Doctor Three-Goat could only marvel at Ares's recovery. It was beyond comprehension. What he didn't know was that during Ares's most severe injuries, his energy reserves had already been completely drained in battle, slowing down what was otherwise an almost supernatural healing process.
With his instruments, he personally witnessed Ares's regeneration. His eyes widened in awe.
"Ares, the vitality in your cells exceeds that of ordinary men by dozens of times! But it's consuming your body's energy at a terrifying rate. You need to replenish immediately!"
"Energy? You mean through food?" Ares asked.
"Exactly!" the doctor confirmed. "Most of a person's energy comes from the food of nature. I take back what I said earlier. You just might be able to achieve the impossible to make your flesh harder than even a named blade."
Even so, the doctor remained cautious. He doubted Ares could surpass the Twelve Supreme Grade Blades, but he considered it possible that his body might reach the level of a Great Grade Blade.
Ares only smiled in silence. He went inside, brought out dried meat he had stored, tossed a portion to Kaido, then began popping the pieces into his mouth as if they were peanuts.
Meanwhile, the doctor opened his medicine chest, preparing injections and salves.
"These are for treating injuries. They stimulate cells capable of division and differentiation, accelerating healing and stabilizing balance within the body. Theoretically, if your rate of cell growth and division is fast enough, you could recover from any injury in record time."
Ares chewed thoughtfully as he listened, his expression contemplative.
The doctor continued, his voice carrying the weight of his profession.
"Every creature has an immune system, governed by natural selection. Cells adapt. The more accustomed the body is to damage, the quicker it learns to repair itself. For most, this would be a catastrophe. But for someone like you whose vitality is already monstrous it might just work."
After tending to Ares, he turned his full attention to Kaido's battered body. He even went home mid-treatment to fetch additional medicines and tools. Hours passed. Sweat dripped down his cheeks.
At last, he straightened, exhausted but satisfied.
"Done! Hah… treating you two is training in itself. By the time I get used to this, I'll be able to handle seven or eight patients at once without breaking a sweat."
The two warriors bowed deeply in gratitude.
In the following days, they stocked up on vast amounts of food enough to fuel Ares's ravenous metabolism and gifted the doctor rare fish, fruits, and meats from the Mokomo Dukedom in thanks.
Time blurred. For Ares and Kaido, immersed in their brutal regimen, a month passed as if it were only a handful of days.
Each day was the same cycle of torment and growth, yet they never tired of it.
And today
was the day they tested the results of their month-long ordeal.
Kaido's grin was wide, filled with pride. "Ares-ani, let me show you what I've gained this month!"
"Come," Ares replied, eyes shining. "Show me your growth."
Kaido wasted no time. His muscles swelled, his arms thickening until they resembled two massive serpents coiling with power. The sight was enough to make the ground seem small beneath him.
"Diamond… Club!!!"
The spiked kanabo whirled in his grip, and from it surged a blazing beam of condensed force a cylindrical shockwave of raw destruction.
Unlike the crescent slashes of a swordsman, Kaido's unique "club aura" manifested like a cannon blast. In his own words, its purpose was not to cut, but to obliterate.
To leave nothing but dust behind.
The cylindrical wave roared forward, tearing through the air. Even the earth cracked and crumbled beneath its passing, leaving a scar in the ground as if a colossal plow had driven through.
Ares's eyes gleamed with excitement. He raised his arm. His bones cracked audibly, his muscles swelled, veins bulged like coiled chains. Bronze skin gleamed like forged iron, radiating a faint golden sheen.
His body was harder, denser than before the result of enduring weeks of fire's tempering.
"Dragon Claw!!!"
He spread his massive fingers and thrust his palm forward, straight into the oncoming shockwave.
The collision rang out like steel upon steel. Then came the sound of something breaking.
Kaido's devastating attack shattered in Ares's bare hand.
Kaido froze, his eyes wide. He stared at Ares's palm. Smooth. Untouched. Not a single wound. His strongest strike had left no trace.
A heaviness filled his chest, but he still managed to praise through clenched teeth.
"Ares-ani… your body… it's harder than steel. The fire has already tempered you beyond what I can touch."
"Looks like I still have far to go."
Ares, still young, didn't fully grasp Kaido's frustration. He laughed warmly.
"My choice was right. Fire is the way to harden the body. But this is only the beginning. When I can endure fire without feeling it then I'll train my body with lightning."
Fire was just the start. Its heat seeped into his flesh and even his organs, strengthening him inside and out.
Kaido's eyes flickered with envy. In his heart, he swore:
"If only I had a powerful Devil Fruit too… Once this training is over, I'll find one. I must. Otherwise I'll never catch up to Ares-ani. Not if he can crush my strongest attack with just his hand."
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