One Piece: My code name is Green Bull

"Huff, huff, huff…"

Jon struggled to steady his breathing, his already slow pace becoming even slower.

"Hey, kid, you're slowing down again. You're already at the back. Are you about to give up?"

"Give it up…"

Cursing inwardly, Jon forced himself to stay calm, ignoring Kizaru's words and tuning into the sounds around him.

With his advanced Observation Haki, he could sense the various sounds nearby. The closest was Kizaru's. Judging by Kizaru's steady breathing and heartbeat, it seemed like he hadn't even exerted himself.

"This guy's a total monster."

Aside from Kizaru, Jon could also hear the breaths of other recruits. He was surprised to find that, aside from Kizaru and Akainu, another recruit sounded calm and relaxed, comparable to those two.

Two more recruits weren't quite at their level but were still notably stronger than the others.

The rest were all panting heavily, just like him.

"At this point, holding on a little longer means victory. Zephyr is watching, so I have to keep going."

Everyone knew Zephyr was testing them with this run. No one wanted to give up and lose an opportunity to score points in his eyes, hoping another recruit would drop out first.

"Look, another one just dropped out! Wow, kid, you're pretty stubborn. With this kind of spirit at such a young age, you're bound to make it big someday. I really believe in you!"

For Kizaru, with his Light-Light Fruit powers, this run was child's play. Bored, he had started talking to Jon, finding him the most interesting of the recruits.

Jon ignored Kizaru, not having the energy to respond as he continued running.

Suddenly, his legs gave out, causing him to stumble forward.

"Hey, be careful, kid!"

As Jon was about to fall, Kizaru quickly grabbed him, keeping him upright as they jogged along.

Jon glanced at Kizaru, surprised he had helped him.

"Kid, I'd advise you not to push yourself. Wouldn't lying on the ground be nice? Why keep putting yourself through this?"

Any gratitude Jon felt vanished instantly. If that's how you feel, why'd you help me just now?

"What are you two doing?"

A stern voice suddenly boomed in their ears as one of Zephyr's instructors approached, scolding them.

"Nothing, nothing," Kizaru replied with a wide grin, letting go of Jon, who steadied himself and continued shuffling forward.

"That kid Jon has a strong will," Zephyr observed, watching Jon with approval.

"But he can't hold out much longer."

Jon indeed felt his limits nearing. His body felt as if it was floating; the slightest bump would knock him over. But sheer determination kept him moving, inching forward as best as he could.

He wasn't running anymore but shuffling, step by step, like an elderly woman.

Akainu, on another lap, saw Jon moving at his torturously slow pace. Though he didn't think much of Jon's abilities, he admired his determination.

Not only Akainu but many of the other remaining recruits were impressed by Jon's perseverance.

However, some looked on with disdain, feeling Jon was foolishly overestimating himself, struggling on when he was clearly exhausted.

Jon didn't care about their opinions. He was in a strange, trance-like state, suddenly hearing countless voices—not through his ears but through his heart. The sounds resonated within him, feeling close, like the voices of his kin cheering him on.

"What is this sound? Who are you? Are you speaking to me?"

Though noisy, these voices didn't irritate Jon. Instead, they brought about a strange change.

He felt a mysterious energy pour into him, a cool, soothing force coursing through his body, instantly relieving his fatigue. His once heavy body felt light again.

"What… is this?"

Shocked by his sudden recovery, Jon tried pushing forward, finding his former exhaustion entirely gone. His speed quickly picked up.

"What just happened?"

The strange voices reappeared, cheering him on before fading away.

Jon, unsure of what had happened but thrilled at his newfound strength, started running again.

"Hey, kid, what's going on?"

Hearing his footsteps, Kizaru turned and was stunned. Just moments ago, Jon was on the brink of collapse, yet now he seemed perfectly fine, his breathing steady.

Jon shot him a side glance, clearly annoyed, and said, "Mind your own business."

Normally, someone would have been offended, but Kizaru wasn't the type. He was far more intrigued by Jon's sudden resurgence.

"Weren't you about to give up just now? How'd you recover so fast? What did you do?"

Jon didn't answer, as he himself didn't know what had happened.

However, others had noticed something unusual.

"What's going on? How did this happen?"

The navy soldiers around the training grounds were stunned. The area, once filled with greenery, had suddenly withered.

"Admiral Zephyr, the men are reporting that many of the plants in the area suddenly withered. Do you know what happened?" Freeman, one of Zephyr's assistants, asked, alarmed by the sudden change.

"I've noticed it already."

Zephyr nodded, his gaze fixed on Jon with a grave expression.

"Did you see that? The boy's energy has been restored."

"Huh? What?" Freeman, caught off guard, looked confused.

Zephyr said, "As soon as the plants around him withered, that boy Jon recovered."

Freeman asked skeptically, "Admiral Zephyr, are you suggesting that the plants' withering is related to that kid?"

"I don't know, but the timing is too much of a coincidence to ignore."

"Could it be?" Freeman remained doubtful.

"It's fine. We'll know soon enough."

Jon's unexpected recovery shocked the remaining recruits as well. They didn't think he'd been faking his exhaustion, yet here he was, back to full energy.

"Whoa, kid, I really underestimated you before. Didn't think you had it in you!"

Kizaru, ever the chatterbox, jogged beside Jon, talking non-stop. No matter how fast or slow Jon went, he couldn't shake him off.

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