Black Body Style.
It wasn't an eye-catching name, yet at that moment, it captivated Roy.
'It was no wonder,' He thought, 'that Zephyr had been able to train Kizaru, a master of kicking techniques, as well as Akainu, a "boxing king" who only used his legs for walking.'
It turned out that this man's combat style wasn't limited to the Navy Six Styles; it was a discipline that tempered the entire body.
Because of that, Roy felt genuinely excited.
He knew very well that physical strength and techniques were the foundation of everything.
Even for Devil Fruit users, this was no exception.
Not to mention that Enhancement Abilities themselves consumed stamina to activate.
Just having a powerful physique and refined physical techniques alone could already bring a Devil Fruit user tremendous amplification.
Take Marine Admiral "Aokiji" as an example.
As Garp's disciple, he learned and mastered the "Iron Fist."
When he combined this ability with the Hie Hie no Mi (Ice-Ice Fruit), the power he displayed could only be described as terrifying.
As for Roy, he possesses an Enhancement Ability with practically no upper limit. If he had sufficiently powerful physical techniques to fully unleash his Enhancement Ability, he would be close to reaching the pinnacle of the world!
However, while excited, Roy was also a bit confused.
If Zephyr's "Black Body Style" was just about tempering the whole body, then theoretically, anyone could learn it.
Just like Garp's Iron Fist.
You could see that with Koby, the young man who wouldn't join the Marines for several years.
As long as you weren't afraid of breaking your arms, basically anyone could practice the "Iron Fist."
Yet, after all these years, Zephyr had never found someone to carry on his legacy. That was what made it strange.
At that moment, Zephyr seemed to sense Roy's confusion.
But he didn't explain, only shook his head.
"Black Body Style" is somewhat special. Devil Fruit users are completely unable to practice it, and most people can't withstand the training environment either.
As he said this, he glanced at Roy.
"I observed you for a long time before deciding that you wouldn't lose your life because of it. As for the specifics, you'll find out very soon."
"Huh?"
After hearing that, Roy couldn't help but blurt out, "Did I hear that wrong? Did you just say something about 'losing my life'?"
That didn't sound very reassuring.
Before he could finish speaking, he saw Zephyr nod toward Binz.
Binz immediately walked to a corner of the training room where he found a control console.
"Hey, wait a second, I..."
Roy was about to say something, but before he could finish...
The next moment...
"Click!"
Binz pressed a button on the console, and the platform beneath Roy's feet suddenly split apart. He could clearly see a vast emptiness beneath the platform.
At the very bottom of the void, he could see deep blue seawater.
"Get ready, we're setting off!" Zephyr laughed heartily at that moment.
"Wait..."
Before Roy could react, he saw the pipe above his head suddenly extend downward.
"Bang!"
An overwhelming wind pressure slammed into him. Roy instantly lost control of his body as he was swept down through the pipe.
Seeing this, Zephyr didn't hesitate. He leapt after Roy and fell down the pipe with him.
After falling for quite a long time...
"Thud!"
...Roy finally crashed onto the bottom with a heavy impact.
"Hiss!"
Naturally, with Roy's physique, an impact that would have sent an ordinary person through ten reincarnations only made him suck in a slight breath.
"Thud!"
Right after that, Zephyr landed heavily from above.
Only then did Roy realize that they were still inside the same pipe.
The pipe itself was semi-transparent. He could vaguely see that it was wrapped in a layer of rainbow-colored material. Beyond that, there was nothing but pitch-black silence.
"Coating?"
Roy instantly recognized the origin of the rainbow layer, it was this world's unique coating technology.
"This is...the deep sea?"
He immediately knew where he was.
"That's right. We're 5,000 meters below the sea, the limit of round-trip travel using the SSG's specially made 'coating extension pipeline,'" Zephyr nodded.
He then casually pulled a coated bubble from the pipe beside him and fitted it over Roy's head.
"And this is your first lesson."
By this point, Roy was completely dumbfounded.
In his heart, he had already vaguely guessed what the "first lesson" Zephyr was talking about might be.
And sure enough...
The next moment, he saw Zephyr grin, revealing a mouthful of bright white teeth.
"Go!"
With a low shout, Zephyr lifted his foot and kicked Roy squarely in the butt.
Before Roy could react, he was kicked straight out of the pipeline. Whatever material the pipe was made of, it seemed to function as a coating, allowing things to pass straight through it.
The instant he left the pipeline...
"Ugh!"
...Roy felt icy seawater swallow his entire body.
Then he felt it...
Pain!
Excruciating pain surged through his entire body. Every inch of his skin, every bone, and every muscle felt as if they were being slammed by an enormous force.
He could even hear his bones and muscles tearing with a continuous ka-cha sound.
Roy knew exactly what this was.
The water pressure of the deep sea was powerful enough to crush steel into flat discs.
At this moment, inside the coated pipeline, Zephyr watched the scene unfold, and his slightly tensed body relaxed just a little.
His voice, transmitted through the coating, clearly pierced the seawater and reached Roy's ears.
"Do you feel it, kid Roy?" He spoke calmly. "We need to temper every part of the body. No matter how precise normal training is, it can never truly temper every part of the body equally. There will always be weak points.
"But the sea can help you."
There was unmistakable pride in the Admiral's voice.
He explained that he used the deep sea as the hammer and water pressure as the anvil to forge the physique of a strong man.
This was the fundamental logic behind the "Black Body Style" that he had researched and practiced for years. Hearing this, Roy, who was still somewhat dazed, suddenly realized something.
"No wonder it requires an extremely powerful physique and recovery ability, and it explains why Devil Fruit users can't train it."
If a Devil Fruit user could train at a depth of 5,000 meters in the sea, that would be strange.
And at this moment, Zephyr continued speaking.
"However, don't think this is all there is to Black Body Style. I've tested your physical data during this period. It's astonishing, but it's still not enough. You're far inferior to what I was back then,"
Zephyr said in a deep voice.
"For now, you're still unable to undergo formal training. I've set a training goal for you. You must adapt to the water pressure here within one month."
Only after your body becomes more resilient will I allow you to begin official training."
His tone was stern, like a homeroom teacher saying, "You're the worst class I've ever taught."
But, in reality, Zephyr's eyes were filled with appreciation at that moment. He knew very well that what the man had just said was only half true.
He had made a precise judgment of Roy's physical strength by testing him over this period, which is why he dared to bring him here.
Roy's physical strength was slightly lacking, and he needed time to adapt to the water pressure.
However...
"The fact that he was able to come here without using Haki makes him a monster."
Zephyr was fully aware of this.
In his days as a Marine, he was a genuine genius, encountering almost no opponents aside from a few people like Garp and Sengoku.
He created the "Black Body Style" at a depth of 5,000 meters underwater, but he was already a top-tier Haki expert when he did so.
It was only under the combined effects of Haki enhancing his physique and after spending a very long time that he was able to train here.
But Roy didn't know Haki at all. Relying solely on physical strength, he could withstand the water pressure at 5,000 meters.
It was an astonishing physique, far surpassing Zephyr's own in his youth.
This was also the source of Zephyr's anticipation.
Back then, he had taken many detours while developing the "Black Body Style."
By the time Black Body Style was perfected and complete, he was already getting old. His body had passed its prime, and lingering injuries prevented him from unleashing Black Body Style's full potential as he had envisioned.
But...
"He can do it."
Watching Roy's ferocious expression under the crushing water pressure, Zephyr's heart brimmed with boundless anticipation.
But at that moment...
"Adapt for a month before starting formal training? You mean this thing isn't even the real training?"
Roy, unaware of Zephyr's thoughts, frowned inwardly.
"Just adapting takes a whole month. Add the formal training afterward, and that's way too long."
He muttered to himself.
"I still have things to take care of next."
So…
"It's time to show my real talent!"
"Devil Fruit Encyclopedia… Upgrade me!"
(Regarding speaking at the bottom of the sea: in the manga, Luffy seems able to talk while wearing a coating bubble in the deep sea, so I've set it up so that the coating can conduct sound (probably). Mainly because I was too lazy to write another dialogue tool.)
(End of chapter)
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