Chapter 41: Time to Show My True Talent! Upgrade Me!
The Black Body Style.
It wasn't a particularly flashy name, but it fascinated Roy.
He figured it made sense—Zephyr had trained Kizaru, a master of kicks, and Akainu, a brawler who only used his legs for walking.
Clearly, this man's martial arts weren't just about 'fists,' but about tempering the entire body.
Roy was excited.
He knew that physique and technique were the foundation of everything.
Even for ability users.
Leaving aside the stamina cost of using abilities, a strong body and martial arts skills provided a massive boost to any power.
Take Admiral Aokiji. As Garp's disciple, he had mastered the 'Iron Fist.' Combined with his Ice-Ice Fruit, his punches were terrifying.
For Roy, who had practically unlimited fruit abilities, adding a powerful martial art to maximize those abilities would bring him very close to the true peak of the world!
But alongside his excitement, Roy was puzzled.
If Zephyr's 'Black Body Style' was just about tempering the whole body, theoretically anyone should be able to learn it. Just like Garp's Iron Fist.
A few years from now, the young Coby would join the Marines and learn it. As long as you weren't afraid of breaking your arms, anyone could learn the 'Iron Fist.'
Yet Zephyr had gone years without finding a true successor. It was strange.
Zephyr seemed to sense Roy's confusion.
He didn't explain, just shook his head. "'The Black Body Style' is special. Ability users cannot practice it at all, and most people cannot survive the training environment."
He glanced at Roy.
"I observed you for a long time to be sure you wouldn't die from this. You'll see why soon enough."
"Huh?"
Roy blinked. "Did I hear that right? Did you say 'die'?"
That sounds a little unsettling.
Before he could finish, Zephyr nodded to Binz.
Binz walked to a corner of the training room and found a control console.
"Hey... wait a minute, I..."
Roy tried to speak, but it was too late.
CLICK!
Binz pressed a button. The platform beneath Roy split open.
Roy saw a void beneath the platform. And at the end of that void... azure seawater!
"Get ready! We're going!"
Zephyr laughed heartily.
"Wait..."
Before Roy could react, the massive pipe above them suddenly extended downward.
WOOSH!
A tremendous air pressure hit him, and Roy felt his body uncontrollably sucked down the pipe.
Zephyr didn't hesitate, leaping in after him.
After falling for a long time...
THUD!
Roy landed heavily at the bottom.
"Ouch!"
Of course, with Roy's constitution, a fall that would have killed a normal person ten times over only made him wince slightly.
THUD!
Zephyr landed beside him.
Only now did Roy realize they were still inside the pipe.
The pipe was semi-transparent. He could faintly see a rainbow-colored sheen wrapping around it, and beyond that... pitch-black silence.
"Coating?"
Roy recognized the rainbow sheen immediately—the unique coating technology of this world.
"Is this... the deep sea?"
He realized where he was.
"Correct. This is 5,000 meters below sea level. The limit of the SSG's special 'Coated Extension Pipe'."
Zephyr nodded, pulling a coated bubble from the pipe wall and putting it over Roy's head.
"And this is your first lesson."
Roy was confused. But he had a sinking feeling about what 'Lesson One' entailed.
Sure enough.
Zephyr grinned, flashing his white teeth.
"Go!"
With a shout, he kicked Roy in the ass.
Before Roy could react, he was kicked right through the pipe wall—the material acted like a coating membrane, allowing him to pass through.
The moment he left the pipe...
"Ugh!"
Freezing seawater engulfed him instantly.
And then, he felt it... Pain!
Agonizing pain from every part of his body.
Every inch of skin, every bone, every muscle, every cell felt like it was being crushed by a massive force.
Roy felt like his bones and muscles were creaking and snapping.
He knew what this was. It was the inevitable pressure of the deep sea—pressure strong enough to crush steel into a pancake!
Inside the coated pipe, Zephyr watched, his tense body relaxing slightly.
His voice, transmitted through the coating, reached Roy's ears clearly through the water.
"Do you feel it, Roy?"
He said.
"Tempering every part of the body equally is extremely difficult. Normal training, no matter how precise, can't do it perfectly. There will always be weak points."
"But... the sea can help you."
There was pride in the Admiral's voice.
Using the deep sea as a hammer and water pressure as an anvil to forge a strong body—this was the fundamental logic of the 'Black Body Style' he had developed and practiced.
Hearing this, Roy, dazed by the pressure, finally understood.
"No wonder it requires an insanely strong body and recovery ability, and ability users can't practice it..."
Training at 5,000 meters deep? An ability user would be dead instantly.
Zephyr continued.
"But don't think this is all there is to the Black Body Style."
"I've tested your data... It's amazing, but still not enough. Far weaker than I was back then."
Zephyr said gravely.
"So, you can't start the real training yet. I've set a goal for you... adapt to this water pressure within a month."
"Once your body becomes tougher, I'll take you to the real training."
His tone was strict, like a teacher scolding a disappointing student.
But in reality, Zephyr's eyes were full of admiration.
He knew his words were only half-true.
He had accurately judged Roy's body strength, which was why he dared to bring him here. Roy did need time to adapt.
But...
"To survive here without Haki... he's already a monster."
Zephyr knew this well.
He was a genius in his youth, unrivaled except for monsters like Garp and Sengoku.
He had created the 'Black Body Style' at 5,000 meters deep—but when he did, he was already a top-tier Haki master.
It had taken him a long time, using Haki and his physique, to train here.
But Roy? He knew zero Haki. He was tanking 5,000 meters of pressure with sheer physical strength. That was a true monster physique, far surpassing Zephyr in his youth.
This was the source of Zephyr's hope.
He had taken many detours developing this style. By the time it was perfected, he was old, past his prime, and riddled with injuries. He could never fully realize the limit of the Black Body Style he envisioned.
But...
"He can."
Watching Roy grimace under the pressure, Zephyr was filled with endless anticipation.
But at that moment...
"Adapt for a month, then start real training? You mean this isn't even the real training yet?"
Roy, unaware of Zephyr's thoughts, frowned internally.
"A month just to adapt, plus the real training after that... That's too long."
Roy thought.
"I have things to do."
So...
"Time to show my true talent!"
"Fruit Encyclopedia—Upgrade me!"
☆☆☆
-> 30 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you