"I can feel it—his presence suddenly became much stronger!"
Koala cried out in shock.
As a Fish-Man Karate instructor, her sensitivity to aura and flow was far sharper than most. She was the first to notice the drastic change.
"That pressure… it's surging like waves. I don't know why, but right now, he feels like the ocean itself—vast, deep, and overwhelmingly powerful."
Before the astonished murmurs could die down, Logan moved.
His figure vanished from where he stood.
"Where did he go?! Where's the Chief Instructor?"
Several commanders shouted in alarm.
Sabo spoke in a low voice, calm but serious.
"He's still around us. His speed is just too fast for our eyes to follow."
With Sabo's words as a guide, everyone focused harder—and slowly, they began to notice something strange.
Sudden gusts of wind swept past them.
Fresh footprints appeared on the ground without warning.
"…Is this what Total Concentration Breathing can do?"
Every commander stared, dumbfounded.
"This breathing method absolutely pushes the human body past its limits."
"If I could master this… my strength would skyrocket."
"If every soldier learned this—just imagine how terrifying the Revolutionary Army would become."
Only now did they truly understand why Dragon had chosen this man as their Chief Instructor.
Logan halted his high-speed movement and reappeared before them. His voice, still hoarse beneath the mask, echoed calmly.
"Now that you understand—training begins."
Every commander straightened, holding their breath in complete focus.
"First," Logan said,
"relax your entire body. Then inhale with everything you have—until every part of your body can feel the oxygen entering."
For the next three days, Logan personally guided their Total Concentration Breathing.
He made them hold their breath underwater.
Devil Fruit users were forced to bury their heads in the sand instead.
Just three days in, the commanders grew more and more exhilarated.
The deeper they trained, the clearer it became—
this technique was like discovering an oasis after wandering a desert.
Their attitude toward Logan changed visibly.
What began as polite respect gradually turned into genuine reverence.
On the fourth day, at dusk.
Behind the base, along a mountain path—
Logan and Sabo walked side by side. The commanders' training no longer required Logan's constant supervision.
"Big brother," Sabo asked casually,
"why do you keep wearing that mask?"
After three days of training, Sabo had already grasped Total Concentration Breathing—once again proving his frightening learning speed.
Logan couldn't help but marvel.
In truth, the technique was simply a skill.
The stronger one's foundation, the easier it was to learn.
For someone like Dragon, Logan was certain—
he'd master it instantly just by hearing the theory.
Seeing Logan breathe once would probably be enough.
There was no longer any reason to disguise his voice.
"To avoid trouble later," Logan replied helplessly.
Sabo merely nodded.
Ever since they were kids, Logan had always been the one who thought things through. Sabo was used to leaving the big picture to him.
With Logan around, he didn't feel the need to overthink.
Suddenly, Logan's brows twitched.
Crying and shouting echoed from ahead.
Up the path, two young boys and a little girl were fighting—
—or rather, the girl was beating the two boys.
She was small and skinny, dressed in ragged clothes like a beggar. Her skin was sallow, her hair messy and slightly curled.
She held a straight tree branch like a weapon, pointing it at the two boys sitting on the ground and bawling.
Then she snatched a bottle of alcohol from one boy's hands, popped the cork with practiced ease, and tipped her head back—
Glug. Glug. Glug.
Logan chuckled.
"A familiar face," he said to Sabo.
"Isn't that the kid who stole our alcohol a few days ago? She really loves drinking, huh?"
Sabo gave a bitter smile.
"You could say that. And those two boys… this isn't the first time they've been beaten by her."
His expression dimmed slightly.
"She's had a hard life."
"Don't let her looks fool you. Two years ago, she had a warm home and never worried about food or clothes."
"We call her Tuanzi."
"Both her parents were Marines."
"Her mother was a Marine Lieutenant Colonel, quite high-ranking. Her father was just a reconnaissance soldier—but by all accounts, a kind and honest man."
"That kind of family should've been enough for her to grow up safely."
Logan narrowed his eyes.
"Then how did a Marine's child end up in the Revolutionary Army?"
Sabo didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he spoke slowly.
"Her mother was said to be very beautiful—long blonde hair. She had an excellent reputation in the Marines, not just because of her looks or kindness…"
"But because of her assignment."
Sabo's gaze grew cold.
"She was responsible for delivering exclusive wine glasses to the Celestial Dragons."
"Every time, she completed the task flawlessly."
"Then, two years ago—while handing a glass to a Celestial Dragon in Mariejois—that monster deliberately let it slip and shatter."
"Using that as an excuse, he had her arrested."
"At the same time, Tuanzi's father was executed on the spot."
"Their home was burned to the ground."
"When the Chief found Tuanzi, she was covered in soot—blackened like charcoal."
"It took us days to realize she was even a girl."
Sabo's body trembled.
His fists clenched tight, his voice sinking lower.
"Tuanzi believes her mother died two years ago."
"But do you know the truth, big brother?"
"…Her mother didn't die until last June."
"The intelligence reports say—by the time she died, she'd been tortured beyond recognition."
A layer of frost crept across Logan's face.
Veins bulged on his forehead as uncontrollable rage ignited in his chest.
He had expected cruelty—
But even so, he had underestimated the inhumanity of the Celestial Dragons
and the absurd corruption of the Marines and World Government.
Logan slowly removed the Hannya mask.
He exhaled deeply.
Then, with heavy steps—
He walked toward the little girl.
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