Chapter 11: The Deception Begins
New Recruit Training Ground.
Zephyr glanced at the time and roared at the sweating recruits: "Everyone stop, that's all for now! Assemble on time at 6:30 PM. Dismissed!"
The recruits, who had been training all day, cheered and immediately pushed and shoved their way towards the cafeteria. Ain and Binz stood still. It wasn't that they weren't hungry, but today they were going to visit the injured Karl.
"Ain, Binz, you two come with this old man!"
"Yes, Teacher Zephyr!"
The two followed closely behind Zephyr, heading towards the Marine hospital. As the hospital got closer, Binz felt conflicted. He whispered to Ain: "Hey, Ain, do you think Karl will hold a grudge? After all, I injured him so badly."
Ain pursed her lower lip, recalling the lively and cheerful Karl from the recruit ship. She shook her head: "I... I'm not too sure either. But based on Brother Karl's personality, he probably won't hold a grudge."
"Phew~ That's good..." Binz immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
Soon, the three of them walked into the hospital and arrived at Karl's room. The door was open, and Zephyr walked straight in without a second thought.
"Karl, how's your recovery... Ho~"
Zephyr froze mid-sentence, his eyes wide, pointing at Karl and speechless for a long moment. Ain and Binz looked on in confusion, until they saw Karl and Monica inside the room. They froze too.
Karl, wearing only a pair of blue shorts, was sitting lazely in a chair by the window, a cigar in his right hand, a newspaper in his left, with his legs crossed.
Faint traces of lipstick marks were visible on his fair face. Monica stood behind him like a gentle little wife, kneading his shoulders.
When Zephyr suddenly burst in, he and Monica froze as if petrified. Karl stared dumbfounded at Zephyr, not even noticing the cigar ash falling onto his leg.
Monica reacted a bit faster, quickly pulling her hands back and hiding them behind her, her expression somewhat awkward.
"Cough cough cough~ Ouch! Nurse Monica, why do I suddenly feel a tightness in my chest? Quick, help me to the bed, I need to rest for a bit!"
Seeing Monica not reacting, Karl looked embarrassed. He stubbed out the cigar himself, staggered over to the bed, lay down, and pulled the covers up.
"Stop pretending, Karl! So you did it on purpose? You've been deceiving this old man all along, just to skip training, is that it?"
Connecting this with Karl's strange behavior since entering the camp, Zephyr quickly put the pieces together. That kid did it on purpose! And this behavior felt strangely familiar... That's right, it was just like that bastard Kizaru!
The two of them must have learned their training-dodging methods from the same master! No wonder Karl, who clearly had a physique far superior to Binz, could be injured so badly! Did he really think this old man was a fool?
Zephyr's furious roar echoed in the hospital room. Binz and Ain trembled in fear.
Monica looked worriedly at the enraged Zephyr, then at Karl, who didn't dare make a sound.
She gathered her courage and said to Zephyr: "Mr. Zephyr, please keep your voice down. This is a hospital, not a training ground. Please don't disturb the patient's rest!"
Karl let out a long sigh and said, "Monica, you should go out first."
Looking at Karl's serious expression, Monica's eyes flickered, as if she wanted to say something. But she chose to obey, giving Karl a "good luck" glance before clacking out of the room.
"Huu~"
Zephyr's chest heaved. After being told off by Monica, he calmed down. He looked at Karl with an expressionless face and said: "You've been living quite comfortably these past few days of 'illness'! It seems this old man's training camp has been keeping you from your leisure."
Karl scratched his head in embarrassment. Why did Zephyr's words sound so... Kizaru-like?
"Uh, Instructor Zephyr, you're overthinking it. I just felt like I was about to get rusty from lying down, so I asked Nurse Monica to help me loosen up. It's definitely not what you're thinking."
"Hmph!"
Zephyr snorted coldly. He didn't believe a single word Karl said now.
"This old man doesn't care about that. Since you've pretty much recovered, get yourself back to the training camp as soon as possible. Don't forget, you've missed an entire week of training!"
"For the remaining time, this old man will personally supervise you. I will absolutely not give you another chance to pull any tricks!"
Oh no! Karl's heart skipped a beat, his mind racing. If Zephyr really did that, he could forget about completing his daily and career missions.
But he couldn't blame him. Zephyr, as the General Instructor, saw his potential and wanted to guide him onto the right path, to see him succeed. Was he wrong for that?
No! On the contrary, he was doing a great job. The countless Marine elites he had trained were proof of that.
"Sigh~ Teacher Zephyr, I'll be honest with you. I actually have a special training method, but I can only tell you about it."
After speaking, Karl glanced at Ain and Binz standing near the door. Zephyr subconsciously thought Karl was about to spout more nonsense, but his heart softened when he saw Karl's serious gaze.
He thought about how Karl had easily cured his chronic asthma that had plagued him for years. Maybe there really was something special about him?
After some thought, he decided to give Karl one more chance. If Karl spouted nonsense again, he would immediately drag him out of that hospital bed, take him to the training ground, and train him to death!
"You two, get out!"
"Yes, Teacher Zephyr!"
Ain and Binz didn't hesitate for a second and immediately turned and left.
"Bang!"
Zephyr closed the door, turned around, and stared at Karl with his arms crossed.
"It's like this, Teacher Zephyr. After I gained my Devil Fruit ability, I discovered that the power of Holy Light isn't just for healing and enhancement. It can also strengthen my physique!"
After speaking, Karl stood up. His body emitted a faint golden glow, like a deity descending. He then slowly closed his eyes and began to breathe rhythmically.
Secretly, Karl immediately used an attribute enhancement card to strengthen his Physique. A warm current instantly surged through his body, and his Physique improved from E to E+.
A breakthrough?
Karl thought he would need to use a few more cards, but it turned out he was just one step away!
The golden glow gradually faded. Karl opened his eyes and looked at Zephyr with a smile, thinking that with Zephyr's discerning eye, he should be able to tell... right?
The moment Karl's physique broke through, Zephyr's expression changed. He had been immersed in martial arts for many years and knew physique better than anyone. He had just clearly sensed that Karl's physical condition seemed to have undergone a transformation.
Could it be true, as Karl said, that his ability could strengthen his own physique? No, that wasn't right. Karl's ability could provide an enhancement effect, but it only lasted for an hour at most, unless...
"Karl, let this old man test your strength!"
Zephyr let out a soft shout. His developed muscles bulged, as if cast from steel.
Karl's gaze hardened. It was Tekkai! He was using Tekkai!
"Teacher Zephyr, please excuse my poor performance!"
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