Chapter 19: Devil Mentor vs. Devil Apprentice
"Kid, do you understand the specific effects of these six techniques: Soru, Tekkai, Kami-e, Geppo, Rankyaku, and Shigan?" Garp began, his voice booming. "The first step is to learn Soru. The so-called Soru is stomping on the ground dozens of times at high speed in a split second. By accumulating explosive reaction force, you can move at high speed over a very short distance. In combat, it looks like you're teleporting to your enemy. Watch closely... Soru!"
As he spoke, the sound of rapid footsteps erupted beside Ian. By the time Ian registered it, Garp had already appeared in a sandpit twenty meters away.
"That's amazing, Vice Admiral Garp! It really is like teleportation!" Ian widened his eyes, his expression exaggerated with admiration.
Nami, who had been instructed to watch from under the shade of a tree, wasn't particularly shocked. Instead, she was curious why Commodore Ian was reacting so strongly. When hunting pirates in the East Blue, wasn't Commodore Ian's movement speed about the same?
Garp, of course, didn't know this. The feeling of being praised by his disciple made him a little pleased. Standing with his arms crossed, Garp shouted from twenty meters away, "Hey, Ian! Next, I'm going to move from here to you and attack with a punch. For today's lesson, the use of Haki is completely prohibited! Use your body's strength to defend yourself. Be careful, don't get sent flying by me, heh!"
Garp pointed at Ian, signaling him to get ready.
Not allowed to use Haki, but not forbidden from using Devil Fruit abilities, right?
Ian psyched himself up and simultaneously activated the super vision and super hearing granted by his Fruit ability. The real world around him suddenly seemed to slow down. Ian clearly observed Garp's entire Soru process. Every high-speed stomp accumulating power was visible in detail.
Soon, the sound of air explosions was heard.
Garp moved!
It had to be said that although Garp was old, his physical skills were still far ahead of most powerful fighters. Even in Ian's slow-motion vision, his speed was astonishing, leaving afterimages in his wake.
When Garp "teleported" in front of Ian, his massive fist mercilessly aimed for Ian's face. Garp wasn't using Haki, but an ordinary person couldn't withstand this power!
There was no reason to just go along and get beaten up for nothing. Besides, listening to the fierce air explosions around them, it was obvious Garp was serious—determined to land a hit!
Being his disciple is really a dangerous job. If you don't have real skill, he'll cripple you sooner or later.
Ian stomped the ground, bending backward and raising his head. At the maximum distance, he just barely avoided the fist's attack range.
Whoosh...
"Huh?"
Garp's punch met empty air. He stood there with a dull expression. "Did you use Observation Haki, you little brat?" Garp stared at Ian suspiciously.
Ian shook his head and explained, "I didn't use it, Vice Admiral Garp. Didn't you say we couldn't? You were so fast just now, I was really scared. My body reacted instinctively and dodged backward. I thought I couldn't get away! Phew, that was close!"
Garp looked into Ian's clear, guileless eyes; it didn't seem like he was lying. Zoan-type Devil Fruit users did possess a certain wild instinct. When foreseeing danger, their reactions were much faster than normal people's. He figured Ian's Human-Human Fruit should have similar characteristics, allowing him to avoid the earlier attack.
"Kid, it seems I underestimated you. Your reaction speed is quite good, dodging my punch. I wanted to knock you down with one punch, end today's training, and let you go back to recover. Miscalculated. I'm really getting old. Hahaha!" Garp scratched his head and let out his signature booming laugh.
Ian: "..."
If anyone else had said that, Ian might have thought it was a joke. But coming from Garp's mouth, it felt like he genuinely meant it!
Alright, alright, so you're a devil mentor, huh? Shouldn't you be paired with a little devil apprentice?
Ian secretly calculated in his heart...
"Next, start practicing from half the distance I moved. Remember to stomp the ground at high frequency and feel the explosive reaction force with your heart. Don't just rely on your legs to move fast; use the reaction force to propel yourself faster. I'll stand over there, and you attack as fast as you can. Understood?"
Ian nodded repeatedly upon hearing this.
Come on, let's get started! He couldn't wait!
Soon, Garp used Soru again. This time, he moved only half the previous distance, stopping about ten meters away. He didn't expect Ian to perform perfectly right away, but he needed to grasp the principles first to identify potential issues.
...
Meanwhile, outside the barbed-wire fence of the training ground.
Sengoku, along with Chief of Staff Tsuru and Vice Admiral Momousagi, whom Tsuru treated like a younger sister, secretly observed Garp training Ian. It had been a long time since Garp had mentored new Marine officers. This time, he had suddenly taken the initiative to guide Headquarters' "future star," and Sengoku was very concerned he might choose a reckless training method.
Vice Admiral Tsuru adjusted her coat and commented, "I told you, Garp is more serious this time than before. Sengoku, this isn't your first day knowing him. Learning the Six Powers doesn't require his personal instruction, yet he's doing it anyway. Doesn't that prove his dedication to training?"
Momousagi watched carefully and echoed, "Ian's treatment is truly enviable—personally trained by Mr. Garp. He should be able to master the Six Physical Techniques within a month."
Sengoku stood with his hands behind his back and nodded in agreement. "It seems I was overthinking. I didn't expect this old guy to be so serious this time. I wonder if he told Ian about the final outcome of the Mary Geoise negotiations. What Ian said to us old folks in the meeting really resonated with the younger Garp. If he knew the criminal he captured was released by Mary Geoise, he'd probably be too stubborn to accept it, right?"
...
On the training ground, Ian's current thoughts were:
Accept it? Why wouldn't I accept it? How could I possibly have such a strong sense of justice? Oh, what a compliment!
Since entering the training state, Ian had kept his Fruit abilities activated. He knew exactly when Sengoku, Chief of Staff Tsuru, and Vice Admiral Momousagi had arrived, where they were observing from, and what they had said. But at the moment, Ian didn't have time to care about their intentions. Instead, he looked at Garp with burning eyes!
Garp raised his arms and shouted, "Hey! Ian! Adjust your breathing, remember what I just said, and pay attention to your rhythm! Run towards me as fast as you can—"
Before Garp could finish his sentence, the words caught in his throat.