"Eh? Mr. Bang? You want us to learn boxing?"
As Asaq turned around, he realized it was indeed Bang (Banggu) standing there.
He hadn't immediately processed what Bang had just said.
"Yeah. Don't tell me you're not interested?"
Bang looked at Asaq and the others with a soft smile.
At this, Asaq, Vians, Ilya, and the others exchanged glances.
But soon, they made a decision.
Although this old man had never shown his true strength since boarding the ship—always presenting a calm, harmless demeanor—they all knew he was personally invited by Captain Kronos.
There was no way he was weak!
And besides, they had already seen examples of true monsters: Pain (the Six Paths), Konan, and Gojo Satoru. All of them were absurdly powerful.
Surely, this Mr. Bang wouldn't be far behind.
Now that he was offering to teach them boxing—how could they refuse?
It might be their chance to become stronger.
"Mr. Bang! If you're willing to teach us, we'd be honored to learn!"
Asaq, having figured it out, nodded eagerly and replied with excitement.
"Hahaha! Good, good! I was afraid none of you young ones would want to learn this old man's craft!"
Bang chuckled heartily, hands behind his back.
Then, he looked at the five of them and said:
"Now then, let me test your fundamentals. Come at me together."
Hearing that, Asaq hesitated, a slight embarrassment on his face.
Bang immediately noticed and gently stroked his white beard with a knowing smile.
"What's wrong? Worried? Don't be. I won't kill you..."
Asaq's expression turned weird.
He was actually hesitating because Bang looked so old—it felt wrong for all five of them to gang up on him.
But then Bang said he wouldn't kill them?!
"No, Mr. Bang… I was actually worried about you. You're quite old, and the five of us together might…"
Before Asaq could finish, Bang realized what he meant—and burst into laughter.
Then, without hesitation, he tore off his shirt.
What was revealed underneath stunned all five of them.
Bang's body was absolutely ripped—muscles hard as stone and built like a war god.
Nobody expected a friendly old man to be hiding a physique like that!
Vians gulped audibly and muttered:
"Uh... I think we're the ones in danger."
"Yeah, same here!"
"Do old guys even have bodies like this? How can we even train to get like that?!"
Poplar and Kante both nodded in agreement.
"Alright, enough chit-chat!" Bang barked.
"All five of you, come at me! This old man doesn't need you worrying about his health!"
He immediately assumed his Flowing Water, Crushing Rock Fist stance.
Asaq and the others, no longer hesitant, nodded and rushed in—spreading out as they attacked.
But…
In less than two seconds…
Asaq, Poplar, and Vians were already down—groaning on the ground, clutching their stomachs and chests.
They hadn't even seen Bang move clearly.
One moment he vanished, the next—a blur flashed by—and they were out.
As Bang stood calmly, hands behind his back once more, he sighed.
"They've got potential... but their basics are still weak."
Lying on the deck in pain, Asaq looked up, determination burning in his eyes.
"Mr. Bang! Please teach us! We want to be as strong as you!"
Vians and Poplar echoed the sentiment, still clutching their bruises.
From that day forward, aside from doing chores and daily ship duties, the five of them began training under Bang's guidance.
Kronos had noticed—and approved.
Even though they were just support crew, having stronger members on the ship could only be a good thing.
Especially when Bang himself was willing to teach, and the kids were willing to learn.
So, he let them be.
A few months passed...
The Kamui Pirates had been sailing for a while now.
Besides running into a few minor islands, nothing much had happened during their voyage.
But during that time, Asaq, Poplar, Vians, and the rest trained hard under Bang's tutelage.
"Hey! I see land!"
Poplar, standing atop the crow's nest, shouted out.
"Looks like a bustling island!"
Hearing this, Kronos stepped out onto the deck and gave the order:
"Then let's head there and check it out!"
The crew eagerly turned the ship toward the island.
After months of boring sailing, even Kronos felt the itch to explore something new.
Under the guidance of Asaq and the others, the ship steadily approached the coastline.
But the residents of the island had already spotted them.
High atop a tall stone wall, a guard in leather armor raised an alarm.
He immediately dialed a Den Den Mushi to report.
"Sir Dosi, a suspicious pirate ship is approaching!"
On the other end, after a woman's giggle, a man's voice replied lazily:
"Then blast them out of the water as usual."
"Don't bother me with trivial pirate rabble. Our Bliss Kingdom's cannons aren't just for show."
Click—the line went dead.
The guard didn't seem surprised by the dismissive response.
Without further hesitation, he issued orders to the troops stationed on the city wall:
"Aim the cannons at the incoming ship!"
In this world overrun by pirates, they had seen many like this before.
Most pirate crews that approached the Bliss Kingdom were blown to pieces before they even touched shore.
To them, this ship was no different.
"Fire at will! Sink that pirate ship!"
The order was shouted across the battlements.
And thus, the cannons began to turn—and blaze.
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