As a top-tier hustle beauty, how could Domino possibly let training time slip by?
She knew deeply that without strength here, even if you were related to the Pirate King, you would still find it hard to escape death before the execution platform.
Eating the meals from the Marine cafeteria and striving to sweat away her youth was the ultimate way to ensure her survival.
With tears streaming down her face, she was running with heavy loads…
[Charging at Whitebeard, you can never escape plot armor’s execution!
As long as I run fast enough, poverty can’t catch me, and neither can the plot.]
Shedding tears and snot, she desperately swung the barbell…
[Vice Admiral Vergo is nothing more than someone to be cut in half!
Even if I cannot become a great swordsman, I must at least be able to lift a shield and never get one-shot.]
Trembling all over, she hard-tanked the strikes of wooden sticks…
[Logia Ace got taken out with a single punch!
There are no invincible Devil Fruits, only a forged life—blame it on inferior skills.]
Jumping up and down, rubber bullets were provided in abundance…
[Don’t be a Trafalgar, only knowing how to take bullets without dodging!
If you can’t dodge a sneak attack, at least avoid stray bullets—surviving isn’t disgraceful.]
In terms of subverting traditional cultivation, Domino could be considered a trailblazer, driven forward entirely by her instinct of fear of death.
Because in her view, this was just like grinding practice questions before an exam…
For the next year and more, she tried all sorts of body-tempering training, but apart from having an astonishing appetite, she made no substantial breakthrough whatsoever.
Late at night, hugging her phone alone: “It’s truly hard for a mortal to break through.
Is this the shackles of fate?”
“Wuwu…” The weeping hidden beneath the blankets indicated that she was still stuck at the rank of Second Lieutenant.
Having accompanied Teacher Zephyr on external trials many times, besides her tightly toned muscles, the only thing that grew larger was the pair of burdensome lumps on her chest.
The early morning of the next day.
The unyielding training ground welcomed its regular visitor.
As one of the few female Marines, she was conducting weighted training all by herself.
Zephyr went to Sengoku’s place to hand over official business, while a bored Garp chose to take Zephyr’s place in guiding his beloved disciple.
Garp, who was savoring a senbei: “I say, young lady!”
“I have a name, you can call me Domino!” she said while doing weighted squats.
“Seeing that you’ve worked so hard yet still haven’t grown much, have you ever thought about changing teachers?”
“No!
If you’re here to mock my slow progress, there’s no need; I’m well aware of it myself.”
Seeing this, Garp beamed with joy!
“Hahaha!
This unyielding stubborn streak of yours is somewhat similar to this old man’s.”
“I wouldn’t dare climb so high; I know your strength very well!” She thought to herself: [You could crush me with just a flick of a finger, yet here you are teasing me!]
Garp tossed away the packaging bag in his hand, flung his cloak to the side, and walked slowly toward Domino.
“Seeing that you are so obsessed with body training, let me experience just where you are weak!”
Domino knew Garp meant well, but the moment she heard the word “weak” used to describe her, her blood still rushed to her head.
In this world of talent and bloodline, the limit for ordinary males was a Captain, while females dropped down to a Second Lieutenant.
With her muscles tense all over to strike first, Domino rose with a kick.
Knowing this was far from enough, she twisted her slender waist and smoothly followed up with a spinning kick.
Garp first blocked the direct kick with his palm, batted away the spinning kick with a flick of his hand, and then delivered a jab straight to Domino’s waist while she was in mid-air.
The sharp pain hit her as she landed.
Domino instinctively covered her waist, rolled to adjust her posture, and rushed forward once again!
“For an ordinary human physique, you can already be considered quite good!”
Yet this praise falling into Domino’s ears felt like sarcasm, stinging her so much that she could hardly control her emotions.
“I know how many people behind my back mock my efforts as useless, but what else can I do if not this?”
Seeing Domino rapidly close in on Garp, using both hands interchangeably, she unleashed a barrage of continuous combo punches.
Using her knees and elbows as well, she applied various fancy mixed martial arts techniques…
Garp blocked with one hand while yawning with the other, nonchalantly commenting: “These are all just flashy fists and embroidered legs!”
His offhand remark of “flashy fists and embroidered legs” reduced Domino’s years of hard-fought persistence into a complete joke.
The sense of humiliation made her lose her mind, unleashing all sorts of lethal combat moves as her reason completely collapsed at this moment.
This unhinged emotion vented out accordingly, especially since Vice Admiral Garp opposite her still wore that signature smile.
Fists, elbows, knees, shoulders, hips, legs, and feet at this moment all seemed to turn into weapons to attack this old geezer, smashing down like raindrops while constantly shifting angles and directions.
“Too weak, too weak!
No wonder you’re a hard-working Marine; are you really a student taught by Teacher Zephyr?”
With such a wretched and cheeky voice, Domino didn’t even need to turn around to know it was that old monkey Kizaru.
“Shut up!
You all deserve to die.
Besides loving to mock me, you don’t understand at all.
You must know, I have a dream too!”
Garp slapped Domino fiercely across the face!
“I said we were dueling, yet you still dared to be distracted.
Just how much do you look down on me?” Garp delivered a responsive lesson.
Feeling her face burning hot, Domino could no longer tell whether it was tears or blood.
With her self-esteem heavily damaged, she only wanted to be promoted.
[When a young girl harboring dreams is trapped by the cage called reason, accumulation completes its transformation at this very moment.]
“My life is composed of countless assessments!” Panting heavily, Domino roared madly: “I will never allow you to question the original intent I’ve guarded through countless days and nights.”
Domino instantly vanished from Garp’s eyes, making his excitement overflow as he blurted out in thrill: “Soru—”
Domino abruptly appeared behind Garp, delivering an aerial leg chop from top to bottom, her slender leg heading straight for Garp’s face.
“Young lady, you even learned Moonwalk?”
Extending his left arm to block Domino’s leg chop and preparing his right hand to charge up a strike, he suddenly found his left arm hitting empty air.
“A feint?
Interesting!”
Garp glanced sideways out of the corner of his eye, extended his right hand to easily fend it off, and offered praise: “This is—Rankyaku?”
Two consecutive popping sounds rang out in the air.
Garp suddenly raised his head to look above him.
Domino, positioned directly overhead, poured Rankyaku straight down from the top of his head…
“Wahahaha, learning three Marine techniques all at once!
Then let this old man check out the fourth technique!”
With that, Garp vanished from the spot—
Panic flashed across Domino’s face as she searched everywhere for Garp!
“Right here!” Upon hearing the voice, Garp had already flashed to the side, unleashing a direct punch.
Domino instantly used—Kami-e!
“Too slow!” After shouting, Garp turned his hand and delivered another punch!
“Tek…” Before she could finish shouting, a loud “boom” rang out!
Making Domino fully experience the sensation of her body lying on the ground while her soul was chasing after it in the sky.
A mouthful of blood sprayed out, her consciousness clearly scattering…
“Is that it?” Descending from the air, Garp struck a posture to pound the ground, determined to deliver the final blow!
Domino, lying paralyzed on the ground, saw the sand-bowl-sized fist turn pitch black, and the sound of suona horns rang in her head once again…
At the critical moment: “Garp, are you trying to beat this old man’s student to death?” With that, a black foot collided with his fist.
With a loud “bang”, the suona accompaniment was interrupted.
Teacher Zephyr and Vice Admiral Garp landed simultaneously.
“Sorry, I got carried away in the heat of the moment and forgot!” This was a completely insincere apology from Vice Admiral Garp.
“Oh, having Vice Admiral Garp teach a student—Teacher Zephyr sure dares to dream!” Kizaru was fanning the flames from the side once again!
Zephyr hurriedly helped Domino up with a guilty expression: “Young lady, combat stems from instinct, not gains and losses weighed by pros and cons.
You have far too many distracting thoughts in your heart.
To rouse your emotions and cross the boundary between life and death, I specially invited Garp to step in and teach…”
“Thank you…
Teacher Zephyr!” Although her body still ached slightly, Domino could still tell good from bad.
Vice Admiral Garp picked his nose while speaking in a completely unrepentant tone:
“Domino Dodo, right?
Congratulations on becoming a Captain of Marineford.
Next, you just need to accumulate military exploits, and you can smoothly be promoted to a commissioned officer.”
“Any insights to share?” Kizaru always asked questions at inappropriate times.
Moreover, he still had that wretched look!
Since she was currently enjoying Ain’s lap pillow, Domino was very magnanimous: “Rokushiki transcends concepts to begin with.
My mind was just too caught up in gains, losses, and possibilities, which is why I could never cross that threshold.”
[This big sister is a science student, yet her worldview was completely shattered…]
Domino didn’t listen to the old Marines’ casual chatting and bantering; instead, she intently enjoyed Ain’s care.
“Ain!”
“Yeah, what is it, Domino?”
“I’m saying, you smell so good!”
Ain…