"This kid… wait a second… could it be—"
Zephyr's expression turned serious as he watched Ren more closely. The more he observed, the more he realized there was something different about Garp's student.
While all the other cadets were gasping for air and drenched in sweat, Ren showed no sign of fatigue at all.
He was running like he was taking a stroll.
After thirty laps, Ren and Ain were still running at a steady pace, neither fast nor slow, yet they were already five laps ahead of everyone else.
They had left an entire crowd of exhausted trainees far behind.
By the fortieth lap, nearly everyone had slowed to a crawl—except Ren and Ain, who maintained the same smooth rhythm.
Simba, Dal, and Clark could only watch in disbelief as the pair passed them over and over again.
Clark: "…"
Dal: "…"
Simba: "…"
Even Zephyr looked stunned as his gaze fell on Ain. He knew very well what her physical limits were.
But she had already completed forty-five laps and still looked fine.
How was that possible?
"Hmph! You bunch of disappointments can't even keep up with two kids!" Zephyr roared, his voice echoing through the academy gates.
"You're the worst class I've ever taught!"
In truth, he'd never expected anyone to finish this task.
Since he began teaching, no one had ever done it before.
And yet… he unconsciously ignored the pair of figures still running strong.
"Hah… Dal, your tongue's on the floor!"
"Clark, your head's hanging out of your pants!"
Groans and heavy breathing filled the training grounds.
Everyone was lying flat on the ground—except for Ren and Ain, who were still standing tall.
From that day forward, a new legend began spreading through the Marine Academy.
Three years later.
"Reverse-Reverse Fruit — Reverse Shot!"
In the Elite Division's training arena, a shout rang out. A beautiful young woman with long, sea-blue hair—Ain—raised her hands, summoning pink, flame-like energy.
The energy shot forward like burning ghostfire, streaking toward a figure in the distance.
"Whoa, Ain, are you trying to kill your future husband? We haven't seen each other in six months, and this is your idea of a welcome hug?"
A lazy voice replied. A golden flash erupted, and the two pink flames passed harmlessly through a shimmering afterimage.
"Shut up! Damn it, Ren, you've barely returned and you're already annoying me!" Ain snapped, puffing out her cheeks.
"If you hit me with that, I'll turn five years younger. I just worked my way back to sixteen! Wait—don't tell me you're into little boys? If that's the case, I suppose I can tolerate it."
"Come on, baby!"
Ren struck a ridiculous pose, pretending to sacrifice himself—but his arms were already open like he was about to pull her into a hug.
Of course, Ain knew his tricks. She darted aside instantly, her movements fluid and practiced.
After three years, she was used to his nonsense and didn't even take him seriously anymore.
The only way to deal with a shameless man was to ignore him.
Ren chuckled and was about to tease her again when a black tornado suddenly came roaring his way.
"Wheel-Wheel Fruit — Wheel Rampage!"
A booming voice came from the distance as a figure spun rapidly toward them like a storm.
It was Marine Major Sharin Kuhl, wielder of the Wheel-Wheel Fruit.
"Armament!"
Without even turning around, Ren coated his arms in black Haki. He kicked off the ground, his body shooting forward like a flash of light straight into the oncoming storm.
Boom!
The impact thundered across the field, creating a massive shockwave centered around them.
The ground caved in two meters deep, cracks spidering outward.
"Hey, come on, Instructor—half a year away, and that's the welcome I get?" Ren said, grinning and shrugging his shoulders.
That guy's Wheel-Wheel Fruit had improved a lot. His body had become so hard that Ren's arms tingled from the impact.
Ren then kicked the dazed Sharin Kuhl away and, in the same instant, turned into light and vanished from sight.
Whoosh!
Just as he touched down, a long leg swung toward him. Ren's body flickered into photons, and the attack passed harmlessly through.
"Ugh, what an annoying ability," came a sultry voice that made half the men in the area freeze mid-motion.
Ren's face darkened immediately as he darted to the side.
A split second later, several black whips struck the ground where he had stood.
Boom!
Dust exploded upward, leaving a crater over four meters wide.
"Ooh, little handsome, don't keep dodging your big sister!"
As the dust cleared, a pair of long, pale legs stepped forward.
It was the academy's seductive instructor—Fairy Sadie—dressed in her iconic black leather dominatrix outfit.
"Well, well, Miss Sadie, I just got back and you're already this eager to comfort my lonely heart?" Ren said, smirking.
"And that beautiful voice of yours—try not to use it so casually. Save it for the right time, or it loses its charm."
Ren chuckled, catching her incoming punch effortlessly with one hand.
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