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Chapter 9 - C9: Lanza’s Twisted Pride – The Weight of a Monster

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In the middle of the clearing, Major Lanza pursed his lips as he looked down at Goku. The boy was grinning, seemingly unaware that he had just upended the laws of physics for every soldier present. Lanza tilted his head and gazed up at the sky, letting out a long sigh. He realized that comparing yourself to others usually leads to misery, but comparing yourself to a "monster" like this was simply an exercise in futility.

However, Lanza's psychological threshold had shifted. Having already been shocked to the core by Goku's performance on the ship, he found himself strangely calm this time. He watched the muscular Marines around them—men who looked like they were made of stone—staring at Goku with frozen, terrified expressions.

This is nothing, Lanza thought with a secret, "friendly" smirk. If I told them this kid learned three of the Six Styles just by watching them once, they'd all faint on the spot. And they think they're stunned now? They haven't seen anything yet.

Lanza pointed toward the far side of the training field where a pile of massive, unattended metal blocks sat. "Goku, let's head over there. These rocks are clearly too light for you; they won't give us a real measurement of your strength."

Goku followed his gaze and chirped, "Okay!"

Word traveled through the base like wildfire.

"Hey! Get over to Training Field No. 5! There's a kid there who's about to try and push the heavy metal blocks!"

"The metal blocks? You mean the ones only officers above the rank of Vice Admiral are supposed to move? Some of those are too heavy even for them!"

"I'm serious! They say he already shoved the biggest boulder in the yard like it was a toy!"

"Who is he? Some say he's Vice Admiral Garp's grandson!"

Within minutes, the training field was swamped with onlookers. Hundreds of Marines crowded around, pointing at the small boy who was currently doing simple warm-up stretches in front of the massive cubes of iron.

"That's him? He's so tiny! There's no way!"

"I'm telling you, I saw him move the rock! Don't guess if you weren't there!"

Lanza ignored the skeptics, crossing his arms and holding his head high. He realized that his own desire to show off had been replaced by a new, vicarious thrill: he loved watching Goku shatter people's expectations. Every time a soldier looked horrified by Goku's power, Lanza felt a surge of secret pleasure, as if he were reclaiming all the dignity he had lost when he first met the boy.

Goku stopped his warm-ups and walked up to the smallest metal block in the row. "I'm starting now!"

Lanza had warned him that while this was the smallest, it weighed a full 50 tons—far heavier than the boulder he had moved earlier. Goku took a deep breath, braced his small palms against the cold metal, and shoved.

"Haa-ya!!!"

Screech, screech, screech!!!

The piercing sound of metal grinding against concrete tore through the air. The crowd watched, frozen, as the 50-ton block slid steadily forward.

"He... he did it! He really pushed it!"

"I must be dreaming. Someone pinch me!"

Marines were erupting in chaos. Some ran onto the field to touch the block, trying to see if it was a prop, only to find it was solid, cold, and utterly immovable by their own hands. Goku, however, just tilted his head in confusion. "Huh? Why does it still feel lighter than the rock I pushed at home?"

Lanza's eyes lit up. Still light? The exhilaration he felt was almost making him tremble. "Goku, if that one's light, try the next one!"

The crowd fell silent as Goku moved to a larger block.

Screech, screech, screech!!! He pushed it.

He didn't stop there. He moved to an even larger one and shoved that one too. Then another. Each time the piercing screech of the metal echoed the collective shock of the Navy. Finally, he arrived at a gargantuan block that looked like a small building. He braced himself, his face turning bright red as he strained with every fiber of his being, but the block didn't move an inch.

Goku wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at the numbers painted on the side.

Current block (unmoved): $300$ tons

Previous block (moved): $150$ tons

"It seems my strength is somewhere between these two," Goku muttered, rubbing his chin.

The surrounding Marines were no longer shouting. They were numb. They looked at Goku, then at their own hands, and then back at the $150$-ton block. They felt as though they had lived their entire lives for nothing.

Lanza looked at the crowd, standing like statues in the sun, and felt the ultimate satisfaction. Yes! That's it! Look at those faces! This is truly too satisfying!

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