Chapter 4! The Special Training of Naval Elites!
The scimitar in Liszt's eyes grew closer and larger.
"Aren't you afraid of dying?"
A hand gripped the scimitar, its tip pressed against his brow. Had it not been for that hand, it would have easily pierced Lister's head.
Lister glanced at old John, who was holding the knife, and said, "I'm afraid!"
Old John and Lister looked at each other. After a moment, the hostility in Old John dissipated, and he sat down next to Lister.
"Would you like to hear my story?"
Do you have any wine?
Despite the pain all over his body, Liszt took the flask with his left hand and took a sip of rum.
"I used to be in the Navy!" Old John said.
"Back then, I was young, just like you, training hard and eager to make a name for myself. Five years later, I became a naval lieutenant commander and had my own warship. If nothing had gone wrong, I might be a vice admiral now. Unfortunately, on my first voyage, I encountered the young and powerful pirate Gecko Moria. My warship sank, and all my taxi crew died. I still remember their names."
Old John, his hand trembling, took a sip of wine.
"I drifted to a deserted island with the wind and waves, and survived until two years later when I was rescued by a passing merchant ship. When I returned to Marine Headquarters, everyone was astonished, astonished that I hadn't died. The dead me was a hero, and they gave me a grand funeral. But I was alive, and I faced all sorts of investigations. Soon, I became a prisoner, accused of poor command, abandoning my men, and deserting in battle. Of course, I was unwilling to accept this. I ran away, killed those who hunted me, and ended up on the bounty list, but I didn't care. My heart was filled with hatred; it was Moria who caused all of this. I wanted revenge. I formed my own pirate crew, and finally, with my crew, I found Moria and had a naval battle!"
"And then what happened?"
"I have lost! Moria threatened me with my crew and forced me to swear that I would never set foot on the Grand Line again in my life."
Old John looked pained.
Lister handed him the wine, and old John drank it down in one gulp. After calming down, he looked up at the sky and sighed.
"Two failures eroded my will. I was exiled to the East China Sea, where I spent my days drinking and living in a daze."
"You and the captain..."
"Wiegal is my deputy's son. He's always wanted revenge. Last year, he came to me. I owe his father a life."
"Captain wants to go to the Grand Line?"
"His father died in that naval battle, and he wanted to seek revenge on Moria."
"Moria is very strong?"
"Strong, much stronger than me. He's a famous pirate in the New World, and a Devil Fruit user."
Lister asked, "Can the captain defeat Moria?"
Old John shook his head and said, "Wigel is too confident. Although he is already one of the top pirates in the East Blue, there are at least eight hundred or a thousand pirates like him in the Grand Line. I tried to persuade him, but he wouldn't listen and insisted on going to the Grand Line."
Lister suddenly realized that Old John's sudden anger was actually out of concern for Wiegel. He had just happened to be there and stumbled upon Old John's breaking point. It was like a boss who was losing money and holding back his anger, seeing you smiling, and immediately roaring at you. It was a completely unwarranted disaster.
After the outburst, old John regretted taking his anger out on Lister, which led to the conversation described above.
Lister knew perfectly well what was going on, but he didn't say it aloud. He simply sighed, "The Grand Line, I want to go see it too."
"You're too weak!" Old John shook his head.
"I'm still young, you can help me!"
"On what grounds?"
Lister looked at his injury.
Old John's face darkened. After a moment of silence, out of guilt, he said, "It will be very bitter!"
"No pain, no gain!"
Old John hesitated slightly before asking, "Would you like to try the Navy's elite training?"
Six months later, in the autumn of 1511 in the Sea Calendar, a message spread on the Blood Axe.
"Have you heard? Red-Leg Zeff defeated a Navy warship and is now a great pirate with a bounty of 20 million."
"who?"
"That cook who fights with his feet, the captain of the Chef Pirates."
"Ugh, that cruel, ruthless devil Redfoot? I heard that after every battle, his shoes turn red, stained with the blood of his enemies. What a terrifying man!"
"Hmph, the Chef Pirates!"
Wiegol downed a large glass of rum and slammed it heavily on the table. The Chef Pirates had been entrenched in the East Blue for years, and as the saying goes, rivals are enemies. As a pirate leader who aspired to enter the Grand Line and avenge his father, Wiegol was naturally not convinced.
"If I can defeat the Chef Pirates, then Old John will agree to take me into the Grand Line!" Wieger's eyes gleamed with malice.
Thinking of this, Wiegand summoned his boatswain.
"Hansen, I need you to do something!" Wiegel instructed.
After hearing this, Hansen laughed heartily, patted his chest, and said, "Captain, don't worry, I guarantee I'll do it."
"Oh, by the way, where's our head chef?"
"Still undergoing special training on the island!"
"Hopefully the head chef's special training will end soon; we haven't had any decent food in ages!" Wiegel complained.
On the beach, Liszt, shirtless, carried a massive boulder weighing thousands of pounds and ran wildly, circling the island twice before slowing down.
At this moment, his breathing became rapid, and every step he took was extremely difficult, as if the boulder on his shoulders was getting heavier and heavier.
Old John stood on the boulder with his hands behind his back.
"Keep going, keep walking, lift your head, look ahead. Want to become stronger? Only by pushing your limits can you continuously grow stronger. Feel the trembling and hissing of every muscle, remember this pain, and transform it into power."
"Don't stop. Compared to the geniuses of the Grand Line, you're already far behind. They're more talented and work harder than you. To surpass them, you'll need a hundred times, a thousand times the effort. Only through rigorous training can you withstand the storms of the Grand Line!"
Old John roared, as if he had returned to his youth, to the days when he received special training at Naval Headquarters.
"Extreme Intensive Training!"
"Push your body to its limits, then step over it and break through to a completely new realm of death-defying training!"
Even at the Navy Headquarters, few can persevere. It requires trainees to have unwavering willpower and a body that can withstand torture. Pushing the limits time and time again is no joke; a slight mistake can result in death or serious injury.
Lister held his head high, staring intently at a pile of stacked stones, breathing heavily as if his lungs were about to burst. He stomped down, creating a sand pit, pulled it out, and continued forward.
Keep going, keep going, keep going...
His mind went blank, leaving only two words.
His whole body ached.
Time stretched out, and all was silent. He could almost hear the agonizing cries of his cells stretching and tearing.
The pain was so intense it went straight to his bones.
End of this chapter...