically adjusting based on physical condition and status. Please engage in combat with the Marines...]
F-fighting?!
Luffy's eyes turned green.
Every cell in his body was groaning in protest. This should be rest time!
[Warning. Punishment countdown...]
You win!
Gritting his teeth, Luffy forced his arms to push himself up.
[Physical energy compressed and exercised. Your physical strength has increased. Armament Haki proficiency +1]
[Body tempered through training. You have activated the passive talent: Rapid Recovery.]
"Huh? There's a benefit like this?"
Something unbelievable happened. Zoro had just seen Luffy, who was as exhausted as he was, do a kip-up.
Then, Luffy gave him a look.
"Looks like it's up to your captain to step up at the crucial moment."
Luffy grinned.
"You just rest up, Zoro."