Chapter 3: Chapter 3: Six Months
"Haha! This is amazing… hahaha!"
Bardock clapped his hands together and laughed heartily, his joy as pure as a child's—though, technically, he was indeed a child now. He was thoroughly pleased with the fruit he had consumed, and this was just his beast form. Zoan-type Devil Fruits typically have three forms: human, beast, and hybrid.
Thinking of Chopper, the cutest character in the pirate world, whose initial bounty was a meager 50 Beli, Bardock knew that Chopper's Hito Hito no Mi allowed him to access additional forms through his Rumble Ball. Bardock had already made plans to learn from Chopper when the time came. With his keen eyes, perhaps he could figure out a few tricks of his own.
"Now, let's see what the hybrid form is like. I wonder how it'll compare."
As Bardock activated his powers, he noticed his body grew larger, a full head taller than his human form, and his frame became sturdier. Except for his face, neck, chest, and hands and feet, the rest of his body was covered in golden fur.
"This... this looks like a Super Saiyan 4! Just with gold fur and less muscle. Hmm, I need to train up some serious muscle; otherwise, this form won't do it justice."
The hybrid form was a combination of his human and beast forms. Once fully mastered, he'd be able to control the degree of transformation and use the abilities of the beast form, though the effects didn't seem as powerful as when he was fully transformed into a beast. At least, that was Bardock's impression. Of course, it could be because he hadn't developed his powers fully yet, having only eaten the fruit recently.
"Well then, it's time for a jungle adventure! Let's go!"
Bardock switched to his strongest defensive form—the Great Monkey King—grabbing a small knife as he headed into the forest. The knife was for cutting up prey; for combat, his fists were far more lethal. Even though he felt strong, he reminded himself: Information is unclear, so stay cautious and avoid recklessness.
...
"…34, 35, 36."
Bardock carved the last stroke of the tally mark on the wooden plank, counted them up, and sighed in frustration. He had made 36 tallies. Every morning after breakfast, he'd carve one line, and five days made up a full tally mark. Almost six months had passed, and he was still stranded on the deserted island.
By now, Bardock had moved out of the makeshift shelter he had built by the beach and now lived in a large cave in the center of the island. It was the former home of a beast that had roared frequently before—an enormous tiger, one of the rulers of this jungle, standing three meters tall at the shoulder. The tiger had provided Bardock with several meals. Its fur was now fashioned into clothes for him to wear since his original clothes had long been shredded from running through the jungle every day.
In these past six months, Bardock had explored the entire island. He had also surveyed it from the sky atop his Nimbus Cloud. The island wasn't very large, with no signs of human life at all. There were neither indigenous people nor any shipwreck survivors. He was the only human on the island. The beach where he had landed was the only beach on the island; the other sides were all cliffs and rocky shores. He had to admit he was lucky.
"I don't know where this damn island is, but I haven't seen a single ship in all these months. And I've got these Firey Eyes, so I can see much farther than normal people. If I'd spotted even one ship, I could've flown over on the Nimbus Cloud."
Bardock had considered flying over the sea on the Nimbus to search for a ship, but he didn't know anything about navigation. Especially in the unpredictable waters of the Grand Line, if he got lost at sea with no ship in sight and no island behind him, he would eventually exhaust his stamina, and that would be game over.
"It all comes down to me not being strong enough. I can't see far enough, and my stamina isn't enough either. If only I could see another island from here. Time to keep training! Let's go, 2,000 push-ups."
Six months ago, Bardock had been a weak-looking teenager. Now, he was a strong young man, taller and more muscular. Though he wasn't built like a bodybuilder, the lean and toned muscles he had developed gave him a powerful physique—his ideal body type.
Before crossing over into this world, Bardock hadn't trained in martial arts, boxing, or any form of combat. The only move he knew was the Five-Step Fist he had learned in college gym class. To call it a combat skill would be generous—it was more like a coordination exercise. Nonetheless, practicing it made him feel more agile, with better coordination of his limbs. His punches and kicks had become easier and more fluid.
In the world of One Piece, physical prowess, swordsmanship, and Devil Fruit powers all offered a path to success on the seas, but physical endurance was key. In this world of monsters, battles could last for days, so Bardock focused his training on building his stamina.
The Marine Corps' basic training consisted of four main exercises: First, 2,000 push-ups. This was mandatory for all recruits on their first day to see if they had the stamina to handle the even tougher training ahead. Second, climbing 100 rounds of rope, since Marines often had to board ships via ropes. It trained both skill and endurance while building mental toughness. Third, a 200-lap long-distance run. The size of Marineford's training field was unclear, but it was certainly large, and 200 laps could easily kill an average person. Fourth, combat drills. This wasn't a friendly spar but more like a brutal fight, ending only when one person was knocked out. No wonder the Marines trained like this—they were part of a superhuman world.
Bardock's training plan combined his knowledge from his previous life, the Marine training regimen, and inspiration from Naruto's Might Guy. His guiding philosophy came from Dragon Ball's Turtle School: train hard, study hard, rest well, eat well, and have fun. His regimen included push-ups, sit-ups, squats, pull-ups, running, jump rope, and rope climbing.
"...1998, 1999, 2000."
Bardock stood up, wiping sweat from his brow, feeling satisfied. At just over eight years old, with half a year of self-guided training, he had already developed such impressive stamina, and he had been doing it all in his human form.
"Ah, recovery time! Next up, a lap around the island. Let's go!"
There hadn't been a path on the island originally, but Bardock had created one through his daily running. None of the island's animals dared to approach him anymore. Any that did had ended up as his meal.
Time flew by as Bardock ran. He kept running until the sun hung high in the sky. His stomach was grumbling, and it felt like it was nearly noon. This was one of the reasons he longed to leave the island. If he were in a town, he could just go to a restaurant for a satisfying meal. But now, he had to endure the hunger and roast meat for himself.
In the past six months, Bardock had become an expert at making fire by friction, producing charcoal, salt, and cooking meat. He was incredibly proficient now. He'd even found wild herbs and honey for seasoning. With his Fiery Eyes, capable of microscopic observation, he had mastered the art of roasting meat. Though he was starving, he wasn't in a rush. In fact, he looked forward to it—one of his few remaining pleasures.
After a hearty meal, Bardock took a short rest. His fatigue from the morning had disappeared, thanks to his Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit powers, which were truly remarkable.
He transformed into his Great Monkey King form and summoned the Nimbus Cloud. With a leap, he jumped onto the cloud and flew upward, controlling its ascent. The higher you are, the farther you can see, and with his Fire Eyes, his field of vision was vast.
"Aha! I see one! A ship, haha…"
Bardock laughed joyfully. He locked onto the ship's direction and distance before quickly flying back to his cave. Grabbing the pack he had prepared long ago, filled with animal pelts and tiger fangs he had collected over the past six months—items that might be valuable—he hopped onto the Nimbus Cloud and flew towards the distant ship. At this point, he didn't care what kind of ship it was: Marine, pirate, or merchant. It didn't matter. He just wanted to return to the human world.
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
-- Power
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