"Once you enter the Forbidden Zone, you'll also need to make a choice," Professor Charles Joe continued. "The battlefield is split between two factions. One side is the Marines. The other is the Pirates. And your task is to choose which side you'll join."
"There are three stages to the mission. Basic: eliminate enemy units. Intermediate: secure a tactical victory. Advanced: change the course of the battle and lead your side to a decisive win."
"The better your performance on the battlefield, the higher your mission evaluation will be."
"As for which side is better to join, I can't give you a definite answer. But personally, I think the Marines have the edge."
"While the Whitebeard Pirates are led by the world's strongest man, Whitebeard himself, the Marines have more top-tier fighters overall."
"If you look at total strength, the Marines come out slightly ahead. Plus, they have the home-field advantage, so their odds of winning are higher."
"The people listed in your textbooks are the most powerful individuals from both sides. When you have time, study them. Memorize every one of them."
"Regardless of which side you choose, if you encounter any of the major powerhouses from the opposing side… run. Immediately."
"Remember, never try to act tough against these monsters. You can't begin to imagine how strong they are!"
When class finally ended and Professor Joe left the room, the classroom instantly buzzed with conversation.
"I always heard about Devil Fruits, but I never thought they'd actually be from Forbidden Zone #4."
"Isn't it kind of crazy to assign that Zone as the fourth one? Shouldn't we wait until we're stronger before going after something as huge as a Devil Fruit?"
"Yeah, it does seem off…"
"But didn't the professor say there are restrictions? If we visit other Zones too many times, we won't be allowed into Zone 4 anymore."
"Well, since no one's forcing us to go right now, I think I'll wait. I'll sit through the lectures on Zone 5 first."
"Same here. Better to play it safe."
Groups of students clustered together, chatting in hushed tones. Most of them were hesitant.
Hearing all this, Vincent Fox had to agree. It did seem odd for a high-risk battlefield like this to have a limit on entries.
With the average strength of the freshman class, completing the basic mission might be doable. But the intermediate stage? That would be extremely difficult.
And the advanced stage? Practically impossible.
Even for him, Vincent Fox.
"Vincent!"
Autumn Summer turned to him. "Are you planning to head into Zone 4 soon?"
Vincent thought for a moment, then replied, "Not just yet."
And he wasn't lying.
That really was his plan.
To get the highest possible mission rating in Forbidden Zone 4, he needed far more power than he had now.
Vincent had decided he would spend the next few months focusing on training.
Thanks to the Saitama Physique, his strength would only continue to skyrocket.
Unlike everyone else, who needed to enter the Zones and complete dangerous missions to grow stronger, he could train steadily and improve every day.
The Zone wasn't going anywhere. There was no need to rush.
Seeing Autumn furrow her brows thoughtfully, Vincent offered, "You could do the same. Sit through the Zone 5 classes first, then decide. Like Professor Joe said, since Zone 4 offers Devil Fruits as rewards, it's a major opportunity. It's not something to take lightly."
Autumn nodded, her expression softening. "Okay. I'll listen to you."
And just like that, time flew by.
Three months passed in the blink of an eye.
Vincent's daily life was surprisingly relaxed. He spent less than an hour a day on training, then had the rest of the day to himself.
Sometimes, he'd even go on casual dates with Autumn Summer. Their relationship had been heating up steadily. Though they hadn't made anything official, they were already acting like a couple in every way but name.
Of course, a few noteworthy things had happened during those three months.
The most significant?
Terry Yan finally made his move to take revenge on Walter Wayne.
And failed.
According to Terry's own account, he managed to sever one of Walter's arms. But just when he was about to finish the job, Walter was rescued by a mysterious figure.
Rumor had it that Walter had joined some shady organization, one that operated in the shadows.
When Vincent heard the news, he was left speechless.
No wonder Terry had been cornered so badly before. His sense of judgment was severely lacking.
Who screws up a revenge assassination?
Vincent made a mental note.
Once he uncovered Walter Wayne's current whereabouts, he'd handle it himself.
And as for the Harper and Damon Families, he hadn't forgotten them either.
When the time was right and his power had grown even more, he'd go pay them a personal visit and ask if they were getting tired of living.
Three months later…
Vincent's stats had soared to terrifying heights.
Name: Vincent Fox
Race: Human
Physique: 3253
Spirit: 966
Strength: 3249
Agility: 3011
Bloodline: Saitama Physique (Awakened)
Talent: Blazing Flame
Skill: Descent of the Demon God (Upgradeable)
Passive Ability: Danger Sense
This was Vincent's current status.
Absolutely monstrous.
The Saitama Physique was as absurd as ever. The longer he trained, the more gains he received from each session.
Even though the exercises felt easier and easier for him, the results only became more exaggerated.
Now, all three of his primary stats had broken through the 3000 mark.
Even his Spirit attribute was approaching 1000.
Insane.
Sure, there might be individuals somewhere on Earth who had higher stats in one specific category.
But if you looked at overall attributes?
Vincent could probably one-shot every other human on the planet.
Let's break it down.
The average adult male has around 10 points in each stat.
Vincent's strength and physique were now more than 320 times that.
To put it in perspective, a full-strength punch from an average man generates about 100 kilograms of force.
Vincent's punch?
Over 60,000 kilograms.
More than 60 metric tons.
Vincent hadn't tested just how destructive his punches were lately.
But based on his estimates, if he threw a serious punch, he could probably reduce a mountain to rubble.
"Winter break's coming up. It's about time I head into Zone 4."
"With the strength I have now, I should be considered a top-tier powerhouse even in the world of One Piece."
Vincent murmured to himself, "Hopefully, I'll get a Devil Fruit with flight abilities this time…"
Having made up his mind, Vincent packed up lightly, grabbed his student ID, and left campus.
Alone, he made his way toward Forbidden Zone #4.
He wasn't worried about getting ambushed either.
In fact, he was hoping someone would be stupid enough to try.
He'd been itching to test out just how strong he'd become.
If anyone dared try to assassinate him now?
Perfect.
They'd make excellent test dummies.
----------------------------------------------------
The deeper he goes, the more the truth unravels. Don't wait read ahead and witness Vincent's rise before the world catches up!
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