Training from Hell Begins

I thought I was prepared.

I was not prepared.

Garp's idea of training? Pure suffering.

The moment I agreed to train under him, he dragged me—and a very excited Luffy—out of the town and into the dense forests of Dawn Island.

"Alright, kid!" Garp grinned as he dropped a boulder the size of a house in front of me. "Pick this up and carry it up the mountain."

I stared at him. "Are you serious?"

He laughed. "What, too hard? Maybe I should just throw you into the ocean instead."

I gulped. Right. Garp was insane.

Luffy, who was stretching his arms, cackled. "Hahaha! This is nothing! Gramps made me fight tigers when I was five!"

I blinked. "I'm sorry, what?"

Before I could protest, a giant tiger leaped out of the trees.

Luffy grinned. "Oh hey, there's one now!"

I turned to Garp. "You're insane."

He nodded proudly. "Damn right."

I took a deep breath. I needed to adapt—fast.

If I couldn't lift the boulder normally, I'd just have to cheat.

I held out my hand.

"Light."

The word floated in front of me before vanishing into the rock.

Immediately, the boulder lost its weight. I grinned and lifted it over my head with one hand.

Luffy's jaw dropped. "Wooooah! That's awesome!"

Garp raised an eyebrow. "Clever."

I smirked. "I'm not stupid. If I can't do something normally, I'll find another way."

Garp's grin widened. "Good answer. But let's see how well you handle—"

And then he punched me.

Hard.

Even with my Devil Fruit, I went flying.

I crashed into a tree, coughing. "WHAT THE HELL?!"

Garp laughed. "You think enemies are gonna let you cheat your way through fights? Your power is strong, but you need to train your body too. No cutting corners!"

I groaned. This was gonna be hell.

.

.

.

Over the next few days, I trained like a madman.

Carrying boulders up the mountain (without cheating).

Fighting wild animals (Luffy was way too excited for this).

Getting pummeled by Garp's "Fist of Love" at random times.

Every night, I collapsed into my makeshift bed, bruised and exhausted. But slowly, I felt myself getting stronger.

I used my Word-Word Fruit in every way I could:

"Endurance" to keep going when my body wanted to quit.

"Heal" to recover faster.

"Speed" to dodge Luffy's reckless attacks.

And then, one day, Garp looked at me with a rare, serious expression.

"You've got real potential, kid," he said. "You might just become a monster."

I clenched my fists. That's the plan.

This world was full of monsters. If I wanted to survive—if I wanted to thrive—I had to become one too.

This was just the beginning.

.

.

.

I wiped the sweat from my brow, staring up at the towering boulder in front of me. My muscles ached, my hands were raw, and every inch of my body screamed in protest.

But I wasn't stopping.

"Come on, Ren!" Luffy grinned, balancing on a tree branch above me. "You're getting better! A few more punches, and you'll crack it!"

I took a deep breath. I had been training under Garp for weeks now, and it was working. My body was stronger, my reflexes sharper, and I could push my Word-Word Fruit even further than before.

I clenched my fist.

"Impact."

The glowing word sank into my arm, and I punched forward—

BOOM!

The boulder split in two.

Luffy cheered. "Whoa! That was awesome!"

I exhaled. That was the first time I had managed to use a word on myself instead of an object. If I kept improving… I could become unstoppable.

But before I could celebrate, Garp's voice boomed from behind me.

"Alright, brat! Playtime's over. You've got company."

I turned—just in time to see a group of armed men step out of the trees.

They weren't Marines. And they weren't bandits, either.

These guys were organized. Matching dark coats, polished rifles, and the kind of confidence that only came from knowing they were dangerous.

The leader—a tall, scarred man with a saber on his hip—grinned at us. "Well, well. The old Marine wasn't lying. We found something interesting out here."

I tensed. "Who are you?"

He smirked. "Just some bounty hunters. And you, kid—you're worth something."

Bounty hunters?

Garp let out a loud laugh. "You idiots sure you wanna do this? The brat's tougher than he looks."

The bounty hunter ignored him and raised a hand. "Take them."

The moment they moved, I reacted.

"Speed."

The word flashed into my legs, and I darted forward, dodging the first attack. A blade swung where my head had been just a second ago.

I countered—

"Push."

A force wave slammed into the closest attacker, sending him crashing into a tree.

Luffy, meanwhile, was laughing like a madman. "Haha! Finally, a fight!" He stretched his arm, sending a punch straight into another guy's face.

The leader's eyes narrowed. "A Devil Fruit user, huh?"

Then he drew his saber—and vanished.

My instincts screamed.

I barely had time to react before cold steel slashed toward me.

"Shield!"

A barrier formed just in time—

CLANG!

The blade bounced off, and I staggered back. The leader clicked his tongue. "Hmph. That's an annoying ability."

I gritted my teeth. He was fast. Faster than me, even with my boosts.

If I wanted to win—

I had to go all out.

I took a deep breath. It was time to test a new idea.

I focused my power, forcing it into my fist.

A new word formed.

"Break."

The moment it appeared, the air shook. Even the bounty hunters hesitated.

The leader's eyes widened. "What the hell is that—"

I punched forward.

The word slammed into him—

CRACK!

The sound of shattering bone echoed through the forest. The leader screamed, his sword snapping in half as he was blown backwards like a ragdoll.

The remaining bounty hunters stared at me in horror.

I clenched my fist. That worked.

The leader groaned on the ground, clutching his arm. "Damn...… you…"

I stepped forward, standing over him. "Still think I'm an easy target?"

He growled but didn't answer.

Garp finally spoke up, laughing. "Well, that was fun! Guess I don't need to step in after all."

Luffy pouted. "Aw, I wanted to fight more!"

I exhaled. That was my first real fight. And I had won.

But I knew one thing for sure—

I still had a long way to go.