Time flies.

  Eight years had passed in the blink of an eye.

  On a desote isnd, marked by craters and uerrain, located within the Calm Belt of the New World.

  "99885, 99886, 99887…"

  A tall figure, shirtless and drenched i, erf handstand push-ups. He stood nearly ers tall, with shray-white hair, strikiures, and a determined look in his eyes. His powerful muscles glistened uhe sun, refleg an immense, almost unimagirength.

  Behind him were bck wings, resembling those of a fallen angel, and a mysterious fme bur the back of his head, flickering fiercely.

  "Shkk, Boss El, you're incredible…"

  Surprisingly, attached to his legs was an enormous iron shield, several meters thick, fed from molten iron. Sitting atop it was a giant figure, over teers tall. El's hands pressed down, sinking deeply into a half-meter-thick steel pte beh him, which had cracked the rock surface below.

  This dispy of strength made it clear just how much weight El was enduring.

  "This is my limit…"

  The giant youth sitting on the massive shield, bulky and rugged, tore into a huge piece of roasted meat. "Even with my Kilo-Kilo Fruit not yet awakened, I adjust my weight up to tens of thousands of kilograms, and I still couldn’t crush you!"

  His name was Bask Witt, a giant from the West Blue, though not from Elbaf. Several years ago, while traveling, he had been captured by a human sving team and sold at au. The Hell Trading pany, secretly trolled by El, bought him at a high price. Grateful for being saved, Witt joihe Fallen Angel Pirates and was grahe power of the Kilo-Kilo Fruit. He often served as a “super dumbbell” for El’s intense weight training.

  "Go for it, El-Nii-! You’re almost at 100,000 reps!"

  Nearby, a giantess much rger than a regur human, arou to ers tall with green hair, sat mung on a rge apple. She cheered for El as he pushed the limits of his strength with interaining.

  At the same time, she teased the young giant. "Witt, weren’t ying about how you were going to crush El-Nii-?"

  "You ’t bme me! It’s Boss El’s strength that’s beyond belief!" Witt said helplessly from atop the iron shield. His massive weight was no match for El’s overwhelming power. "He’s even strohan the A Giants!"

  "Lily, stop being a backseat driver!" A voice called from nearby.

  A striking young woman with a long-handled scythe, her than the now-grown Gerd, walked over. Standing over twelve meters tall, she looked every bit the warrior, apanied by the thundercloud Zeus and the sun Prometheus. "Don’t disturb El while he’s training!"

  "Ow! Gerd, don’t hit me!" grumbled the giantess named Lily, rubbing her forehead with a pout. "El-Nii- doesn’t mind at all!"

  Lily Enstomach, just fifteen years old, was Gerd’s cousin. Two years ago, she had left Elbaf with her father, Panz Fry. After visiting Dream House with Gerd, she insisted on staying, wanting to join the Fallen Angel Pirates. After receiving her father’s approval, El agreed to let her join.

  "99,997, 99,998, 99,999…"

  El, drenched i and his face slightly flushed, took a deep breath and pushed through the final rep. "100,000!"

  "Alright, Witt, that’s enough!"

  Still catg his breath, El sigo Witt. For someone of El's monstrous strength, lifting a regur giant wouldn’t have been much of a challenge. But Witt, a giant and a Kilo-Kilo Fruit user, had adjusted his weight to over tens of thousands of kilograms, enough to crush most warriors—even giants—under normal circumstances.

  Though it wasn’t overwhelming for El, pleting 100,000 reps of this exercise was no small feat.

  "Got it, Boss El…" Witt adjusted his weight, his massive frame lifting off the iron shield and floating lightly to the ground, nding nearby with a thud.

  "g!"

  With a light push of his hands, El performed a perfect backflip and stood upright. His presence was intimidating, like a primordial beast in human form, radiating power that made anyone feel a twinge of fear.

  For El, this level of training was just a warm-up. Over the years, he had trained tless times on the Red Line, using its iructible cliffs as massive sandbags to toughen his body and sharpen his bat skills and Haki. The scars and craters he left behind on the Red Line were shog evidence of his intense regimen.

  "Ssh!"

  Suddenly, Gerd stomped the ground, her t figure turning into a blur as she charged toward El, her scythe gleaming with deadly i as she swung it down.

  "Oh?"

  El, seeming to anticipate her move, tilted his head slightly and effortlessly dodged Gerd’s attack.

  "g!" With just a flick of his finger, he struck Gerd’s scythe, causing it to vibrate violently and nearly slip from her grip.

  "Gerd-sama…" Seeing this, Zeus and Prometheus immediately transformed into their bat forms, ready to assist.

  "You two stay back… I’m not do!" Gerd stepped back, refusing their help, her eyes sharp as she focused on El’s fallen angel-like figure, his bck wings and burning fme. With determination, she swung her scythe again. "Reaper’s Kiss!"

  "Whoosh—" A fierce ssh cut through the air toward El.

  Remaining calm, El simply raised his hand and swatted the powerful attack away with a flick of his wrist.

  "Boom!" The attack flew off course, smming into the ground in the distance, raising a cloud of dust and leaving a deep, shog scar in the earth that left everyog in awe.