Practice Makes Perfect
[ Stussy POV ]
Boris had just left for the mountain.
He had warned us that we needed to prepare for the turbulent times that were to come. I didn't understand what he meant by this, well, nobody in the whole crew understood what he meant by this. However, nobody was about to go up to him and ask him.
It always felt like he had some glimpse of what was to happen. That incident with Chameleone was a major highlight to this theory. I tried guilt tripping him to confess, but that didn't work either. Was this just pure instinct?
I wouldn't know unless he told me, I could only hope that I can foster our relationship to reach that point.
The morning after he left came and before we could start our training regime. Whitebeard called Boris' transponder snail. He seemed curious because we hadn't been spotted near the territory for a while.
I told him that Boris had decided to get some training done for a while before we could continue our patrol. Whitebeard gave a hearty laugh at the response and promptly told us that he might be doing the same for the rest of the crew. I couldn't hear what the rest of the crew were saying, but I could only assume that it was probably dread.
I hung up the call soon after and decided to retreat to the other side of the forest after watching the rest of the crew getting their training done. They had been told by Boris to run around the island a couple of times and subject themselves to extreme temperatures. from boiling in hot water to freezing in the lake at the time right before sunrise.
It was an extreme training plan, one that would last for a couple of weeks; or a couple of months. To be honest, this all depended on how much time that Boris needed to train. Whether the Whitebeard Pirates wanted to admit it or not, they mostly relied on the most powerful figures within the Pirate group to dominate the New World. It was a bad habit that would prove detrimental in the long run.
After all, it's not like Whitebeard and Boris would live forever. Whitebeard wasn't getting any younger, and Boris, I probably want Boris to settle down in the future. I knew I wouldn't be able to have kids, but it wouldn't hurt to adopt, right?
That was a topic for another time. Right now I needed to improve my Rokushiki techniques now that I had the oppurtunity. I didn't have a devil fruit to help me increase my strength, so I could only focus on my haki and rokushiki.
I finally stopped at a spot that was quite a distance from the camp that we had set up. I immediately started to infuse my haki and practice my basic stances. Learning Rokushiki required intense physical stimulation.
In fact, before we could learn any of the techniques within the CP0 organization. We were subjected to countless months of endless exercises. Each day was more brutal than the last, I couldn't help but shudder whenever I remember my old days in the CP0.
I first started with the finger bullet. This was a technique that allows the user to pierce through skin at a very high speed. That was the utmost basic technique that was taught to us by the World Government. However, the more I used it, the more I theorized about the different uses for it.
For example, what if we could use the finger bullet to draw stamina out of a target when the finger made contact with the target? That would be an incredible asset for me, especially in close combats. I set my sights on a tree before promptly piercing it with my finger.
A hole was easily made within it, however, instead of removing my finger from the tree. I tried to get a feel for the tree's life energy. It was a hard thing to do because a tree wasn't similar to a human. I closed my eyes and remained rooted in that spot until I began to feel something.
It was feint, but I could feel a small stream of energy flow through the tree to its roots and back. I made sure to wait until I could feel a complete cycle before promptly trying to draw some energy from the stream.
It didn't work for a while, I had to make it look like I was having a deficit in energy so that I could draw out its energy from the tree. The process of getting a feel for the tree's energy had taken the whole night. However, this process took even longer. I had stood on that spot for about two days and two nights before I could successfully draw out energy from the tree.
I hadn't eaten since then, and I was feeling famished. However, the energy that I was withdrawing from the tree was slowly rejuvanating my body. Slowly, but surely, I began to feel my exhaustion was slowly being erased from my body.
The tree, on the other hand, was beginning to look like it had aged significantly. It had slowly started to age more quickly than normal. By the time I felt like new, the tree was nothing more than a shell of itself. All the leaves that it once had were all withered, and they were all beginning to fall to the ground from the tree's branches.
I finally smiled, my thory had proven to be a success. I briefly switched tactics and started training my other five techniques. Just like that, days had passed quickly. I only stopped to take quick brakes whenever I went to visit the rest of the crew.
They looked exhausted after the first few weeks. However, the longer time passed, the more stronger they appeared. In fact, after the sixth week, they all looked very well maintained.
Suddenly, the leader of this crew: a man by the name Ken. Approached me slowly while the rest of the crew continued their exercise. It seemed that he and the rest of the crew wanted to learn the six Rokushiki techniques.
They had surmised quite early that I was a former member of CP0 by my constant moonwalking. So, I wasn't surprised when they came forward with that request. I briefly thought about it for a moment before accepting. By making them stronger, Boris can spend more time resting with me, right?
I would never pass up such an oppurtunity. I could get to learn more about him as a result. I gave Ken a kind smile before accepting his request. They had already met the physical requirements to learn the six techniques. There was no harm in teaching them the basics.
As a result, that was what I had spent the next few days doing. Ken and the crew weren't geniuses like the individuals within the CP0 organization. However, what they lacked in talent, they met with hardwork. They would keep training till failure, then, they would take a quick break before resuming their attempts.
Eventually, their hardwork began to bear fruit. The crew members began mastering each technique one after the other. Now they weren't able to master all six moves like Ken, who was showing immense combat potential. However, the one or two moves that they had mastered were trained to near perfection.
It was almost insane how much they trained. I asked one of them why they trained so hard out of curiousity. He briefly explained how much they wanted to help Boris in his adventures. It seemed that Boris had inspired them to get as strong as possible. He had already taught them how to use at least one of the two forms of haki. Paired with the Rokushiki techniques they were learning, they were no less than a small Cipher Phol squad that was given clearance to guard a World Noble.
All in all, this crew would prove to be a problem to enemies should they encounter them. I couldn't help but feel proud of that, I'm sure that Boris would also feel proud as well. Though the crew would never know because of his aloof and indifferent expression. Whatever turbulent times that Boris had predicted was going to happen, I felt that we would be ready for it.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Leo_DiAngelo
Leo_DiAngelo This will be the last chapter for the Training Arc.
I'll put a timeskip after this so be warned.
Let me know what y'all think!!
Love y'all!!!!
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone