Before the morning lesson ended, Tsuru casually mentioned, "That fellow Garp 'borrowed' your afternoon time. His training methods... are rather direct. But you must remember, a strong physique and tenacious will are the foundation upon which all strategy rests. Protect yourself, don't let him break you."
"Yes, Teacher." Seraphilia stood up and saluted, already having a clear premonition of the'storm' awaiting her in the afternoon.
---
If Tsuru's morning lesson was the gentle, silent rain of wisdom, then Garp's afternoon training was a lava storm capable of melting steel.
The training ground was a hard, rocky area on the edge of the base, reserved for Navy Captains and Admirals to hone their physical techniques. The ground was covered in potholes and web-like cracks left by years of being bombarded by fists and feet.
Garp was already waiting there, still wearing his perpetually unbuttoned Coat of Justice, half a donut stuffed in his mouth. Upon seeing Seraphilia, he let out a hearty, unrestrained laugh.
"Oh hahaha! Little girl! Are you awake? Let Grandpa see if your bones have softened after a whole morning of having ink poured into you by Little Tsuru!" Before his words even finished, the ground beneath his feet sank abruptly, and the man himself charged toward Seraphilia like a cannonball. His massive fist whistled through the air, tearing at the atmosphere, and it struck with at least thirty percent more force than the last time he 'greeted' her!
Seraphilia's pupils instantly shrank to pinpricks!
She instantly integrated the concept of 'Momentum' into the fight. Cloud energy exploded beneath her feet. Instead of retreating, she created three Cloud Mist clones identical to herself, scattering in different directions simultaneously, while her true body used the clones as cover to swiftly shift toward Garp's blind spot.
This was 'Cloud Bloom: Phantom Body Style'!
However, Garp's fist didn't even glance at the clones, as if he had foreseen everything. The trajectory twisted forcibly mid-way, ignoring all evasion routes, directly enveloping Seraphilia's true body with an even more terrifying air pressure, like an invisible wall!
"Bang!!"
A jarring, dull thud echoed. Seraphilia only managed to stack layer upon layer of 'cloud core: Thousand Layers Ripple' in front of her, yet she was still struck by the irresistible giant force, rendering her arms instantly numb. She was sent flying backward, her feet plowing two deep furrows into the hard rock ground.
"Thinking too much! And too slow!" Garp retracted his fist, took another large bite of his donut, and roared indistinctly, "Little Tsuru teaches you how to 'think,' Grandpa teaches you how to 'fight'! On a real battlefield, will the enemy give you time to play with those flashy clouds?"
He advanced again, his steps simple and brutal, yet swift as a ghost. Another punch came!
This time the angle was trickier. Before the fist even arrived, the wind pressure from it pressed her waist and abdomen clothing tightly against her skin, causing a stinging pain!
Seraphilia gritted her teeth, no longer fixated on any delicate 'force deflection' or 'interference.' Instead, she instantly compressed and condensed all the cloud energy she could mobilize onto her arms and in front of her, forming a thick, dense 'Cloud Armor: Stronghold,' while exerting force with her feet, attempting to retreat rapidly and create distance.
"Crack!"
The Cloud Armor shattered instantly, like glass struck by a sledgehammer. The fist's residual force was undiminished as it smashed solidly onto her crossed, blocking arms.
A pain like cracking bones shot through her. She was hit head-on like by a siege ram and sent flying without suspense, crashing heavily against the stone wall reinforced with Sea Stone at the edge of the training ground. A loud boom sounded, and a sweet taste flooded her throat as a trickle of blood uncontrollably leaked from the corner of her mouth.
"Get up!" Garp's roar exploded like thunder. "The future of the Marines does not need porcelain that shatters at a touch!"
Seraphilia's vision went dark, her internal organs feeling as if they had shifted position.
She braced herself against the cold wall, coughing violently twice, forcibly swallowing back the metallic sweetness rising in her throat.
She staggered back to her feet, raised her head, and stared intently at Garp with those ice-blue eyes. There was no fear in them, only a flame ignited: "...Continue."
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/SolyuraMT
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"