The training ground no longer resembled its original rocky terrain.
One month of high-intensity sparring had turned the area into a wasteland, as if trampled repeatedly by a giant beast. Craters, cracks, dried bloodstains, and deeply embedded bone fragments — most of them Kaizer's — covered the ground.
Right now, Kaizer knelt on one knee in the largest crater, breathing heavily.
His right arm was twisted at an unnatural angle, white bone shards piercing through the skin.
Three deep claw marks ran across his chest — Linlin had used her nails, claiming she wanted to "simulate beast attacks." Blood soaked his training clothes and pooled on the ground in small puddles.
But he was still alive.
"Mamama! Not bad, not bad at all!"
Linlin stood at the edge of the pit, her massive figure blocking the afternoon sun. She clapped her hands; her fingernails still had traces of Kaizer's flesh on them.
"You lasted seventeen minutes this time!" She crouched down, bringing her huge face close. "And on that last strike, you blocked sixty percent of the force with Armament Haki!"
Kaizer coughed up a mouthful of blood mixed with organ fragments. He looked up and gave a bloody smile. "Still… a long way to go…"
"Good that you know your limits!" Linlin reached down and plucked him out of the pit like a kitten. "Rest for ten minutes, then we continue!"
Kaizer was placed on a stone bench at the edge of the training ground — originally a decorative rock, now his designated "revival spot." Every time he was beaten to the brink of death, he would crawl here, sit, wait for regeneration, and review the fight.
[System Notification: Severe injury recovery in progress] [Estimated recovery time: 2 minutes 37 seconds] [Armament Haki Proficiency: 18] [Demi-human Bloodline Fusion: 27.9%] [Pseudo Steel Balloon Fusion: 22.3%]
The data flickered in his mind. Kaizer closed his eyes and focused on the "river" inside him. It was no longer a trickle — it had become a surging underground current. Every death, every severe injury, had widened the channel and deepened the flow.
Armament Haki.
A month ago, he could barely sense it. Now, he could condense it at the exact point of impact the instant Linlin's attack landed, forming a thin but resilient defense.
He still broke bones, suffered internal bleeding, and died.
But at least… he no longer turned into a pile of meat paste from a single punch.
"Kaizer." Linlin's voice came from above.
Kaizer opened his eyes. Linlin handed him a piece of honey cake — it was as large as his entire body.
"Eat," she said. "Recover your strength."
Kaizer took it and tore off a small piece, stuffing it into his mouth. The sickly-sweet flavor mixed with the metallic taste of blood in a strangely harmonious way.
"Your problem is obvious," Linlin said as she sat cross-legged, shaking the ground slightly. "Your Armament Haki is decent, but your physical foundation is terrible."
She poked his still-regenerating arm with a finger.
"Look at this — your bones are as brittle as crackers. Muscle density is also lacking. Even with Haki protecting you, everything inside still shatters on impact." Linlin frowned. "How did a body like this even make it to Marine Lieutenant?"
Kaizer gave a bitter smile. He couldn't explain that the original owner of this body had probably been an ordinary lieutenant who got by on seniority and connections — pure cannon fodder.
"It's congenital," he said vaguely. "I'll find ways to improve it later."
"Improve it?" Linlin tilted her head. "Mamama! That's easy! Eat more meat! Train more! When our child is born, I'll nurture their body with Haki from infancy. They'll definitely be tougher than you!"
She said it casually, but Kaizer caught the unspoken meaning — his foundation might never catch up to true monsters in this lifetime.
His demi-human bloodline gave him immortality and regeneration. The system gave him "Pseudo Steel Balloon." But the base was too weak. It was like reinforcing a mud-brick house with steel bars — no matter how much you strengthened it, the foundation remained soft.
"Let's continue training," Kaizer swallowed the last bite of cake and stood up.
His newly regenerated arm was fully healed, with a faint metallic sheen under the skin. He clenched his fist, feeling the flow of power in his bones and muscles.
Still not enough.
Far from enough.
Linlin also stood, grinning. "This time I'll use twelve percent power."
"Alright."
Training resumed.
Linlin kept her word and used exactly twelve percent. But that "twelve percent" was measured against her own monstrous standard.
Her fist tore through the air with a sharp sonic boom.
Kaizer's pupils contracted. Armament Haki instantly coated his right arm as he crossed it in defense.
CLANG——!!!
A metallic collision rang out. Kaizer's feet plowed through the ground as he slid backward, carving two deep furrows in the rock. The hardened Haki shell on his arm cracked inch by inch, but this time his bones didn't break.
Just fractures.
"Progress!" Linlin cheered, but she didn't stop. She shifted her weight and delivered a sweeping whip kick.
Kaizer ducked low, condensing Haki across his back.
BOOM!
He was sent flying like a cannonball, smashing into a distant rock wall. The wall cracked and rubble rained down.
[Four ribs broken] [Moderate internal organ concussion] [Recovery in progress…]
Kaizer crawled out of the debris, spitting out blood and dust.
Again.
Linlin's attacks came like a storm — fists, palms, elbows, knees, kicks. Her fighting style had no technique, purely wild instinct, yet every strike was precise and lethal.
Kaizer danced on the edge of death.
He learned to predict. Before Linlin attacked, her shoulder would sink almost imperceptibly. When kicking, her center of gravity shifted left first. Before a heavy punch, her breathing paused for half a second.
These tiny details vanished in the blink of an eye during high-speed combat, but Kaizer caught them.
Because he had paid with his life to observe them.
After the seventeenth time being sent flying, Kaizer didn't get up immediately.
He lay in the crater, staring at the sky. The sun had already begun to set, dyeing the training ground blood-red — whether from the sunset or his own blood, he couldn't tell.
"Kaizer?" Linlin's voice carried a rare hint of worry.
Kaizer turned his head. She was crouching at the edge of the pit, her massive face unusually free of laughter.
"Let's stop for today," she said. "You've died too many times."
"I'm fine," Kaizer pushed himself up. Newly formed bones made soft cracking sounds. "One more round."
"You…" Linlin stared at him for a few seconds, then reached down and scooped him out of the pit. "No! I say stop, we stop!"
She carried Kaizer — like holding an infant — and strode toward the castle.
"Linlin—"
"Shut up!" Linlin said with rare authority. "I'm your wife! I decide!"
Kaizer fell silent. He had indeed reached his limit. The drain from Armament Haki, the burden of constant regeneration, and the extreme mental tension were all squeezing him dry.
Linlin brought him back to the bedroom and placed him on the huge bed. She went to the kitchen herself and returned with a large basin of meat soup — literally a washbasin-sized bowl.
"Drink," she ordered.
Kaizer took the spoon. The soup was hot and salty, filled with large chunks of meat and vegetables. He drank slowly, feeling his strength gradually return.
Linlin sat on the edge of the bed, watching him.
"Kaizer," she suddenly asked. "Why do you train so desperately?"
Kaizer set the spoon down. "I already told you — I want to protect—"
"Not that," Linlin interrupted. "I'm asking why you're not afraid of death."
She reached out and gently placed her massive hand on his chest — the skin there had just finished regenerating and still had a fresh pink tone.
"I've seen many people," Linlin said softly. "Pirates, Marines, Celestial Dragons… Some were strong, some weak, but they all feared death. You don't. You die again and again, then get up like nothing happened."
She paused.
"Doesn't… dying hurt?"
Kaizer looked into her eyes.
Those huge eyes, usually filled with hunger and madness, now held a trace of… confusion?
"It hurts," Kaizer answered honestly. "Every time. Bones shattering, organs rupturing, suffocation, blood loss… Every way of dying hurts."
"Then why—"
"Because there are things more terrifying than death," Kaizer said. "Like powerlessness. Like watching the people you care about get hurt. Like loss."
He thought of his previous life's death from overwork, the despair at God Valley, and the moment he was blown apart by cannon fire — not the pain, but the regret of "I still have so much left undone."
"Besides," he added, "death isn't the end for me. As long as I can revive, the pain is just… the price."
Linlin was silent for a long time.
Then she grinned, but this smile was different — less wild, more gentle.
"Mamama! As expected of my husband!"
She gently ruffled Kaizer's hair, her touch surprisingly light.
"Alright! Finish the soup and sleep! We'll continue training tomorrow! But…" She thought for a moment. "Starting tomorrow, I'll teach you Observation Haki!"
Kaizer blinked. "Observation Haki?"
"Yes!" Linlin nodded. "Armament Haki is the shield and spear. Observation Haki is the eyes! Mamama! You need to learn how to 'see' my attacks instead of guessing!"
She stood up and walked to the window, looking out at the darkening sky.
"Once you get the basics of Observation Haki, I'll teach you real combat techniques." Linlin turned back, her smile turning wild again. "Then we'll go out to sea and plunder! Steal more ingredients! Save them for our child!"
Kaizer finished the last of the soup and set the basin down.
"Alright," he said.
Linlin blew out the candles. Her massive body lay down on the bed and pulled Kaizer into her arms — this had become their nightly routine.
"Kaizer," her voice came through the darkness.
"Hm?"
"Our child… will be very strong, right?"
"Yes."
"Stronger than you?"
"…Yes."
"Mamama! Then that's good!"
She let out a satisfied sigh and soon began snoring softly.
Kaizer lay in her arms, eyes open.
The system interface glowed faintly in the dark:
[Current Strength Assessment] [Physical Techniques: Marine Rokushiki Basics (Needs reinforcement)] [Armament Haki: Beginner (Small Success)] [Observation Haki: Not Awakened] [Devil Fruit: Ghost-Ghost Fruit (Awakened, deeply integrated with IBM)] [Special Abilities: Demi-human Bloodline (Fusion 27.9%), Pseudo Steel Balloon (Fusion 22.3%), Soul Affinity] [Overall Rating: Marine Headquarters Captain Level (Defense/Regeneration Specialized)]
Captain level.
Enough to dominate the first half of the Grand Line. In the New World, barely cannon fodder. In front of an Emperor… not even cannon fodder.
Kaizer closed his eyes.
Not enough.
He needed to be stronger.
Faster. Much faster.
Before the child was born, he had to at least reach Admiral candidate level.
Before the real monsters came knocking, he needed… the power to protect this family.
Outside the window, the night in Totto Land was quiet.
The craters and bloodstains on the training ground looked like a cruel abstract painting under the moonlight.
Deep inside the castle, Longbread's kitchen light was still on. The short chef was working on new dessert recipes — he said pregnant women needed nutrition, the child needed nutrition, and that training maniac Kaizer also needed nutrition.
"None of them let me rest easy."
He grumbled, adding three extra heaping spoonfuls of sugar to the dough.
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