The week went by, and the end of the training was in sight.

Everyone had gathered in the garden with cold-weather flying over the New Marineford.

The strands of grass moved around, and then, a muscular old man stepped inside the garden and saw that everyone had gathered.

Then, he stopped and opened his mouth, “Most of you know the drill by now. Since I will revisit the East Blue, most of you have to stick to your training regime and continue doing it till I have returned.”

His gaze then turned to Liam, whose lazy and uncaring attitude had slowly bled away. His figure seemed more athletic and taller.

“Liam, this is the end of your training, for now.” Garp folded his hands behind his back and stopped in front of Liam.

Liam raised his eyes to look Garp in the eye.

“This is your new training regime.” He handed Liam a scrap of paper that was full of written text.

“If you decide to give up, I suggest doing it in the early phase.” Garp’s face didn’t have his usual grin, “But, if you decide to continue. I am sure you will be a strong Marine one day.”

Liam folded the paper and pocketed it. Then, he straightened his back and gave a salute.

After that, Garp bid farewells and left toward the harbor. His ship was about to get sailed, and his destination was Foosha Village, where he had spent most of his time ever since the war ended.

The reason was the unrest on the seas. Pirates have grown bolder and more dangerous. Since there could be a chance of them attacking that peaceful village, he decided to station himself there.

But, several times, he would visit New Marineford to groom the new generation of Marines alongside Sengoku.

“I guess this is goodbye.” Dante suddenly came toward me and shook my hand firmly.

I returned the handshake and nodded, “Good luck in training.”

Then, I bid farewell to Ava, who didn’t reply and went to training somewhere. Afterward, I visited the storage room and looked deeply at my bag and wooden swords.

The palms of my hands had become rougher and seemed stronger. I hadn’t noticed it, but I could feel the strength flowing through me like endless waves of energy.

Then, it came the time of my departure. I went to my temporary room, picked up the stacks of papers with the copied text of books, and stored them inside my inventory.

After one last look at my room, I left the building and walked down the streets. Soon, I reached the two-part building, and I could see chore girls talking outside amid laughter.

After I entered the building, they could see me through the window and began whispering for some reason.

While walking the hallway, I could hear their giggles and calm laughter. Then, I entered the chore boy building and saw a familiar-looking woman exiting her office with droopy eyes.

“I am back.” I gave a quick salute, and Lotus seemed surprised at my return.

“I see… You survived… Good job.” She walked past me while giving a quick pat on my shoulder and a smile.

After she left, I walked up the stairs and reached the wide doors with an even wider room on the other side. The room was full of discussions, and I had already said goodbye to my peaceful days.

I enjoyed my days in Garp’s home, even though the days were horrible with torturous training.

I walked through the wide-open doors, and then the discussions became silent. The chore boys turned around to look at me with mixed reactions.

There was slight hostility, curiosity, and jealousy.

I got seated in my bed, and Peter instantly began asking questions. Following him, the rest of the chore boys also asked questions about how was it to be trained by Marine Hero, Garp.

Then, there was Ox, pouting at the corner of the room, jealousy seeping through every movement of his. Soon, he got enough of the chore boys’ questions and sprung up with his mouth slowly opening.

“How can someone so weak get to train under Marine Hero?!” His voice echoed throughout the room. Ox’s friends backed off from Liam and stood next to Ox.

Suddenly, the room’s atmosphere became tense, with most of the chore boys not taking any sides and Peter looking at the scene with a pale face.

After hearing his words, I turned around to see Ox walking toward me with his group of weak-looking friends.

“Huh? Answer me!” Ox suddenly pushed me, forcing me to stand up from the bed. Then, we faced each other, standing only meters from each other.

“Did you bribe someone, or are you the son of some higher-up?“ Ox’s words made every chore boy thoughtful Answer me!”

I snorted and grinned, “Well, at least I didn’t piss my pants like you.”

“?” The chore boys looked strangely at Ox, whose face turned red out of embarrassment.

“SHUT UP!” Ox reeled in his fist and punched forward. The arm stretched on, and the punch’s motion seemed fluid.

Smack!

The punch solidly landed on my cheek, and I prepared to get assaulted with pain. However, soon I realized that the pain never came, and the punch seemed extremely weak. My head didn’t even get pushed back.

Ox’s eyes widened in shock as he saw his fist touching Liam’s cheek but not doing anything. Then, spine-chilling pain came from the wrist, and he began screaming in agony.

“AAAAGGH, my wrist!” He fell to the ground with purplish marks spreading around his wrist. It was broken!

His friends quickly gathered around him, shocked to see his wrist being broken even though it was him who punched!

“What the hell was that?” I rubbed my cheek, which had a slight red mark. Then, I decided to check the stats first time in a week, and my eyes widened in utter shock.

…

[Name: Liam Ward]

[Level: 1]

[HP: 130/130]

[XP: 5/100]

[SP: 10]

[Credits: 0]

[Title: None]

[Class: None]

[STR: 50]

[AGI: 50]

[VIT: 30]

[STA: 110]

[CHA: 9]

[DEX: 20]

[HAK: —]

[DF: —]

[Map]

[Inventory]

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