"Relax. I don't hold it against you. If it were a monster attacking instead, I believe you wouldn't have stood by and done nothing."
Kizaru spoke calmly. Unlike Sakazuki, who would execute deserters on the spot, Kizaru always believed that authority determined duty.
Ordinary seamen had a duty to uphold justice—but that didn't mean they were obligated to fight to the death against unbeatable foes.
That kind of responsibility belonged to better-trained, better-paid naval officers—those who received more should be expected to do more.
The same logic applied to heroes. Especially since they received little in terms of perks—the Hero Association's stipends were laughable compared to the risks they faced.
Of course, that was mainly because Lily hadn't been seriously hurt. If she had, with Kizaru's famously protective nature, his attitude would likely have been… quite different.
Pfft!
Sweet Mask, whose head had been buried in the ground, struggled fiercely before finally managing to yank his now-deformed head out of the cement.
He then gave his head a hard shake, and the distorted skull rapidly returned to its original shape right before everyone's eyes.
"What incredible vitality… Is this guy really not a monster?"
Kizaru asked with curiosity. Even awakened Zoan-type Devil Fruit users couldn't match this level of regeneration.
A severed limb could be reattached, a warped skull could return to normal—Kaidou himself relied more on durability than regeneration.
Even if he were cut apart, it's unlikely he could reattach limbs and just keep going like Sweet Mask.
"Sweet Mask is extremely good at close combat. His regenerative abilities and pain tolerance are especially high—he might be a cyborg. Monsters wouldn't become heroes, and Sweet Mask has always been merciless when dealing with them…"
Blizzard didn't badmouth him, even though her group had clashed with Sweet Mask before.
His personality and methods might be infuriating, but his actions were hard to criticize.
"Then let's leave him be for now. Let's officially begin the training camp."
Kizaru didn't dwell on Sweet Mask and walked straight into the training field.
The Hero Association's construction capabilities were impressive—within just a single day, they had turned an ordinary open area into a basic training ground that met Kizaru's specifications.
"Lord Swift Flash, is this where we'll be training?"
A B-Class hero named Bone, dressed in a bodysuit with skeletal patterns, couldn't help asking. He had already witnessed Swift Flash's power firsthand.
Anyone who could easily defeat A-Class Rank 1 Sweet Mask was undoubtedly S-Class.
But the training field before him looked so plain, almost like a wasteland. He found it hard to believe it could produce meaningful results.
"That's right. This is where you'll be training for the next month… If there are no objections, we'll begin now."
Kizaru scanned the crowd with a single glance. Excluding Sweet Mask, there were 62 people in total—49 registered heroes, 12 eligible members from the Blizzard Group, and Blizzard herself, who wasn't participating in the training.
"Eh? We're just starting like that?"
"How exciting… I wonder what kind of training it'll be…"
"No matter how brutal it is, I'll see it through to the end!"
The heroes were fired up. Some had already begun imagining the day they would become A-Class—or even S-Class—heroes after training.
"What I'll be teaching you is a set of techniques called the Six Powers of the Navy. The first is Moonwalk…"
Kizaru lightly jumped into the air, and under the stunned gazes of the heroes, began stepping on the air itself, rising slowly skyward.
Sure, some heroes like Tatsumaki had psychic powers, and others like Metal Knight could fly with machines—but someone walking mid-air like this was beyond comprehension.
"Next, Tempest Kick!"
In mid-air, Kizaru casually kicked out. A visible vacuum slash flew forth, slicing the ground open with a trench over ten meters long, more than a meter wide and deep.
"That's the move that sliced off Sweet Mask's arm!"
Magician Hands couldn't help crying out. The other heroes, hearing this, now stared with blazing intensity.
They didn't expect to be able to cut off Sweet Mask's arm after learning this—but slaying a few monsters? That felt within reach.
"Finally, Shave… Don't bother looking—I'm already behind you."
Kizaru's figure suddenly vanished, and not a single one of the dozens of heroes could track his movement.
It wasn't until he spoke that they realized he was already standing behind them.
"So fast! This is Swift Flash, huh?"
The heroes were all visibly excited. It seemed they had mistaken all of Kizaru's abilities—including his faster-than-sound speed—for just part of the Six Powers technique.
Did this mean… if they mastered the Six Powers, they'd become a weaker version of Speed-o'-Sound Flash?
"Moonwalk, Tempest Kick, and Shave. Once you master these three, I'll teach you the rest."
Kizaru decided to start with the three techniques that were most closely connected. Among the remaining three, Paper Art was extremely difficult to train, while Iron Body and Finger Gun weren't ideal for fighting monsters.
Besides, with just one month, unless someone was exceptionally gifted, most of them wouldn't even fully master the first three.
"Senior Swift Flash! Can we start now?"
Rank 71 B-Class hero Captain Mizuki shouted energetically. Though she didn't fit Kizaru's aesthetic preferences, her upbeat personality was definitely likeable.
"Of course. First training activity: running! Start by running 20 laps around the field!"
Kizaru gave the order bluntly. The training ground was nearly 150,000 square meters in size, and the track alone was close to 5 kilometers. Twenty laps would be about 100 kilometers—enough to drain most of the heroes dry.
"T-Twenty laps?!"
"You're kidding! That's impossible!"
"This kind of training will kill us!"
Just moments ago, the heroes had been filled with excitement. Now, Kizaru's cold splash of reality had washed it all away.
They were okay with strict training… but this sounded like a death march.
"Oh, right—so you can actually finish the run, I'll get you a little running buddy!"
Kizaru clapped his hands and at the same time, sent a message to Orochimaru through their chat group.
The next moment, under the horrified stares of the heroes, a giant white serpent appeared in front of Kizaru. It had a crown of feathers on its head, was over 50 meters long, and its head was larger than a heavy-duty truck.
"Feathered Serpent, I assume Orochimaru has already explained things? I'll leave it to you, then."
Kizaru smiled as he spoke. Orochimaru had originally suggested using Manda, but knowing Manda might actually eat anyone he caught, Kizaru opted for his old friend, the more "friendly" Feathered Serpent.
"Yes, I shall do my best to fulfill the mission."
The serpent's voice was crisp and feminine. Even though only a short time had passed, she seemed to have grown noticeably larger.
"T-The snake can talk?!"
The heroes gasped in disbelief. If the Feathered Serpent hadn't remained calm and avoided destruction, they might've mistaken it for a snake-shaped monster.
"Anyone who strays off the track, or is last for more than a minute—get ready to be snake food. Of course, you can also choose to fight back. If you can defeat her, you don't have to run! Now… let the survival run begin!"
Kizaru waved his hand, and the Feathered Serpent immediately assumed a ferocious posture, charging toward the heroes.
Although her temperament and appearance were much better than Manda's, her sheer size was still terrifying. Most of the heroes took one look at her and bolted.
Only a few brave—or perhaps foolish—heroes chose to stand and fight.
"You bastard! Let me show you the power of the Tanktop Heroes!"
Tanktop Vegetarian, muscles bulging, roared and charged straight at the serpent.
He might not win in a head-on clash, but if he could dodge and leap onto the serpent's head…
"Swoosh!"
The Feathered Serpent opened its mouth and spewed out a thick cloud of white poisonous mist. While its venom wasn't as strong as that of other snakes from Ryuchi Cave, it had the unexpected ability to paralyze its enemies.
Unless the target had an exceptionally large body or incredibly strong physique, anyone who came into contact with even a trace of this mist would be paralyzed and unable to move.
Tanktop Vegetarian, who charged straight into the mist, collapsed on the spot. Even S-Class heroes might struggle against the serpent's poison—let alone a small fry like him.
"Keep your distance! Don't engage recklessly!"
Death Gatling warned in a low voice, raising his mechanical arm, which had a Gatling gun installed, and unleashed a hail of bullets at the serpent.
'Ding ding ding ding…'
Like a storm, the bullets pierced through the poisonous mist and struck the Feathered Serpent's head—but were all blocked by its exceptionally tough scales.
Still, the impact made the slightly careless serpent wince in pain. Strong defense didn't mean invincibility—if it underestimated these heroes, things might not go so well.
'Whoosh… Bam!'
A sharp wind split through the poisonous mist. Before Death Gatling could react, the serpent's whip-like tail slammed into him and sent him flying.
Fortunately, the Feathered Serpent had held back. That tail strike only tore through his armor and clothes. Had she gone all out, she could've wiped him off the Hero Association's registry.
"Spring Rapier!"
Just as Gatling was sent flying, a spring-loaded rapier shot out from the mist and stabbed the serpent right in the head.
Its scales—already weakened by the bullet barrage—were pierced clean through, and the serpent let out a cry of pain.
But that was the extent of the damage. Compared to her enormous body, the A-Class Rank 33 hero Spring Mustache's attack was like a pinprick. Painful, sure—but dreaming of defeating her was pure fantasy.
Stung and annoyed, the Feathered Serpent lashed out with her long tail toward Spring Mustache.
This time it was personal—based on his physical durability, even one hit would likely send him to the hospital for days.
'Smack!'
Her tail smashed into the special high-grade concrete tiles, shattering them like granite.
But Spring Mustache narrowly avoided the strike with nimble footwork.
"My evasion skills aren't too shabby!"
He proudly stroked his signature mustache. Two heroes ranked above him had already been beaten by the serpent, but he alone was managing to hold his own.
Unfortunately, he got cocky too soon. Before he could even decide how to use his agility to launch a counterattack, the Feathered Serpent had already lost her patience.
She opened her enormous jaws wide.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
The Feathered Serpent's belly swelled as if it were pregnant, then a massive gust of compressed wind blasted from its mouth.
Spring Mustache didn't even have time to react before he was sent flying.
As a serpent from the Ryuchi Cave, the Feathered Serpent's venom was weaker than its kin, and it didn't possess the overwhelming physical strength of Manda. Yet, the fact that Orochimaru still saw potential in it meant it had talents worthy of praise.
And in just the blink of an eye, three fairly powerful A-Class heroes had been "instantly defeated" by the serpent. Any other heroes who had originally planned to fight now obediently started running laps, just as Borsalino had ordered.
The Feathered Serpent lazily slithered after them.
It actually enjoyed this kind of "game." Unlike Manda, who liked to eat humans, the Feathered Serpent preferred to play with these two-legged creatures.
"Drag those three aside. Once they wake up, they'll have to make up for the training they missed."
Borsalino gave the order to some of the Fubuki Group members who weren't participating in the training camp. Not all of them met Borsalino's strict requirements.
While the Fubuki Group members were all B-Class heroes, the range within the B-Class was huge. Ignoring the bald guy who would eventually raise the B-Class ceiling to unimaginable heights—at present, the strongest among them could probably make a name for themselves in the New World, while the weakest weren't much better than ordinary Navy grunts.
Because of this, less than half of the Fubuki Group members qualified to join the training camp. The rest were relegated to handling camp logistics.
However, after witnessing how brutal the training was for those who were accepted…
Some of the initially disgruntled members actually felt lucky they didn't qualify. Otherwise, they'd be victims of this hellish boot camp.
---
"Push through! Push through! Push through! Even if you collapse in the end, you must finish all twenty laps!"
The one leading the charge was none other than the top-ranked C-Class hero: Mumen Rider.
When the other heroes hesitated, unsure whether to fight or flee from the Feathered Serpent, Mumen Rider had already chosen to put his full trust in Borsalino—no hesitation.
Not because Borsalino's words were especially convincing, and definitely not because Mumen Rider was stupid.
But because he didn't want to miss any chance to get stronger!
No matter how small that chance was, he was willing to bet everything on it.
Unfortunately, no matter how strong his will was, it didn't change the fact that he was probably the weakest among all the heroes who qualified for the camp.
As the #1 ranked C-Class hero, his physical strength had only just barely made the cut.
His top ranking wasn't because he was the strongest C-Class, but rather due to his tireless activity and heroic spirit.
Even though he was the first to start running…
After just three laps, Mumen Rider had—unsurprisingly—fallen to last place.
°°°
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