Fated Adventure.

The training was brutal, but it was clear early on that Rayleigh wasn't just putting us through hell for fun—he was testing us. And out of all of us, I could tell he was especially interested in what I could do.

After another grueling session of Tekkai training, where Rayleigh had spent an hour hitting us with a staff to force our bodies to harden, he stopped in front of me, tapping his chin.

"You're something else, Ryan," he said, tilting his head as if studying a rare creature. "Most people would've been knocked out cold after that many strikes, but you barely flinched."

I rolled my shoulders, feeling only a faint ache where others would be covered in bruises. The truth was, I could feel the damage in the moment, but within seconds, any pain or injuries vanished like they were never there. My body simply repaired itself before I even had to think about it. The Fountain of Youth ensured I would always be in peak condition, and my Heavenly Restriction gave me strength, speed, and durability beyond normal human limits.

Rayleigh smirked. "Not just tough—monstrous." He glanced at Ace and Deuce. "I was already planning on pushing you all hard, but I might have to rethink how I handle you."

And he did.

He ramped up my training, putting me through tests that should've broken a normal person. He had me lift massive boulders for endurance, withstand powerful blunt strikes to see how much damage I could take, and sprint at full speed across Sabaody's tangled roots, pushing my agility to its limit. My strength, speed, and durability weren't just good—they were far beyond what Rayleigh had expected.

During one sparring session, he had me go all out against him just to test my raw power. I launched a strike at his arm, expecting him to block it easily. Instead, he winced, the impact making him skid back a few feet. He flexed his fingers afterward, chuckling.

"I wasn't expecting you to hit that hard," he admitted. "Most people, even trained Haki users, wouldn't be able to make me feel it like that."

Ace whistled from the sidelines. "Damn, Ryan, maybe you should be the one teaching us."

I just smirked. Because unlike them, I knew exactly why I was like this.

The Heavenly Restriction I had received in the beginning wasn't just some vague boost—it was the foundation of my monstrous abilities. In exchange for giving up ever using cursed energy, my body and mind had been pushed to superhuman levels. I was stronger, faster, and more durable than I had any right to be. Combined with the Fountain of Youth, my body never deteriorated. No exhaustion, no weakness—just pure, relentless capability.

Ace and Deuce had to fight through pain and fatigue, but for me? This was just another day.

But I wasn't the only one making waves.

Ace was progressing at an alarming rate—especially with Conqueror's Haki.

During one sparring session, Rayleigh had us fight each other to push our instincts. Ace had been losing ground against me when, suddenly, a powerful pressure filled the air.

The moment it happened, Deuce staggered back, breathing heavily, and I felt a strange force pressing down on me. It wasn't enough to affect me, but it was there.

Rayleigh raised an eyebrow as Ace stood in the center of it all, his fists clenched, his eyes burning with intensity. The pirate trainees watching from the sidelines? They dropped like flies, unconscious before they hit the ground.

Ace blinked, confused. "Wait… did I just—?"

Rayleigh grinned. "Yep. That was Conqueror's Haki."

Ace looked down at his hands, a slow grin spreading across his face. "Hah. Guess I really do have it in me."

Rayleigh nodded. "And you awakened it naturally. That's rare. Most people go their whole lives without realizing they have it, and here you are, using it in the middle of a fight without even meaning to." He chuckled. "Your father would be proud."

Ace stiffened for a second at the mention of Roger, but then he smirked, rolling his shoulders. "Guess that just means I'm one step closer to being one of the greats."

Rayleigh leaned against his staff, looking at both of us with an appraising gaze. "You two are monsters, in your own ways. Ryan, your raw physical ability is something I've never seen before. And Ace, your control over Haki is progressing at a speed that's honestly ridiculous."

Deuce, still trying to shake off the Conqueror's Haki-induced dizziness, sighed. "Great. I get to train with two freaks."

Ace laughed. "Hey, you'll catch up eventually."

Rayleigh clapped his hands together. "Alright, enough talking. The real training is just getting started."

And just like that, things got even harder.

For Haki, Rayleigh had us focus on basic Observation training. He blindfolded us and forced us to dodge attacks, relying purely on instinct and awareness. Every time we failed, we got smacked—hard. Ace cursed the most, Deuce struggled to keep up, and even I found myself getting hit more than I liked.

When we weren't getting knocked around, we were working on the Marine Six Styles. Soru, the technique of extreme speed, had us pushing our legs to the brink. Geppo, or "Moon Walk," involved leaping through the air by kicking off invisible footholds. Rankyaku, the razor-sharp air slash, was something Ace took to surprisingly well, while I focused more on Shigan—the ability to turn a simple finger jab into a deadly attack.

The worst was Tekkai. It was a defensive technique that hardened the body like iron, but the only way to train it was to take hits until your body naturally adapted. Rayleigh didn't hold back, either. He used a wooden staff to strike us repeatedly, testing how well we could endure.

By the end of the first week, we were battered, bruised, and exhausted.

Ace flopped onto the ground, groaning. "This is worse than anything Gramps ever put me through."

Deuce lay beside him, barely moving. "I think I died somewhere back there."

I sat up, wiping sweat from my face. "It's tough, but we're making progress."

Rayleigh, still looking completely at ease, chuckled. "That's the spirit." He sat down on a nearby rock. "But tell me—why do you all want this power so badly?"

Ace stared up at the sky. "Because I don't want to lose. Not to anyone."

Deuce exhaled. "Because I don't want to be left behind."

Rayleigh turned to me. "And you?"

I met his gaze. "Because strength is freedom."

Rayleigh studied me for a moment, then nodded approvingly. "Good answer."

The training continued. Day by day, we improved. Our speed increased, our reflexes sharpened, and slowly, we began to grasp the basics of Haki. The pain didn't stop, but neither did we.

But while Ace and Deuce struggled with exhaustion, my body always felt ready to go again. No matter how hard I got hit, no matter how much strain I put on myself, the pain never lasted. It was only after a while that Rayleigh seemed to notice.

"Ryan," he mused, watching me carefully after another brutal sparring session. "You're recovering too fast."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

He crossed his arms. "Your body resets itself the moment you take damage."

Ace wiped sweat from his forehead, laughing weakly. "Well, that explains why you're not on the floor dying like the rest of us."

Rayleigh smirked. "You're either the luckiest bastard alive, or there's something special about you that even you don't understand yet."

I already knew, "just my enhanced healing factor."

I didn't plan to tell anyone about the fountain of youth, that could be a disaster I wanted to avoid at all costs.

And with that, the training continued. But now, the real question wasn't how far I could go—it was whether anything in this world could stop me.