Ian opened the door, set his one-handed axe by the entrance, and glanced briefly toward the space under the bed.
Then he quickly withdrew his gaze and looked toward the kitchen, where Robin, wearing an apron, was busy.
Then, while smiling, he said, "I'm home."
"Dear, you're back already?"
Even with the apron covering her, her figure remained enchanting.
Robin peeked out from the kitchen and looked at him curiously. "Why are you back so early today?"
"Don't even mention it."
Ian walked up behind her, gently wrapping his arms around her waist as he said casually, "I got dragged off by two old geezers for a long chat."
"Dear, I was just about to make lunch!"
Feeling the warmth behind her, as if it came from the sun itself, Robin smiled helplessly. "And I still have work to do later! Village Chief Martin asked me to go down to the docks."
"What work? Forget that."
Ian ignored her protests and kept his strong arms wrapped around her.
With a serious look, he said, "You're resting today. The sun hasn't set yet, and I need your help with something far more important."
…
"Kid, you're up a little late! If you want to get stronger, you have to train diligently."
Ian: "..."
You've got some nerve saying that. I got up before you did!
Hearing such shameless words, Ian glared at Garp.
This guy... He had promised they would train today, but by the time he was already outside, the other party was still snoring away.
If Zephyr hadn't come to drag him out of bed, who knew how much longer he would've slept.
"Hahaha!"
Sensing Ian's look, Garp chuckled awkwardly before straightening his body with forced seriousness. "Alright then, training starts now!"
"I can see your Armament Haki has reached the level of coating; you can wrap your weapons in it skillfully, and it seems you've even started to touch on Emission."
"So next, we'll be strengthening your training in Armament Haki's Emission and Internal Destruction."
With his brows furrowed, he actually looked quite the stern instructor, making Ian, who held his one-handed axe, instinctively focus.
What Garp said was true.
Although no one had formally taught him Armament Haki's Emission, Ian already knew from the anime itself how it could be done, and through his own effort, he had begun to grasp the basics.
For example, the Guillotine!
That technique combined the Armament Haki's Emission with his Devil Fruit ability to create a massive descending shockwave, cleaving enemies clean in two.
And again, Ian couldn't help but feel grateful for his Light-Light Fruit. It didn't just grant him infinite stamina under the sun and rapid energy recovery; it also gave him the strength to keep surpassing his limits during training.
While Ian was earnestly listening to guidance, Garp seemed to have already decided on the method of training.
Out of nowhere, he pulled a standard Marine's cannonball with his right hand while grinning broadly.
"Alright, training begins! Don't worry, it's simple enough. All you have to do is split this cannonball in my hand with your axe."
Just as Ian was about to ask whether he could use all his strength or Devil Fruit abilities, Garp suddenly leaned back and in the blink of an eye…
Whoosh!
The cannonball flew from his hand like a fastball straight toward Ian.
"Meteor Fist!"
That massive iron ball shot toward him with frightening speed, forcing Ian to react instantly. He raised his axe, coated it with Armament Haki, and charged forward, swinging cleanly at the incoming cannonball.
To be honest, while the force of the shot was impressive, such an attack couldn't hurt him anymore.
However, just as his axe was about to slice the cannonball in half, Ian's Observation Haki suddenly flared.
He sensed something off. His face changed, and he swiftly pulled his axe back and retreated.
"Shave!"
The very moment his feet hit the ground…
Boom!
The half-sliced cannonball exploded instantly. The blast was so powerful that it shattered nearby trees and gouged a deep crater in the ground.
Ian: "..."
So that's the kind of training this is, huh?
"Looks like you get it now."
Garp said while grinning widely. "That's right, if you just cut these shells open, they will explode! These are special shells made by Marine Headquarters. You can only avoid the explosion by destroying them from the inside."
Hearing that, Ian fell silent for a moment, then raised his axe again.
"Again!"
"Hahaha, good reaction!"
Garp burst out laughing. Then, with a wide sweep of his arm, several wooden crates nearby burst open, each one filled with identical cannonballs.
Crate after crate of them!
Ian's eyelid twitched as he turned toward the man in a beige suit and matching hat, whose eyes were hidden under the brim.
Bogard, Garp's adjutant!
"What are you standing there for?"
Garp's voice rang out again, then he grinned as he looked at Ian. "Hope you don't go down too fast, kid!"
Before Ian could react, Garp had already pulled out another cannonball.
"Meteor Fist!"
No, this wasn't just a single Meteor Fist!
As soon as he threw one cannonball, another followed.
Then another.
And another.
Seeing the sky filled with incoming cannonballs, Ian's scalp tingled, but he still gripped his one-handed axe and charged forward.
One!
Boom!
Another!
Boom!
"Kid, use your armament and Observation Haki properly. Don't just swing blindly."
Garp shouted boisterously. "I don't want to be the one carrying your broken body down the mountain later."
Sure enough, just as Garp finished speaking, a cannonball slammed straight into Ian.
Boom!
Garp's eyelids twitched, his hand pausing briefly, but only for an instant.
Then the corners of his mouth curled up again as he looked at the rising smoke with a grin. "Looks like your body's been trained pretty well!"
"Keep going!"
"Hahaha! That's the answer I like! Looks like I can really enjoy myself today!"
Garp's hands, which had paused for a moment, began moving faster, so fast they left afterimages.
Cannonballs rained down one after another toward Ian.
"Don't give up too soon, kid!"
As he spoke, Garp hurled the cannonballs faster and faster. Each time he emptied a crate, another was quickly refilled.
He seemed to be getting more and more excited the longer it went on!
But as time passed, box after box of cannonballs was emptied, and Ian kept taking hit after hit.
Garp, who had been brimming with energy, suddenly frowned. He looked at the still vigorous, completely unexhausted Ian, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
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