One Piece: The Thunder God

A month after arriving on the island, Cain and Momonga found themselves in the cafeteria enjoying their lunch after a typical day of rigorous training. The cafeteria, during lunch hours, was one of the few places where points weren't required for food. However, no food was allowed to be taken outside, which prevented others from replicating Cain's earlier strategy of carrying dry rations.

Without any reservations, Cain and Momonga grabbed generous portions from the buffet and settled down to eat. Cain's meal was nearly double the size of Momonga's, but this didn't surprise anyone. His appetite was well known, and he could devour a ship's worth of food in one sitting. As they were midway through their lunch, Sakazuki approached.

"Oi, you," he called out.

Num num num'

"Can't you hear me, you fool?" Sakazuki's voice grew sharper.

'Nom nom nom'

Cain continued chewing without responding.

💢

[Bang!] Sakazuki slammed the table in frustration, causing a loud noise that finally caught Cain's attention. The young trainee looked up, his cheeks puffed out with food.

"You bastard," Sakazuki snapped, "meet me at Ground B when you're done stuffing your face." Without waiting for a reply, he stormed off.

Momonga watched the exchange with concern. Everyone was aware of the three Logia users in the camp—Cain, Sakazuki, and Borsalino—who had already earned the title of the "Three Monsters of Elite Camp." Their powers and potential had quickly set them apart from the other recruits. Even Momonga, who initially doubted Cain's strength, had witnessed his capabilities during the entrance physical test, where the three of them had obliterated targets that other recruits could barely scratch. It was clear they were future Admiral material if they didn't meet an untimely end.

Despite the brewing tension, Cain continued eating as if nothing had happened. 

-

Sakazuki had one driving ambition: to eradicate all pirates from the world. His hatred for them ran deep, stemming from a traumatic childhood incident when pirates raided his hometown, killing the men and forcing the women into servitude. This event fueled his rage and he vowed to grow stronger so he could rid the world of such scum. Discovering his Magma-Magma Fruit had marked the beginning of his mission, allowing him to hunt down pirates over the past two years, but his actions had also drawn unwanted attention from powerful enemies. To ensure his survival and strengthen his skills, he joined the Marines.

However, there was one person who had become a thorn in his side—Cain. Time and again, Cain outperformed him, igniting a competitive streak in Sakazuki that was unusual for him. Determined to prove the superiority of his magma, he waited at Ground B for two hours, growing increasingly furious when Cain didn't show up.

His Magu Magu no Mi had made his already explosive tendencies blow up and now his already thin patience had run out.

💢

"I'm going to kill that bastard," he grumbled, his temper boiling over as he stomped back to the main building to find Cain.

-

After half an hour of "asking" around, Sakazuki finally reached a beach on the opposite side of Ground B. There, he found Cain asleep against a tree, a bubble of snot forming as he snored and his stomach visibly bulged from lunch. The sight of his "opponent" lounging so carelessly snapped something inside Sakazuki.

"You lazy bastard!" he yelled, launching a magma-coated punch at the sleeping Cain.

The sudden noise roused Cain, who opened his eyes just in time to see a blur of red in his vision. Before he could fully react, the magma-covered fist hit him, obliterating the tree he was leaning on. But after a few moments, a crackling sound filled the air, and Cain's lightning energy reformed behind Sakazuki. Without hesitation, he retaliated by striking Sakazuki in the face with a golden staff, sending him sprawling backward.

Cain stood with his staff in hand, his face showing clear irritation. The two exchanged no words as Sakazuki charged forward again, magma fist ready.

"[Hellhound!]"

"[Thor's Hammer!]"

The two attacks collided, creating a massive explosion that caught the attention of many on the island. By the time the other trainees arrived at the scene, part of the beach had turned into glass, and Sakazuki lay on the ground, bound by Cain's staff. The weapon's surface facing him was coated in Sea-Prism Stone, neutralizing his Devil Fruit abilities and rendering him too weak to escape.

In the few seconds it took them to get there, the fight was already over.

"Release the Sea-Prism Stone, coward, and fight me like a real man! I'll prove to everyone that I'm the strongest of this batch," Sakazuki demanded.

Cain yawned. "You woke me up from my nap, attacked me out of nowhere, and now you want me to humor 'Mister Number 2'? No thanks."

"Just you wait!" Sakazuki struggled against the staff. "When I get free, I'll—"

"Careful, old man, you're starting to sound like a creep," Cain quipped.

"Raaaaaah!"

At that moment, Zed arrived on the scene. "What's going on here?" His voice carried the same authority that had silenced the recruits countless times before.

Cain and the surrounding trainees instantly snapped to attention, saluting. "Good evening, Instructor Zed!" they chorused.

Cain stepped forward and explained the situation. Familiar with Sakazuki's temperament, Zed believed Cain's account.

"Sakazuki, it seems you need a bit more discipline," Zed said sternly. "As punishment, you'll run around the island carrying double the weights you're used to. Understood?"

Gritting his teeth, Sakazuki responded, "Yes, sir."

Zed walked away, unbothered by Sakazuki's defeat. He was well aware of Cain's abilities, having seen the young man in action before. In fact, he had even arranged a sparring session after the third week of training, pitting the top five recruits against himself: Cain, Sakazuki, Borsalino, Issho, and Kasla, the Zoan user.

-

[Some days ago]

5 vs 1.

3 Logia, a Zoan and one Issho with his sword in one team vs the Instructor.

Everyone had thought that with Borsalino and Cain's speed, their instructor would have a hard time. But reality proved to be very different.

To everyone's surprise, Zed took down the five-man team in just three minutes.

Issho and Kasla, the only Zoan type in the camp, were the first to fall, unable to react to Zed's blinding speed before he knocked them unconscious.

Cain attempted to intervene as Zed targeted Borsalino, but a sudden punch from the instructor sent him flying.

Borsalino might be a light human, but his reaction was by no means as fast as light. So he didn't even see what hit him.

Before Cain could recover, Borsalino was down.

Knowing who Zed would go after, he was prepared to pull Sakazuki out of Zed's range so that they could coordinate their next move. But before he could put his plan in action, a punch to the face from Zed had sent him flying again.

He thankfully didn't pass out due to the weird angle Zed had punched him in, but by the time he got up, Sakazuki was already on the floor.

At last the initial 5 vs 5 had turned into 1 vs 1.

Despite toying with him, Cain had surpassed Zed's expectations.

The Marines didn't know anything about Cain's past but Zed didn't think that Cain, a 16 year old, would react like a veteran.

Cain trying to intercept him from knocking out his partners was a sound decision. With the speed Zed had shown, if Cain had tried to fight him instead, he could have just dodged and went to his next target either way.

The spar turned into a one-on-one showdown between Zed and Cain.

Despite Cain's speed and impressive instincts, Zed's Observation Haki allowed him to keep up, making their battle a display of dodges and quick strikes. However, Cain was still inexperienced with superhuman combat at this level.

'He doesn't seem to be using any devil fruit abilities. How can he keep up with me? Better yet, how can he touch me? Is his skin made out of Sea-stone?' Cain was shocked. He initially thought Zed was like him who had eaten a Devil Fruit but as their spar went on (for a few more seconds), it became more and more clear that Zed wasn't using a Devil Fruit user.

'Is this what Vice Admiral Garp uses? Is instructor Zed like him? Or maybe their is something else that I can't see?' Cain though as he avoided Zed's punch. 

When he had first arrived at Marineford, Cain had felt the same opposed feeling that Vice Admiral Bipoos gave him. Infact, many individuals mainly in high rank gave off that feeling when ever they were near him.

Before he could think any further, Zed, having adapted to his speed, baited him into making a reckless move, then landed a decisive punch, ending the fight.

The recruits who watched could only see blurs of motion before Cain crashed to the ground. While Cain lost the spar, his performance proved why he was considered the top of the class. He fought like a seasoned veteran, displaying strategy and composure that surpassed his age.

Cain was used to fights and brawls but not at a superhuman level. Not with people like Zed and Garp, who could fight with freaks of nature with only their fists. He got a test of what he was lacking.

He needed more practice and experience.

Following the spar, while the others stuck to their daily training routines, Cain approached Zed for private lessons.

In these sessions, he had asked about the power Zed had used in their spar.

"Other than Sea-stones, Haki can also counter Devil Fruit users. Its a power that anyone can use with intense training. But it's too early for you brats." was Zed's reply.

Despite the incomplete answer, Cain wasn't disappointed.

"I only have to work harder and surpass my current limits. I'll learn Haki eventually." Cain said to himself, looking forward to learning a new power other than his devil fruit power.

As the weeks turned into months, training intensified for everyone. The lessons from the sparring match left a lasting impression, pushing each trainee to make significant progress.

-

Six months passed, with every member of the camp growing stronger, yet Cain's hunger for improvement showed no signs of slowing down. He had been humbled but also inspired, and it became clear to all that the gap between him and the others was only widening.