One piece: The Greatest Swordsman of the Rocks Era!

With a heart full of anticipation, Ares tightened his grip on the iron rod and struck his waist with a loud bang.

His rock-hard muscles trembled under the forceful impact.

A spark of excitement lit up Ares's eyes. He grinned to himself and muttered happily, "The same amount of force… but the pain's less now. My recovery speed really has improved."

"And also…"

"My perception has gotten sharper too."

The motions of striking his own body hadn't changed repetitive, just like always.

But today, Ares clearly noticed something different: the strikes felt slower.

No.

The speed was the same. It was just that his sensory perception had sharpened his dynamic vision and brain response had become faster.

Ares couldn't contain his joy.

Looking down at his abdomen, a faint red mark bloomed across his bronzed abs but quickly faded.

Both sensation and visual confirmation told him the same thing his recovery ability had improved significantly.

A bright, toothy grin spread across his face. "With this, I can start hitting even harder. I'll improve even faster!"

"I can also try the 'Forging Under Fire' training next."

But he didn't rush into the second phase right away. Instead, he simply increased the strength behind his strikes a little, swinging the iron rod with a sharp whoosh and slamming it against his abdomen.

The brick-like muscles instantly flushed red, but quickly returned to normal.

Bang!

Bang!

Again and again, Ares continued his usual training.

From the memories of Riku Yo, he had a growing suspicion that the Rocks Pirates might be destined to fail.

Shiki's fate was unknown.

Whitebeard would eventually found his own crew, and Captain John, Wang Zhi, and the others… it seemed they would all end up as zombies.

"Villains don't deserve sympathy… but family is different."

Ares didn't care about complicated philosophies. All he knew was if someone was good to him, he would protect them with everything he had.

Even though he didn't know what the future held, he refused to let the Rocks Pirates vanish.

He still had to fight.

He still had to move step by step toward his dream to forge his body into a blade that surpassed the Supreme Grade swords.

Ares had never once forgotten this dream.

He also carried his father's dream.

The merging of souls had granted Ares tremendous growth. His will had unknowingly become even stronger unshakable.

The heavy sound of the iron rod hammering his body echoed relentlessly through the training hall.

Each strike landed right after the last nonstop.

The strengthening of his soul had also greatly increased his pain tolerance.

About an hour later.

A huge figure appeared at the training hall entrance it was Kaido.

"Ares… Boss, I knew you'd be here in the training hall." Kaido walked over. Calling him 'Boss' still felt a little awkward.

When he got closer and felt the immense force behind Ares's iron rod swings, Kaido's heart skipped a beat. "So this is the reason Ares has become so strong…"

Ares nodded at him and asked, "Want to train together?"

Bang!

"Yeah!"

Kaido grabbed an iron rod from the rack and grinned. "If I don't keep training and fighting, I'll fall too far behind you… Boss."

Then he raised the iron rod and slammed it into his chest.

Bang!

The sheer force made his expression twist in pain. "It hurts… damn, it really hurts…"

Only now did Kaido truly realize Ares's rapid growth wasn't luck.

It was years of relentless, self-inflicted torture.

The power behind his own strikes wasn't even close to Ares's, yet Ares took them like it was nothing, as if it didn't bother him at all.

What a monster.

Kaido finally understood the real gap between him and Ares it was massive.

"If this is your first time with this training, you can start lighter. Using a sturdy wooden stick is fine too." Ares smiled as he gave a friendly reminder.

He couldn't help but recall his own first training sessions, when he had used his body to ram into thick, solid tree trunks.

Kaido nodded and reduced his strength, carefully striking his own body.

The rhythmic pounding sounds of bang, bang, bang echoed through the training hall.

Other pirates gradually gathered in the training hall, staring in shock and disbelief at Ares and Kaido these two maniacs beating themselves.

It was completely incomprehensible to them.

Some even tried it themselves, but after just a couple of strikes, they gave up from the pain.

After finishing their regular training.

Ares brought Kaido to a secluded training spot on the island.

It was time to test what he had gained.

Ares turned to Kaido and said, "You go ahead and train on your own. I need to practice by myself for a while."

"Okay." Kaido nodded and started his own training nearby.

Ares then gently closed his eyes, recalling the words of Zoro's teacher from the anime: "The strongest sword is the one that protects what you want to protect."

"The power to cut through what you wish to cut."

He pondered this deeply.

Those words had helped Zoro grasp the secret of 'the breath of all things.' Ares realized this was a profound power.

"My body isn't as sharp as a blade, but as long as I keep getting stronger, I will be able to cut through everything I want to cut."

With his eyes closed, he replayed every detail of Zoro's battle with Mr. 1 in his mind.

The visuals and dialogue in the anime could only convey so much.

Ares had never experienced it firsthand. He could only understand it through what he had seen and learned.

For some reason.

A sudden phrase popped into his mind.

"A focused will can pierce even stone."

In an instant, Ares felt clarity flood his mind. A joyful realization sparked in his heart. "It's about focus. It's about concentration!"

He began to discard all the random thoughts in his mind and focused his will.

With his eyes closed, he raised his arm, feeling the cool breeze brushing against his skin.

His heart gradually settled into calm tranquility.

In that moment.

The entire world seemed to change before him.

Things that were once ordinary now felt completely different.

It was that mystical sensation like the moment when 'seeing a mountain is no longer just seeing a mountain, and seeing water is no longer just seeing water.'

A smile slowly spread across Ares's face. "I think I've figured it out… the breath of all things."

His arm swung lightly.

A dazzling sword aura burst forth from his arm, flashing into the distance.

Whoosh!!!

The razor-sharp sword light cut through the air with a terrifying speed, like a lightning bolt.

Kaido's pupils shrank violently at the sight. He gasped in shock, "What a sharp and terrifying slash?!"

His gaze followed the trajectory of the sword aura.

A look of utter disbelief spread across his face.

Such a terrifying slash!!!

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