“Boss?”
“What worked?” Tesoro, who was doing push-ups, curiously turned his head toward Roy.
“Tesoro, quickly test the new ability I just developed.”
As he spoke, without waiting for Tesoro to even rise, Roy instantly expanded a newly formed Gravity Field around him.
Bang!
With a muffled crash, the completely unprepared Tesoro was slammed hard into the earth by an invisible force, dust erupting around him.
“How does it feel, Tesoro?”
At that moment, Tesoro felt as if a mountain had fallen on his back.
His body trembled violently and he could not move even a finger.
“Bo…ss…
what…
is…
this…”
Seeing Tesoro pinned face-down in the dirt, face flushed red and nearly choking, embarrassment flickered across Roy’s face.
He hurriedly adjusted the gravity multiplier, lowering it to the highest limit Tesoro could withstand.
“How is it now, Tesoro?”
Tesoro struggled to raise his head.
Sweat flooded his brow.
Veins bulged on his arms as he clenched his teeth and slowly forced himself upward.
Under doubled gravity, movements once effortless became unbearably difficult.
“This…
is…
incredible!
But…
boss…
what exactly is this?” Tesoro said through gritted teeth as he gradually stood.
“Heheheh.”
“Gravity.
For now I call it the Gravity Field.
Within my field, I can freely alter gravitational intensity.
Isn’t this much more effective than ordinary weighted training?”
Roy’s eyes shone with excitement.
With gravity as a tool, the strength of his crew could rise rapidly, and in future battles he would not have to worry about them falling behind.
Stella and Savi nearby swallowed nervously at Tesoro’s miserable condition.
The way they looked at Roy carried even greater awe now, as if they already sensed the suffering awaiting them.
Roy smiled.
The field instantly expanded over the remaining two as well.
He carefully tuned the pressure so they could still move, but only with tremendous difficulty.
From that day onward, training in the back mountain entered true Hell Mode.
Roy was no longer satisfied with ordinary physical combat and Haki instruction.
He established layered trials within the field itself.
A three-hundred-meter triple-gravity zone centered around himself.
A five-hundred-meter double-gravity outer ring.
And a one-thousand-meter single-gravity region where Savi often trained.
Beyond that, Roy would suddenly alter gravity’s direction in the middle of exercises, creating chaotic gravitational turbulence to sharpen their instincts.
Gravity remained active while they ate.
While they slept.
Even while breathing.
The group adapted under relentless pressure.
Tesoro became Roy’s special focus.
Roy knew Tesoro’s potential was considerable, but compared to himself and Bullet, his foundation remained too weak.
If he failed to forge that foundation now, his future ceiling might only reach the level of the Three Calamities at best.
And Roy wanted much more from his first subordinate.
Under daily gravitational torment, Tesoro’s stamina rose at astonishing speed.
His control over power became increasingly refined.
More importantly, repeated struggle at his limits forged an iron will.
Stella and little Savi were no exceptions.
While adapting to abnormal gravity, everyone’s physique and ability to survive harsh conditions improved rapidly.
A full year had now passed since Roy arrived on the island.
Roy had turned twelve.
His height had reached two meters.
Long golden hair flowed behind him.
A black suit fit over a streamlined body whose elegant muscles hid terrifying power rivaling Bullet’s.
Seven months had passed since developing the Gravity Field.
In that time, the group’s strength had advanced by leaps.
Roy’s Armament Haki could now coat his whole body.
His swordsmanship had progressed more slowly.
He could already infuse his psychic force and Haki into every slash, but how to step into the realm of true great swordsmen remained unclear.
Still, his Haoshoku Haki, amplified by monstrous mental power, possessed frightening suppression and destructive force.
With his current strength, ordinary Vice Admirals would pose no difficulty.
Tesoro had skillfully mastered Rokushiki.
Both Observation and Armament Haki had awakened under Roy’s guidance.
Though unstable, continued training would soon refine them.
Stella meanwhile had continued combining her Devil Fruit ability with Rokushiki into her own combat style.
Her awakening of Observation Haki made her even more sensitive to changes in magnetic flow and weather patterns.
But the one who surprised Roy most was Savi.
The little brat had gritted his teeth and survived this brutal training.
Comparatively, his growth was the fastest among all of them.
When Roy introduced gravity training, Bullet began visiting even more often after experiencing it several times.
Having learned Haki cultivation from Roy long ago, his strength already far exceeded where he should have been in the original timeline.
And on battlefields, the title “Demon Heir” had begun spreading.
After spending so much time with Roy’s group, Bullet no longer wore the permanently hostile face from their first meeting.
Sometimes he even spoke of events within the army.
And strangely enough, he showed the most “concern” for little Savi.
According to Bullet, he simply did not want a weakling following Roy and dying uselessly before enemies.
Yet recently, after arriving at camp, he had reverted to his old expression.
Cold.
Silent.
Heavy.
Within Roy’s triple gravity, he trained mechanically like a man torturing himself.
Push-ups.
Squats.
Smashing against giant trees.
Brutal body conditioning.
After exhausting himself, he would leave without a word and return to the barracks.
Everyone noticed.
Roy understood.
He had likely been betrayed by comrades once again.
“Boss…
Bullet, he…” Tesoro sounded uneasy.
“Don’t worry about it, Tesoro.
The moment for his decision is near.
We only need to wait.”
Roy watched Bullet’s silent departure and spoke slowly.
“When loyalty is betrayed by one’s own country…”
“What choice will you make, Demon Heir Douglas Bullet?”
Meanwhile…
Inside the central conference room of the barracks, a sinister-faced man in his forties, General Douglas Gray, arranged the next phase of war operations.
When his gaze passed over the distracted Bullet seated in the corner, cold light flickered deep in his gloomy eyes before vanishing.
“Comrades.”
“This time we launch a full offensive.”
“We will crush the other two nations and end centuries of war on this island.”
“And when victory comes…”
“You all shall become nobles of this kingdom.”
“Wealth.”
“Authority.”
“Power.”
“All will be yours.”
The conference hall erupted in excitement.
Generals imagined titles.
Territory.
Women.
Gold.
Only Bullet remained silent.
After accepting his mission, he stood and left the hall alone.
He never noticed the sinister gaze fixed upon his back.
After the meeting ended, General Gray remained behind.
His trusted chief of staff approached and lowered his voice.
“General…
Bullet’s recent movements are suspicious.”
“And his strength has grown far too quickly over these past months.”
Gray’s expression darkened.
“I’ve noticed.”
His fingers tapped slowly against the table.
That monstrous child had once been useful.
A perfect weapon.
A war hound.
But a weapon too strong could one day turn on its master.
Especially now.
Since the soldiers had begun whispering.
Some even praised Bullet more than their commanding generals.
That was dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Gray narrowed his eyes.
“The coming offensive will be our final war.”
“And Bullet…”
“He will be the spear that tears through the enemy.”
The chief of staff hesitated.
“And after that?”
Gray’s lips curved coldly.
“If a spear becomes uncontrollable…”
“It is discarded.”
A chill filled the room.
Outside the window, thunder rolled over the war-torn island.
Far away in the mountains, Roy slowly opened his eyes during meditation.
Observation Haki spread outward like ripples.
And through countless distant voices…
He sensed murderous intent.
A faint smile rose on his lips.
“So it begins.”
The conspiracy surrounding Bullet had finally moved.
And Roy had waited a long time for this day.