Training (2)

"Ahh! Ow! Ow! Ow!"

It has already been two hours since Akatora started training with Donna. Her old and gentle appearance definitely made Akatora lower his guard, but this old timer really has some power.

"Momma, why don't you let him rest?"

"Nonsense! Your father didn't let you rest until you dodged one! I don't see why your son can't do the same!"

'But he's not my son by blood! He's also not as informed about Haki as I was when I was his age!'

Sengoku looked at the boy who had no fresh skin on him. A bloated mess that can only try to dodge to the best of his abilities. Thankfully Donna didn't hit him on the head, but he still looked pitiful.

'It must hurt a lot.'

"Alright! Take a rest!"

Donna who looked at the empty bag on her thighs released a sigh of relief. Truthfully, she didn't expect the boy to last this long. But she couldn't stop, not until the boy was satisfied.

That's right. Akatora's eyes never wavered, even as his body was giving up a long time ago, his eyes never flinched. Eyes that struck a cord in Donna, a person who had seen this look only once in her life.

"Gasp. Gasp. Thud."

Akatora lied down on the spot. He didn't care if the bruises and the bumps formed from blocked blood flow hurt a lot. He needed to lie down.

"Good work, boy! I've never lasted a whole bag before! Although I did dodge five in succession before having to do so."

Sengoku thought back to the days of his youth. His father's grin as he pummeled him with haki-infused cotton balls. He didn't only laugh when he Sengoku dodged, but much more when he didn't. Something that made Sengoku's anger arise, eventually helping him to awaken his Observation haki.

"If you're mad, then do something about it."

"Hmmm?"

Looking at his foster father, Akatora couldn't believe what he just said. Why would he be mad?

"But, I'm not angry."

"I understand. I also got ang- What? What did you say?"

"I mean, she throws them so slowly. I just don't know why my body is so slow. It's like I'm stuck in a pool of mud when I try to dodge."

"What!? You can see the balls? What color are they?"

"Hmmm? Aren't they black?"

Akatora sat up and crossed his arms before his chest. He was curious as to why his father was acting this way. It's been hours since they started. Of course he'd see that they were black.

"Akatora, my boy. Look at the ground. Tell me, what color are these cotton balls?"

Looking down, Akatora was able to see patch of white. There was no sign of the black bullets that hit him continuously like the rain. Since when were these here?

"Eh???"