One Piece: My code name is Green Bull

"Besides these, are there any other exceptional recruits?" Zephyr asked again.

Freeman responded without hesitation, "Actually, yes, there is a unique recruit—a new soldier from the South Sea and the youngest among them at only seventeen years old. According to the reports, he has a natural ability for Observation Haki."

"Born with Observation Haki?"

Zephyr's face changed. As a master of Haki himself, he understood its unique nature. Haki requires talent and practice to develop. Though Conqueror's Haki can be an innate trait, he'd never encountered anyone born with Observation Haki.

"Yes, I couldn't believe it when I first saw the report, but the branch wouldn't dare lie."

"Who is it?"

Freeman pointed to a dark-haired boy running in the crowd and said to Zephyr, "That boy, Jon Lyons, son of the commander at South Sea Branch 47, Walston."

Zephyr stared at Jon for a while and then said, "Alright, I see. Keep a special eye on everyone you just mentioned."

"Understood."

Zephyr moved to a central position, watching all the recruits as they ran, observing their reactions and endurance.

Half an hour quickly passed, and though they'd been running nonstop, no one stopped—they kept running with fighting spirits high.

Jon was slightly short of breath. He had been training since he was young, and running wasn't an issue for him. Without a set limit, with his current stamina, he could run all day and night if needed.

"Speed up, speed up! Are you all out for a stroll? Everyone, pick up the pace immediately!"

At that moment, Zephyr suddenly shouted, commanding everyone to speed up. Naturally, no one dared disobey, and everyone picked up speed.

The previously orderly ranks quickly started to change as they accelerated. Many drew upon their strength, trying to reach the front of the line, not forgetting Zephyr's words encouraging them to showcase their abilities.

Strength levels and speed differences quickly became apparent, and the line dispersed rapidly.

"Too slow, too slow—keep accelerating!"

Gradually, the gap became evident. During the first half-hour, everyone had maintained a steady pace, but now, under Zephyr's constant commands to accelerate, the strong continued to stay ahead, while the weaker ones started to lag behind, some falling several laps behind.

As time passed, someone finally couldn't hold on any longer, collapsing mid-run.

"Medics, medics!"

Freeman, who had been watching closely, immediately shouted, rushing to the fallen recruit to carry him off for treatment.

With the first collapse, it seemed like a switch had been flipped—one after another, more recruits couldn't hold on and fell to the ground. Yet many others kept gritting their teeth and pushing through.

Under Zephyr's relentless orders, the recruits reached top speed. Compared to his previous world, Jon thought their sprinting speeds were faster than 100-meter dash records.

"Whoosh!"

A gust of wind passed by him, and Jon pursed his lips, glancing at the red figure ahead.

"That guy—a total machine with a one-track mind—what's wrong with him?"

By now, nearly half of the two hundred had already fallen. Jon's legs felt heavy, and he was panting, but he wasn't at the back. Plenty of others were just as worn out as he was.

But seeing Akainu, still leading with overwhelming energy, Jon couldn't help muttering inwardly.

This guy really was a monster—he'd been leading the entire time and had run eight more laps than Jon. What was worse, he didn't even seem tired.

Jon had always thought he wasn't lacking in strength, but compared to this guy, he realized his physical ability was far behind. He was now certain—this red-clothed man was indeed Akainu. Speaking of Akainu, Jon couldn't help but think of the other monster, Kizaru. Unlike the intense, ambitious Akainu, Kizaru took a more relaxed approach, running without hurry, glancing around as if he were a tourist.

Yet, frustratingly, even without trying, Kizaru was still faster than the others and seemed totally at ease.

"Really...comparing to them is infuriating."

Jon finally understood why people called Akainu and Kizaru the monsters of their generation. Even among the talents of Navy HQ, they stood far ahead—what else could they be but monsters?

As he tried to calm himself, Jon realized he was approaching his limit. He also recognized how narrow his past perspective had been.

Watching the anime, he had always felt that Navy vice admirals weren't that special, setting his sights on higher ranks like admiral or Yonko.

But now he could see things differently. He may have started training young, but compared to these real monsters, he was far from catching up.

If Akainu and Kizaru could be so strong just upon entering the Navy, how powerful were the senior Navy officers?

After a while, even more recruits fell, leaving fewer than fifty still running. Jon, drenched in sweat and his legs feeling as heavy as lead, only continued by sheer willpower.

"Hey there, can't hold out anymore?"

In his exhausted, dazed state, Jon heard a voice beside him.

He turned, annoyed, to see a sly face winking at him mischievously.

"Hey, you've done great so far. If you're reaching your limit, don't push too hard—you don't want to hurt yourself."

"Come on, you..."

Jon didn't have the energy to reply. He was clinging to his last breath, and he knew that speaking would exhaust him even more. So he just cursed silently in his mind.

"Take it easy, take it easy. You're really something. Let's get to know each other—I'm Borsalino. What's your name?"

"Just as I thought," Jon grumbled inwardly. Borsalino's smug expression gave him away—who else could it be but Kizaru?

Looking at how relaxed Borsalino was, even running and chatting effortlessly, Jon felt his frustration grow.

"Hey, why aren't you answering me? Let me tell you..."

Already exhausted, Jon could barely stand listening to Borsalino's chatter. His head buzzed, feeling even more drained.

With bloodshot eyes, he glared at Kizaru. If looks could kill, Kizaru would have been dead a hundred times over.

"Oh my, such a scary look! Come on, don't look at me like that, it's terrifying."

Jon barely came up to Kizaru's chest. Watching Kizaru feign fear, patting his chest theatrically, Jon ground his teeth.

Despite training his Observation Haki from a young age, Jon wasn't usually the impulsive type. But at this moment, exhausted and harried by Kizaru, he was barely able to contain himself.

"Look, there's a technique to running, too. Right now, you can't even breathe properly. If you keep pushing, it won't be good for you. Take it easy, okay?"

"Screw this..."

Jon indeed felt close to collapsing, but Kizaru's "helpful" advice only infuriated him more and made him even more determined not to quit.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Make Sure to give a Review!

Collections please!

Send Power Stones! 

-----------------------------------------------------------------