Over the next several days, Nao stuck strictly to his grueling self-training regimen.
As his body gradually adapted to the load, the threshold of his Gravity Field Training had increased from an initial sixfold to a staggering 7.5x gravity.
Combined with the bonuses from the Physical Training Booster Card and Haki Mastery Booster Card, his proficiency in both martial arts and Haki—as well as raw physical strength—was improving at a breakneck pace.
Every single day, Nao could clearly feel himself getting stronger.
Life like this was just as fulfilling—and just as satisfying—as always.
But…
There was one thing that had changed from before:
He wasn't alone anymore.
Whether at dawn or beneath the glow of dusk, there was always someone nearby.
A blue-haired girl often sat on a bench beneath a black lamppost, watching from a distance she once thought impossible to close.
Sometimes she'd read a thick book, glancing between its pages and Nao's figure. Humming softly to herself, legs swinging gently, she seemed content to sit there for hours.
When he was thirsty, she'd hand him a chilled soda she'd brought in advance.
When he was hungry, she'd accompany him to the mess hall.
And if it was too late and the kitchen had already closed, she'd sprint out of the training grounds and return moments later with a steaming stack of neatly packed bento boxes—each one made by her own hands.
Every time Nao ate one of those lovingly crafted meals, he couldn't help but feel a tragic kind of despair as he looked up at the starry sky above.
Damn it!
Being single really was better.
Even something as simple as downing a midnight bowl of stinky snail noodles had become impossible.
The pain was real.
…
Well, his pain was fake.
But someone else's? Totally legit.
One night, when Shiryu and Rosinante were rudely woken by an over-energetic Sadaharu, the two of them groggily took the mutt out for a late walk to burn off some of that boundless energy.
As they passed the training grounds…
They "accidentally" witnessed their roommate lying across a beautiful girl's lap—being lovingly spoon-fed beneath the stars.
The sky was blue. Paper cranes flew outside the window.
"…"
Standing under the lamplight at the edge of the training field, both men froze. Leashes in hand. Dumbfounded.
What kind of world was this?
They didn't even want a dog, yet they were forced to walk one.
And the guy who did own a dog? He was too busy spooning with a girl, dishing out secondhand PDA like buckets of dog food.
"I'm really jealous of Nao…"
Rosinante muttered sourly. "When's it gonna be my turn for a cute girl like that to treat me like royalty?"
Smack.
"Shallow," Shiryu scoffed, lighting a cigarette with a face full of brooding loneliness.
"Women only get in the way of drawing your sword. Just wait. That brat's too distracted now—next evaluation, I'll crush him and take the top spot myself."
The title of Number One in the elite program would ultimately belong to him!
"..."
Rosinante hesitated, then couldn't help pointing out the obvious:
"But Nao doesn't sleep. He's a training maniac. Even if he spends five hours with a girl, he still gets fifteen in the gym…"
Before he could finish, he let out a yelp—Shiryu had launched him into the air with a flying kick.
With cigarette in mouth, Shiryu silently retracted his leg.
So. Damn. Noisy.
Time passed quietly.
In the blink of an eye, eleven days went by—and the monthly Elite Training Camp Evaluation had arrived again.
This time, it wasn't a field combat test.
All the evaluation events would be held on-site, under Zephyr's supervision.
Many trainees were fired up with anticipation.
Those who'd performed poorly last time were especially eager to prove their hard work hadn't been in vain.
Nao too, was ready—though his situation was… a bit different.
After all, as the top performer in the previous evaluation, he suddenly realized:
He had… nowhere to climb.
A truly tragic revelation.
Morning. A pale glow touched the eastern sky.
Sitting cross-legged in front of a thick iron wall, Nao gazed down at his right fist, which had turned pitch black like it had been dipped in ink.
His eyes were full of satisfaction.
Over the past ten days, his Armament Haki had improved rapidly.
A week ago, he had already broken into the realm of Armament Hardening, and in the days since, he'd gradually stabilized and refined it.
Now, all it took was a flick of intent, and he could harden a body part in half a second.
His success rate was nearly 80%, and his close-quarters combat ability had skyrocketed.
Of course, the strength of his hardening was still limited, and he couldn't yet coat his blades in Haki.
To master it fully, he still needed more work.
Aside from that—
Under Zephyr's guidance, Nao had finally broken through in his Observation Haki a few days ago.
While his skill level was still at the beginner's stage, entry was entry.
And with the Haki Booster still in effect, even without a mentor's step-by-step coaching, his training would only accelerate.
With the Haki dismissed, Nao opened his System Panel again.
After days of intense training, his physical stats had steadily climbed.
Just yesterday, both Strength and Agility had broken through their previous limits. His profile now looked completely different.
The only lingering regret was that he hadn't managed to break through his bottleneck in swordsmanship to become a true swordmaster before the evaluation.
[Profile: Natsuya Nao]
Age: 19
Strength: 20
Agility: 20
Stamina: 21
Intelligence: 9
Charm: 13
Current Points: 142,900
Skills:
• Dual-Wield Swordsmanship (Basic)
• Rokushiki (Intermediate)
• Firearms (Advanced)
• Close-Quarters Combat (Basic)
• Self-Discipline (Master)
• Radiant Smile (Innate Talent)
• Armament Haki (Basic)
• Observation Haki (Beginner)
• Drawing/Painting (Advanced)
• Iron Body (Innate Talent)
• Limb Regeneration (Innate Talent)
An absurdly stacked stat sheet.
Nao was humble by nature, but even with the most modest outlook, he could say with confidence:
Right now, he could take on most Marine Captains without breaking a sweat.
Once he broke through to Swordmaster, and his Observation Haki hit intermediate level, he might even be able to challenge Rear Admirals.
Well… everyone except Gion.
That woman had always been top-tier among her generation.
She was already a Rear Admiral at twenty, and would probably be promoted to Vice Admiral before year's end.
She wasn't someone your average officer could compare to.
If he fought her now, he'd definitely lose.
Nao knew that much.
"Guess I should grab some breakfast. Zephyr-sensei will probably announce the evaluation at roll call…"
He glanced up at the sky, closed his status window, and stood up, quietly pondering.
"Lately, Zephyr's been called into upper-level meetings a lot. And every time he comes back, he looks worse than before…"
Thinking back to the day of the Onigumo incident, when Zephyr had hurried off after receiving urgent news, Nao felt certain the two events were linked.
The Marine High Command was probably scrambling to respond to whatever threat had cropped up.
Nao had been focused on his training, so he wasn't up to date on the news.
But as a transmigrator…
With his memories of the original timeline, he did a quick mental calculation.
He turned his eyes toward the harbor.
"Could it be… that time's finally arrived?"