"One, two, one! One, two, one! One, two, three, four, five, six, seven!"
"Good! Finish this lap, and let's do another one!"
"No... I can't... Ugh!"
Early the next morning, on the deck, Nami retched and collapsed to her knees.
The deck, with a clean length of ninety meters, including the stairs, had already been run back and forth fifty times by her, all in just over half an hour!
Considering that the standard for special forces training on Earth is an excellent time of 18 minutes for a 5-kilometer run with light gear, this girl's physical prowess could easily surpass that of a special forces soldier...
Truly, this is the world of Pirates!
Seeing Nami unable to get up, Caesar couldn't help but smile.
Overall, this girl's physical condition was even more outstanding than he had expected!
"Keep it up! Go, go, go!"
Bartolomeo roared as he ran past Nami, drenched in sweat.
Behind him were Robin and Baby 5, both in sports bras. Due to the difference in physical fitness, the three had already lapped Nami more than a dozen times. For them, this level of long-distance running was just a warm-up.
"Keep it up... keep it up! Huff... huff..."
Bonney panted as she climbed the stairs, her tongue hanging out: "So tired!"
Kuma looked at Bonney with a smile: "This kind of training is still a bit too early for you. Don't push yourself too hard."
Bonney didn't respond, just knelt on the deck, her face full of existential doubt: "I... I was lapped by Nami!"
"What kind of talk is that? Don't look down on people, you brat!"
Nami's face darkened as she waved her small fist in dissatisfaction: "I'm not that bad, okay?"
Caesar nodded approvingly: "Indeed, you're not bad. Your performance far exceeds my expectations. However, you clearly haven't reached your limit yet. Training is all about pushing beyond your limits every time. If you confine yourself within your limits, no matter how much you train, you'll just remain an ordinary person."
"Natural monsters are extremely rare. In fact, most of the strong people that others see started out as just ordinary people with some talent."
"What about you?"
Nami asked curiously: "At your age, being this strong, you must be a natural monster, right?"
"No, in fact, my talent is far inferior to anyone on this ship, including you."
Caesar shook his head slightly: "I was just lucky enough to compensate for my lack of talent through other means, gaining abilities comparable to those natural monsters. But even so, it took me over half a year of training to reach my current level of strength."
"W-Well, that's not entirely true!"
Bartolomeo panted as he stopped: "Although the master only changed his talent this year, training like we're doing now has been a consistent routine for many years! If anything, the master's current strength is definitely built on past accumulation!"
"That's not wrong either."
Caesar nodded. The rapid surge in his strength was undoubtedly influenced by his past training. Simply put, he had a solid foundation.
"So, the method you mentioned to compensate for talent, can others use it?" Nami asked eagerly.
"If it were possible, I would have already used it on you all. Just keep training diligently."
Caesar chuckled, "However, if you could consume the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, there's a theoretical way to quickly enhance your strength."
"What way?"
"By stimulating your muscles with electric currents..."
"Hey! Stop right there!"
Nami raised her hand, not daring to listen any further.
The idea of tempering her body with lightning was something she would consider only after she had gained some strength.
"My legs are shaking so much, I feel like I can't stand up at all."
Nami leaned on the railing, looking completely exhausted.
Caesar tilted his head, pouting with a look of regret, "What are we going to do then? Won't you just get beaten up in the upcoming practical combat?"
"Practical combat? With whom? Bonney?" Nami was startled by the thought.
"Half right!"
Caesar smirked mischievously, gesturing towards Kuma, "Allow me to introduce our ship's training instructor, Bonney's father, the man who can take on a nation single-handedly, Bartholomew Kuma!"
"Whaaat?!"
Nami's jaw dropped in disbelief as she looked at Kuma's mountain-like figure.
"Don't worry, I have experience."
Kuma smiled gently, "I was the chief instructor in the Revolutionary Army. The young recruits there were all trained by me."
"No way!!!"
Nami turned to run, but Caesar grabbed her by the collar and pulled her back.
"Alright, just kidding. You'll start with the most basic martial arts training."
Caesar turned Nami's shoulders to face Kuma. The others had already lined up in front of Kuma, even Bonney stood proudly beside Bartolomeo with her hands behind her back.
"Starting today, I will teach you Fish-Man Karate."
Kuma said calmly, "This martial art can maximize every bit of your body's strength. Mastering it will accelerate your martial arts training."
Nami frowned, "Fish-Man Karate?"
Caesar pushed Nami in front of Kuma, "Most Fish-men are quite friendly to humans. Arlong is just an exception, so don't have any psychological burden."
"I understand..."
Nami sighed, glanced down at the serious-looking Bonney, and then resignedly stood next to her, beginning her training in Fish-Man Karate.
Soon, the day passed in the blink of an eye.
Under the slanting sun, Nami lay drenched in sweat on the deck, too exhausted to even move a finger.
"I can't... go on anymore, I've really reached my limit! Can someone help me up?"
"You know, Nami..."
Caesar's voice whispered like a demon, "Jinbei is still one of the Warlords of the Sea. Even though Arlong is locked up in Impel Down, Jinbei could have him released at any time. Although Jinbei disapproves of Arlong's extremism, he truly cherishes his Fish-men companions."
"You..."
Nami's face hardened, and with a burst of unknown strength, she gritted her teeth and forced herself up again, "You're such a devil!"
"Thanks for the compliment."
Caesar clapped his hands with a smile, "Now go take a shower and get ready for dinner. Remember to do some aerobics before bed, or you might turn into a muscle woman~"
"Ahhh, I know!"
Nami was on the verge of a breakdown, "Just go away! I don't want to see you, you jerk!"
"Hehe, so cute."
Robin wiped her sweat and, seeing Nami like this, couldn't help but smile. "Let's take a bath together, Nami. You might drown in the bathtub like this."
Nami was on the verge of tears. "Don't say such terrifying things with a smile on your face, Robin!"
Soon, everyone gathered around the dining table in the cabin, enjoying dinner.
As the last ray of sunlight disappeared below the horizon, the sky turned completely dark.
Back in her room, as soon as Nami's head touched the pillow, she felt dizzy and instantly fell asleep.
The stars twinkled in the sky, their light casting a silvery glow over the deep sea.
Gradually, the stars shifted.
A hint of dawn appeared in the east.
The dew on the deck reflected the morning sunlight, making the ship look golden.
"Ah... it hurts!!"
This morning, Nami woke up in pain.
After a sore breakfast, she made her way to the deck, still aching all over, ready to start a new day of training.
Then, she fell asleep again, completely exhausted.
Thus, three days passed, and Nami finally began to adapt to the intensity of the training. The group also finally sailed into the waters near their destination.
"That's it!"
Nami held a monocular telescope, scanning the turbulent currents ahead. "This area is full of trenches and reefs. We don't have a map of this region, so this is as close as we can get."
Caesar nodded. "Then we'll disembark here. Yamato, it's up to you!"
"Got it!"
Yamato secured the sails and leaped down from the mast, transforming into her Beast Form. With a swing of her Spiked Club, a burst of blue freezing air flew towards the island.
Whoosh—
In an instant, the turbulent currents were frozen into solid ice, forming a path over a hundred meters wide and several nautical miles long.
"Huh? Is this... cold air?"
Feeling the chill in the air, Nami was amazed. "Incredible! The sea is frozen!"
"Kuma, stay and watch the ship. Everyone else, prepare to go ashore!"
"Alright!!"
With that, Caesar leaped off the deck, and the others followed, especially Yamato and Bonney.
This was the first treasure hunt since the team was formed, and the two were beyond excited.
"Treasure hunt!"
"Treasure hunt!"
They cheered, jumping off the ship and running happily towards the island.
Soon, everyone landed on the island. The golden beach was littered with shipwrecks, looking desolate and mysterious.
Caesar used his Observation Haki to scan the area and pointed towards a canyon in the center of the island. "This way!"
"Got it!"
Yamato and Bonney responded, swinging their arms high like soldiers on parade, eagerly following Caesar.
"Are there any historical ruins on this island?" Robin asked.
"No, don't even think about it. This island doesn't even have fresh water."
Caesar shook his head slightly. "But there is a large eagle in the canyon. Except for Nami, the rest of you shouldn't be in any danger."
"Huh?!"
Nami's face darkened, and she quickly hid between Robin and Baby 5. "If I had known, I wouldn't have come!"
"Don't worry, it's just a big bird."
Baby5 raised her hand, her forearm transforming into a gleaming hand cannon: "Does this make you feel a bit safer?"
"Way too safe!"
Nami's eyes sparkled: "Is this your Devil Fruit ability? So cool!"
"After you eat the Rumble-Rumble Fruit later, maybe you two can develop a combo move?"
Caesar walked ahead, casually clearing dozens of meters of shrubs with a swing of his blade: "Something like a railgun?"
"Can we really do that?"
"Of course. Many Devil Fruits share similar traits. Combining them might yield more than double the power."
The group arrived at the center of the canyon, where dozens of rotting shipwrecks were piled together. Scattered treasures littered the ground, while high above on the canyon cliffs, a terrifyingly large bird glared down at them.
"Wow! Such a huge bird!"
Bonney exclaimed: "Is it tasty?"
"Not really. Vultures are scavengers—their meat is mostly sour," Robin remarked casually.
"Eh... never mind then."
Losing interest upon learning it wasn't edible, the little girl turned away.
"So much treasure!"
Nami rubbed her hands together, her eyes turning into Berry symbols: "Just the stuff scattered on the ground is worth tens of millions at a rough estimate!"
"Look over there!"
Yamato pointed to the deck of a wrecked ship, where a dozen treasure chests lay haphazardly strewn, their contents spilled everywhere.
"I'll check it out first!"
With that, Yamato leaped onto the ship's remains.
At that moment, the giant vulture above, as if provoked, suddenly swooped down toward Yamato.
Nami's face paled: "Watch out!"
Whoosh...
A red flash streaked past. Before Nami could react, the vulture's head separated from its body, crashing heavily in front of the group.
Yamato didn't even glance at the corpse, busying herself with rummaging through the treasure chests.
"Huh? Weird... where's the Devil Fruit? Wasn't there supposed to be one here?"
"I think... it might be here."
Caesar studied the vulture's corpse thoughtfully, then casually sliced open its belly with his blade.
Clatter...
A small wooden box tumbled out from the bird's stomach.
Caesar opened it, revealing a Devil Fruit with flame-like patterns.
"Eh? The bird ate it?"
Seeing this, Yamato quickly jumped down from the wreck and hurried to Caesar's side: "What Fruit is this?"
Caesar's tone was cryptic: "Logia Type—Flare-Flare Fruit!"
"A Logia Type?!"
Nami gasped, her eyes shining: "Top-tier? How does it compare to the Rumble-Rumble Fruit? How much can we sell it for?"
"Hmm... near top-tier. In terms of elemental power, it's not weaker than the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, but it's countered by the Magma-Magma Fruit. As for the starting bid... at least 500 million Berries."
Caesar tossed the Fruit in his hand, making it vanish and reappear like magic.
"Speaking of which, what's the date today?"
"December 29th. Two more days until New Year's," Robin said.
"New Year, huh..."
Caesar fell into thought.
This world didn't have New Year's traditions. Though it was technically a holiday, people usually just gathered for a meal, so he'd never paid it much mind before.
But now, seeing the Flare-Flare Fruit, Caesar remembered something.
That was Ace's birthday, on January 1st.
He remembered it vividly. Back when he was watching Pirates, there was a heated debate in the comments about whether Ace or Sabo was the older brother. Caesar had specifically looked it up: Ace's birthday was January 1st, while Sabo's was in March.
And both Ace and Luffy had apparently set sail on their seventeenth birthdays.
Which meant…
It wouldn't be long before Ace, due to a shipwreck, would end up stranded on this deserted island.
Gently holding the Flare-Flare Fruit, a scene suddenly flashed through Caesar's mind.
Him holding the Flare-Flare Fruit, looking at Ace with a kind expression, and saying, "Ace, become my son!"
Hmm, that seemed quite interesting…
So the next question was, how to trick… no, how to invite this guy onto the ship?
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