Crack!Crack!Crack!
The whips lashed again and again, striking Adrian Black's body. The sharp cracks echoed through the clearing, each one a test of his will.
"Hold on!" he growled through clenched teeth.
The pain was savage, burning through him like fire. Part of him wanted to cry out, to beg his brothers to stop — but his will was iron. He circulated the first layer of the Sword God Body Tempering Art, forcing the warmth of blood to soothe the agony, and endured.
At last, after half an hour, the senior brothers' arms trembled with exhaustion. Sweat dripped from their brows, their breaths ragged.
"Stop," Adrian ordered at last.
They lowered their whips, relief plain on their faces. Adrian's body was a map of welts and cuts, his skin raw and bloody, even his face marred by lash marks.
"Senior Brother, are you all right?" Marcus asked, concern etched in his heavy features.
Adrian forced a smile. "I'm fine."
The others watched in disbelief as, before their eyes, his wounds began to seal. Within half an hour, every lash mark was gone. Only the flakes of shed skin and blood left on the ground proved the torment had been real.
"Bring the roasted meat," Adrian said calmly, though his stomach roared in hunger.
Moments later, Caleb, their third brother, pushed a cart piled high with roasted meat.
"Senior Brother, the food you asked for," Caleb said, still looking shaken.
Adrian tore into the meat with ravenous hunger. The cart was stacked with a load three times his body weight, yet he devoured every bite.
Marcus and the others stared at him as though at a monster. They had never seen a human eat like that.
When he finished, Adrian stood tall, fire in his eyes. "One day, I'll set sail. I'll form a pirate crew, carve my name into the seas, and claim the title of the world's greatest swordsman. You are my brothers — if you want to follow me, then train. Become strong. Because if you're weak, I won't take you."
The words struck them like lightning.
"That's great!" Marcus bellowed, eyes gleaming. "I want to sail too! I'll train harder than ever, Senior Brother. When the time comes, I'll follow you to the sea!"
Caleb nodded quickly. "Me too. I'll work hard and grow stronger."
Adrian smirked. "Good. Then let's work hard together."
Training resumed. He hefted a boulder three thousand meters across the field, hoisted it over his head, and leapt in frog jumps with the crushing weight. He trained until his body screamed, then circulated the Body Tempering Art to erase his fatigue, and began sword practice anew.
But his blade was no longer a simple iron sword. In his hands now was a massive greatsword weighing a thousand jin. He gripped it with both hands and began practicing a single motion — the basic lift. One strike, repeated endlessly, to perfection.
A Year and a Half Later
Two years had passed since Adrian's awakening. The changes were staggering. His Observation Haki had sharpened, his physique hardened, his swordsmanship refined beyond recognition. He was no longer the boy he had been.
But one truth gnawed at him. "In two years, I've become stronger. Much stronger. But I've never truly fought. I have no real combat experience."
He stood in the dojo's yard, satisfied yet restless.
"Senior Brother!" Caleb came running, panic on his face. "It's terrible! Pirates are here! Master says we're to hide and not go out."
Adrian steadied him with a hand on his shoulder. "If Master told us to hide, then what about him?"
Caleb swallowed. "Master went to meet them. Don't worry. He's strong. He's defended Falcon Isle from pirates before."
Adrian's eyes narrowed. A pirate invasion… the perfect chance to test himself. "You stay here. I'll check on Master."
"Wait—Senior Brother!" Caleb cried, but Adrian was already gone, sprinting toward the port.
He crouched behind a crumbling wall near the docks, watching as the pirate ship loomed into the harbor.
"Boss," one pirate cackled, a knife glinting in his hand, "this island might fly the Marine's flag, but they'll never reach us in time. We plunder fast, then run. The treasure's ours."
The captain laughed, raising a heavy saber. "Hahaha! That's right. Quick and clean. Little ones, go! Kill, burn, plunder — take everything!"
The pirates roared, greed and bloodlust twisting their faces. They leapt from their ship in a frenzy, blades ready.
But at the port stood a single man. Master Louis.
The pirates jeered. "An old man? Hahaha, he's all that's guarding this place?"
They charged. Five men rushed him, their blades swinging down.
A heartbeat later, screams tore the air. All five fell, hearts pierced in the same instant.
Louis's expression didn't change. "Pirates. Leave now, or die."
The weight of his killing intent crushed the mob into silence. Their captain's grin faltered. They had expected easy slaughter, not a wall of steel.
From his hiding place, Adrian's eyes widened. "So Master… is this your strength? He's never sparred with me, but… this power… even that pirate captain can't match him."
His Observation Haki pulsed, reading the battlefield. He could feel it — the pirates were vicious, but their captain was not on Louis's level.
And for the first time, Adrian felt the pull of true combat.