Within each marine ship, various Eternal Poses are situated, in order to allow the marines to navigate to the nearest marine base under certain circumstances, such as capturing the pirates.
There, the captured pirates and victims of piracy are to be handed over to the base. Subsequently, the base will contact Marineford to move the criminals to the infamous prison, Impel Down, while sending the victims back to their hometowns along with a small amount of compensation.
And it was no different for us, who were finally relieved of the burden of carrying around the huge pirate ship.
"""Take care, Vice Admiral Garp!"""
Garp gave a thumbs up to the marines, "Heh, I wish you the same!"
"""Thank you for saving us, marine boy!!!"""
I grinned upon hearing the shouts from those women whom I saved, "Anytime."
Without any stall, we swiftly left the marine base G-3, back to the sea for the purpose of patrolling around the area under Garp's responsibility. By the time we were back on the sea, the sun has already set, and through a small hole between the thick layer of clouds, the moon has begun its role to lighten up the dark night. The sea was calm and gentle, giving us the peace to take a nice rest and recuperate for the time being.
Half of the marine soldiers stood on their guard and looked out for potential threats. The other half slept, free of any concern thanks to the hard work of their colleagues. At 3am, the sleeping half—including me—were to wake up and replace the lookouts, granting the previous half the time to take proper rest. As for Garp?
"Zzzzzzz..." He was snoring loudly in his room, free from these duties.
Yawning with my eyes still half-lidded due to the remaining fatigue, I stared off at the dark sea as I stood next to my fellow marines, who occasionally ruffled my head in an encouraging fashion.
Time was continuously moving without a stop. Eventually, the moon slowly moved to the edge of the horizon, and the sun rose yet again from the other side, signaling that another day has arrived.
"FOOD!!!!!" And just as always, the day of our ship began with Garp shouting the word 'food,' causing the rest of us to shake our heads in amusement.
Garp, who quickly came back to his senses, would then walk up to the deck and greet us, "Good morning, ya folks!"
"""Good morning, Vice Admiral Garp!""" .
"Is everything going fine?"
"Indeed, it is," One man with the beige suit and hat, Bogard, would always answer Garp's question in such a manner. Although he, in terms of rank, is equal to Garp, he remained as Garp's right-hand man up until now, saying that Garp's side is where he belongs. I didn't mention him until now, you say? He suddenly popped out of nowhere? Well, he doesn't talk much, you know.
"Good!" And just as how Bogard respected Garp, Garp trusted no one more than Bogard. If Bogard said that everything is alright, then it was.
Turning my head slightly to look at the other still marine soldiers, I found a small smile forming on my face.
Harry, Percy, Gandalf, and many more—I've got to know all these soldiers, who were filled with courage and loyalty to Garp. They were fun, lively, and passionate; truly wonderful fellows to get to know, I thought.
Train, catch pirates, bond with others, rest and restore, repeat. Although I've spent my past year in such a simplistic routine, it was without any regret.
__________
"Oi, brat, you see that island?" Garp, who was now grinning at me, pointed a finger at a distant island that seemed to be empty.
I squinted my eyes, trying to get a good look at it, "I think we've come across that one around a month ago, didn't we?"
The island was hard and rocky, lacking any trace of life. There was nothing of value on here.
"I decided just now, that that place is going to be your training ground." Garp said while lifting me by the hem of my uniform.
"The so-called 'more training' of yours, I see," I remarked with a blank expression,
"Bwahaha, correct!" To which Garp laughed off before throwing me at the island.
"""A-AHHHH!!! SMOKER!!!""" The marine soldiers, who were terrified by how I was being flown to the rocky island, screamed in panic.
Garp simply picked his ear with annoyance written on his face, "Eh? What are you so worried about?"
Just when Garp said so,
Puff!
my body exploded into puffs of smoke upon colliding against the rocky island; there was not even the slightest sign of damage on the rocky ground. Subsequently, my body reformed from the spread-out smokes, completely fine.
The marine soldiers, seeing that I was fine, let out a sigh of relief. From behind them, Bogard simply leaned against the wooden pole, with his hat covering his eyes—now you know why I don't bother mentioning him.
"I'm going to play around with that brat for a while, so do what you guys have to do, bwahaha!" Garp, laughing boisterously, jumped off the ship and casually began his run in the air, although there was nothing to step on.
'Hm...' Watching as Garp traveled toward me, I placed my hand on my chin thoughtfully, 'What sort of devilish training is he going to impose on me this time?'
Boom! Then, landing right in front of me at the next moment, Garp,
"Zzz..." suddenly fell asleep on spot, still standing.
I sweatdropped, 'Same, typical Garp-sensei.'
"—Gahh!!" Garp, jolting awake immediately after, looked at an empty space with a dumbfounded expression, "...Oh, I fell asleep."
"What dream was it about?" I asked out of curiosity.
"It was a nightmare. Sakazuki was munching on a delicious-looking donut..." Garp said while smacking his lips, before punching me on the head, "That's not the point!!!"
"Ow..."
As I rubbed the swollen lump on my head, Garp crossed his arms and began to explain seriously, "Anyway, I've chosen this remote location today, since the training may destroy my ship by accident. With your physical prowess having reached the level of the dust on my pinky toenail, it's time that you familiarize yourself with the simple yet effective techniques that are widely used among the Marine Officers and Cipher Pol Agents..."
'This is...' I was inwardly agitated upon hearing Garp's words, having realized what those 'techniques' are right away.
"—the Rokushiki." Garp then raised up his index finger and stated, "But before we start, listen! Apparently, there is this one little boy, who recently managed to master all Rokushiki techniques within 6 months. I think his name was, eh... Rob Gucci?"
Garp struggled to remember the name, but to no avail. Eventually, he just continued,
"But anyway, considering that even the younger-aged kids are taught these, why do you think I stalled up until now? Why not teach you sooner, when you already had a... tiny bit of strength a year ago?"
I shrugged, "Because you didn't want to."
"Bwahaha! You aren't wrong there!" Garp laughed, before calming himself down and explaining, "But the correct answer was, that there is no specific way to train Rokushikis. By the essence, the way of learning and mastering them is achieved by strengthening yourself with physical exercises, which is no different than what you've been doing for the past year."
Garp then ordered, "Try clenching your muscles tight."
Complying with Garp's words, I lowered my stance and hardened my muscles as much as possible.
Then, appearing in front of me, Garp slammed down his right fist on my shoulder, causing me to crash into the ground,
BOOM!
And truthfully, there was nothing special about the experience. I've always been clenching my muscles every single time I served as Garp's punching bag—
'—Hold on.' My eyes widened in realization as I wobbly stood back up, 'Are you saying that what I began to do starting a month ago, that simple clenching of muscles to reduce the pain of Garp-sensei's punches... was Tekkai?!'
"Do you see it now, brat?" Garp said with a grin, "Rokushikis are nothing but the techniques that follow as long as your physical capability reaches a sufficient level; the clenching of muscle that you performed just now, was none other than Tekkai (Iron Body). In the end, no matter how skilled and dexterous you are, it is the brute strength that decides your limit."
Garp pointed his finger at my hands, "Finger-based push-ups. Climbing up a cliff with your hands alone. Breaking a metal ball with your hands alone—your fingers have become as hard as bullets, suitable for Shigan."
He then moved his finger at my legs, "Hard-core runs, enduring weights, along with countless other exercises; your legs are now able to handle extreme stress. Kick the ground ten times to perform Soru. Kick the air as hard as possible to perform Geppo. Kick the air as fast as possible to perform Rankyaku."
I found myself amazed. Rokushikis... they were the techniques that I have completely forgotten until recently, due to my busy schedule of never-ending physical exercises. And now, here I was, already having the capability to use most of them without trouble.
'...Kick ten times, huh?' Out of curiosity, I gazed down at my legs, before,
Swoosh!
covering a good deal of distance in an instant, by kicking off the ground ten times just as Garp said; what I did just now, although unrefined, was none other than Soru.
"And finally, there are your battle experiences." Garp stated while huffing, "Ehem, why do you believe that I've told you to fight without the use of your devil fruit ability?"
"Because the over-reliance on devil fruit will hinder my growth, however," I said astutely, "judging by the nuance of your saying, I believe that it's about the final Rokushiki technique that you didn't mention yet."
Of course I knew that it was Kami-E. But I couldn't afford to say it out loud when Garp hasn't given the explanation yet; the information regarding my transmigration was meant to be kept secret under all circumstances, no matter what.
Garp nodded, "Indeed, it was to train you in the aspect of the last of the Rokushikis, known as Kami-E. This technique relies on the user's flexibility, instinct, and experience; there was no more ideal option than to have you thrown into the middle of the pirate ship."
Listening to Garp carefully, I nodded in understanding. Facing multiple attacks at all angles, yet managing to slip through them without Observation Haki; the improvement of my body, physical-wise, had me instinctively develop my way of dodging that could be considered 'Kami-E.'
With a serious expression on my face, I leaned down while staring at the ground, under Garp's watch. Then, I raised my index finger up, before shooting it down at the rocky ground,
and surprisingly, my finger managed to penetrate through the hard rocky ground without any resistance.
Garp placed his eyes, full of pride, on me, who was trying out the Rokushiki techniques that I never attempted to do so until today, "Attaining physical strength so high that the intensive training for each Rokushiki technique is unnecessary... I suppose that I'm too good of an instructor, bwahahaha!!!"
Finding myself shocked once again, as I effortlessly managed to perform Geppo by the high-force kicks against the air, Garp then declared,
"Therefore, I won't be 'teaching' you how to use them. Instead, starting from today, you will actively familiarize yourself with those techniques, as well as begin the 'actual' training session," Garp stated with a grin, while shaking his right hand in a relaxed manner, "by sparring me on hand-to-hand combat. The use of fruit won't be allowed, and there will be consequences if you fail to keep that puff contained."
"Got it, Garp-sensei."
Landing back on the ground, I nodded with seriousness. It surely was an upgrade for me, finally escaping from the fate of a mere punching bag.
Garp bumped his fists together, "Then let's get this started, brat!"
'...Alright, let's do this.'
And so, I was about to dash,
'Soru—'
Only to see that Garp, whose Soru was vastly faster than my sluggish one, instantly reached where I stood, with his fist cocked back.
'—TEKKAI!'
BOOOM!
With my now-bruised arms crossed in front of my face, and me skidding back due to the force behind Garp's punch, Garp grinned at me,
"If you want to live on, you'll have to rely on all techniques, instead of Tekkai only!"
It seemed that he was holding back 'less' than before now. I felt the pain in my arms, and I instinctively knew that the strength that Garp was using now, was more than what I am able to handle.
"And where are you paying your attention to, brat?!"
BOOM!
With me barely managing to dodge another punch from Garp by bending my torso unnaturally, performing Kami-E, the spar—more like a one-sided beatdown—was currently ongoing.