The afternoon sun beat down on the training grounds as Benimaru and the others filed out with the rest of the recruits. A week had passed since his first day of training, and boy, it had been a long week. All they did was train to the point their limbs felt like falling off. They had morning conditioning, afternoon drills, and even evening exercises, till failure. The two rest days he'd gotten, he'd used mostly to train on his own and sleep in his room all day, trying to recover from the constant physical exhaustion.
The grind was a little too much.
His muscles still ached constantly, a dull soreness that had become background noise at this point. The bags under his eyes hadn't gotten any better either, though at least now it was from legitimate exhaustion rather than just nightmares. He still had those, of course, but they'd been drowned out somewhat by the sheer amount of physical activity wearing him down each day.
Instructor Voss stood on the wooden platform again, arms crossed over his chest, watching as everyone formed up into their usual formation. His expression was the same permanent scowl it always was, but there was something different in his eyes today. Something almost... assessing.
Once everyone was in position and silent, Voss spoke.
"Today we're doing sparring practice." His tone was flat and direct as always. "Before any of you get excited, this isn't about beating the crap out of each other. This is an assessment. I need to see where each of you stands in terms of combat capability, technique, and how you handle yourself under pressure." He paused to let his words sink in.
"You've all been here for different amounts of time. Some of you have been training for weeks, others just a few days. This sparring session lets me see who's progressing, who's stagnating, and who needs extra work. It also gives you a chance to apply what you've learned in an actual combat scenario instead of just drilling movements into the air."
His eyes swept across the formation.
"So, pick a partner. Someone around your skill level if possible...I don't want to see anyone getting seriously injured because they matched up with someone way out of their league. Then get to one of the sparring mats." He gestured toward the training area where several padded mats had been laid out on the ground, maybe ten or twelve of them spread across the dirt.
"Of course, there's not enough mats for everybody to go at once, so you'll have to rotate. When your bout is done, clear off and let the next duo go. I'll be watching everyone, so don't think you can slack off just because I'm not standing right next to you."
His eyes swept across the formation one more time.
"And one more thing...this is controlled sparring. That means no deliberately trying to injure your partner. You're here to test skills, not settle personal grudges. Anyone who crosses that line will be doing laps until they pass out...Understood?"
A chorus of "Yes, sir!" echoed across the training ground.
"Good. Find your partners and get started. Move!"
Benimaru looked around as people started pairing off quickly. Troy had already grabbed some guy he'd apparently been talking to earlier in the week, both of them heading toward one of the mats with Troy having an especially wide grin on his face.
Reina turned to Kai. "Partners?"
Kai nodded once, and the two of them walked off together toward an open mat on the far side of the training area.
That left Benimaru and Marcus standing together.
Benimaru was about to ask Marcus if he wanted to pair up when a voice called out from behind them.
"Hey, you got a partner yet?"
Benimaru turned to see a guy walking up to them. He was average height, maybe around five-ten, with short brown hair cut in a simple, practical style. His build was lean but not particularly muscular, somewhere in that middle ground where he clearly did physical work but wasn't dedicated to bulking up. He had dark eyes and a few faint freckles across his nose and cheeks. His Marine training uniform looked just as worn and sweat-stained as everyone else's.
"Uh, I was actually about to ask Marcus here—" Benimaru started.
"I'm good," Marcus said, cutting him off. He gestured with his chin toward another recruit standing nearby, a tall guy with broad shoulders who looked like he could actually match Marcus's size. "I'm gonna partner with him. You two go ahead."
The brown-haired recruit extended his hand toward Benimaru. "Name's Derek. You're one of the new guys, right?"
Benimaru shook his hand, somewhat relieved he wouldn't be fighting Marcus. "Yeah, that's me."
Derek then glanced toward the mats. "So, partners? Unless you were waiting for someone else."
Benimaru looked around. Most people had already paired off, and the remaining recruits were quickly finding partners as well. "Yeah, sure. Let's do it."
"Cool." Derek started walking toward one of the empty mats, and Benimaru followed.
They made their way through the crowd of recruits, weaving between groups already warming up or waiting for their turn. When they reached an empty mat near the middle of the training ground, Derek stepped onto it and immediately started stretching his arms across his chest.
Benimaru followed suit, stepping onto the padded surface. It had some give to it, not as hard as the dirt ground but not exactly soft either. He rolled his shoulders, trying to loosen up the soreness that still lingered from the morning's workout.
"So, how long have you been here?" Benimaru asked, going through some basic stretches.
"About three weeks now," Derek said, bending down to touch his toes. "Still getting used to Instructor Voss's... unique teaching style."
Benimaru shrugged understanding where he was coming from, "It's pretty unique alright.." he said, before loosly dropping into his fighting stance.
"Very." Derek dropped into a loose fighting stance, knees slightly bent, hands up but not too rigid. "I'm not exactly a master or anything, so don't worry about getting destroyed. Just... try not to hit me in the face too hard, yeah?"
Benimaru couldn't help but crack a small smile at that. "Same to you."
He took his own stance, trying to remember what Ryota had drilled into him. Feet shoulder-width apart, weight distributed evenly, hands up to protect his face and core. His heart was already starting to beat a little faster, that nervous energy that came before any kind of fight.
Derek nodded toward him. "Ready when you are."
Benimaru took a breath and nodded back. "Yeah. I'm ready..."
Derek moved first. He stepped forward with his left foot and threw a straight jab aimed at Benimaru's face. The punch came in fast but controlled, not wild.
Benimaru brought his right hand up and deflected it to the side, the impact jarring his forearm slightly. He immediately countered with his own jab, stepping forward as he threw it.
Derek slipped to the left, letting the punch pass by his shoulder, and fired back with a quick hook aimed at Benimaru's ribs.
Benimaru tried to block it, bringing his left elbow down, but Derek's fist connected with his side before he could fully cover up. The hit wasn't hard enough to really hurt, but he felt a solid thump that pushed the air out of his lungs for a second.
He backed up half a step, resetting his stance.
Derek didn't press the advantage. He just circled to the right, with his hands still up, watching Benimaru's movements.
Benimaru stepped forward again, this time feinting a jab to Derek's face before pivoting and throwing a low kick aimed at Derek's lead leg.
Derek lifted his leg, checking the kick with his shin. The impact made a dull thud, and Benimaru felt the bone-on-bone contact vibrate up through his foot. He pulled back immediately and reset.
Derek stepped in as Benimaru was recovering, throwing a one-two combination with a jab followed by a cross. The jab snapped out and caught Benimaru on the left cheek, not hard, but enough to snap his head to the side slightly. The cross came in right after, aimed at his jaw.
But Benimaru ducked under it, feeling the air from Derek's fist pass over his head. He drove forward from the crouch, trying to close the distance and throw an uppercut to Derek's midsection.
Derek twisted his torso, angling his body so the uppercut glanced off his side instead of landing clean. He brought his right elbow down onto Benimaru's shoulder as Benimaru was still extended, using the position to create separation.
The elbow hit hard enough to make Benimaru's arm go numb for a second. He backed off, shaking out his shoulder.
They circled each other again. Benimaru could feel his breathing getting heavier, but Derek looked barely tired.
Benimaru tried a different approach. He stepped in with a low jab toward Derek's stomach, hoping to draw his hands down, then immediately shifted and threw a high hook aimed at Derek's temple.
Derek saw it coming. He pulled his head back just enough that Benimaru's hook passed an inch in front of his face, then dashed forward while Benimaru was still extended. Derek's shoulder drove into Benimaru's chest, and suddenly Benimaru was off-balance, his feet scrambling to stay under him.
Derek hooked his leg behind Benimaru's and shoved, and Benimaru went down hard onto the mat, landing on his back with a grunt.
Derek didn't follow him to the ground. He just backed up, giving Benimaru space to get up.
Benimaru rolled to his side and pushed himself up, breathing even harder now. His back hurt from the landing, and his shoulder was still tingling from that elbow.
"You good?" Derek asked.
Benimaru nodded, getting back into his stance. "Yeah."
They squared up again.
This time Benimaru waited, letting Derek come to him. Derek stepped in with another jab, testing Benimaru's guard. Benimaru parried it and threw a straight right at Derek's face.
Derek slipped it, moving his head just to the outside of the punch, and countered with a hard straight punch to Benimaru's solar plexus.
The air left Benimaru's lungs in a rush and he doubled over slightly, instinctively dropping his hands to protect his body.
Derek capitalized immediately. He threw a quick left hook that caught Benimaru on the side of the head, not hard enough to knock him down but enough to make his vision blur for a second. Then Derek stepped back, letting Benimaru breathe rather than press his advantage.
Benimaru straightened up, blinking hard. His head was ringing slightly, and his stomach ached where Derek had hit him.
He tried to shake it off and moved forward again, throwing a combination he'd drilled with Ryota, jab, cross, hook. The jab missed. The cross got blocked. The hook connected with Derek's shoulder but didn't have much power behind it because Benimaru's footing was off.
Derek absorbed it and fired back with his own combination. A jab to Benimaru's face that Benimaru blocked, then a fast cross that slipped through his guard and caught him on the chin. Benimaru's head snapped back, and he stumbled backward two steps.
Derek pressed forward. He threw another hook, this one aimed at Benimaru's ribs. Benimaru tried to block it but was too slow, and the punch landed clean. He felt the impact radiate through his side.
Benimaru threw a desperate hook of his own, trying to create space, but Derek ducked under it easily and came up inside Benimaru's guard. Derek's shoulder drove into Benimaru's chest again, and this time when Derek swept his leg, Benimaru went down even harder, his back slamming into the mat.
He lay there for a second, the wind knocked out of him, staring up at the sky while his lungs tried to remember how to work.
Derek stepped back and offered a hand.
Benimaru took it, letting Derek pull him to his feet. His legs felt shaky, and his entire body ached.
"You alright?" Derek asked, genuine concern in his voice.
Benimaru nodded, even though he wasn't entirely sure. "Yeah... yeah, I'm good."
"You've got decent instincts," Derek said. "Your defense isn't bad for someone new. You just... need more practice reading combinations. And your footwork's a little stiff."
Benimaru wiped sweat from his forehead. "Yeah, I noticed."
Derek grinned. "Don't worry about it. Three weeks ago, I was getting my ass kicked just as bad...You'll get there."
Benimaru wasn't sure if that made him feel better or worse, but he nodded anyway.
But deep down there was this frustration that gnawed at him. If he wanted to find the guy that destroyed his entire village, then he couldn't be losing to fodder like this. It just showed how long of a way he still had to go.
Derek was better than him, sure, but he wasn't anything even on the likes of Whitebbeard or Roger. He had three weeks of training, average build, no particular talent that stood out. Just a regular guy who'd been here a little longer and knew the basics better. And Benimaru had gotten beaten pretty easily.
He clenched his fists, feeling the ache in his knuckles from the blocked punches. Two months of recovery and training with Ryota, and he was still getting tossed around by someone who probably wouldn't even make it past the rank of enlisted Marine. What did that say about his chances of actually tracking down someone strong enough to wipe out an entire village?
Just how scary are the likes of Kaido and Rocks, and all the top contenders in the One Piece verse? If this Derek guy wouldn't even be noticeable in the future and not even mentioned in the story, then how the fuck was he going to kill that bastard or get on the level of a Yonko?
Meanwhile, people like Kaido could tank attacks that would level mountains. Whitebeard could create earthquakes with a single punch. Big Mom could destroy entire kingdoms in her sleep. These weren't just strong people, they were walking natural disasters.
And he would need to become one...
The gap between where he was and where he needed to be suddenly felt massive.
. . . .
_________________________________
________________________________________________________