“Copy it ten times.
Don’t even think about slacking off, and make sure your handwriting is neat.
Anything messy will have to be redone.
Garp, did you hear me?” Jiro stood beside his son, supervising his homework.
Copying the multiplication table once wouldn’t take long.
Since Garp was only beginning to learn, repetition would help improve both his patience and memory.
Writing things down was better than relying on memory alone.
After copying it several times, the answers would naturally become familiar.
Given Garp’s brain, however, it might take several hundred repetitions before anything truly stuck.
Reciting and copying at the same time would reinforce the lesson and firmly imprint the multiplication table in his mind.
Ideally, it would be carved directly into his brain.
Garp lowered his head.
“Teacher, ten copies is too many.
Can’t I do five?” Jiro glanced at him.
“I’m informing you, not negotiating with you.” “You’ll copy it as many times as I tell you.
Don’t ask for a discount, or I’ll break your legs.” The arm-thick wooden stick beside him made the threat extremely convincing.
Garp shrank back, knowing better than to provoke him, and obediently began copying.
His miserable life had begun.
After finishing the first copy, Garp’s hand was already sore.
The moment he considered taking a break, Jiro spoke.
“Keep writing.
If you don’t finish all ten copies, you won’t sleep tonight.” “And memorize it while you copy.
Don’t just write without thinking.
If you still can’t remember something this simple afterward, then all that copying will have been pointless.” “Even a three-year-old could learn faster than you.” Garp didn’t believe that exaggeration.
The seven-year-olds outside were still playing.
Who spent their time studying?
Everyone else was busy training their bodies and becoming stronger.
“How many times have I told you to keep everything straight?
Your posture should be straight, and so should your handwriting.
Stop being careless.” “Start over.
Look at what you wrote.” Jiro took away the half-finished multiplication table.
The moment Garp heard start over, he froze.
No.
Please, no.
He stared at the blank sheet in front of him.
All the work he had just done had been rejected.
Garp picked up the pen and began again, writing slowly so his father wouldn’t make him restart a second time.
He completed the second copy, then the third and fourth.
By the fifth, his eyelids were drooping.
He couldn’t keep writing.
He wanted to go to bed.
Garp looked up at his father with a pitiful expression.
Jiro ignored it.
“Ten copies.
Not one less.
Anything you don’t finish tonight will be added to tomorrow’s work.” “You’ll still have ten new copies tomorrow, so feel free to slack off and go to sleep.” The daily copying would continue until Garp completely mastered the multiplication table.
Once he learned one subject, they would move on to the next.
Jiro had already begun planning the rest of Garp’s education: handwriting, mathematics, and all the basic knowledge an aspiring Pirate King would need.
He intended to teach him everything.
Jiro refused to let his son grow up knowing nothing and embarrass him.
If he was going to do something, he would do it properly.
“Teacher, can’t I stop after five?
It’s only the first day.
Ten is too difficult.” The task felt endless.
The sky would be bright soon.
Was he going to get any sleep at all?
After resting for an entire day, Garp could already imagine what tomorrow would bring.
Physical torture during the day and mental torture at night.
His father intended to torment both his body and mind.
“Hurry up.
I’m waiting.” Jiro remained beside him and watched him write.
Two hours later, Garp finally finished all ten copies.
His pace was painfully slow.
Jiro checked the work and decided that it barely met his minimum standards.
“Go to sleep.
You only have two hours left, so don’t waste them.” It was already late, and the next day’s training would begin soon.
By Jiro’s standards, the first day of Garp’s education had gone perfectly.
The following morning, Garp woke with dark circles beneath his eyes and was immediately dragged away to climb the mountain.
The boulder remained the same for now.
He climbed twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon, experiencing four terrifying falls every day.
Garp had gradually grown accustomed to jumping from the cliff and no longer needed his father to force him.
Meanwhile, Jiro waited for his son at the summit and claimed the rewards from the previous night’s task.
[Iron Body +1.] [Finger Pistol +1.] Daily missions still provided rewards, although they weren’t as generous as the initial one.
While Garp trained below, Jiro worked on his own abilities.
He hunted down wild beasts and fought them to improve his combat experience.
Whenever Garp reached the summit, Jiro returned at just the right moment.
Moonwalk made traveling through the mountains extremely convenient.
Father and son followed their own training routines.
Garp was still building his foundation, while Jiro had already moved on to the next stage.
His strength increased every day, and he grew steadily more formidable as his combat experience improved.
A month passed.
Under Jiro’s “education,” even the wild beasts in the forest became much stronger.
Whenever they lost, they were beaten until they learned to fight better.
Beasts had dignity too.
They couldn’t allow themselves to be bullied forever.
That day, Garp was once again climbing the mountain.
After a month of training, he had completely adapted to the routine.
The boulder on his back had been replaced several times and was now far larger than his body.
From a distance, it looked as though a giant rock were slowly crawling up the mountain on its own.
Two climbs in the morning and two in the afternoon.
He never missed one.
Garp’s stamina and vitality had improved tremendously.
At the rear of the island, near the mountain forest, a ship appeared.
It slowly approached the shore from behind, away from the town.
A pirate flag flew from its mast, and several dozen people crowded the deck, sharpening their weapons as they prepared to land.
“It’s rare to have visitors.” Jiro quickly reached the rear mountain and concealed himself among the trees.
He watched as the vessel approached and the pirate crew came ashore.
The pirates unloaded several large boxes before their captain finally disembarked.
He was a short, thin man with a lecherous face, holding a knife in his left hand and wearing a set of sharp claws on his right.
His subordinates looked just as shifty.
Not one of them appeared trustworthy.
“Boss, we’ve reached the island.” “Should we raid the town?
We haven’t seen a woman in a long time.” “We’ve been drifting for a month, and we finally found an island.” “If we approach from the rear, the townspeople won’t notice us.” The captain smiled wickedly.
“Of course we’re raiding it.
Grab your weapons and follow me.” “Kill the men.
Keep the women.” “From today onward, this island belongs to the Sea Rat Pirates!” The crew raised their weapons and cheered.
“Captain, you’re the greatest!” “Long live the Sea Rat Pirates!” “Charge!” “Let’s go, brothers!” Around thirty pirates rushed toward the town like a swarm, their pent-up bloodlust finally ready to be unleashed.
They entered the forest.
The pirate at the front suddenly collapsed.
Then the second one fell.