*Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat!*
*Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat!*
On the Marine Elite Training Camp's training field, the rhythmic sound of pounding mixed with the rapid-fire Gatling gun was surprisingly pleasant to the ear.
Amidst the cacophony, loud curses and the pained cries of numerous trainees could be heard.
Sakazuki had already rejoined the team, and the speed-enhancing boots were now resting beside Zephyr.
No one knew how much time had passed, but finally, Hammer heard that familiar system notification.
[Ding… Critical Crafting triggered. Attribute assigned: Marine standard boots now possess a weight increase attribute. When worn increases the weight of the wearer by 1,000 catties (500 kg).]
With a blank, dazed look, Hammer stared at the newly forged boots in his hands, completely confused.
Something wasn't right. Why wasn't it enhancing speed like before? Now it's weight increase?
The sound of pounding faded, and all the trainees, along with Zephyr, turned their eyes to Hammer.
Zephyr quickly strode over, face filled with anticipation.
"How is it, Hammer? Are they done?"
Hammer numbly nodded.
"Teacher Zephyr, they're done, but…"
Before Hammer could finish his sentence, Zephyr was already calling Borsalino over.
"Borsalino! Since you were the most energetic earlier, come try out these new boots!!"
Grinning, Borsalino cheerfully put on the boots.
But the next second, his smile froze.
He stared at Hammer in disbelief.
Hammer could only give him a helpless, wry smile.
"What are you doing? Start running! Surely you can handle such light boots, or do you need me to give you a little… motivation?"
Borsalino opened his mouth to explain, but before he could say anything, he saw Zephyr already raising his Gatling gun.
"Not running yet? Fine!"
*Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat!*
At that point, Borsalino completely panicked, summoning all his strength, and charged forward with all his might.
Each step was like an earthquake, his feet were now weighed down by a thousand catties, making every movement heavy and sluggish.
But with the Gatling's bullets hot on his heels, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and keep going.
Yet the weight was simply too much.
"Ahhhh! Stop, stop! Teacher Zephyr, there's something wrong with these boots!"
In the end, the bullets caught up to him. A relentless barrage of rubber rounds turned him into a human pincushion, making him hop around like a startled rabbit.
Borsalino crouched down, desperately trying to pull off the boots while dodging the hail of bullets.
After several seconds of struggle, he finally tore them off.
The moment he did, he leapt high into the air like a freed bird, narrowly escaping Zephyr's Gatling spray.
Everyone watching was stunned.
They saw Borsalino gasping for breath, looking utterly battered and miserable.
"What the hell are you doing, Borsalino?!" Zephyr roared in frustration.
Hammer hurried to explain.
"Teacher Zephyr, it's not his fault. This time, the boots' attribute wasn't speed - it was weight, an increase of 500 kilograms…"
"Wait, so the same item can have different attributes when enhanced?!"
Zephyr looked as if his entire worldview had just been shattered.
Hammer nodded woodenly, then pointed to the boots Borsalino had tossed aside.
"Even though it's the same kind of item, the attributes assigned are random. I can't control what comes out."
Zephyr's anger flared even hotter. The next second, his blue-flaming Gatling gun turned toward Hammer.
"Then what the hell are you standing around for?! Go run laps!!"
"All of you! Get moving - now!!"
Zephyr turned his rage into bullets, and the Gatling gun mercilessly roared to life.
What had started as a regular running drill was now completely hijacked as Zephyr's personal stress relief.
That night, in the recruits' barracks…
"Hammer-kun~, you really screwed me over today~"
"Do you have any idea how impossible it was to move with those boots on~?"
Borsalino, face bruised and swollen, was venting his frustrations to the equally battered Hammer.
These two unlucky souls had been Zephyr's main targets.
Half the Gatling rounds had been aimed squarely at them.
Now, the two of them were helping patch each other up.
Off to the side, Sakazuki was practically glowing with excitement. Thanks to the speed boots, he had a complete grasp of "Soru" from the Six Powers technique, making huge progress.
As for the other monster of their batch, Dragon, he was already fast asleep, a snot bubble inflating and deflating with each snore.
"Ahh… what a tragic life…"
Hammer sighed as he gazed up at the ceiling, his voice full of bitter resignation.
Borsalino nodded in deep agreement.
Their training was nothing but suffering.
Whether it was being singled out or being extra singled out, there was no escape.
Time flew by, and soon, the first Elite Training Camp had reached its six-month mark.
During this time, all the trainees had grown at astonishing speed.
Among them, Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Dragon stood out as the most exceptional.
Their combat prowess all jumped above 4000, already meeting the graduation standard.
Meanwhile, our poor Hammer, even with his Devil Fruit abilities, barely scraped 3,000.
This left Zephyr fuming with frustration.
"So, you three really plan to graduate early?"
Hammer looked blankly at the three standing in front of him.
Sakazuki gave a firm nod.
Borsalino and Dragon, however, could only shrug helplessly.
"I can understand Sakazuki - he wants to go to the front lines to hunt pirates," Zephyr said, "but why do you two want to graduate early?"
Dragon looked even more helpless when he heard that.
"My old man came back and insists I join him on his mission to hunt down the Roger Pirates."
Borsalino's wretched face broke into a sly grin.
"Me? Oh, because of this…"
As he spoke, a dazzling golden light lit up at Borsalino's fingertip, so bright that the three quickly shielded their eyes.
Hammer saw that flash of gold and shouted in surprise, "A Devil Fruit?! The Logia-type-Pika Pika no Mi (Glint-Glint Fruit)!"
Borsalino was stunned that Hammer recognized it so quickly.
"Yup~! I snuck out yesterday to slack off and by pure luck just happened to find it near a cliff"
"I realized this fruit was perfect for me, with it, I can save myself so much walking!"
He never imagined that the 'Yellow Monkey(Kizaru)' fruit would come to him in such a random way.
Now, with the Glint-Glint Fruit, he's truly become the monkey he was meant to be.
The same monkey who'd later spout "Have you ever been kicked at the speed of light?" and wreck Supernovas for fun.
"Congratulations! With this fruit, your strength will skyrocket. Future Admiral material, no doubt."
Borsalino, smug as ever, basked in the compliment.
Out of all the trainees, he and Hammer got along best; after all, they were both masters of the Art of Slacking.
"With that fruit and your looks, I think calling you 'Kizaru' fits perfectly! How about it?"
Borsalino: "…Kizaru?"
"It's settled! If you become an Admiral, you'll be Admiral Kizaru!"
"The Yellow Monkey-Borsalino! HAHAHAHA!"
Hammer's words made both Dragon and Sakazuki burst into laughter.
Only Borsalino wore a face full of unwillingness.