One year later.
Marine Headquarters—Marineford.
Ten kilometers to the southeast—
A remote stretch of barren mountains and wilderness.
A massive scientific research institute stood there, imposing and solemn.
At the entrance, two elite Marines in uniform stood guard—fully equipped, strict and unmoving.
Inside the institute—
Everything was spotless, snow-white, clean enough to sting the eyes.
The air was cool and faintly fragrant, refreshing and calming.
In one sealed chamber after another, researchers in white coats worked with full focus, each absorbed in their tasks.
It was quiet here.
A place for research could never be as noisy as a marketplace.
Inside one particular sealed chamber—
At its center—
Stood an enormous capsule.
Its entire body was built with a strong sense of technology.
Beneath it, colorful pipes fed into the structure, and thick webs of wires connected across its frame.
The capsule was forged from a special material—smooth as jade, silver in color.
Five meters tall. Four meters wide.
At its center was a transparent liquid-crystal window, letting outsiders see everything inside.
At this moment—
The interior flashed wildly with dazzling currents.
Crackling, destructive arcs of electricity roamed through the capsule like living lightning.
In a space like this…
If an ordinary person stepped in, they would be annihilated in an instant—body and soul shredded by a single arc.
The current intensity was too terrifying.
Even a powerful Marine officer would likely collapse the moment they entered.
And yet—
In this environment—
A shirtless boy stood inside.
Eyes closed.
His body was being struck by endless lightning, loud crackling filling the chamber.
Zzz—zzz—zzz!
Currents that felt like they carried world-ending power attempted to destroy him, repeatedly burrowing into his flesh.
Not only did they stimulate the surface of his skin—
They even rode the air he inhaled, slipping into his body, trying to tear apart his organs from the inside.
But the terrifying part was—
Under such ultra-intense stimulation, the boy showed no abnormal reaction.
No pain.
Instead…
There was a look of bliss on his face.
Not suffering—
Enjoying it.
Yes.
Inside this ultra-intense electrical hell, the boy was enjoying the sting in his flesh and the stabbing pain in his organs.
Visible to the naked eye—
His hair was scorched and standing up from the electricity.
There were burn marks across his body.
Yet strangely, the currents still couldn't penetrate past his skin.
They could only leave shallow surface injuries.
Nothing more.
Outside the capsule—
Inside the control room—
The researchers stared with eyes full of shock at the boy within.
One by one, they stood as if petrified.
The overwhelming awe in their hearts made their bodies tremble.
"C-Captain… is this really okay?"
"This is…"
"Level Ten current stimulation!"
"Mr. Kai… he's really not going to be hurt?"
"If something happens to him, we're finished…"
The researchers spoke with shaking voices.
The team leader took a deep breath and forced down his fear.
"Don't panic. Observe carefully."
"The only thing we can do…"
"Is trust Mr. Kai."
"He wouldn't gamble with his life."
That's right.
The boy enduring this ultra-intense stimulation inside the capsule—
Was Kai.
"Level Ten current…"
"Even a Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral would pass out and suffocate the moment they stepped inside!"
"And Mr. Kai… can endure it?!"
Unbelievable.
Impossible to imagine how strong Kai's body had become.
The researchers stared in trembling awe.
"When Mr. Kai first demanded Level Ten, I thought he'd gone mad."
"But I never expected…"
"He really can endure it."
At the start, the capsule had only reached Level Five—already the maximum the institute could create.
But half a year ago, after Kai fully adapted to Level Five—
The capsule had to be upgraded again.
Otherwise, it couldn't keep up with Kai's training intensity.
So, after intense overtime work by dozens of researchers—
In just half a month, the capsule's current intensity was raised to Level Ten.
From Level Five—
Straight to Level Ten.
This capsule was the product of countless sleepless nights and the combined effort of dozens of researchers.
And beyond Level Ten…
They simply couldn't go.
Level Ten was their absolute limit.
To break higher would require technology far beyond what they could touch.
And with the capsule upgraded to Level Ten—
Kai needed only half a year…
To fully adapt to Level Nine.
And today—
He was challenging Level Ten.
The highest setting.
That shocking feat left every researcher speechless.
Because Kai was only five years old.
Five years old—yet daring to try the strongest stimulation the capsule could produce.
His courage alone earned their respect.
Over the past year, their respect for Kai had long since stopped being about his identity.
Now it was purely—
Respect for his effort.
Respect for his strength.
Respect for his talent.
In every aspect—talent, power, courage, discipline—
Kai had completely conquered the entire institute.
"Mr. Kai…"
"Truly is a monster without precedent."
Seeing Kai endure Level Ten without showing the slightest pain, the researchers finally loosened their tight nerves and sighed in awe.
"Terrifying."
"In my life, I've never seen a genius this frightening."
"No wonder Mr. Kai is called…"
"The Marines' most monstrous prodigy in history."
"Across hundreds of years of the sea, only a handful could even be mentioned in the same breath."
Then someone asked timidly:
"It's been a full year."
"How strong do you think Mr. Kai is now?"
The room went cold.
No one dared imagine the answer.
This year, Kai's effort—
They had all witnessed it.
He was a training demon.
Any moment he wasn't busy—
He was training.
Even they couldn't achieve that kind of discipline.
Someone finally asked the question everyone was afraid of:
"Captain… do you think Mr. Kai's combat power can match a Marine Vice Admiral?"
The researchers' pupils shrank.
The team leader stared at Kai inside the capsule, inhaled deeply, and answered slowly.
"I can't say for sure."
"But I believe… he has already reached Vice Admiral-level combat power."
"Because you all saw it."
"How hard Mr. Kai trained this year."
"And he already had terrifying talent to begin with."
"Now add our electrotherapy training…"
"With a monster like him…"
"It's hard not to become stronger."
The moment those words landed—
Everyone sucked in a cold breath.
"A five-year-old with Vice Admiral combat power…?"
"Good lord…"
"That's beyond terrifying."
"Completely unprecedented!"
"He's shattered every record the Marines have had for hundreds of years!"
"And I don't think anyone will ever break this record for the next thousand years."
"Mr. Kai… has done something no one before or after him can ever repeat!"
A monster of this level—
Was never something ordinary people could judge with common sense.
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