With every repetition, Kai felt an undeniable surge of power. The simple act of a push-up, a mundane exercise he had grudgingly performed in gym class back on Earth, had become a miraculous conduit for strength. He could feel the individual fibers in his pectoral muscles and triceps straining, tearing, and then instantly rebuilding themselves, becoming denser and more powerful than they were a moment before.
(This is absolutely insane. It's not just a feeling. I can actually sense my body getting stronger with every single push-up.)
The transformation was happening at a pace that defied all logic, so fast it was almost visible to the naked eye. He paused after a set of ten, his breath barely winded, and stared at his arms under the dim, oppressive light of the prison cell. The muscles in his forearms and biceps seemed to pulse with a life of their own, sculpting themselves with each contraction into forms of perfect, streamlined definition. It was astonishing. His arms, which had been ordinary just minutes ago, already looked a size bigger, the lines of muscle becoming flawless and sharp.
It was not the bulky, almost grotesque physique of a professional bodybuilder, bloated and impractical. Instead, his body was honing itself into something far more dangerous. It was a physique built for combat, sleek and efficient, reminiscent of the powerful fighters he remembered from the world of One Piece, men like Zoro or Shanks whose incredible strength was housed in athletic, streamlined frames.
(This is perfect. I was never a fan of that overly bulky look anyway. This is the kind of body that's built for speed and power, not just for show.)
He allowed himself a small, triumphant smile, a rare expression in this pit of despair. He flexed, admiring his own progress in the faint reflection on a puddle of grimy water on the floor. The short workout had already begun to transform his entire upper body, carving out his abdominal muscles from nothing and drastically increasing his core strength. He struck a cheesy bodybuilding pose, glancing over his shoulder at the newly defined muscles across his back, and nodded with grim satisfaction. The despair that had been crushing him just moments ago was beginning to evaporate, replaced by a burning, incandescent hope.
(With this 100x training effect, everything has changed. I don't have to wait three or four years for Luffy's chaotic jailbreak. I can get out of here on my own terms. I can forge my own path.)
He quickly reigned in his excitement, forcing a deep, calming breath.
(Okay, calm down. I can't get arrogant. That's a quick way to die in this world. This power is a miracle, but I'm still weak. I need more time. I have to train, lay low, and be patient until I'm strong enough to smash my way out.)
His sudden, vigorous activity had not gone unnoticed. From the multi-person cell directly across the narrow hall, a voice grumbled, thick with cynicism. "Hey, new guy. What's with all the effort? You think the guards are going to let you go for good behavior?"
The speaker was a burly man with a matted beard and a lazy eye, a pirate named Griz who had been locked away for years. He lay on his back, scratching his ample belly.
Kai paused mid-push-up, sweat dripping from his chin onto the cold stone floor. "Just trying to pass the time," he replied, his voice steady. "It's better than staring at the walls and waiting to rot, right?"
Griz let out a deep, rumbling laugh that was utterly devoid of humor. "Is that what you think? Give it a week, kid. This place has a way of draining the fight out of you. You'll be staring at the walls just like the rest of us soon enough."
Kai didn't reply. He just smiled to himself and got back to his routine, the cynical laughter from the other cell serving only as fuel for his fire.
(Let them laugh. They don't know my secret. They've given up. I'm just getting started.)
He began to formulate a more structured plan.
(Being stuck on Level 1, the Crimson Hell, is actually a huge advantage. The Marines think everyone here is just small-fry, worthless pirates who pose no real threat. That's why the security is the most lax. I'm not shackled or restrained by Seastone. I can move freely within my own cell. That makes training not just possible, but easy. Escaping from here will be a world away from trying to break out of the frozen hell of Level 5 or the inferno of Level 4.)
He decided to model his workout on a simple yet brutally effective routine he remembered from a story on his old world, the one supposedly used by the hero Saitama.
First, 100 push-ups to forge the strength of his upper body.
Then, 100 squats to build a powerful foundation in his legs.
Next, 100 sit-ups to armor his torso and develop an unbreakable core.
Finally, since his cell was far too small for a ten-kilometer run, Kai substituted it with 100 explosive frog jumps, aiming to build the kind of leg power that could launch him across battlefields.
With every single movement, with every strained muscle and drop of sweat, Kai felt his power climbing at an astonishing rate. The explosive growth was most obvious during those first few days. By the end of the third day, he felt he had already surpassed the peak physical condition of any normal human from his old world. But he knew, in the grand scheme of this world, he was still nothing. He was still prey.
And then, he felt it. The rate of his improvement began to slow. The exhilarating, meteoric rise in power started to level off.
(What's happening? The feeling is less intense now. It's because my starting point was so pathetically weak. The 100x effect gave me a colossal boost to get me started. But now that my base strength has increased, the same simple workout isn't pushing my body hard enough to trigger the same dramatic results.)
Frustration pricked at him. He needed to adapt. He needed to increase the difficulty. He began to experiment, turning his cell into a laboratory for strength. His push-ups evolved from standard form to wide-grip, narrow-grip, and eventually, incredibly difficult one-handed and handstand variations. He found ways to make his sit-ups harder, twisting his body to engage his obliques. He started doing pistol squats, balancing on one leg. The intensity of his training multiplied.
Across the hall, Griz watched the bizarre display in silence. The kid wasn't giving up. In fact, he was getting stronger. It was subtle at first, but now it was undeniable. The new guy's frame was thicker, his movements sharper. There was a dangerous energy coming off him that hadn't been there a week ago.
Still, Kai knew the limitations.
"This isn't enough," Kai whispered to himself, his voice a low, intense hiss in the oppressive quiet of his cell. "Training with just my own body weight will only get me so far. To break through the real ceilings of power in this world, I need more. I need equipment. I need a real teacher. And most of all, I need to fight."
Griz grunted from his cell. "Talking to yourself now, kid? I told you this place gets to you eventually."
Kai ignored him, his mind racing miles ahead.
(Just training like a fool isn't enough to escape Impel Down. This isn't a simple gym. This is one of the World Government's three great strongholds. This world has legendary, systematic training methods that I need to learn. The Marines' Rokushiki, the Six Powers. That's what I need. It's not just a set of six moves. It's a complete system for transcending human limits. Soru for high-speed movement, Geppo to kick the air and fly, Tekkai to make the body as hard as iron... they have ways to train every single muscle, every bone, every sinew in the body to its absolute peak.)
He possessed none of that knowledge. He was just training blindly, throwing everything at the wall and hoping his 100x cheat would make it stick. It was working, yes, but it wasn't efficient.
(A proper training method would make my progress explode. But even that isn't the most important thing. I need combat experience. Raw strength is useless if you don't know how to use it. To escape, I'll have to fight. I'll have to face down guards armed with spears and swords, monstrous Jailer Beasts, the chief guards, and maybe even the Warden himself. What good is all this muscle if I freeze up the first time a blade is pointed at my throat? I need to know how to fight, how to take a hit, how to kill.)
His thoughts inevitably turned to the terrifying master of Impel Down.
(And above all else, I need to learn Haki. Without it, Warden Magellan and his Venom-Venom Fruit are practically invincible. I remember it from the story. His poison is a creeping cloud of absolute death. Normal attacks can't even get close to him. Without Armament Haki to coat my body and strike him, I can't even touch him. And Observation Haki... the ability to sense attacks before they happen... that would be essential for sensing the guards, avoiding traps, and surviving the chaos of a full-scale breakout.)