_________ POV Enel_________
And there I was, punching away at a mountain while using nothing besides the strength of my own muscles...
To make sure I don't cheat, good old Garp made sure I wear a seastone collar for the duration of my training.
I've been doing this for two weeks already. It's always the same. Eat, sleep, punch... Occasionally go to the toilet.
I may not necessarily like ruining the terrain, but at least there are no resources and trees to break on this island...
The trees have all been chopped up, and minerals were taken out of the ground already... It's well and truly barren...
Well, nothing was done manually. Everything was plucked out by Shiki.
This was done to both prepare resources for the arriving Marines and to clear up space for my training.
Garp requested this, as the mountain is relatively large. The best part? He asked Shiki to rebuild it every night while I slept...
So I technically have to struggle and take down a mountain that regenerates itself every day... Great.
The stipulation is that I must break it all in one day, otherwise, I must keep going until I can.
After that, the timeframe for the regeneration will get lower and lower, until I reach an 'adequate strength'.
Shiki complained that we're working him like some beaten horse, but he can easily do all of the tasks we give him with a flick of his wrist...
Really, his devil fruit is outrageously powerful.
I've no doubt that he's among the strongest on these islands, even after the rest of the marines arrive, there shouldn't be any that can take that spot in the top 5 away from him.
It did take both Garp and Sengoku in their primes to take him down, and even with them, he almost ruined Marineford back then...
Ah well, I can thank Francisco for the fact that he's now on our side. Shiki doesn't seem like the type to follow others...
If I remember correctly, he was trying to take down the government by allying himself with Roger back in the day... So he's clearly ambitious. Not the type of person that would ever bow down to others.
As more and more powerful people gather on these islands, the pressure on my shoulders grows...
I don't even know if I am the strongest on the island anymore... I don't know how a fight between me and a serious Garp would look... Same for Francisco.
In a sense, it's not my strength that brought everyone together here... But it still feels strange for me to have to rely on my crewmates for training.
I feel like I SHOULD be stronger. As the captain of such a massive power, I need to live up to my title.
Even now, I find it difficult to believe that there is a crew more powerful than this in the world.
The problem is... I know that no matter what we do, it won't be enough to stomp out IM.
Not when he's got Uranus and the ancient weapon pieces on his side... Hell, the 5 Elders should also be strong if we're to listen to the marines and Sengoku...
To be a good leader, I need to prepare for the worst. No matter how powerful this army grows, I refuse to wage war until I've at least followed the advice of that giant sea monster, Orochi...
Well, I don't know if Orochi is a Sea King or not. But it sure as hell was a lot bigger than any of the Sea Kings I've ever encountered or heard about.
Even that large Sea King, the Island Eater, was nothing when compared to that mythical monster...
I think its advice is sound. One ought to listen to their elders after all.
I need to work and awaken my devil fruit, but I also need to somehow assist Luffy in awakening his...
But first, I need to train. Fighting an opponent that can seal my devil fruit is impossible. It's also not good to assume that I'll be immune to that after awakening. So I need to grow stronger overall...
Those thoughts are what led to my current predicament.
Punching rocks again and again, I had to bandage my bleeding knuckles a few times already. Sea Stone makes me feel weak, but I need to train like this if I want to see true results.
Garp actually scoffed at me when he saw just how little of the mountain I had managed to destroy when he came on one of his daily checks.
It just goes to show how much I was relying on my devil fruit previously. Even if I trained Haki and the 6 Powers of the Marines, I still fought my hardest battles using my devil fruit.
As the captain, I should be much stronger.
Even if Sea Stone is making me weaker in general, an Emperor would be able to do a lot more even if chained up in Sea Stone...
And I can't afford to be just any Emperor if I want to face off against the Government.
Hell, Kaido is also outrageously strong, and he's just been sitting on his ass for decades. It's safe to assume that his Beast Pirates would get squashed by the Government if they were to fight...
I wonder what Kaido plans to do... I mean, there's not a lot he CAN do... I'd wish he just waited patiently for Joyboy/Nika to take him down, but at this point, it's hard to tell.
I assume he's going to keep stockpiling SMILE fruits and growing his crew further like he did in the show.
I doubt he'll take the chance to attack the government. Especially after seeing how much power is gathered in this place.
If I remember correctly, his vision was that of a war to equalize everything. I doubt he'll be willing to start one when our side can join in and tilt the scales instantly.
Of course, I'm assuming he has no idea how powerful the Government actually is. If he did, he would know that gathering more SMILE Fruits wouldn't necessarily help him win any war...
It's hard to predict things at this point. I can't use much of my knowledge from the show anymore, since it's hard to say what is and isn't going to happen.
It's also impossible for me to treat this as a show. At this point, it's just my life. I need to be as cautious and wary as possible.
I also can't fully rely on knowledge from the show when it comes to Kaido. At this point, he's as unpredictable for me as can be...
Hah, whatever... We'll just have to deal with things as they come.
I'll just keep punching away at this mountain. Can't afford to slack off right now.
_________ POV Narration _________
As Enel punched away at his mountain, the Neo Marines were finally gathering at the shore of the Red Line, patiently waiting for someone to come and 'pick them up'.
Dozens upon dozens of ships filled with marines that had decided to defect alongside the leaders they trusted most.
Zephyr, was the man that had taught and trained many generations of marines. A respected man and a former Admiral.
He had retired from the position of Instructor after suffering a defeat in the field, but that didn't diminish his reputation at all.
He was still one of the strongest men in the marines, some people even considered him to be stronger than the Admirals.
His mastery over Armament Haki and physical strength were considered second only to that of Garp, who was a freak of nature by all definitions.
Tsuru was, surprisingly, even more famous than Z.
Much like Garp, she had never become an Admiral. And just like Garp, it was not because she couldn't.
She simply didn't want to work with the Celestial Dragons directly, finding their presence 'distasteful'.
She was well known for her dangerous devil fruit abilities that even allowed her to wash away the evil from pirates.
A lesser-known fact was that she was also one of the best snipers in the marine. And their best assassin.
Her mastery over Sky Walk/Geppo allowed her to even perch upon clouds. She could travel from island to island without the need for a ship.
Her mastery of observation and armament allowed her to kill skilled Devil Fruit users from miles away.
She could also erase her presence completely, to the point where even masters of Observation Haki wouldn't be able to sense her. In that aspect, she was just as good as the best in the CP0 units.
All of her skills combined were what made her as renowned as she was.
She was swift and deadly. She certainly lived up to her moniker. Tsuru the Crane, elegant, graceful... Strong.
Many of the marines chose to follow them instead of sticking with the Government. Especially after so many of them learned more about the Celestial Dragons and their 'habits'.
After all, many of the Neo Marine members had hunted down pirates for things that the Celestial Dragons seemed to be doing on the regular.
It felt like an insult to them, and the oaths they had made.
Many chose to stay, believing the doctrine of the Government over their own morals.
But those that had sailed with Z and Tsuru all gained more perspective on the world and could make a more educated choice.
Zephyr and Tsuru were both still wearing their marine coats, standing on the deck of their main Warship and staring up at the sky.
Tsuru was just an old lady with grey hair tied up in a bun. She looked as inconspicuous as could be. Her attire was a lot more casual than that of the other Vice Admirals.
She just wore a shirt and a tie underneath her coat, coupled with a pair of long pants and sandals.
Z was dressed a bit more formally, wearing a purple suit like he used to wear as an instructor and Admiral. His long purple hair was uncombed and flowed in every direction.
His body was showing no sign of ageing, his muscles just as bulky as they were in his prime. He was only missing his right arm, having lost it at some point in his career...
It was now replaced with a mechanical one, large to match his frame, but not resembling that of a human in any way. It was clearly made for utility more so than looks...
The two old marines stared at the tall walls of the Red Line with quite a bit of intrigue.
Kizaru stood tall by their side, dressed in his usual yellow costume and Admiral coat. His back stood a bit more straight than usual, his normally uncaring expression was changed to a more respectful one.
After all, Tsuru and Z were both people that garnered his respect. Even if he didn't quite get along with Z, he still had nothing but respect for his old teacher.
Normally, he would have been napping at that hour, instead, he was now forced to tap his foot on the deck of the ship and wait for a pick-up.
He did consider flying up to the islands and making sure that the Sky Islands were aware of their location, but he was sure they had. Sengoku was the one to answer after all...
"... This is still too difficult to believe..." Tsuru sighed as she looked at the sky.
No island could be seen, the skies weren't clear, and a large formation of clouds hovered above that entire part of the Red Line.
"Marines, Pirates, Revolutionaries... And an Emperor to boot..." Z said as he imagined the scene that was awaiting them on the 'Sky Islands'.
"It will be even more difficult when you see just how many people there are on the Sky Islands... Calling it impressive is not even enough." Kizaru's tone still sounded tired, despite his efforts to appear respectful.
"I am even more intrigued to see the man that managed to piece this all together..." Z said as he gave Kizaru, his former pupil, a wide smile.
"Oh, he's a character, that's for sure..." Tsuru scowled a bit when thinking back to Enel.
She didn't quite blame him for the entire mess they found themselves in, but she was well aware that he had played a large part in it.
"I regret not meeting him while he was with the marines... I'm sure we would have gotten along." Z said as his smile didn't recede one bit.
Tsuru just sighed, pondering why there were only problematic men around her.
Then, Tsuru felt two people approaching, one of them she recognized instantly, the other not as much...
"Sengoku's coming!" Z also recognized the same person as Tsuru, even if they were not in sight yet.
"... The other one should be Shiki, The Golden Lion..." Kizaru sighed as he scratched the back of his head.
"Shiki? That old crone?" Tsuru scowled when hearing that.
"The Golden Lion? How the hell did that happen...?" Z was also curious.
Kizaru hadn't given them too many details about the actual denizens of the Sky Islands, knowing that it would likely be too difficult to believe anyway.
"... It's a veeery long story..." Kizaru just sighed as he looked back at all of the ships that had gathered up near the Red Line.
"Heh... Can't wait to hear it, and to meet old Sengoku again!" Zephyr patted himself on the chest as he continued smiling and looking at the sky.
Tsuru just sighed. Seeing Sengoku and Shiki work together already desensitized her to anything else that they could hear about the Sky Islands. One thing was still on her mind though...
'... I wonder if the view from the Sky Islands is nice...'
Well, she was about to find out.
__________________________________________________________________
Hope you liked the chapter!
Neo marines are here! Don't worry, Hina will get her moment later on.
And yea, Garp's patented training method is here :)) Good old mountain punching
If u want to support me look up VeganMaster(Vegan Cult) on Patre_on, you'd also get 10 chapters in advance (or 5 depending on tier)
_________ POV Enel_________
And there I was, punching away at a mountain while using nothing besides the strength of my own muscles...
To make sure I don't cheat, good old Garp made sure I wear a seastone collar for the duration of my training.
I've been doing this for two weeks already. It's always the same. Eat, sleep, punch... Occasionally go to the toilet.
I may not necessarily like ruining the terrain, but at least there are no resources and trees to break on this island...
The trees have all been chopped up, and minerals were taken out of the ground already... It's well and truly barren...
Well, nothing was done manually. Everything was plucked out by Shiki.
This was done to both prepare resources for the arriving Marines and to clear up space for my training.
Garp requested this, as the mountain is relatively large. The best part? He asked Shiki to rebuild it every night while I slept...
So I technically have to struggle and take down a mountain that regenerates itself every day... Great.
The stipulation is that I must break it all in one day, otherwise, I must keep going until I can.
After that, the timeframe for the regeneration will get lower and lower, until I reach an 'adequate strength'.
Shiki complained that we're working him like some beaten horse, but he can easily do all of the tasks we give him with a flick of his wrist...
Really, his devil fruit is outrageously powerful.
I've no doubt that he's among the strongest on these islands, even after the rest of the marines arrive, there shouldn't be any that can take that spot in the top 5 away from him.
It did take both Garp and Sengoku in their primes to take him down, and even with them, he almost ruined Marineford back then...
Ah well, I can thank Francisco for the fact that he's now on our side. Shiki doesn't seem like the type to follow others...
If I remember correctly, he was trying to take down the government by allying himself with Roger back in the day... So he's clearly ambitious. Not the type of person that would ever bow down to others.
As more and more powerful people gather on these islands, the pressure on my shoulders grows...
I don't even know if I am the strongest on the island anymore... I don't know how a fight between me and a serious Garp would look... Same for Francisco.
In a sense, it's not my strength that brought everyone together here... But it still feels strange for me to have to rely on my crewmates for training.
I feel like I SHOULD be stronger. As the captain of such a massive power, I need to live up to my title.
Even now, I find it difficult to believe that there is a crew more powerful than this in the world.
The problem is... I know that no matter what we do, it won't be enough to stomp out IM.
Not when he's got Uranus and the ancient weapon pieces on his side... Hell, the 5 Elders should also be strong if we're to listen to the marines and Sengoku...
To be a good leader, I need to prepare for the worst. No matter how powerful this army grows, I refuse to wage war until I've at least followed the advice of that giant sea monster, Orochi...
Well, I don't know if Orochi is a Sea King or not. But it sure as hell was a lot bigger than any of the Sea Kings I've ever encountered or heard about.
Even that large Sea King, the Island Eater, was nothing when compared to that mythical monster...
I think its advice is sound. One ought to listen to their elders after all.
I need to work and awaken my devil fruit, but I also need to somehow assist Luffy in awakening his...
But first, I need to train. Fighting an opponent that can seal my devil fruit is impossible. It's also not good to assume that I'll be immune to that after awakening. So I need to grow stronger overall...
Those thoughts are what led to my current predicament.
Punching rocks again and again, I had to bandage my bleeding knuckles a few times already. Sea Stone makes me feel weak, but I need to train like this if I want to see true results.
Garp actually scoffed at me when he saw just how little of the mountain I had managed to destroy when he came on one of his daily checks.
It just goes to show how much I was relying on my devil fruit previously. Even if I trained Haki and the 6 Powers of the Marines, I still fought my hardest battles using my devil fruit.
As the captain, I should be much stronger.
Even if Sea Stone is making me weaker in general, an Emperor would be able to do a lot more even if chained up in Sea Stone...
And I can't afford to be just any Emperor if I want to face off against the Government.
Hell, Kaido is also outrageously strong, and he's just been sitting on his ass for decades. It's safe to assume that his Beast Pirates would get squashed by the Government if they were to fight...
I wonder what Kaido plans to do... I mean, there's not a lot he CAN do... I'd wish he just waited patiently for Joyboy/Nika to take him down, but at this point, it's hard to tell.
I assume he's going to keep stockpiling SMILE fruits and growing his crew further like he did in the show.
I doubt he'll take the chance to attack the government. Especially after seeing how much power is gathered in this place.
If I remember correctly, his vision was that of a war to equalize everything. I doubt he'll be willing to start one when our side can join in and tilt the scales instantly.
Of course, I'm assuming he has no idea how powerful the Government actually is. If he did, he would know that gathering more SMILE Fruits wouldn't necessarily help him win any war...
It's hard to predict things at this point. I can't use much of my knowledge from the show anymore, since it's hard to say what is and isn't going to happen.
It's also impossible for me to treat this as a show. At this point, it's just my life. I need to be as cautious and wary as possible.
I also can't fully rely on knowledge from the show when it comes to Kaido. At this point, he's as unpredictable for me as can be...
Hah, whatever... We'll just have to deal with things as they come.
I'll just keep punching away at this mountain. Can't afford to slack off right now.
_________ POV Narration _________
As Enel punched away at his mountain, the Neo Marines were finally gathering at the shore of the Red Line, patiently waiting for someone to come and 'pick them up'.
Dozens upon dozens of ships filled with marines that had decided to defect alongside the leaders they trusted most.
Zephyr, was the man that had taught and trained many generations of marines. A respected man and a former Admiral.
He had retired from the position of Instructor after suffering a defeat in the field, but that didn't diminish his reputation at all.
He was still one of the strongest men in the marines, some people even considered him to be stronger than the Admirals.
His mastery over Armament Haki and physical strength were considered second only to that of Garp, who was a freak of nature by all definitions.
Tsuru was, surprisingly, even more famous than Z.
Much like Garp, she had never become an Admiral. And just like Garp, it was not because she couldn't.
She simply didn't want to work with the Celestial Dragons directly, finding their presence 'distasteful'.
She was well known for her dangerous devil fruit abilities that even allowed her to wash away the evil from pirates.
A lesser-known fact was that she was also one of the best snipers in the marine. And their best assassin.
Her mastery over Sky Walk/Geppo allowed her to even perch upon clouds. She could travel from island to island without the need for a ship.
Her mastery of observation and armament allowed her to kill skilled Devil Fruit users from miles away.
She could also erase her presence completely, to the point where even masters of Observation Haki wouldn't be able to sense her. In that aspect, she was just as good as the best in the CP0 units.
All of her skills combined were what made her as renowned as she was.
She was swift and deadly. She certainly lived up to her moniker. Tsuru the Crane, elegant, graceful... Strong.
Many of the marines chose to follow them instead of sticking with the Government. Especially after so many of them learned more about the Celestial Dragons and their 'habits'.
After all, many of the Neo Marine members had hunted down pirates for things that the Celestial Dragons seemed to be doing on the regular.
It felt like an insult to them, and the oaths they had made.
Many chose to stay, believing the doctrine of the Government over their own morals.
But those that had sailed with Z and Tsuru all gained more perspective on the world and could make a more educated choice.
Zephyr and Tsuru were both still wearing their marine coats, standing on the deck of their main Warship and staring up at the sky.
Tsuru was just an old lady with grey hair tied up in a bun. She looked as inconspicuous as could be. Her attire was a lot more casual than that of the other Vice Admirals.
She just wore a shirt and a tie underneath her coat, coupled with a pair of long pants and sandals.
Z was dressed a bit more formally, wearing a purple suit like he used to wear as an instructor and Admiral. His long purple hair was uncombed and flowed in every direction.
His body was showing no sign of ageing, his muscles just as bulky as they were in his prime. He was only missing his right arm, having lost it at some point in his career...
It was now replaced with a mechanical one, large to match his frame, but not resembling that of a human in any way. It was clearly made for utility more so than looks...
The two old marines stared at the tall walls of the Red Line with quite a bit of intrigue.
Kizaru stood tall by their side, dressed in his usual yellow costume and Admiral coat. His back stood a bit more straight than usual, his normally uncaring expression was changed to a more respectful one.
After all, Tsuru and Z were both people that garnered his respect. Even if he didn't quite get along with Z, he still had nothing but respect for his old teacher.
Normally, he would have been napping at that hour, instead, he was now forced to tap his foot on the deck of the ship and wait for a pick-up.
He did consider flying up to the islands and making sure that the Sky Islands were aware of their location, but he was sure they had. Sengoku was the one to answer after all...
"... This is still too difficult to believe..." Tsuru sighed as she looked at the sky.
No island could be seen, the skies weren't clear, and a large formation of clouds hovered above that entire part of the Red Line.
"Marines, Pirates, Revolutionaries... And an Emperor to boot..." Z said as he imagined the scene that was awaiting them on the 'Sky Islands'.
"It will be even more difficult when you see just how many people there are on the Sky Islands... Calling it impressive is not even enough." Kizaru's tone still sounded tired, despite his efforts to appear respectful.
"I am even more intrigued to see the man that managed to piece this all together..." Z said as he gave Kizaru, his former pupil, a wide smile.
"Oh, he's a character, that's for sure..." Tsuru scowled a bit when thinking back to Enel.
She didn't quite blame him for the entire mess they found themselves in, but she was well aware that he had played a large part in it.
"I regret not meeting him while he was with the marines... I'm sure we would have gotten along." Z said as his smile didn't recede one bit.
Tsuru just sighed, pondering why there were only problematic men around her.
Then, Tsuru felt two people approaching, one of them she recognized instantly, the other not as much...
"Sengoku's coming!" Z also recognized the same person as Tsuru, even if they were not in sight yet.
"... The other one should be Shiki, The Golden Lion..." Kizaru sighed as he scratched the back of his head.
"Shiki? That old crone?" Tsuru scowled when hearing that.
"The Golden Lion? How the hell did that happen...?" Z was also curious.
Kizaru hadn't given them too many details about the actual denizens of the Sky Islands, knowing that it would likely be too difficult to believe anyway.
"... It's a veeery long story..." Kizaru just sighed as he looked back at all of the ships that had gathered up near the Red Line.
"Heh... Can't wait to hear it, and to meet old Sengoku again!" Zephyr patted himself on the chest as he continued smiling and looking at the sky.
Tsuru just sighed. Seeing Sengoku and Shiki work together already desensitized her to anything else that they could hear about the Sky Islands. One thing was still on her mind though...
'... I wonder if the view from the Sky Islands is nice...'
Well, she was about to find out.
__________________________________________________________________
Hope you liked the chapter!
Neo marines are here! Don't worry, Hina will get her moment later on.
And yea, Garp's patented training method is here :)) Good old mountain punching
If u want to support me look up VeganMaster(Vegan Cult) on Patre_on, you'd also get 10 chapters in advance (or 5 depending on tier)
