Pirates: Martial Arts Masters on the Straw Hat Ship

Ronan took a deep breath, focusing his energy in his dantian. His entire demeanor suddenly changed, becoming heavy and ancient, like a bronze bell that had withstood the test of time.

"The name of this martial art is—Thirteen Bodyguards Horizontal Hard Qigong!"

Ronan had never practiced this technique in his previous life, during the Dharma-ending Age.

Because it is so difficult, it not only tests one's physical talent to an extreme degree, but also requires soaking in medicinal solutions from a young age.

Moreover, even a slight mishap during practice can damage internal organs, rendering it completely useless in peacetime and requiring a huge expense.

But in the world of One Piece, everything is different.

The physical condition of the people here is practically a bug.

Luffy has amazing recovery ability; there's no injury that a good meal can't fix.

Zoro even has a monstrous physique that allows him to fully recover after a nap.

In addition, this world has all kinds of magical beast meat and ingredients, making it a paradise for practicing external martial arts!

Ronan himself possesses the [Persistence] system panel.

As long as you cultivate, you can become stronger; there are no bottlenecks or limits.

This hard qigong, which was known as "clumsy kung fu" in his previous life, is destined to unleash a terrifying brilliance that surpasses the original in his hands.

"Are you ready?"

Ronan unbuttoned his shirt, revealing his well-defined and muscular physique.

Under the moonlight, his muscles exuded explosive power.

"bring it on!"

Zoro took off his shirt, revealing his muscular upper body, and casually tossed his wine glass aside.

Luffy also lowered his straw hat, grinned, and assumed a fighting stance.

"First, memorize this breathing technique."

Ronan began the demonstration.

His chest heaved violently, and a low growl, like the thunder of a tiger or leopard, came from his throat.

With each inhale, the abdomen contracts deeply;

With each exhale, all the muscles in the body tense up instantly, like an iron plate.

"Circulate your Qi along the Ren and Du meridians, and focus your mind on the Dantian. The instant an attack strikes, hold your breath and push your muscles outward!"

"Now, close your eyes! Feel my attack!"

Ronan gave a low shout.

The deck transformed into a training ground in the next moment.

Ronan did not use a spear, but his fists.

His figure blurred into a streak in the moonlight, his fists whistling as he relentlessly attacked their vital points.

"left!"

Zoro closed his eyes, his brow furrowed, trying to catch even the slightest sound of the wind.

He suddenly turned to his right.

"Bang!"

A muffled thud.

Ronan's fist didn't land on Zoro's left side, but instead slammed solidly into Zoro's right shoulder.

"Ugh!" Zoro groaned in pain, his body staggering from the blow, but he immediately tensed his muscles as Ronan had taught him, and withstood the attack.

Although the pain was excruciating, he could feel the force vibrating through his skin, as if it were forging a piece of raw iron.

"It hurts! But...it feels so good!" A hint of madness flashed in Zoro's eyes.

"Luffy, it's your turn!"

Ronan turned around and unleashed a whip kick.

Luffy closed his eyes, twitched his ears, and, relying on his animalistic instincts, suddenly lowered his head.

"brush--"

The kick grazed Luffy's scalp.

"I dodged it! Hehe!" Luffy was about to gloat.

Ronan's change of tactics was incredibly fast. He pressed down with his leg and turned it into a split kick, which slammed hard into Luffy's back.

"Snapped!"

"Ouch! That hurts!"

Even though Luffy is a rubber man, he was still beaten until he was grimacing under Ronan's special use of "penetrating force".

"Stop yelling! Activate your breathing technique! If you don't want to feel pain, use your Observation Haki to dodge!" Ronan shouted sternly, at this moment he was completely like a strict devil instructor.

"Again!"

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Under the moonlight, a peculiar "brawl" was taking place on the deck of the USS Going Merry.

Ronan plays two roles: a sparring partner for Observation Haki and a hammer for practicing the Body Tempering Technique.

His punches and kicks rained down, mercilessly striking Luffy and Zoro.

Initially, it was almost a one-sided beating for both of them.

The dull thud of flesh colliding echoed across the silent sea, making Nami and Usopp, who were standing nearby, tremble with fear.

But slowly, the situation began to subtly change.

Zoro's body began to bruise, but his ability to withstand blows was visibly improving.

His breathing became increasingly steady, and his muscles instinctively hardened the moment he was attacked—an accumulation of quantitative change leading to qualitative change.

And Luffy's beast-like instincts began to awaken.

With his eyes closed, his body began to unconsciously make some extremely bizarre twisting and dodging movements.

Of the ten attacks, I went from hitting them all at the beginning to now being able to dodge one or two occasionally.

As for Ronan himself, although he didn't experience the dramatic 5x multiplier increase in Deathmatch mode, the 3x multiplier increase in Battle mode still made him quite happy.

Sweat poured down like rain.

The three men were steaming, and in the cool moonlight, they looked like three statues of war gods being forged in flames.

Nami wrapped the blanket tighter around herself and looked at the three tireless figures. The disdain in her eyes gradually turned into admiration.

"What a bunch of... monsters."

The sea breeze grew stronger, causing the brand-new skull and crossbones flag to flutter loudly, as if providing accompaniment for this special spiritual practice.

The great sea route lies ahead.

And they are forging their bodies into the strongest weapons to conquer that sea.

......

The East China Sea, an unnamed sea area.

The sky was just beginning to lighten with the first hint of dawn, and the sea was shrouded in a thin layer of morning mist, as if covered by a mysterious veil.

The Merry swayed gently with the ocean current, occasionally breaking the pre-dawn silence with the creaking of the wooden planks.

However, the deck was already filled with solemnity.

"breathe--"

Three figures stood side by side, their legs slightly bent, rooted to the deck like the gnarled roots of an old tree.

Ronan is in the center, with Luffy and Zoro on his left and right respectively.

As the first rays of sunlight pierced the clouds over the sea and shone upon their bare upper bodies, the three men almost simultaneously heaved their chests, letting out a low rumble in their throats, and then slowly exhaled a breath of condensed white air, as sharp as an arrow.

The white mist gathered in the cool morning breeze and did not disperse, extending for several feet.

Ronan slowly finished his exercise, and his joints made a series of popping sounds.

Zoro, who was standing to the side, released his stance. His bare upper body was covered with a fine layer of sweat, which glistened in the morning light.

His well-defined muscles rippled slightly with his breathing, exuding explosive power.

Zoro looked down at his arms, then pinched them hard. His skin made a tough sound, like crumpling parchment.

"Hey, Ronan."

Zoro looked up, his eyes filled with barely concealed excitement:

"I found that 'Thirteen Bodyguards Horizontal Training' technique I practiced yesterday to be very useful."

"After just one night, I felt that my skin had become very resilient, like... like I was wearing an invisible layer of armor."

Luffy, standing to the side, chuckled and stretched his cheeks.

"Yeah, yeah! Even though I'm a rubber man, I feel like my skin has gotten thicker! I accidentally bumped into the mast just now, and it didn't hurt at all!"