"98, 99, 100, 101…"
At dawn, Sengoku rubbed his eyes as he woke up. He'd been up late the previous night reviewing documents and only managed to fall asleep past midnight. Still, old habits die hard—he was wide awake the moment the sun began to rise.
But as soon as he stirred, he heard someone outside counting.
Curious, Sengoku opened the porthole and peeked out. There on the deck, Rosinante was in the middle of doing push-ups. His frail body was clearly reaching its limit, his arms trembling and joints creaking. But he didn't stop. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to continue.
"What a hardworking kid."
Sengoku didn't interrupt him. He got up, washed, and stepped out of the cabin. By then, Rosinante had pushed himself past 150 reps. His body was visibly shaking, he'd reached his absolute limit.
"Rosinante!"
THUD!
At the sound of Sengoku's voice, Rosinante lost his concentration and collapsed face-first onto the deck. His shirt was soaked through with sweat.
Sengoku quickly walked over and helped him up. Rosinante's arms were quivering uncontrollably, he'd pushed himself way too far.
"When did you wake up?"
"Not too long ago, Dad." Rosinante said with a grin.
Sengoku frowned slightly. "Morning drills haven't even started yet. Why are you up so early working out?"
"I want to get stronger." Rosinante replied plainly.
Sengoku was moved by the earnestness in his voice, though he couldn't help but sigh. "It's good to be driven, but sacrificing sleep isn't the way. How can you train properly if you're exhausted?"
"I did sleep, Dad!"
Rosinante beamed. "I made a breakthrough last night while experimenting with my Devil Fruit. I discovered one of the Silence-Silence Fruit's greatest abilities, it helps me fall into a deep sleep instantly!"
"Deep sleep?" Sengoku echoed, puzzled by the unfamiliar term.
"Yup! Back when I was drifting around, I passed through an island where a scientist was researching sleep. He told me that although most people sleep for six to eight hours, only about 25% of that time is spent in true deep sleep. The rest is light or moderate sleep, which barely helps the body recover."
"It's that 1.5 to 2 hours of deep sleep that actually eliminates fatigue. I realized that by using my Devil Fruit powers, I could silence everything around me—my surroundings, even my own thoughts, and enter deep sleep almost instantly."
"That means I only need about two hours of sleep each day to get the same recovery as someone who sleeps for eight!"
Rosinante flashed a wide grin, his teeth gleaming. "So now, I've got six extra hours each day to train! Heh heh…"
Who said the Silence-Silence Fruit was useless? Helping someone achieve deep sleep was a huge deal, if that person was willing to work hard. Give that power to a lazy bum, and it'd be a total waste.
"Deep sleep, huh? That's fascinating." Sengoku said, clearly impressed. "And you figured all that out in just one night? You really are a little genius."
He looked at Rosinante with genuine admiration. The kid showed traits that promised a brilliant future, a future where he could become a truly formidable warrior.
"Thanks for the compliment, Dad!"
Rosinante grinned, clearly elated by Sengoku's praise. But Sengoku reached out and patted his head.
"Still, I need to scold you for one thing."
"Huh? What is it?"
Rosinante looked at him, puzzled.
"Being diligent is great, but your body's too frail right now. Years of living on the run have left you seriously malnourished. At this point, it's not just about training—it's about rebuilding your foundation. Overexerting yourself like this every day will only do long-term damage."
"Ah!"
Rosinante's face turned pale with worry.
Sengoku chuckled and patted his shoulder. "Relax. I'll put together a proper training regimen for you, and we'll prepare a special nutritional plan to restore what your body's missing. You'll bounce back in no time."
"Really?! That's amazing! Thanks, Dad!"
Rosinante beamed with joy. Just then, Sengoku turned and shouted toward the cabin:
"Karp!"
"Mmph? Are we at Marineford already?"
Garp poked his head out of the window, groggy and half-asleep.
Sengoku shouted back, "Not yet. But I've got a job for you."
"A job? What now, another pirate you want me to pummel?"
"Not a pirate. I want you to go hunt a Sea King. I need its meat to help Rosinante recover his strength."
Garp blinked, then groaned. "I refuse, unless you buy me rice crackers for a week!"
"You… Garp, that's extortion! I'll give you one day's worth, no more!"
"Six days!"
"Two!"
"Five!"
"Three, Garp. Final offer. If you say no, I'll go hunt the Sea King myself."
Garp sighed and waved his hand. "Fine, fine. Three it is."
With that, he tossed aside his Justice cape, flung open the cabin door, and launched himself into the air using Moonwalk. Though this wasn't a Sea King hotspot, a Calm Belt—prime Sea King territory was only thirty nautical miles away.
"Uh… Garp-ossan just flew off like that? Shouldn't we send a boat to back him up?"
Rosinante stared at Garp's shrinking figure.
Sengoku waved his hand dismissively. "No need. That guy's stamina is monstrous. A mere thirty nautical miles? He'll be back before you know it."
"Wow, that's amazing. Hey Dad, that flying move Garp used just now—what was it?"
"Oh, that's Moonwalk, one of the Navy's Six Powers."
"Navy's Six Powers? Can I learn it too, Dad?"
Sengoku smiled. "Of course. But only once your body's strong enough to handle it."
"Got it, Dad!"
Rosinante nodded firmly. The idea of walking through the sky, how cool was that?
An hour later, Rosinante's stamina had mostly recovered, though his arms were still aching and trembling. Push-ups were out of the question for now, so after getting Sengoku's approval, he switched to squats to train his legs.
He had barely passed two hundred when something massive appeared on the horizon, looming across the surface of the sea. And in front of that giant shape… a lone swimmer cutting through the water.
"It's Garp! Vice Admiral Garp has returned!"
As Rosinante stood there confused, the Marine lookout shouted the news from the crow's nest.
(End of Chapter)
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