Zoro wiped the sweat from his face. Though he was excited, he hadn't forgotten the other goal.
He looked down at the bruises still lingering on his body—already fading, but not gone—and frowned slightly.
"Hey, Ronan."
Zoro lifted his head, a trace of dissatisfaction in his eyes.
"I've basically grasped beginner-level Observation Haki, but… this second stage of the Thirteen Guardians Horizontal Training—I feel like the progress is really slow."
He slapped his chest hard, producing a dull thump.
"Sure, I'm tougher than before, but I'm still far from what you described—blade-proof, weapon-shattering."
Beside him, Luffy nodded vigorously, lips puckered.
"Yeah, yeah! It still hurts a lot when I get hit by the spear! My rubber body's tougher, but it hasn't turned into steel yet!"
Ronan twitched at the corner of his mouth, suddenly at a loss for words.
These two… really didn't know how to be satisfied.
For normal people, the second stage—Bronze Skin, Iron Bones—would take at least ten years of hard training, plus priceless medicinal support.
These two had trained for a week and were already tanking blows from his iron spear. That was practically riding a rocket.
"Too much haste leads to failure."
Ronan sighed helplessly and said earnestly,
"It's only been a few days. Your bodies are already undergoing qualitative change."
"Horizontal training is about slow, steady tempering—accumulation over time."
"If you rush it, you'll damage your foundation instead."
"But—"
Luffy didn't buy it. He leaned right up to Ronan, eyes wide with naked hunger for strength.
"I just want to become blade-proof faster! Is there a quicker way? I'm not afraid of pain! Even if it hurts ten times more, I can take it!"
Zoro didn't speak, but his burning gaze said everything:
If there's a shortcut—even if it's hell, I'll walk it.
Facing those wolf-like eyes, Ronan felt real pressure.
This was the core trait of the protagonist crew.
Never satisfied. Always pushing past limits.
Ronan pondered for a moment, countless possibilities flashing through his mind.
"A faster method…"
His gaze drifted toward the turbulent sea in the distance, eyes sharpening slightly.
"There is a way."
Ronan looked back at Luffy and Zoro, speaking after a brief pause.
"But it costs money. A lot of money."
"What way?!"
They asked in unison, voices full of urgency.
Ronan slowly spoke two words.
"Medicinal baths."
"Medicinal baths?" Luffy tilted his head, confused. "Are those edible?"
Ronan shook his head and explained patiently.
"A medicinal bath uses large quantities of rare, precious ingredients—hundred-year ginseng, tiger bone, deer antler, lingzhi, and the like."
"They're brewed into a decoction following an ancient formula, then diluted into water at extremely high temperature."
"You soak in it."
"Soaking?" Zoro froze. That didn't sound like brutal training at all.
"Don't underestimate it," Ronan said seriously.
"The Thirteen Guardians technique is extremely domineering. It's all about destruction and reconstruction."
"Our beatings during the day are the destruction—tearing muscle fibers apart."
"The medicinal bath is the perfect reconstruction."
Ronan pointed at Zoro's bruises.
"With heat, the medicinal essence penetrates through your pores into your body."
"It instantly clears subcutaneous bruising and internal damage from training, preventing long-term injury."
"But more importantly—"
"It goes deep into your bones, like adding rare metals during steel forging, fundamentally strengthening bone density and muscle toughness!"
"This is the real shortcut for horizontal training."
"There's… something like that?!"
Zoro's blood surged. His eyes blazed.
For a man willing to pay any price for strength, this was irresistible.
"How much does it cost?"
Zoro stood abruptly, hand already on his sword hilt, murderous intent sweeping around him.
"I'll rob for it."
Ronan laughed helplessly and pressed Zoro back down by the shoulder.
"Calm down. The problem isn't money—it's that even with money, you can't buy good ingredients right now."
"This vast sea—where are we supposed to find hundred-year ginseng?"
"When we reach a developed island, then we'll go on a shopping spree."
"Alright. Training ends here for today."
Ronan exhaled deeply and flopped onto the deck in a spread-eagle position, letting the sea breeze wash over him.
"Too much strain snaps the string. Proper rest lets us go further."
...
As the terrifying "self-abuse training" finally ended, Nami and Usopp—who had been watching in horror—finally breathed out and stepped onto the deck.
"Finally done!"
Usopp stretched dramatically, leaning on the railing.
"I was bored to death!"
Nami sighed as well, studying the nautical chart with a frown.
"To accommodate your training, we've been stopping and starting nonstop. It's seriously affected our course."
Ronan turned his head slightly, smiling warmly at Nami.
"Training's over for now, Miss Nami. Let's enjoy sailing again."
He relaxed fully, gazing at the clear blue sky above as his thoughts drifted.
Zoro leaned against the railing in the shade, hugging Wado Ichimonji, eyes closed, breathing slow and steady.
Peace returned to the deck.
Unfortunately, peace was torture for certain hyperactive individuals.
After rolling around twice out of boredom, Luffy suddenly jumped up and wrapped an arm around Usopp's neck.
"Hey, Usopp! Since we've got nothing to do, let's practice the cannon!"
"Cannon?!" Usopp's eyes lit up instantly—sniper instincts activated.
"Alright! I'll show you my hundred-percent accuracy!"
They dashed to the side of the Going Merry, where a cannon was mounted.
"Target—"
Luffy pointed at a massive black reef jutting out of the sea hundreds of meters away.
"That one!"
"Hmph, way too close."
Usopp confidently pushed up his goggles and began loading powder and shot.
Squinting one eye, thumb raised, he measured wind, distance, and the ship's sway.
Cowardly as Usopp usually was, once he held a weapon and locked onto a target, his aura changed completely.
It was the calm focus and confidence of a true marksman.
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