Chapter 8: The Mad Dog Arrives

After undergoing a series of brutal experiments by Rayleigh, it was finally proven that Rayleigh's conjecture was correct.

The more severe the injury, the more stamina it would consume to recover. For minor scratches, the stamina consumption was completely negligible.

Lying on the floor, despite not engaging in any physical labor, Weismann was sweating profusely just from being slashed. It was unclear whether it was from exhaustion or fear.

However, the frequent rise and fall of his chest indicated that indeed a lot of stamina had been expended.

"I've already decided on your training regimen," Rayleigh said calmly, taking a sip of his drink while looking at Weismann lying on the ground.

"What kind of training?" Despite feeling extremely tired, Weismann couldn't help but feel excited upon hearing Rayleigh's words. This would be the beginning of his journey to become stronger.

"It's simple. See all this equipment scattered around? You can train in whatever you like. It not only strengthens your physical stamina but also increases your strength. It's a win-win situation."

And then what?" After waiting for a while without hearing anything from Rayleigh, Weismann asked puzzledly.

"And then? What do you mean?" Rayleigh replied.

"That's it? You're being too irresponsible."

"Irresponsible? Don't worry, I won't be. I'll supervise your training and make sure you don't slack off. If I catch you slacking off, well, you can imagine what awaits you."

"Devil bastard," Weismann cursed silently in his heart.

Just then, Rayleigh pulled out a wooden stick from somewhere and ruthlessly struck Weismann on the head.

"What are you doing? That hurts!" Although Weismann's ability allowed him to heal injuries, he could still feel the pain before healing.

"Who told you to curse me in your heart?"

"I didn't."

"Still trying to act tough?" Rayleigh struck him again with the stick.

"Do you think I'm incapable of using Observation Haki? Although I don't know exactly what you're thinking, I can discern whether it's good or bad," Rayleigh said, making a deep impression on Weismann.

"Is that true?" Weismann wondered.

"Of course."

Upon hearing this, Weismann widened his eyes. "How did you know what I was thinking just now?"

"I guessed."

"Impressive," Weismann said, giving a thumbs up. Even in his past life watching anime, he hadn't realized Observation Haki had such capabilities.

"Well, of course. Look at who I am," Rayleigh said proudly, his current personality still quite arrogant, unlike the more refined and easygoing demeanor he would adopt twenty years later.

"Alright, now you can start training. For you, anything you train now will be beneficial."

After that, Rayleigh brought a chair and sat in front of Weismann, watching him.

"What about Shanks? Shouldn't you also teach me how to control Haoshoku Haki?"

"Of course, we'll get to that. Since you have it, why not use it? Besides, if you accidentally unleash it during your next battle with other pirate crews and end up harming your allies, it'll be a serious offense."

Over the next two months, not only did Weismann endure inhuman torture, but even the ordinary crew members of the pirate crew were subjected to dozens of instances of mental oppression.

For Weismann to better control Haoshoku Haki, Weismann's training was increasingly intense.

This also led to most of the crew members looking at Weismann with strange eyes because he was the one responsible for their fainting several times.

Finally, after two months of mental oppression, Weismann could control Haoshoku Haki freely and even target its release.

Of course, in these two months, Weismann's various aspects had also greatly improved strength, speed, and stamina.

Although he lacked combat skills, he had the ability to never die.

If he could face death without fear in battle, then those whose strength was not much different from his would not be his match.

However, even so, Weismann didn't become conceited because every day he faced the likes of Rayleigh, and no matter how hard he trained for these two months, he couldn't catch up.

This also meant he didn't know his exact strength. He only knew that he went from being unable to withstand one blow from Rayleigh to being able to withstand three.

During these two months, Weismann also witnessed the ever-changing weather of the New World. One moment it was clear skies, the next it was dense clouds, pouring rain, followed by gale-force winds and blizzards.

This made Weismann truly realize the cruelty of nature.

Every time they encountered adverse weather, all members of the pirate crew treated it with utmost seriousness.

In the New World, at least half of the pirate crews had been destroyed by natural disasters, and the most feared natural disasters among pirates were tsunamis and sea tornadoes.

During one such disaster, Weismann finally witnessed Rayleigh's actions for the first time. It was a fierce sea tornado that, if encountered, would have torn the ship apart instantly.

Then, Rayleigh instantly split the enormous tornado in half with powerful sword energy.

Although Weismann didn't know if Rayleigh's strike was at full power, it left a profound impression on him nonetheless. Perhaps it was because it was the first time he had witnessed such a situation.

This also led to his first impression of Weismann as "the one capable of such power."

Just as Weismann was resting on the ground, there was a sudden urgent sound of footsteps outside the training room, and it was clear that it was not just one person.

"Could it be another weather anomaly?" This was Weismann's first thought, as every time this happened, it was due to adverse weather.

"What's happening outside, Vice Captain?" Weismann asked Rayleigh.

"That mad dog is back," Rayleigh said with a wry smile.

"Mad dog? What mad dog?" Weismann was still somewhat puzzled. The events of the past two months had left his mind spinning.

"You'll see when we go out."

Following Rayleigh, Weismann walked out of the training room and saw everyone on alert.

This made Weismann also become serious. "What kind of enemy could make the atmosphere of the pirate crew so oppressive?"

Following Weismann to the bow of the ship, Weismann saw a dog-headed warship intercepting them not far away.

"Hero Garp," Weismann exclaimed in surprise.

While Weismann might not have thought of Capone as the "mad dog," seeing such a distinctive warship, besides Garp, he couldn't think of anyone else.