Half an hour later—
The merchant ship drew close to the docks of Foosha Village.
Standing on the deck, Monkey D. Dragon once again saw the familiar sight of his hometown.
Foosha Village…
The place where he was born and raised.
Even though he was now the leader of the Revolutionary Army, whenever Dragon returned to this tiny East Blue village, an indescribable warmth stirred in his chest.
"You all stay here," Dragon said to Ivankov and the others. "I'll be back soon."
In his arms was a bundled infant, so small he looked like a bean sprout. The child had only been born recently—wrinkled skin, soft cries, tiny fists flailing against the swaddle.
Dragon looked down at the baby, his eyes momentarily soft with tenderness.
But soon, that emotion vanished beneath his stern, steel-like composure.
"Dragon, shouldn't we go with you?" Ivankov called from behind, uneasy.
"No." Dragon shook his head.
"If you follow me, you'll only draw trouble."
"My father is no gentle old man."
"He won't lay hands on me… but you? If he takes action, none of you will escape."
"So remember this—do not step into Foosha Village. This is not a place you can set foot in."
Dragon's tone was heavy, full of warning.
No one understood better than him just how terrifying his father, Monkey D. Garp, truly was.
With that, he stepped off the ship, cradling the baby, and began walking toward the familiar dirt paths of his home village.
It had been many years since he last returned.
Mount Colubo.
The Dadan Family hideout.
The blazing sun poured golden light onto the training ground.
The rays illuminated the lean, muscular body of Kai, whose young frame already radiated a pressure and aura far beyond his age.
Two days ago, after returning from the East Blue Marine Branch fortress, he had immediately thrown himself back into his grueling, devil-style training routine.
Day after day.
No rest.
No mercy.
And every single time, he could feel himself growing stronger at a frightening pace.
That intoxicating feeling of becoming stronger… It was something no one could resist.
"Nine hundred and ninety-six!"
"Nine hundred and ninety-seven!"
Sweat poured from his forehead like beans rolling down glass. His bare torso was soaked, dripping steadily into the dirt beneath him.
Overhead, the blazing sun bore silent witness to his effort.
Of course, Kai's rapid growth wasn't just because of his mysterious Ghost Back System.
More importantly—
It was his sheer persistence and relentless effort.
Without effort, even the best system was useless.
"One thousand!"
At last, Kai pushed himself up, exhaling sharply. His body trembled with fatigue as he flopped down into the grass to rest.
At first, a thousand push-ups had been his limit.
Now? He could do tens of thousands.
A thousand push-ups was nothing more than warm-up.
He lay there, panting lightly.
"…Soon, I'll be leaving," he murmured.
And this time, he had the premonition it would be a long departure. Perhaps a year, maybe longer, before he could return to Foosha Village again.
He glanced around. The simple villagers. The rough-yet-kind bandits of the Dadan Family.
He already felt reluctant to part with them.
Ding!
A familiar system notification rang in his mind:
[Training complete. Stats gained: Strength +0.001, Speed +0.001, Stamina +0.001]
[After 100x Amplification…]
[Final result: Strength +0.1, Speed +0.1, Stamina +0.1]
At once, a warm current surged through his body, tempering his muscles, bones, and organs.
His strength grew again.
Even if it was just a little, the feeling was satisfying.
Clenching his fists, Kai muttered:
"…But it's not enough."
"The stronger I get, the smaller the returns from training."
"If I want to keep breaking limits, I need more than just push-ups and sit-ups."
His eyes glimmered with determination.
He was already hitting a bottleneck.
What he needed now—was the proper training of Marineford.
"If I can reach Headquarters… with the training regimens the Marines have spent years developing… my growth will skyrocket."
That was the path forward.
An hour later, after resting and returning to training again, Kai paused and turned his head.
Not far away, a pair of sharp eyes were peeking from behind the trees.
It was Portgas D. Ace.
Kai smiled faintly.
Ever since he came back, he had noticed Ace secretly watching him whenever he trained, trying to copy his exercises.
"Trying to imitate me, Ace?" he thought, amused.
"Too bad… you don't have the system."
"No matter how hard you push, you won't grow at my pace."
"I'm different. My training is amplified a hundredfold."
Still, Kai understood Ace's feelings.
Ever since he singlehandedly wiped out an entire pirate crew, Ace had been shaken. For the first time, the boy truly grasped the massive gulf between them.
It was a gap like heaven and earth.
And so Ace had thrown himself desperately into training, refusing to fall behind.
"…It's good to work hard, Ace."
"But if you think you can catch me just by copying my regimen, that's impossible."
Even so, Kai smiled and whispered under his breath:
"Work hard, Ace."
"I'll wait for the day you surpass me."
"Even if… that day might never come."
Just then—
Thud thud thud!
Hurried footsteps echoed across the mountain clearing.
A bandit from the Dadan Family rushed up to Kai, sweat glistening on his forehead.
"Kai! Finally, I found you!" he gasped.
"Mr. Garp says you need to drop everything and return to the village right away!"
The man panted heavily, then added with a strange expression—
"Your father… has come back."
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