The special training program Kojin had proudly dubbed the 'Asura Hell Training Camp' began the very next morning.
From Kuma's point of view, its purpose was simple: help this group of promising young people perform better in the coming war and increase their chances of surviving. The goal was admirable.
As for the process... he had no idea what Kojin had in mind.
The morning sun rose over the training grounds. As golden light filtered through the trees, crystal-clear drops of dew fell from the leaves.
Lined up in perfect formation stood rows of Marines in standard uniforms, each standing ramrod straight and completely motionless. Squeezed into the ranks were Koby and Helmeppo, both visibly nervous.
Koby swallowed hard. 'Asura Hell Training... Why do I have to go through something like this all of a sudden...?'
He had originally thought that after arriving at Headquarters, he would begin training under Vice Admiral Garp. Instead, he had somehow ended up here... under the command of the senior brother he feared the most.
Helmeppo glanced around at the others before whispering, "Koby. These people... they all look terrifying. Especially the ones standing in the front row."
Koby looked where he was pointing. The people at the front all wore expressions as cold as steel, standing perfectly still without moving an inch. The towering figure on the far left caught both of their attention.
"One of the Seven Warlords... Gecko Moria!" Helmeppo's voice trembled. "Why is someone that famous in this training camp?"
Koby silently shook his head. He couldn't believe it either, a temporary special training class that even included one of the Seven Warlords.
"And I heard the people next to him used to be members of the World Government's Cipher Pol," Helmeppo added, his voice shaking even harder. "Admiral Kojin personally recruited them. They were all ruthless killers."
Koby took a deep breath. Bogard had mentioned it yesterday: this hastily assembled training camp was filled with powerful people. There were infamous pirates, former Cipher Pol agents, and rising stars of the Marines. No matter how he looked at it, this was no ordinary training camp.
Just then, two figures walked onto the field.
The man in front wore a Marine uniform. He had short black hair, a powerfully built frame, and muscles that looked ready to burst through his clothes. It was Admiral Kojin.
Following silently behind him was an enormous man with an expressionless face, looking like a giant bodyguard.
"One of the Seven Warlords... Bartholomew Kuma." Helmeppo was practically shaking all over. "A Warlord... standing behind Senior Brother Kojin like his personal guard..."
The sight hit Koby just as hard. The first time he had met Kojin, he had already realized how unimaginably powerful his senior brother was. But seeing this, he finally understood that the gap between them was probably even greater than he had imagined.
The two men stopped before the assembled trainees.
"I came up with the idea for the Asura Hell Training Camp on a whim," Kojin's voice echoed across the training ground. "Among you are members of Baroque Works, one of the Seven Warlords, former Cipher Pol agents, and the younger generation of Marines."
Koby noticed Kojin glance his way, and his body immediately stiffened as he unconsciously straightened his posture.
"There's something you all need to understand," Kojin continued. "This training will be completely different from anything you've experienced before. The effort you'll have to put in... the pain you'll endure... will be a hundred, a thousand, even ten thousand times greater than anything you've felt before. But the rewards will match the suffering. When this training ends, I believe every one of you will have reached an entirely new level."
Smiling, Kojin swept his gaze across the group. "During this training, Kuma will serve as your medical support officer. He'll remove all your pain and exhaustion."
He paused, a smile spreading across his face that, to everyone watching, looked downright cruel.
"So... as long as you don't die, train like you're trying to."
The expressions of everyone present changed.
Kojin laughed. "Rob Lucci will serve as class leader. Daz Bones will be vice class leader. Now then... Rob Lucci!"
Hearing his name, Lucci stepped forward. "Sir!"
"Training begins now. We'll start with something simple: physical conditioning. Everyone will carry a load equal to five times your own body weight and run laps around the training ground. You'll keep running... until you're completely exhausted, until you physically can't take another step." Kojin bared his teeth in a savage grin.
"Yes, sir!" Lucci's expression didn't change in the slightest.
Everyone else, however, Moria, Perona, Hogback, and the rest, went pale.
"Run until we literally can't run anymore?" Koby's voice trembled. "But... how far is that supposed to be?"
"Who knows?" Helmeppo shivered. "And we're carrying five times our own body weight!"
The truly terrifying part was that this was only the first exercise.
Under Rob Lucci's command, the special training officially began. The weighted packs had already been prepared, and once everyone put them on, clouds of dust quickly rose across the field as they started running.
Kojin folded his arms and silently observed.
Moria was drenched in sweat before long, staggering with every step. Perona complained nonstop. The others were all gritting their teeth and hanging on.
Kojin barely paid attention to Lucci and Daz Bones; both were exceptionally tough, silent men who never slowed down despite being soaked in sweat.
The one who surprised him the most was Koby. Compared to everyone else, Koby had trained for the shortest time, and he had originally been a naturally timid person. Yet when it came to enduring hardship, his determination was remarkable.
Time passed.
'Thud!'
The first trainee collapsed, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Kojin gave a small wave. Kuma stepped forward and pressed a palm against the fallen trainee, causing a crimson bubble to emerge from the man's body. The next instant, the trainee stood back up in complete disbelief, every trace of pain and exhaustion vanished.
"You can train without holding back," Kojin said, smiling calmly at everyone's strange expressions. "Kuma will remove all your pain and fatigue. So... train like your lives depend on it."
Being able to train endlessly without exhaustion or pain... no one knew whether they should feel happy or horrified.
'So this is Senior Brother Kojin's training...' Koby's heart pounded. 'Kuma can literally extract all the pain and fatigue from our bodies, and then we just keep going. It's practically limitless growth. Our bodies are no longer the limiting factor. The only thing that matters now... is willpower.'
Understanding dawned on him instantly. 'In this training camp, as long as your determination is strong enough, becoming stronger is inevitable. No wonder Bogard insisted I join.'
He forced his heavy legs forward, his chest heaving like a bellows as exhaustion flooded through every muscle. Finally, his vision tilted, and he collapsed.
Moments later, he woke up again. The fatigue and pain had all disappeared, replaced by a clear feeling that his body had grown stronger than before.
'I... I'm actually getting stronger this fast?!' Koby's eyes lit up. Without hesitation, he started running again.
Kojin watched everyone in silence. The weakest people would improve the fastest, after all, weakness meant there was the most room to grow. Likewise, those with the strongest wills would gain the greatest rewards.
With Kuma's Devil Fruit supporting them, everyone here had effectively been given a cheat. Pain, fatigue, and injuries no longer mattered; all they had to do was keep pushing past their physical limits.
Time continued to pass.
'Thud!'
Moria collapsed, then stood up again. Soon Kaku, Jabra, Blueno, and the others also dropped one after another. Each time someone fell, Kuma removed their pain and fatigue, and they got right back on their feet to continue training.
Before anyone realized it, evening had arrived. Kojin finally announced the end of the day's training, stating it would resume the following morning.
Everyone let out a sigh of relief, yet strangely, they also felt reluctant for it to end.
"I've gotten so much stronger!" Koby exclaimed excitedly. "I can actually feel my body changing, Helmeppo!"
"Me too!" Helmeppo was just as thrilled. Training without fatigue or pain had accelerated their physical growth to an unbelievable degree.
Meanwhile, Moria stood silently, staring down at his stomach. After just one day, he had already lost weight. More than that, the outline of abdominal muscles had begun to appear. Just yesterday he had been fat, and today he was already on the verge of getting abs.
A slow grin spread across Moria's face. His eyes shone with renewed determination as he slowly clenched his fist.
"Hehihihihihi! Kaido... I'll take back everything I lost. And one day... you'll experience the pain of losing someone precious yourself."
His confidence was finally beginning to return. So this was what it felt like to work hard, it was fulfilling, and it gave him hope.
Watching from the side, Kojin smiled in satisfaction. With Kuma's Devil Fruit supporting them, this group would undoubtedly perform brilliantly in the upcoming Battle of Marineford.
"This... is the true strength of your Devil Fruit. It's ridiculously overpowered, Kuma," Kojin sighed in admiration.
Kuma remained silent. 'So... am I actually better suited to playing support?'
(End of Chapter)
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