The morning sun cast a harsh, golden glow over the warship's deck, the sea stretching endlessly behind them. A heavy silence lingered in the air.
Ken stood upright, his gaze steady, facing Sakazuki—the Vice-Admiral whose very presence felt like molten magma ready to erupt.
Sakazuki's eyes narrowed slightly beneath his cap. His voice, deep and unforgiving, broke the silence.
"Listen, boy, here's what we are going to do from today onwards."
Sakazuki's voice was cold and heavy, like molten rock ready to erupt. His eyes locked onto Ken, unwavering.
"After breakfast every single day, you will train with me… to forge your body into a weapon."
"This world doesn't reward weakness. If your body breaks… then it simply means it wasn't worth keeping."
"You will study. Roberto will guide you. You will learn strategy, Navigation, Astronomy, Math, and many more. Only then will you be worthy of carrying the banner of justice."
Ken raised his eyebrows upon hearing this and asked.
"Why should I study? Isn't hunting down pirates all I need to do? Time spent reading books is time I could use getting stronger!"
A heavy silence followed… until Sakazuki stepped forward, his gaze sharp like magma ready to erupt.
"You are a Fool and a moron. Strength without knowledge is nothing but reckless violence."
Sakazuki glared at Ken before continuing
"Do you think capturing pirates is just about brute force? Strategy wins wars. Navigation keeps you alive at sea. Understanding the enemy lets you destroy them completely. Without knowledge, you are just another pawn waiting to be outplayed."
He'd step closer, voice colder—
"Training your body makes you a weapon. Studying makes you justice itself. A Marine who cannot think is a liability… and I do not tolerate weakness."
Ken widened his eyes at Sakazuki's words. For a moment, silence hung heavy over the deck, the sea wind cutting through it like a blade.
Then something changed.
The spark in his eyes intensified—sharp, unyielding.
He straightened his back, fists tightening at his sides as the fire of determination burned in his eyes.
"I understand, sensei. I promise I'll study hard… and become strong enough to be worthy of carrying the banner of justice!"
Sakazuki's expression remained stern, but a faint sense of approval settled in his gaze as he looked at Ken.
"Good, now start running 30 laps around the deck," Sakazuki ordered, his voice cold and absolute.
The moment Sakazuki's command cut through the air, Ken didn't argue, didn't slow down, didn't even glance back.
His boots struck the wooden deck in a steady rhythm as he began running laps—fast, controlled, disciplined. The ocean wind whipped against his face, but he kept his posture firm, eyes forward, refusing to break pace.
Sakazuki watched in silence, arms crossed, his expression as hard as molten steel. Every step Ken took was measured under that cold gaze, as if the very air around him was being weighed for weakness.
"Faster," Sakazuki's voice suddenly boomed, sharp enough to slice through the sound of waves.
Ken's breathing deepened, but he obeyed immediately. His stride lengthened, shoes thudding harder against the deck boards as he pushed his limits.
Below, sailors paused briefly to watch—but no one dared speak. Not when Sakazuki was present.
Ken's thoughts burned in his mind. 'No hesitation. No weakness. I'll become strong enough to become a Marine and live a life with no regrets.'
Ken's breath grew heavier with every step, the heat rising off the wooden deck like a furnace. His legs burned, muscles tightening with each impact of his feet, but he refused to slow down.
"Ten laps…" he muttered under his breath, jaw clenched. "I can still move…"
He forced himself onward, ignoring the shaking in his thighs, ignoring the sting in his lungs. Every instinct screamed at him to stop—but something deeper, something stubborn, pushed him forward.
Sakazuki watched in silence, arms crossed, his gaze sharp and unrelenting. He didn't speak, didn't react—he simply observed, like a judge weighing a verdict.
Ken staggered slightly on the eleventh lap, nearly losing his footing. His knee dipped for a moment… but he caught himself.
"No…" Ken growled through gritted teeth. "I'm not done yet."
He straightened his posture as much as he could and forced his pace back into motion, each step heavier than the last—but still moving forward, refusing to yield to exhaustion.
Sakazuki's eyes narrowed just slightly, the faintest sign of approval flickering beneath his stern expression.
Ken's chest heaved as he pushed through the final stretch of the next ten laps. His legs felt like lead, every step heavier than the last. Sweat poured down his face, dripping onto the wooden deck beneath him, and his breathing came out sharp and uneven.
"Ha… ha… I can't… slow down…" he muttered under his breath, gritting his teeth as his muscles screamed in protest.
The sea breeze cut across the deck, but it did nothing to cool the fire burning in his lungs. Each lap felt longer than the one before, as if the distance itself was growing just to test his resolve.
Sakazuki watched silently, arms crossed, his gaze cold and unchanging.
Ken's vision blurred slightly, but he refused to stop. One foot dragged forward… then the next… and then again. His body was begging him to collapse, but something deeper—pride, stubbornness, determination—kept him upright.
"Just… one more lap…" Ken gasped, forcing himself onward even as his knees trembled.
The deck creaked under his uneven steps as he pushed through exhaustion, refusing to fall while Sakazuki's watchful presence loomed over every movement he made.
Ken didn't give up. Even as his legs screamed in protest and his lungs burned, he forced himself forward and continued running the final ten laps.
Step by step, lap by lap, he pushed past his limit—refusing to slow down, refusing to stop.
When the last lap was finally completed, his body gave out. Ken collapsed onto the deck, falling hard to the ground. He lay there gasping, inhaling the air greedily as if he had been starved of it for hours, his chest rising and falling in violent rhythm.
Around him, the silence of the deck made his exhaustion even louder than any shout.
In that moment, only one thing was clear—he had endured.
Sakazuki looked coldly at Ken, his gaze sharp and unyielding like molten iron.
"You have only one minute break… then you start doing fifty push-ups."
Ken exhaled slowly as the single minute passed, sweat still dripping from his chin onto the wooden deck.
Without hesitation, he dropped into position.
His arms trembled the moment he lowered himself, but he didn't stop.
"One…"
His voice was low, almost swallowed by the sea wind.
"Two…"
Each push-up burned more than the last. His muscles screamed for rest, but his eyes stayed sharp—not willing to give up.
Above him, the presence of Sakazuki loomed silently, observing without a single word of encouragement.
"Ten…"
Sakazuki's eyes narrowed sharply as he watched Ken struggle through his push-ups.
"Stop!" he barked, his voice cutting through the ship deck like a blade.
Ken froze halfway down, arms trembling.
"You're sloppy," he said coldly. "That wasn't fifty clean push-ups. That was excuses."
"Do it all over again. From the start. No breaks. No complaints. If you want to stand under justice, your body must obey it without hesitation."
Without a single word of protest, Ken started doing the pushups all over again.
He made many mistakes while doing push-ups, and Sakazuki yelled at him to do the push-ups all over again.
Ken didn't complain and kept doing his push-ups all over again whenever he did a mistake.
After finishing his push-ups, Ken slowly pushed himself to his feet. His arms trembled like water under strain, barely holding their shape.
Still, he didn't look away.
With exhausted breath and unwavering resolve, Ken locked eyes with Sakazuki, standing firm despite the weakness in his body.
Sakazuki's lips barely moved, but a faint, almost unnoticeable smirk formed as he caught the fire burning in Ken's eyes.
A flicker of approval—cold, subtle, and quickly buried beneath his usual iron expression.
"Start doing fifty sit-ups and fifty crunches. When you complete these exercises, you will have finished your training with me for today."
Ken nodded without hesitation. Sweat still clung to his skin from the earlier drills, but he forced his body to move anyway.
He dropped down and began the sit-ups—steady at first, then sharper, more controlled as his core burned with every repetition. His breathing grew heavy, yet he didn't stop until he hit fifty.
Without even pausing to recover, Ken shifted position and started his crunches. His arms trembled slightly from fatigue, but his eyes stayed focused straight ahead, refusing to break concentration.
Each crunch felt heavier than the last, but he kept going—counting silently in his mind, pushing through the strain as the deck beneath him creaked softly with his effort.
Ken stood up with difficulties after he finished his crunches and Sakazuki nodded in satisfaction.
"That it for today, boy. Go and take a shower… then report to the medical bay. You will begin your studies under Roberto."
Ken nodded and bowed respectfully to Sakazuki.
"Got it sensei, thanks for your time."
Sakazuki nodded and Ken turned around and left.
At that moment, Momonga and Doberman approached Sakazuki on the wide steel deck of the Marine ship, their footsteps echoing against the metal as the sea wind cut sharply through the air.
"Sir," Momonga said firmly, his voice steady as steel, "can you allow me to train Ken in swordsmanship?"
Sakazuki raised his eyebrows at the request and ask Momonga.
"Momonga, why do you want to train the boy in swordsmanship?"
Momonga gave a soft smile and replied truthfully.
"Sir… I was observing the boy training under you from the start. He never complained at all, despite you pushing him past his limit."
"He has incredible spirit and willpower," Momonga said firmly. "It is rare for a five-year-old child to possess this kind of determination. I want to be part of his development."
Doberman nodded his head he stepped forward, his expression firm as he glanced at Sakazuki.
"Me too, sir," he said firmly. "I want to be part of his development. I am willing to train him in hand-to-hand combat."
Sakazuki turned around and after a moment he shook his head.
"It is too early for him to learn swordsmanship or hand-to-hand combat. His body is still fragile. If you force it now, you will only break what has not yet been forged."
"But we can start training his marksmanship for now. Precision. Control. Discipline of the trigger finger."
"I saw his talent in marksmanship with my own eyes we need to evolve his talent and talent is something the Marines do not waste."
Both Momonga and Doberman smirked and nodded their heads.
Sakazuki's footsteps then echoed across the deck as he turned away, coat swaying behind him like a shadow cutting through the sea wind.
But before he could take another step toward his office, Momonga's firm voice rang out behind him.
"Sir, we will be arriving at the nearest Marine base in one hour," he reported steadily. "I already contacted the base commander and informed him that we will be transferring the people we rescued into his care."
Sakazuki nodded in satisfaction upon hearing this.
"Good job, Momonga. Make sure he takes good care of them, especially the children,"
Momonga saluted respectfully and turned around to fulfill his order.
______
With Ken
Steam filled the small shower room, curling upward in soft spirals that clung to the cold metal walls before fading into nothing. Water ran steadily, striking the floor in a constant rhythm—steady, unchanging.
Ken stood beneath it, head tilted slightly downward, letting the heat wash away the sweat, the exhaustion… but not his thoughts.
'In my past life, I hated studying.'
'The classroom never felt like a place for me. The teachers looked at me differently… like I didn't belong there. No matter how hard I tried, it always felt like I was being pushed aside.'
'So I stopped trying.'
'In the end, I made a choice—I dropped out.'
'Not because I was weak… but because I couldn't stand being in a place where I felt invisible.'
'Roberto had been very kind to me when he took care of me yesterday… maybe I should give studying a try after all.'
The boy clenched his fist slightly, determination flickering in his eyes as his gazed hardened.
After finishing his shower, Ken quickly dressed in the simple uniform provided to him. The fabric still felt slightly rough against his skin, but he didn't complain.
He adjusted his collar once, then stepped out of the bathroom.
________
With Roberto
While Roberto was waiting for Ken he suddenly heard a knock on his door.
"KNOCK!, KNOCK!"
"ENTER!"
Ken entered the medical bay after hearing permission, and when Roberto saw Ken, he gave him a gentle smile.
"Well, well… good to see you my boy. How was your training with Vice Admiral Sakazuki?"
Ken gave Roberto a gentle smile and nodded his head.
"It was tough, but I enjoyed myself doctor."
Roberto chuckled softly and nodded his head, then gestured for Ken to take a seat.
"Go on, sit down," he said with a calm, reassuring tone.
Ken nodded and quietly took a seat beside Roberto.
"Ken, my boy," Roberto said gently as he adjusted his notes on the desk. "Vice-Admiral Sakazuki asked me to help you with your studies, but before we start… I need to ask you a question."
Ken nodded and listened carefully, his eyes fixed on Roberto as he waited for the question.
"Do you know how to read and write my boy?"
Ken chuckled at the question and thought.
'This world may use Japanese as its mother tongue, but its written form is very different from Japan's.'
Ken shook his head gently and apologized to Roberto.
"Sorry, doctor… I'm afraid I have to disappoint you. I don't know how to read or write."
Roberto waved his hand and said kindly to Ken.
"You don't need to worry, kid. Soon enough, you'll learn how to read and write."
"I'll start by teaching you how to read and write. Once you've mastered those, we'll move on to the other subjects. What do you think, kid?"
Ken smiled and nodded his head, sitting up straight as Roberto placed a simple notebook and pen on the desk.
"Alright, Ken," Roberto said gently, pointing at the first line of letters. "These are the basics. First, we start with the alphabet."
________