OPJ Chapter 7: Going to the Sea

"Hey, I don't care about you!" Ace retorted, clenching his fist.

"I'll become the Pirate King and win every fight I encounter. Even if my name becomes synonymous with terror, I'll make everyone look at me. Don't blame me for laughing at you, Sabo!"

Saitama looked at Ace and said slowly, "If you want others to look at you, shouldn't you aspire to be a hero first? Heroes have to pay a lot to earn recognition, but pirates can simply make others fear them. You lack confidence, Ace."

Ace replied, "You don't understand anything at all," ending the conversation.

Luffy chased after Ace, while Garp trailed behind them, feeling uneasy.

Meanwhile, Sabo remained focused on his goal. "Please accept me as your trainee, Saitama Sensei!" he pleaded.

Saitama was lying on the ground, reading a newspaper when suddenly Sabo's head popped up from behind the journal, startling the bald hero.

"It's too much trouble, I refuse," Saitama sighed, feeling exasperated.

Sabo's face fell with disappointment, but he quickly regained his resolve.

"I am very diligent. If you're willing to teach me, Sensei, I won't disappoint you!" he declared.

.................

"It's precisely because you're so diligent that I don't want to take you on as a trainee," Saitama replied firmly. "Plus, I already have Genos. He's enough."

"No, it won't do!" Sabo persisted, unwilling to give up.

Saitama continued to refuse, picked up his newspaper, and headed to the toilet. Once inside, he closed the door and resumed reading.

After about ten minutes, a small head with a hat suddenly appeared from the ceiling.

"Saitama Sensei, please accept me as your disciple!" Sabo implored.

"No!" Saitama retorted, feeling exasperated.

"And why didn't your hat fall off even though you were hanging upside down?"

Sabo's face lit up with excitement. "I used a special glue to keep it on my head," he explained eagerly.

Saitama shook his head and sighed, knowing that Sabo wouldn't give up easily.

.................

Early the next morning, before the sun had risen, Saitama was fast asleep when a small figure crept in and sat beside his bed.

"Saitama Sensei, please accept me as your disciple!" whispered the determined voice of Sabo.

Saitama's forehead began to bulge with blue veins as he sat up with a headache and looked at the stubborn little boy.

"I already said no, Sabo..." he muttered, scratching his head. "How old are you anyway?"

"I'm ten... ten years old," replied Sabo.

Saitama was surprised. "You have such strong determination at such a young age..."

Saitama let out a deep sigh and took a moment to refresh himself. "I was just 22 when I set out to become stronger," he said. "If you really want to know, I'll tell you my secret. But fair warning, it won't be easy. Are you up for the challenge, Sabo?"

Sabo's face lit up with excitement. "Absolutely, Saitama Sensei! I'm ready for anything!"

"So listen, Sabo... It took me three years to become so strong as today..."

"Alright then," Saitama replied.

"It took me three long years of hard work to get as strong as I am today. If you want me to teach you my ways, you'll need to commit to doing 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and a 10-kilometer run every single day. And don't forget to eat three healthy meals a day!"

Sabo's expression quickly shifted from enthusiasm to bewilderment. "Wait, what? That's it?" he asked, feeling slightly underwhelmed.

But Saitama wasn't finished yet.

"Oh, and one more thing," he said with a serious look on his face.

"To really test your willpower, you'll need to tough it out without air conditioning during both the summer and winter months."

Sabo's jaw dropped in shock, realizing that he had underestimated the true difficulty of Saitama's training regimen.

Saitama continued to speak without noticing Sabo's eagerness to interject.

"In the beginning, it was torture," he said.

"Every day felt like hell, and I wanted nothing more than to take a break. But I knew that if I wanted to become a powerful hero, I had to push through the pain. Even when I was vomiting blood and could barely move my limbs, I kept going. And after a year and a half of this grueling training regimen..."

"I was bald and strong," Saitama finished.

Sabo looked at him skeptically, rubbing his chin in thought. "If it was just the intensity of the exercises, then Ace and I should be just as strong as you," he said. "We've had plenty of battles and activities together that were just as challenging. Is it because we don't have bald heads? Or maybe it's because of a Devil Fruit that gave you your strength and baldness?"

Saitama had been reading the newspapers lately and was familiar with the concept of Devil Fruits.

"Don't be ridiculous," he said firmly. "Whether it's human transformation or a Devil Fruit, it's impossible to reach the level of strength that I have through those means alone. True strength comes from within, and it's up to each individual to change themselves through their own efforts. Do you understand, Sabo?"

Sabo stood up straight from the floor, his eyes shining with determination.

"Yes, Sensei! I will use your method to become as strong as you, baldness and all!"

Without another word, Sabo opened the window and leapt out, counting aloud as he descended the building.

As he listened to Sabo's counting fade into the distance, Saitama let out a deep breath and relaxed onto his bed.

"Finally, I've dealt with him," he thought to himself.

He reflected on how Genos was a robot and couldn't improve through traditional physical training, but Sabo was a different story.

"I hope my method will work for him," Saitama mused. "Only time will tell."

With that, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, ready for another day of training and heroics.

.................

The next three days passed quickly as Saitama prepared to depart on Garp's warship.

On the day of his leaving, Sabo stood by the dock and waved goodbye, while Makino had prepared a lot of luggage and food for his journey.

Meanwhile, Ace sat on the roof of the bandit's nest, gazing out to sea and contemplating his next move.

Downstairs, Luffy continued to shout up to him, "Ace, let's be friends!"

As Saitama boarded the ship and set out for the Grand Line, no one knew what the future held.

But for now, the strong bald-headed hero was ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead.

.................

As the warships rode the wind and broke through the waves, Saitama felt the excitement of the sea as they continued on towards their destination: Marineford, the Marine Headquarters.

Thanks to Garp's introductions and many books on the Marines, Saitama was able to refresh his understanding of the world and prepare himself for the challenges ahead.

The Red Line splits the world into two distinct halves.

The first half is ruled by the World Government, which captures and judges pirates who dare to venture into their territory.

The other half of the world belongs to the pirates, with four powerful pirate groups known as the Yonko dominating and controlling vast territories. Any pirate crew that crosses paths with them has only two choices: to either join forces with them or face utter destruction.

"The Marines and the World Government have lost their purity," Garp remarked to Saitama as they leaned on the deck's railings. "After Roger's death, countless pirates took to the sea, spreading chaos and panic. To cope with the pressure, the Marines compromised their principles and created a corrupt group known as The Shichibukai, or the Seven Warlords of the Sea."

Saitama gazed at the sky, his eyes wide open.

"The Heroes Association once considered recruiting wanted criminals to fight monsters," he said.

"However, if a Shichibukai commits a crime deemed too severe by the World Government, they will be stripped of their title. Justice has been tarnished," Garp added.

Garp then looked directly at Saitama, as if peering into his soul. "I don't know why, but when I first saw you, I sensed that you could change all of this. Your sense of justice and strength are the most valuable treasures in this era of evil."

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