Bzzt—
A dull sound echoed as Hawk-Eyes drew his blade, and space itself seemed to solidify.
Luffy felt goosebumps all over his body. An invisible sword edge appeared before him. He instinctively crossed his arms in front of his face.
And then he was back at the respawn point.
Dead?
[During Dream Training, you need not fear death. You have reduced pain sensation and unlimited respawns.]
[The application of Armament Haki power is at a low level. It is recommended to seek breakthroughs through practical combat.]
Luffy looked at Hawk-Eyes, who hadn't even swung his sword yet, and then saw that he was back in his original position.
He remembered now. There were a few specific words in the earlier text.
Number of attempts: Unlimited.
Does that mean I have to get killed by him all day long?
Talking was useless. A swordsman like Hawk-Eyes was indeed a natural counter to Luffy. Having access to such effective training was something countless people could only dream of.
But the thought of being drilled even in his dreams made Luffy's blood boil.
Compared to his progress in Armament Haki, Luffy's vocabulary for cursing had improved by leaps and bounds on the contrary.
Anyway, the Hawk-Eyes in the dream would fight back but wouldn't talk back.
He didn't know how many times he had died. Luffy's evasion speed became faster, and he learned to mobilize his Armament Haki. If the strength in one spot wasn't enough, he would concentrate and condense the power to a single point.
Luffy's combat talent had been honed bit by bit by Garp.
His progress was rapid, and he was very good at getting cocky when he had the advantage.
Plus, his Devil Fruit ability was low difficulty with lots of room for creative applications.
His hands could become a Gatling Gun, his feet could become a Gatling Gun.
When he was having fun, his fingers could turn into a net.
The most important point was that Luffy wasn't afraid of death!
This made him utterly shameless.
A swordsman's attacks were limited in variety. Hawk-Eyes wasn't like Zoro, a swordsman who enjoyed creating his own sword techniques and reciting poetry.
His methods of attack were simply... swing the sword, swing the sword, normal attack, normal attack.
But when it came to combat skill, Hawk-Eyes was just too overpowered. After all, he was the kind of man who would casually have sword fights with Shanks, one of the Four Emperors.
What Luffy minded the most was that black blade.
It was as if the entire blade, from tip to hilt, was sheathed in Armament Haki. The moment Luffy's own Armament Haki wavered slightly, what awaited him was being sliced apart.
By the end, Luffy was almost numb. The pain was reduced, not completely gone.
Can you imagine what it feels like to be cut into pieces? At this point, Luffy felt a bit of envy for that red-nosed clown's ability.
Swordsmen have always fought like this, okay? Don't spout nonsense with your eyes wide open. Are swordsmen really that strong?
Devil Fruit users have an easy time against swordsmen.
If you can't win, reflect on whether it's your own fault, if you've seriously developed your fruit's abilities.
If anyone dared to argue, Luffy would definitely retort.
Piss off! Those who haven't died have no right to an opinion!
He didn't know how much time had passed before a sound finally rang in his ears.
[Weakness Combat concluded. Beginning Practical Combat Training.]
"Huh?"
Luffy's numb spirit suddenly perked up. Then, the figures of several people appeared not far away.
Alvida with her iron club.
Morgan with his axe-hand.
Buggy the Clown with his flying knives.
...
Kuro, Krieg, and even Arlong, who was deader than dead.
Who was farming whom for bosses now?
The expression on Luffy's face gradually turned twisted. Facts proved that after being beaten up too many times, seeing opponents you could crush really did improve your mood.
He was secretly reveling in it already.
"Don't you secretly tweak their stats now! Cheating is unacceptable! I wouldn't mind if they had some other abilities, though."
If you secretly buff all their stats to Hawk-Eyes' level, are you expecting me to 1v6?
No one answered Luffy. These 'BOSSes' were already charging at him from all directions.
"Gomu Gomu no... Rocket!"
Buggy, who rushed to the front, was instantly sent flying out of sight. Luffy's foot stretched high into the air, then slammed down, crushing Arlong beneath it.
He completely outclassed them in stats.
This felt good.
After such high-intensity combat with Hawk-Eyes, engaging in a low-level stomp felt instantly refreshing. Luffy could happily showcase all sorts of techniques here.
Gomu Gomu no Pistol.
Gomu Gomu no Rocket!
Gear Second: Gomu Gomu no Jet Bullet.
Gomu Gomu no Jet Gatling!
Gear Third: Gomu Gomu no Giant Battle Axe.
Gomu Gomu no Giant Spin!
...
One round was enough to clear the field.
Luffy was grinning, but the smile soon vanished from his face and appeared on the contrary on the faces of the several people who quickly reappeared nearby.
"Bastard! What the hell is wrong with you? Don't just listen to the parts you want to hear!"
Now you listen completely.
So you won't buff their stats, but you'll give them an unlimited respawn buff instead, huh?
Luffy could see it clearly now; this thing had no intention of letting him have an easy time.
[Warning, warning. During practical combat training...]
Luffy: "..."
...
6:00 AM.
In Nami's room, the light of the newly risen sun streamed in.
Luffy jolted awake from his dream.
Six hours felt like six days.
"If you have the guts, stay with me for a lifetime!" Luffy gritted his teeth. The resentment from waking up was enough that nine evil sword immortals couldn't absorb it all.
This Pirate King Training Plan was getting a bit sinister.
It wasn't about reaching the final island, Laugh Tale. It wasn't about finding the One Piece treasure.
It was about almost terrifying additional training.
He now wanted to become the Pirate King more urgently than ever.
Six hours. Six hours! Do you have any idea how I spent those six hours?!
Slept for six hours? He was more tired than if he had only slept for one. In the end, the number of opponents increased from six to nine.
Even Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp showed up... In the end, the most annoying one was Usopp, firing away with his slingshot.
[Additional Training Mode Concluded]
[You have acquired the passive talent: Hardening]
[Your physical energy has been compressed and trained through exercise. Your body's durability has increased. Armament Haki Proficiency +666]
Luffy's resentment dissipated slightly.
[Warning. It is now time for washing up. Time allocated: Thirty seconds...]
Before he could even catch his breath, Luffy jumped up, cursing and grumbling as he rushed into the bathroom.
That night, Nami, who had also slept dazed and confused, woke up early.
She didn't even know how she had fallen asleep.
As soon as she woke up, sure enough, she saw Luffy still hugging her leg. Her face reddened, and then she gritted her teeth and pinched his cheek.
Last night, he had bitten her! It didn't hurt much, but it was a solid bite!
It wasn't even about the pain anymore; in Nami's mind, it undoubtedly confirmed the stereotype of him being a leg man.
He slept so soundly while hugging her thigh that Nami didn't even have a chance to change out of the maid outfit; she couldn't pry him off.
But seeing Luffy's exhausted, deeply resentful face, she wondered what he could have possibly dreamed about.
In the end, Nami shooed out a snickering Nojiko and let Luffy stay.
After a great effort, she finally managed to pull Luffy's hands away. Nami breathed a sigh of relief, found a set of clothes, and went to the bathroom to wash up.
The most important thing now was to change out of this maid outfit.
Just as she had taken off her clothes, the door clicked open.
Their eyes met.
"Ah!"
Nojiko, woken by the noise, couldn't help but sigh with reflections. "Youth, truly."
Speaking of which, weren't they setting sail today?
***
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