Chapter 47: 17 Years Old El

Time flies.

Eight years had passed in the blink of an eye.

On a desolate island, marked by craters and uneven terrain, located within the Calm Belt of the New World.

"99885, 99886, 99887…"

A tall figure, shirtless and drenched in sweat, was performing handstand push-ups. He stood nearly nine meters tall, with short gray-white hair, striking features, and a determined look in his eyes. His powerful muscles glistened under the sun, reflecting an immense, almost unimaginable strength.

Behind him were black wings, resembling those of a fallen angel, and a mysterious flame burned at 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, forged from molten iron. Sitting atop it was a giant figure, over ten meters tall. El's hands pressed down, sinking deeply into a half-meter-thick steel plate beneath him, which had cracked the rock surface below.

This display 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 can 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 slaving team and sold at auction. The Hell Trading Company, secretly controlled by El, bought him at a high price. Grateful for being saved, Witt joined the Fallen Angel Pirates and was granted the power of the Kilo-Kilo Fruit. He often served as a "super dumbbell" for El's intense weight training.

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

Nearby, a giantess much larger than a regular human, around eight to nine meters tall with green hair, sat munching on a large apple. She cheered for El as he pushed the limits of his strength with intense training.

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

"You can't blame 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 stronger than the Ancient Giants!"

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

A striking young woman with a long-handled scythe, none other than the now-grown Gerd, walked over. Standing over twelve meters tall, she looked every bit the warrior, accompanied 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-chan 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 in sweat and his face slightly flushed, took a deep breath and pushed through the final rep. "100,000!"

"Alright, Witt, that's enough!"

Still catching his breath, El signaled to Witt. For someone of El's monstrous strength, lifting a regular 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, completing 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, landing nearby with a thud.

"Clang!"

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 observing feel a twinge of fear.

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

"Slash!"

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

"Oh?"

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

"Clang!" 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 combat forms, ready to assist.

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

"Whoosh—" A fierce slash 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, slamming into the ground in the distance, raising a cloud of dust and leaving a deep, shocking scar in the earth that left everyone watching in awe.