Two days later.
The sun was bright, the skies clear.
A massive Marine warship slowly sailed across the distant sea.
The tranquil surface was split apart by its hull, ripples spreading and sparkling across the water before fading into the horizon.
The sea breeze blew gently.
The white seagull flag high above the mast fluttered proudly—a symbol that struck fear into countless pirates across the seas.
On the deck,
Kai trained as usual, doing his relentless, grueling "devil-style" workout—this time under a five-hundred-kilogram load.
Beads of sweat, the size of soybeans, rolled down his forehead.
Drip.
Drip.
Sweat slid down his cheeks, dripping from his chin and splattering on the deck below.
He was drenched from head to toe; his shirt clung tightly to his skin, soaked through, outlining the sharp, muscular contours of his body.
The blazing sun scattered brilliant golden light,
while the sea breeze, warmed by sunlight, brushed softly across his face.
"Two thousand nine hundred and ninety-four!"
"Two thousand nine hundred and ninety-five!"
"Two thousand nine hundred and ninety-six!"
"…"
Kai counted silently as he continued his push-ups, eyes half-closed to keep sweat from stinging them.
After two days,
The uproar that had shaken the entire warship—when he'd floored Marine Lieutenant Commander Bogard with just three punches—had finally begun to settle down.
Still…
Everywhere Kai went,
he could feel the hundreds of Marine s aboard the ship watching him with awe and reverence.
It was as if the whole crew had turned into his devoted fans, worshipping him like an idol. Their admiration flowed endlessly, like an unceasing tide.
Thankfully,
after two days,
that strange atmosphere had finally started to fade.
Otherwise, Kai would've gone insane from the attention.
With the mood on the ship returning to normal,
he had thrown himself back into his daily hellish training routine.
Half an hour later—
"Three thousand!"
Kai collapsed heavily onto the deck, his muscles trembling with exhaustion and soreness. His limbs refused to move, and sweat pooled around him, soaking into the planks.
Even with a five-hundred-kilogram load,
he had managed to keep going for a full hour of push-ups.
Just as he finished,
a familiar chime echoed in his head.
[Training complete. Gains: Strength +0.02, Speed +0.001, Stamina +0.001]
[After 100x Training Amplification…]
[Final results: Strength +0.2, Speed +0.1, Stamina +0.1]
Boom—!
A deep rumble echoed within his body.
A warm current surged through his veins, washing through his organs, muscles, bones, and blood.
Kai could feel the fatigue and soreness fading away almost instantly.
Moments later,
the enhancement process ended—
and his overall strength had risen yet again, even if only slightly.
It wasn't much,
but he was more than satisfied.
Huff!
He exhaled deeply, feeling revitalized once again.
Slowly, Kai stood up and walked to the wooden railing at the deck's edge. Resting his hands on it, he gazed out over the boundless blue sea.
Splash… splash…
Waves slapped against the hull as the wind danced over the water.
"System, show my status panel."
At his thought, the familiar data appeared before him.
[Host: Kai]
[Strength: 30.2 (+3.1)]
[Speed: 25.9 (+2.7)]
[Stamina: 31.3 (+2.8)]
[Spirit: 15.3 (+0.4)]
[Demon's Back Completion: 10.54%]
[Training Efficiency Multiplier: x100]
Seeing his updated stats, Kai smiled in satisfaction.
Effort never goes unrewarded—
This was proof of his hard work over the past few days.
In addition…
His fight with Lieutenant Commander Bogard two days ago had also given him a small boost in strength.
After totaling everything together,
his power had risen by a noticeable margin.
The progress might not look exaggerated,
but it was still impressive—
especially considering how much harder it became to grow stronger at his level.
"In just a few days…
I've already surpassed my old self,"
he murmured, clenching his fists, feeling the surging power within.
His mood soared.
Over these past two days,
not only had the entire crew's attitude toward him changed dramatically,
but Bogard's injuries had also largely healed.
They hadn't been life-threatening to begin with—
and with his robust physique and some medical care,
he'd recovered in just a few days.
Kai had held back during their duel.
If he hadn't,
Bogard would've been bedridden for months.
It was just a sparring match, after all—
He wasn't some bloodthirsty killer.
Against true enemies, he could be ruthless.
But toward comrades like Bogard,
He knew how to hold back.
Otherwise, Vice Admiral Garp might've assigned him a psychologist himself.
Violence didn't mean madness.
"Other than my physical stats improving,"
he mused,
"my mastery over the Rokushiki and the secret art—Life Return—has become far more refined."
"Judging from what the old man said before…
I probably already have the strength of a Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral!"
His eyes narrowed slightly.
If converted into pirate terms, his combat power would equal that of a pirate with a bounty of roughly sixty million berries.
And the gap to a hundred million…
wasn't that far anymore.
In this older era,
Even among the future Shichibukai, few had bounties that high.
Which meant—
Kai's current strength was already terrifying.
Huff.
With a light exhale, he closed the status panel.
"With the strength I have now…
even on the Grand Line, I wouldn't be counted among the weak,"
he muttered to himself.
"I might not be at the very top yet—
but I'm already close."
Of course,
he was referring to the first half of the Grand Line,
not the second half—the terrifying sea known as the New World.
He pushed aside his thoughts and turned to leave the railing—
—but suddenly froze.
His eyes narrowed,
his expression shifted to one of disbelief.
In the distance, across the vast blue sea…
He saw something utterly impossible.
At the far edge of the horizon,
a figure was riding a bicycle—
across the ocean's surface—
heading straight toward the warship.
Closer and closer,
the image became clearer.
Yes—
There was someone riding a bike on the sea!
It wasn't an illusion.
Kai could see it clearly.
The man pedaled calmly across the waves, unaffected by the water,
his tires gliding over a path of ice.
"This… this is…"
Kai's pupils contracted sharply as a name flashed through his mind.
If his guess was right—
there was only one man in the world capable of such a thing.
Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral—Kuzan, the 'Aokiji'!
A Logia-type Ice-Ice Fruit user.
A monster of overwhelming strength—
one of the Marine's future top powers.
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