Binding Law, Teaching Life Return

"No, I'm just a bit interested." Lakeman shook his head and turned to leave.

Doflamingo didn't insist, shrugging his shoulders as he said, "Suit yourself."

Outside, Lakeman looked at the system prompt, his eyes narrowing slightly.

[Ding.]

[Detected the genius potential of Trafalgar D. Water Law. Bind?]

[After binding, you will share his daily training feedback.]

"Bind," Lakeman answered in his mind with his thoughts.

He then casually pointed to a member of the Donquixote family nearby, signaling them over. 

"Among the people from Flevance, there's a kid named Trafalgar Law. Bring him to me after breakfast tomorrow."

"Yes." The family member left to make the arrangements.

The next day, after breakfast, a nervous and anxious Law was brought before Lakeman.

On the way, someone had already briefed Law, informing him that he was about to meet Saint Lakeman, a noble Celestial Dragon. Being noticed by a Celestial Dragon was considered Law's fortune.

Therefore, Law stood in front of Lakeman with his body tense from anxiety.

'A person as important as a Celestial Dragon is actually interested in me? Why?'

'What about me is worth his attention?'

Law wondered in his heart, confused.

In front of him, Lakeman raised his eyes and calmly looked at the boy.

 Law was only eight years old, three years younger than him, but their physical appearances were worlds apart. One looked like an adult male, while the other was just a small boy.

[Ding.]

[You've come into close contact with Trafalgar D. Water Law. Binding progress accelerated.]

[Current progress: 1.89%...]

Lakeman nodded secretly and smiled as he spoke, "No need to be nervous. I called you here because I see potential in you."

"My… potential?" Law was even more puzzled. He didn't even know what talent he had.

"That's right. You have the potential to become a top-tier powerhouse." Lakeman confirmed as he got up and started walking outside.

 "Come on, starting today, I will train you properly."

Law, still bewildered, followed.

The two arrived at a spacious area.

"Run five laps first, so I can see your overall condition," Lakeman pointed to the open space ahead, indicating for Law to start running laps.

Though unsure of what this was about, Law started running anyway.

One lap…

Two laps…

Three laps…

From a distance, many people cast surprised glances.

"What are they doing?"

"A running test?"

"Look over there—that's Lord Saint Lakeman."

"Did Law actually get personal guidance from Lord Saint Lakeman?"

"What a lucky kid."

"So envious..."

The whispers reached Law's ears as he ran.

Although he couldn't hear clearly, he noticed the envious gazes, especially from members of the Donquixote family. Law instantly realized that he was experiencing the biggest opportunity of his life. To receive guidance from Saint Lakeman was a chance that others could only dream of.

'I have to do my best.' Law clenched his teeth and forced himself to finish all five laps.

By the end, his lungs were burning, and he was gasping for air, utterly drained of energy. But he dared not relax.

"Not bad," Lakeman nodded lightly, without excessive praise.

Despite being only eight years old and suffering from amber lead poisoning, Law managed to finish five laps around such a large area. Both his willpower and physique were impressive.

During this process, Lakeman used his Observation Haki to sense Law's body. It was weak, with life being consumed by something constantly, as if some parasitic disease had taken root deep inside Law.

'So that's amber lead poisoning.' Lakeman thought to himself.

He raised his hand, signaling for a servant to come forward and carry the panting Law, saying, 

"Take him to rest."

"Huh?" Law was carried off, confused, into a bathhouse.

Then, he was subjected to a series of treatments: medicinal baths, massages, stretching, and joint adjustments—things he had never experienced before.

After coming out of the bath, several bottles of unknown medicine were poured down his throat. To his surprise, Law found that the feeling of weakness in his body had been somewhat restrained, as if part of his health had been restored.

After that, he was sent to have a meal.

In the dining hall, Law sat down to eat with several people from Flevance.

"Law, where did you go this morning?"

"Are you alright?"

"Did they bully you?"

"I heard a Celestial Dragon wanted to meet you. Is that true?"

Law nodded in response. "Yes, it was Saint Lakeman, an ally of the Donquixote family, who summoned me."

"What did he want with you?" someone asked curiously.

"It seemed… like he wanted to guide my training?" Law replied uncertainly.

Immediately, the voices around him fell silent. Everyone stared at Law in disbelief.

"A Celestial Dragon? Guiding your training?"

"Did I hear that right?"

"How is that possible?"

"Yeah, what did you do when you met him this morning?"

Law shrugged and said, "Saint Lakeman had me run laps. After I finished, I was exhausted, so he sent me to wash up, get massages, stretches, and then drink some medicine. After that, he sent me back here to eat."

Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes widened in shock.

He really was guiding his training?

But that couldn't be true. Aren't Celestial Dragons supposed to be tyrannical and selfish?

"Saint Lakeman said he sees potential in me," Law said, still confused.

 "Though I don't know what potential I have, he believes I can become strong."

Hearing this, the people around him were even more astonished.

"If that's true, Law, you've met a benefactor."

"This is your chance."

"To be noticed by a Celestial Dragon… your future is limitless."

"You have to seize this opportunity, Law."

Everyone around him was excited. People may despise Celestial Dragons, but they all envied them. It was terrible to be oppressed by one, but being favored and nurtured by a Celestial Dragon meant a future of immense possibilities. Celestial Dragons had access to the best technology and resources.

"Mm-hmm, I will." Law nodded earnestly. He knew better than anyone else that he had encountered an opportunity that could change his fate.

He quickly finished his lunch. Whether it was because of the massage or the medicine, his appetite had tripled, and he ate a meal that matched his own body weight before heading off to find Lakeman.

At that moment, Lakeman had not yet finished his own lunch. Hearing that Law had arrived, he ordered his men to have Law wait until he was done eating.

"Young Master…"

The butler hesitated before saying, "Law suffers from amber lead poisoning. Amber lead poisoning is fatal; he likely won't survive to adulthood."

"So?" Lakeman asked indifferently.

"Your efforts might be wasted," the butler said honestly.

"Those resources mean nothing to me. I believe in him," Lakeman replied with a smile. "If he can defy death and survive, he might grow into someone remarkable."

The butler wanted to say more, but after pondering it for a while, he kept silent. There were many reasons to advise caution... such as the fact that those resources could be better used on a healthy person, ensuring their success. Or that Law ultimately belonged to the Donquixote family, meaning that training him would not directly benefit the young master.

But none of that mattered when compared to Lakeman's will. When Lakeman made a decision, the butler knew his only task was to carry it out without question.

"Let's go meet him." Lakeman finished his meal, wiped his mouth, and left the dining hall.

Of course, he knew that training Law could be seen as a waste. But he had his reasons. Training Law would allow him to grow quickly, and Lakeman would receive feedback from his progress. The resources spent would eventually come back to him.

'Besides, Law has a fated connection with the Ope Ope no Mi and has the potential to awaken its power. Maybe I can even convince him to perform Immortality Surgery for me,' Lakeman thought with a light smile. Though by then, he might no longer need the power of the Ope Ope no Mi to achieve immortality.

Leaving the dining hall, Lakeman soon met Law, who had been waiting.

"Saint Lakeman." Law immediately stood up and bowed deeply.

"Mm," Lakeman nodded, walking straight outside. "Follow me. Your formal training starts this afternoon."

"Yes." Law followed eagerly.

The two returned to the open area where Law had run laps that morning. 

Once Law stood ready, Lakeman extended a hand and suddenly pressed on Law's waist.

"Huh?"

Law's body jerked, his muscles trembling uncontrollably as his body stood upright.

-Swish.

 Lakeman's fingers slid from Law's back, from top to bottom.

"What… what's happening to me?"

Law was horrified to find his nerves seemingly come alive, stimulating his muscles to contract and twitch multiple times in the span of a second.

In the blink of an eye, Law's skin flushed red, accumulating heat. He looked at Lakeman in shock.

"Close your eyes and carefully feel the changes in your body," Lakeman said calmly. "What I'm teaching you now is a technique called 'Life Return.'"

Life Return?

Law hurriedly closed his eyes and focused his mind.

"The essence of this technique is to use your spirit to delve into your body, controlling your muscles, nerves, organs, bones, and other bodily functions through sheer will.

Once mastered, you can control your body's size, metabolism, and strength at will.

You can even reach the cellular level, modifying your physiological mechanisms."

Lakeman's voice echoed in Law's mind like a mighty bell, filling his thoughts.

Control your body with your will? Regulate your body size? Modify your physiological mechanisms?

Law's mind buzzed, overwhelmed by disbelief.

'Is there really such an incredible skill in the world?'

Thinking this, he hurriedly focused on feeling the changes in his body. At the same time, a surge of excitement welled up inside him.

'If I can freely control my body and change my physiology, wouldn't it be like performing a full-body surgery on myself?'

'If that's the case, maybe there's hope for curing my amber lead poisoning.'

This, too, was one of Lakeman's goals.

He continued using his fingers to stimulate Law's body, activating his cellular energy and amplifying his latent abilities. 

This was, in a way, a form of cheating. Normally, one would have to train arduously, slowly unlocking control over their body, before finally mastering Life Return. But Lakeman was using external means to force Law's body to its limits, essentially skipping the developmental process.

"However, this technique is the pinnacle of physical arts. Across the entire ocean, not even self-proclaimed geniuses can easily master it.

And there are many prerequisite skills you'll need to master first.

But given your physical condition, you don't have the luxury of learning slowly."

Lakeman's voice was solemn.

Law's heart trembled, and he focused even more, fully concentrating on sensing the changes in his body.

Indeed, Law had talent and medical knowledge learned from his father. Within minutes, his mind had completely immersed itself within his body.

[Current progress: 5.89%...]

[Current progress: 6.54%...]

[Current progress: 7.13%...]

Lakeman was pleased to see the progress increase, nodding in satisfaction.

By using physical contact during training, he was able to accelerate the binding progress.

'Although this is for the sake of binding, I'm also genuinely teaching you,' Lakeman thought to himself. 'The faster you grow, the better it is for me, too.'

And so, time passed, and an hour went by.

Law collapsed to the ground, drenched in sweat, too exhausted to even move his fingers. Forcibly activating his body had consumed a significant amount of energy—multiple times the usual amount.

"Huff… huff… huff…" 

After resting for several minutes, Law finally had the strength to speak. He asked, "Saint Lakeman, if I master Life Return, can I cure my amber lead poisoning?"

"It can be cured, but only if you master it," Lakeman said calmly, looking down at him.

"I'll definitely master it." Upon hearing there was hope, Law's eyes lit up with determination as he looked at Lakeman. "Please train me with the maximum intensity, sir."

"The maximum intensity?" Lakeman chuckled. "That comes with the risk of sudden death, you know."

"I'm not afraid," Law said resolutely. "If I can't learn Life Return, I'm as good as dead anyway, so I might as well take the risk."

"Very good."

Lakeman nodded slowly, appreciating his resolve. He beckoned to a servant.

"Take him to the bath and prepare the medicinal barrel again."

With that, a servant quickly approached, just like earlier, and carried Law back to the bathhouse.

That afternoon, Law's stamina was drained five times in total.

By the fifth time, he still wanted to keep going, but his mind had reached its limit, and he passed out.

"Send him back to rest," Lakeman waved his hand dismissively.

[Current progress: 20.41%...]

Later that night…

In Lakeman's room, Hancock lay beside him, her smooth, soft skin pressing against him as she gave him a gentle massage.

 Casually, she asked, "Master, do you think that kid named Law is really that talented?"

"Yes, he has more potential than Doflamingo," Lakeman replied with a smile.

Hancock paused in surprise.

It was the first time she had seen Lakeman praise someone so highly.

Meanwhile, when Law woke up, he found himself lying in a large room alone. Feeling hungry, he got up and headed out to find some food.

As soon as he opened the door, he saw a man wearing a pink feathered coat standing in the hallway, smiling at him.

"Doflamingo-sama." Law exclaimed in surprise, quickly bowing.

"Get up. I figured you'd be waking up around now, so I had the kitchen prepare some supper," 

Doflamingo said, raising his hand. He then turned and started walking away. "Come eat with us."

"Yes." Law stood up and quickly followed Doflamingo.

They entered a spacious dining room where a long table was set, surrounded by the core members of the Donquixote family: Trebol, Pica, Diamante, Rosinante, Lao G, Senor Pink, Gladius, Dellinger, Machvise… and others.

As soon as Law appeared, he drew everyone's attention.

"Isn't this our lucky kid?"

"Haha, to have caught the attention of Lord Saint Lakeman, you're doing great."

"Seize this opportunity, kid."

"This is the biggest opportunity of your life."

The family members spoke one after another.

Law was surprised. He could feel the envy in their voices, as if receiving guidance from Saint Lakeman was something unbelievably precious.

At the same time, he noticed how much respect they had for Lakeman.

'Is this really the infamous Donquixote family?' Law found it hard to believe.

He had thought that leaving Flevance meant going from one hell to another, though the latter might be slightly less painful. But now, he realized the situation was nothing like what he had imagined.

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