End-of-Month Evaluation
By the twentieth day of relentless training, Soren was already able to complete the training regimen devised by Garp with relative ease.
On the twenty-first day, he increased his workload, pushing from three laps to four, and from one thousand to two thousand repetitions.
On the twenty-second day, he removed the bandages from his fists; the thick calluses had grown tough enough to withstand direct impacts against a large tree trunk.
On the twenty-third day, gazing at the deep indentation of his fist in the bark, Soren began to envision the future.
........
"Tomorrow is the end of the month, so I'll skip training today. I need to conserve my strength and energy—even if it means taking a few more beatings, I have to..."
Deep inside his heart, a fierce urge surged wildly.
Fight back.
Even after spending years living an ordinary life in his past existence, even after settling into a comfortable routine upon arriving in the New World.
The mark carved deep into his soul—the fighting spirit and unyielding pride of the Chinese nation—had never faded by even the slightest fraction.
Taking blows passively was simply not his style. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
Early the next morning, by the harbor docks, a young man stood waiting, gazing out into the distance at the vast ocean.
Excited, thrilled, nervous, and harboring just a hint of anxiety.
"They're here."
A warship sailed into Soren's field of vision, racing swiftly toward the docks.
As it drew near the shore, a burly figure could vaguely be seen standing at the bow.
Even with a considerable distance still between them, their gazes collided instantly, sending sparks flying.
"Boom."
With a resounding crash, just like last time.
Garp dropped from the sky, landing right in front of Soren.
"Hahahaha, not bad, not bad at all. It seems you've been following my instructions properly."
Garp patted him on the shoulder, then looked around.
"You've grown quite a bit sturdier. Good. Eat more meat; you're still far too skinny."
Soren was nearly knocked off his feet by the heavy pats, muttering inwardly.
"So heavy. Truly living up to his reputation as a big shot."
Before he could dwell on it.
"Well then, let me test the fruits of your labor over this past month, Soren."
The moment the words left his lips, Garp threw a punch straight at Soren's face.
Soren clenched his fists, crossed his arms to block, and was sent flying backward as his body arched.
"Damn it, I'm completely numb."
He felt as though he had been struck by a speeding carriage; the spot where the fist landed was burning red and hot, and his limbs began to tremble.
Before he could recover his breath, Garp's fists followed in rapid succession, raining down upon him like a tempest.
Ten minutes later.
Garp stopped, looking down at the young man curled up on the ground, expressionless, a flash of disappointment in his eyes.
"Is that really all you've got, Soren?"
Garp thought to himself.
He pulled a stack of Beli from his pocket and dropped it beside Soren.
Then, he turned and began walking back toward the docks.
"Boom."
Staggering to his feet, Soren delivered a heavy blow straight to Garp's back.
"It's not over yet! Come on again!"
The boy's angry roar echoed in the air.
Garp halted his steps.
He smiled.
"You little punk, then let me show you what the True Fist of Love is all about."
Garp turned around and brought a heavy fist down squarely on the top of Soren's head, instantly raising a massive bump.
"Swinging your fists at someone stronger—not bad, really not bad at all. I'm liking this kid more and more."
The more Garp thought about it, the more excited he became, and his punches grew faster and faster.
Half an hour later, the beating concluded, and Soren's face resembled a bruised pig's head.
Lying on the ground, thoughts raced through his mind.
"My handsome face! If this ruins my looks, Irene is going to cry her eyes out."
"The gap in our strength is still massive, but I finally fought back. Even if my hands hurt a lot more..."
Soren recalled the punch he had just thrown and the roar he had let out. It seemed that from that exact moment onward, his fear had vanished, and his body had stopped trembling.
"Compared to last time, when I couldn't even move, this time I not only lasted an extra half-hour, but my body feels less painful. Right now, I actually feel like I can take on the world again."
With that thought, Soren took two deep breaths, climbed unsteadily to his feet, and looked at Garp with a provocative glare, the corner of his mouth twisting into a smirk.
"Is that it? Is that really all?"
"Oh? Kid, it looks likeers I'll have to use one ten-thousandth of my actual strength."
With that, Garp clenched his fist, and a dark, pitch-black luster coiled around it.
"What the hell, Armament Haki? Surely you aren't going that far."
Soren stared at Garp's darkened fist, completely dumbfounded, frozen like a statue.
He swallowed hard, losing his nerve entirely and surrendering instantly.
"Big brother, my mouth just had a cramp! Please don't hold it against me."
" Brat, it's a bit late to start begging now."
Garp grinned hideously and shouted, "Take this—True Fist of Love!"
A chorus of miserable wails rang out.
In the distance, the watching Navy soldiers chatted among themselves from time to time.
"As expected of Officer Fris's son. His dad was brave, and he's even braver than his old man..."
"Oh yeah, thank goodness I brought melon seeds this time. I get to eat melon seeds and watch the show at the same time. Oh man, I love this..."
"So that's Armament Haki? I'm so jealous, I wish I could get beaten up like that..."
However, merely watching no longer seemed to satisfy them. Some began to wave flags and cheer, shouting words of encouragement, and one even went so far as to—
"Lieutenant Commander, I want to see the human flying trapeze!"
"Lieutenant Commander, I want to see the human windmill!"
"Lieutenant Commander, I want to see..."
To Soren's utter despair, Garp actually listened to them.
"Hahahaha, alright! I'll teach him a proper lesson today. One suggestion at a time!"
At that moment, as Garp spun him around like a pinwheel, Soren glared at the group in the distance, cursing them in his heart.
"Damn it, I'm keeping a tally. Sooner or later, every single one of you..."
It was finally over.
Like a broken toy, Soren lay sprawled face down by the side of the path, completely motionless.
"Hahahaha, I had a blast today."
Garp was laughing so hard tears were almost streaming from his eyes.
"Oh right, double your training volume for next month. Look at the calluses on your hands—hitting wood isn't going to do much for your growth anymore."
"You can try hitting stones now, but remember to know your limits."
"Also, make sure you eat plenty of meals, eat lots of meat. Garp's little brother can't look like some wild monkey..."
Sitting on the ground, Soren listened carefully to Garp's parting instructions. He wasn't a child; he could clearly hear the genuine concern hidden beneath the rough words.
Garp reached out and pulled Soren to his feet. Two figures, one large and one small, stood side by side on the shore.
Waves crashed against the sandy beach, and seagulls wheeled and circled high above the harbor.
"I'm heading out, kid. Train hard; I'm already looking forward to our meeting next month."
"And I'll say it again: if your performance next time fails to reach my expected standards, I won't mind dragging you off by force to train by my side every single day."
With that, Garp pointed back at the group of onlookers and laughed heartily.
"I'm sure they won't mind either. In fact, they might even be looking forward to your arrival, hahahaha."
Soren felt a massive headache coming on as the miserable memories of just now relived themselves in his mind.
"Activity's over! All forces, return to the ship."
With those words, Garp turned away with a swagger.
This time, instead of leaping back onto the ship, he fell in behind the others, strolling slowly toward the vessel.
Soren didn't know whether his own existence would alter the course of history.
Yet through these two brief encounters, he realized that somewhere deep within his heart, he had truly accepted this big brother of his, which was precisely why he felt a twinge of worry.
"I'm just worrying over nothing. Even if Big Brother's future is tragic, he's at the very peak of the world's strength."
"Besides, with me around now, whether the future turns out tragic is anyone's guess."
Watching the retreating figure grow smaller in the distance, Soren suddenly shouted out, "Big Brother! Remember to bring back some local specialties next time!"
Garp waved his hand over his shoulder without turning around, boarded the ship, and gradually vanished into the horizon.