Luffy, how can you become the Pirate King if you don't work hard!

His stomach was completely empty. The previous fierce battles with his grandfather Garp, Admiral Kizaru, and Aokiji, as well as the forced activation of the Nika Devil Fruit's awakened form, had almost drained all his strength and reserves.

At that moment, he felt his stomach almost touching his back, and waves of weak dizziness kept coming over him.

"Robin said that these flights could last for several days,"

Luffy struggled to move his eyes, trying to observe his surroundings, but he could see nothing but the blurry clouds rushing by and the occasional glimpse of the blue sea.

"Are you all flying around like me now? I wonder how they are doing."

As long as everyone is alright.

This is the most reassuring news for Luffy. Ace has been captured and imprisoned in Impel Down. If something happens to his crewmates, what will he have left?

Although they were scattered, at least they were still alive, and it seemed that they had gone to places suitable for their cultivation or temporary refuge.

However, this separation from his companions directly aggravated the punishment of the "One Piece Training Program".

The third phase.

This punishment is unlike the electric shocks of the first stage, which can be withstood by using a rubber body, nor is it like the punishment of the second stage, which can be avoided by multitasking while executing the plan.

The third stage of punishment is a continuous torment of both mind and body, like a persistent affliction, constantly reminding him of his dereliction of duty as captain by losing his crew.

This pain did not cause any real serious injury, but it greatly depleted his spirit and will, making it impossible for him to rest properly, and even making it difficult to concentrate.

At this point, it would be helpful to shift one's attention.

Just as he tried to distract himself by recalling his companions' faces, the cold, merciless warning voice in his mind rang out again:

[Warning: It's time to develop Haki. The host must complete the Observation Haki meditation practice within the specified time...]

"!!!"

Luffy's body tensed up involuntarily, pulling at an invisible pain, causing him to gasp.

"Does this plan really disregard my life or death?"

Luffy was speechless for a moment.

You can shift your attention, but who taught you to do it this way?

He is hungry, in pain, and unable to move his body. Even moving a finger is difficult for him, yet he is still asked to cultivate domineering energy.

Right now, only my brain can function.

"Even in this situation, you still want to study?"

He sighed, feeling inexplicably as if he had returned to the time when he first learned of this mysterious plan.

At that time, I was also overwhelmed by all sorts of unexpected tasks and punishments.

"No, we can't let the punishment escalate any further."

Luffy knew very well that the punishment in the third stage had already made him suffer so much, and he didn't know what kind of hellish experience the fourth stage would bring.

He didn't want to experience it.

Moreover, think back on it calmly.

The battle that had just ended, though brutal, had indeed given him many new insights into Haki, especially Observation Haki.

When facing both Garp's iron fist and Aokiji's freezing ability at the same time, his almost instinctive anticipation of danger and his subtle ability to detect the enemy's attack trajectory were all potentials forced out on the brink of life and death.

That's why they say that breakthroughs are most likely to be made in dire situations.

Now, in this state of extreme pain and weakness, his spirit has been pushed to its limit.

He forced himself to ignore the pain in his body and immersed his consciousness in the process of savoring and processing his Observation Haki.

Gradually, he entered a strange state.

The physical pain seemed to be relegated to the edge of consciousness; although it still existed, it was no longer as aggressive.

He was highly focused, his mind replaying the scenes of his battles with powerful opponents and sensing the invisible sounds in the air.

Under these circumstances, the extreme mental strain resulted in him being able to see his proficiency in Observation Haki rapidly increasing.

[Your mental strength is severely depleted, but your willpower has increased, and your Observation Haki proficiency has increased by 3.]

[Your mental strength is severely depleted, but your willpower has increased, and your Observation Haki proficiency has increased by 3.]

[Observation Haki proficiency +3]

......

The cold, impersonal notification tone sounded strangely pleasant at that moment.

The prompts in my mind kept popping up, indicating that my proficiency was increasing. Although the amount of increase was small each time, it was continuous.

Under these extreme conditions, his Observation Haki was improving at a considerable rate.

Time passed slowly amidst the agonizing torment and intense mental focus.

After an unknown amount of time—perhaps several hours, perhaps longer—the warning sounded again:

[Warning: It's time for bed. The host must immediately enter sleep mode to ensure sufficient rest.]

Luffy slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, and with a struggle, he raised his head. Through the barrier of the shockwave, he could see the bright moon on the horizon.

The pain persisted, but to his surprise, he seemed to have gotten used to it.

"Have I become as strange as Vivi?"

Luffy's eyes looked somewhat dazed.

If you ask why, Vivi really enjoys being...

Vivi: "???"

Not only that, but a thought even naturally popped into Luffy's mind: "I wish I could study a little longer."

This idea did not come out of thin air.

If he had been a little stronger, would things have turned out differently in the Sabaody Archipelago?

general?

Naval hero?

If you're strong enough, then just keep throwing punches at me!

He wasn't joking when he said what Grandpa Garp said.

Since we can't negotiate with the World Government to rescue Ace, let's storm Impel Down!

But he's not strong enough yet.

"There's still time."

Luffy comforted himself.

He was unaware that after Ace was imprisoned in Impel Down, the date of his execution was approaching and had been made public.

"Everyone is training. I'll contact them when I have time. After I've trained for a while longer, I'll storm Impel Down, rescue Ace, and then we'll set off together into the New World!"

This is Luffy's simple idea.

The powerful regenerative abilities brought about by the full awakening of the Nika Fruit are slowly repairing the hidden injuries and fatigue left in his body from the fierce battle.

However, this recovery does not occur out of thin air; it is highly dependent on energy replenishment.

The recovery of his physical strength and the healing of his injuries were frantically consuming his already nearly depleted physical energy.

Therefore, what Luffy is most worried about right now is not powerful enemies or punishment, but whether he will become the first Nika Devil Fruit user to starve to death.

This is so embarrassing to say!

As his consciousness was about to sink into a dream, he pulled Nika out of his consciousness space.

If I fall asleep on my own, at least someone outside will be watching me.

I don't know when things will settle down.

At several crucial moments, Nika served as a backup hidden energy source, from which he drew power, which greatly helped him.

At this moment, the sun god also looked like he was severely weakened.

"Hey, Nika."

Luffy shouted weakly.

But Nika also looked emaciated, and the moment he saw Luffy, he gritted his teeth and said, "Are you trying to drain me dry, you bastard!"

"I'm so sorry, I really have no other choice."

Nika was furious, but Luffy also looked emaciated, a side effect of using Gear Fifth.

What could she say?

There's absolutely nothing we can do right now, and we even suspect that Luffy called her out to keep her as backup food.

Thinking about it gave me goosebumps, and I didn't dare to upset him.

What do you want?

"Well, I need your help."

Nika looked up and saw Luffy's eyes gleaming with greed. She jumped in fright and gritted her teeth, saying, "You bastard! Do you really want to use me as spare rations?!"

"How could this be? How could this be?"

Luffy forced an awkward smile. "You're practically useless in that respect."

It's not even enough to fill a gap between your teeth.

Nika was so angry she wanted to jump up and down.

What does that mean?

Are you trying to make fun of me?

Who says I'm small? I can grow bigger anytime!

But seeing that Luffy himself looked like he was about to starve to death and was all emaciated, he ultimately didn't say anything more hurtful.

She was even a little scared that if this guy went crazy with hunger, he wouldn't care even if it was just food stuck between his teeth.

Thinking about it this way, she suddenly felt uncomfortable and dared not provoke Luffy any further.