Garp cooked lunch.
With Tsuru’s help, the meal turned out surprisingly well: three dishes and a soup, with two of the dishes consisting of meat served in large basins.
The unreliable Garp had somehow found two reliable friends.
How wonderful.
The three children worked together to prepare a feast for Jiro.
It looked like plenty of food, but with their appetites, the four of them quickly finished everything.
Once they had eaten their fill and cleared the table, the children sat down and waited for Jiro’s instructions.
Jiro began by explaining what combat truly meant.
“Combat isn’t the same as sparring.
Real combat is a matter of life and death.
The loser dies, and the winner survives.” “The first lesson I’m teaching you today is the essence and purpose of combat.” “The essence of combat is survival.” Jiro paused.
Everyone wanted to live.
When two people fought, the question was which one would survive.
There were countless pirates in the world.
Many were cruel, heartless, and willing to slaughter others without hesitation.
When the children encountered truly vicious pirates, they should have only two choices: kill them or arrest them.
Arresting someone required even greater strength.
“The stronger you are, the more choices you have.
If you don’t want to kill them, become strong enough to capture them.” “You’re still weak, so when you encounter pirates, your first thought should be how to survive—not how to arrest them.” “And don’t think there’s anything shameful about outnumbering an enemy.
In a fight for survival, there’s no honor or shame.
What matters is staying alive.” “The one who survives is the winner.” The three listened seriously.
They were still young, so Jiro wanted to make sure they understood.
These lessons could guide them for the rest of their lives.
“When dealing with truly vicious pirates, don’t be softhearted.” “Showing mercy to an enemy can put your own life at risk.” “Remember that.
Don’t show mercy when your life is at stake.” They didn’t fully understand, so Jiro emphasized the point several times.
Words alone wouldn’t be enough.
Someday, reality would teach them that pirates would do anything to survive.
“All right.
Get up and follow me.” Combat training couldn’t be done inside the house.
They went to the foot of the mountain.
The ground where they usually trained had been worn smooth in some places and torn apart in others.
Jiro had even considered planting crops there.
They could train and farm at the same time, making sure they always had enough food.
Two problems solved at once.
“Garp, you’re first.” Garp stepped forward while Sengoku and Tsuru moved back.
“Come on,” Jiro said.
“Try to hit me.” He turned his back, deliberately allowing Garp to attack from behind.
Garp didn’t hesitate.
Without saying a word, he swung his fist with all his strength.
The punch tore through the air.
Garp’s Iron Fist was beginning to take shape.
His hidden talent was finally revealing itself, and the blow was powerful enough that even Jiro wouldn’t enjoy taking it directly.
Sengoku frowned.
“Garp is using too much strength.” Tsuru looked worried.
“This is bad.” Garp, however, wanted to laugh.
Dad, you told me to hit you.
Of course I’m going all out.
This is for making me copy things ten times, mocking me, beating me, and dumping all the chores on me.
All his resentment was concentrated into that one punch.
Just before his fist struck the back of Jiro’s head, Jiro tilted slightly to the left.
The punch missed.
Jiro took one step aside, and Garp’s momentum carried him forward.
He tumbled across the ground several times before stopping and looking back in confusion.
What happened?
How did he dodge at the last second?
“You two join him,” Jiro said.
“All three of you attack together and try to hit me.” Sengoku and Tsuru immediately rushed forward, while Garp jumped back to his feet and joined them.
The three launched a flurry of punches, but they couldn’t even touch the edge of Jiro’s clothes.
They fell, got back up, and attacked again.
Sneak attacks didn’t work, and frontal attacks were even more useless.
The three eventually crouched together to discuss their strategy.
“This isn’t working,” Garp whispered.
“He dodges everything.” Sengoku and Tsuru nodded.
It was as though Jiro had eyes in the back of his head.
He seemed to know every move they would make before they made it.
“We’ll do this first, and then…” They lowered their voices and quickly formed a plan.
It made little difference.
The three attacked from separate directions, hoping to pressure Jiro from all sides, but they had greatly overestimated themselves.
Jiro gave each of them one punch.
Garp received the hardest blow and was knocked to the ground.
Sengoku was sent flying into a tree, where he ended up hanging from a branch.
Jiro used less strength on Tsuru, letting her fall gently.
The three refused to give up and charged again, only to be sent flying once more.
Again and again they attacked, and again and again they were knocked back.
After being thrown away dozens of times, they were completely exhausted.
Their bodies ached, and fighting had proven even more tiring than their usual training.
They had fought for half a day, yet Jiro remained in the same area, and they hadn’t touched a single hair on his head.
The three began questioning their lives.
“Finished already?
Keep going.” “All three of you can attack together.
I’ll stand right here without moving.” None of them believed him.
Garp and Sengoku no longer wanted to fight.
Even if Jiro kept his feet still, they wouldn’t be able to hit him.
He predicted their attacks and avoided them before they could land.
Meanwhile, they couldn’t dodge his fists.
A single punch was enough to nearly knock them unconscious.
Had they not spent the past month strengthening their bodies, none of them could have endured even one hit.
They had no idea how powerful Jiro had become.
Against his level-22 Observation Haki, the three children were nothing more than a few harmless rabbits.
Getting past his senses was impossible, let alone injuring him.
Even if they managed to land a blow, Jiro’s physical defense alone was now strong enough to withstand blades without injury.
[Host: Monkey D.
Jiro] [Devil Fruit: Zoan-type Turtle-Turtle Fruit — 13% Development] [Skills: Iron Body Lv.
25, Finger Pistol Lv.
22, Moonwalk Lv.
20, Shave Lv.
26, Tempest Kick Lv.
23, Paper Art Lv.
22, Armament Haki Lv.
18, Observation Haki Lv.
22, One Punch Lv.
14.] Most of his abilities had reached or passed level twenty.
One Punch was a technique Jiro had developed himself, inspired by a certain man’s ability.
It concentrated all the strength in his body into a single charged punch.
As Jiro’s physical strength increased, the technique’s power grew with it.
His Six Powers techniques had improved rapidly through missions and system rewards.
Combined with his constant personal training, his progress had doubled.