"Not enough! Not enough! If this is all you've got, you're nowhere near achieving that so-called justice you spoke of! Are you just a liar who only talks big? Keep going!"
At the Marine training base in Water Seven, Jake was now sprinting around a 400-meter track like a frail old man.
His pace was very slow, as this was already his 60th lap. And this was just what he had run in the past two and a half hours.
If Sakazuki didn't allowed him to use his abilities, he probably would have given up after just 5 or 6 laps.
But even after using his Holy Light powers 6 or 7 times, Jake was now reaching his limit.
His legs felt as soft as if the bones had been removed, and his throat felt like it was being slashed by razor blades.
If not for the system prompts that appeared in his mind with each lap, Jake might have truly been unable to continue.
"Body training! Overall attributes improved! Power Level +0.01, Power Level +0.01..."
"Healing Prayer skill used successfully! Holy Light proficiency +0.02..."
"Holy Light Infusion passive effect improved, proficiency +0.01..."
With each lap, Jake's mind was filled with system notifications.
Those sounds were like heavenly music motivating Jake to take each step.
For him, nothing was more delightful than seeing tangible growth in his abilities.
Watching Jake's performance, although Sakazuki's face remained cold and silent, he had already acknowledged Jake's willpower in his heart.
In his estimation, Jake being able to persist for 30 laps would have been considered good.
Although he was a Zoan Devil Fruit user, that didn't mean his physical abilities would instantly improve dramatically after eating the fruit.
Developing Devil Fruit abilities required time and effort.
The training method for Zoan users like Jake was to use this nearly lethal amount of exercise to squeeze out every last bit of energy in the body.
Only when the body was completely exhausted to the point where not a single ounce of strength remained would the Devil Fruit's power flow through the entire body like a spring.
This method was something he had learned from his teacher, Black Arm Zephyr.
As luck would have it, although Jake wasn't actually a Zoan Devil Fruit user, his innate stamina recovery ability was equivalent to a Devil Fruit user.
No, not just equivalent - it surpassed it in every way!
The abilities of Zoan Devil Fruits could only be activated when the body was pushed to its absolute limit.
Although the muscle tears and physical damage from overtraining weren't a big deal for Zoan users, long-term training like this would still leave some degree of lasting injury, even with a Zoan's recovery abilities.
But Jake's Healing Prayer was different.
All the hidden injuries or chronic issues caused during training would be perfectly and flawlessly healed.
This was Jake's greatest source of confidence.
However, after the last bit of Holy Light power in his body was squeezed out, Jake collapsed directly onto the training field.
In his final moments of consciousness before fainting, Jake only heard Monet's voice calling out to him.
His forehead felt slightly cold and his head seemed to be resting on something soft.
A faint fresh scent lingered in his nose.
As he opened his eyes, he saw Monet's beautiful golden eyes.
"Are you awake? Your body will probably be very sore today. Sakazuki-san training is indeed effective, but also a bit too harsh. How are you feeling now?"
Hearing Monet's words, Jake felt his whole body was weak.
The Holy Light power in his body had been squeezed to the extreme, with not even a trace left.
"Not too good. It'll probably take a while to recover. Monet, how was your training? Did Vice Admiral Sakazuki make you run laps to build stamina like me?"
Monet shook her head and said with a soft laugh.
"No, not at all. Vice Admiral Sakazuki told me that my ability is more of a control-type Devil Fruit. Currently my stamina is far from reaching the limit for using my Devil Fruit abilities, so my top priority now is to improve my control over my Devil Fruit power as much as possible."
"When you fainted earlier, Vice Admiral Sakazuki had me create snow and ice around you to prevent you from getting heatstroke. While I was icing you down, I also had to constantly maintain the overall size of the snow and ice, keeping it at a relatively suitable size."
"Lastly, you should probably get up soon since you're awake. My legs are getting a bit numb."
Hearing Monet's words, Jake felt his face heating up.
He quickly got up from Monet's lap.
However, looking at his clearly improved status panel, Jake's lips curled into a slight smile.
With just one morning of training, his Power Level had already increased by a full 6 points.
This growth rate far exceeded his expectations.
At this rate of improvement, it wouldn't take two years for him to catch up to Rob Lucci Power Level from Water Seven.
And there were still more than ten years until the start of the main storyline in 1522.
In those ten years, his Power Level alone could reach nearly five times that of Rob Lucci, not to mention the stronger class skills he could unlock later on.
Thinking of this, the grueling training that had nearly made him pass out no longer seemed so unpleasant.
As the Holy Light power in his body recovered slightly, Jake cast a barely squeezed out Healing Prayer on himself before continuing to run on the training field.
The constant system notifications in his ears made Jake run faster and faster!
Monet followed beside Jake, watching him with slight concern, ready to support him at any moment.
Meanwhile in the office, Sakazuki watched Jake continue running, a rare smile appearing on his stern face.