Chapter 3

ERKSTINE'S LAB

POV GARP

As so often, I sat in Abraham's lab while he worked on his Super Soldier Serum.

We had already discovered quite a bit about my mutation during his breaks.

My strength was approximately one ton, and with Armament Haki, it doubled to around two tons. According to Abraham's calculations, my strength at its peak, when my will was at its strongest, ranged from 5 to 10 tons. My top speed was 200 km/h, though it took me nearly a minute to reach that. With Haki, I could manage almost 300 km/h, and it took only 30 seconds to hit that speed.

My Observation Haki had a radius of about a kilometer and could warn me of danger. Abraham called it my "sixth sense," but I stuck with "Haki"—the term had grown on me.

Unfortunately, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't use my Emperor Haki anymore. It had died along with my strong will.

According to Abraham, my will couldn't be measured by any technical devices and thus couldn't truly be quantified. But from my descriptions, he quickly deduced that my powers were linked to my willpower. To simplify, he assigned a numerical value to my willpower by using my body strength as a reference.

At present, my willpower was rated at two, which doubled my strength from one to two tons. So, in my prime, my willpower must have been between 5 and 10, or so he said.

I also had a minor healing factor, which Abraham believed was likely tied to my willpower. Currently, small cuts and wounds healed on their own within a few hours. He asked me if I had ever been seriously injured during my prime, but my memories of the war, especially specific battles, were blurred and unclear. According to Abraham, it was possible that I could heal from serious injuries within seconds if my willpower were strong enough—a notion I could hardly believe.

Additionally, the doctor theorized that only my will had mutated, and my body had grown large and strong during puberty to adapt to it. He had even dug up my birth certificate from the archives, and apparently, as a baby, I wasn't unusually large or heavy... just a normal infant.

Suddenly, the doctor shouted, "That's it! That's what I was missing! I never factored willpower into the formula... How could I have known?! Thank you, Garp! Your mutation is a gift from God!"

"Or a curse from God..." I muttered as I watched Abraham leap for joy.

"So, all that's left is finding the right soldier with a big heart?" I asked after he had calmed down.

"It's not just the right inner values that matter! Thanks to you, I now understand that willpower plays the biggest role in my final product! The 'Super Soldier' must truly want the enhancement and endure the procedure with strong willpower! Your body adapted to your willpower during puberty, and something similar happens during the injection! My formula has been ready for ages... I just didn't know it. I've been searching for a chemical to trigger the process in the body, but it's willpower that starts the process! Finally! I have to tell Stark at his Expo!"

"Ah, so I'll finally meet Stark as well?" I asked, feeling a bit excited about the Expo. From Peggy's stories, I knew it would blow my mind about what's technically possible.

"That's right... you haven't met Howard yet... At the scientist conference two months ago, Stark left with two ladies and went back to his hotel room before we even arrived—or so I was told..." Abraham said, his voice trailing off.

'A ladies' man, then, duly noted,' I thought as I listened further.

"Did you know that in my circles, they say Stark would have invented time travel, teleportation, and a limitless energy source by now if he didn't spend 80% of his day thinking with his penis..." Abraham chuckled, then added, "But all jokes aside, Howard Stark is probably the brightest mind of our time. Though I think Albert Einstein might still be slightly ahead, but his work is more theoretical, which makes it harder to grasp..."

STARKS EXPO

POV GARP

Today was finally the day. Stark's Expo would open its doors, showcasing the wonders and future of technology to the world. Along with Abraham, I rode in a military jeep to the exhibition. Upon arrival, we were let in through a back entrance and given a private tour of the grounds by a young lady, even before the exhibit officially opened. One thing was for sure: Stark knew how to present himself and his inventions.

Afterward, we were led to a small VIP room where Stark awaited us, accompanied by three scantily clad women.

"Ah, Abraham, you made it! And this must be our Navy hero... It's a pleasure to meet you, Vice Admiral Garp. My name is Howard Stark," he greeted us, shaking our hands in turn.

"Howard, as always, in the company of beautiful ladies, I see. Your Expo is bound to be a success. Everything looks fantastic!" Abraham replied with a laugh.

"Mr. Stark, it's an honor to meet you," I said, playing my part, and then watched as the two scientists dove into conversation.

The topic quickly shifted to Project Rebirth, but before things got too sensitive, I cleared my throat. Both scientists turned their attention to me, and with a nod toward the three women in the room, I let my concerns be known.

"Ah, thank you, Vice Admiral! Ladies, I'm afraid I have to excuse us. As you can see, the Army needs my attention... but you have the number to my hotel room. I'll be eagerly awaiting you!" Stark said with a wink. The women left the room giggling, and one of them gave me a playful smile, which caught me slightly off guard.

"Thanks, Garp, I almost let military secrets slip... Howard, it's done! I've completed the Super Soldier Serum!" Abraham said gratefully.

"You did it?! That means we'll soon have an army of super soldiers? Perfect! Nothing will be able to stop us! And we're going to make so much money from this!"

I couldn't help but shake my head slightly. 'Stark. I don't think I can really stand him... so selfish and egocentric, he seemed to be always focused on his own success. And on top of that, such a cringeworthy playboy!'

I continued listening to the scientists discussing Project Rebirth but kept my thoughts to myself.

After about an hour, Stark excused himself to go and open his Expo. Alongside Abraham, I watched Stark's presentation and speech, and my dislike for him only grew stronger.

Suddenly, at the edge of my Observation Haki, I sensed a small, frail man being beaten by a group of thugs.

'Should I go rescue him? But I can't leave Abraham alone! What if something happens to him?'

Then, an incredible will flared up in the frail man—something I had never felt before in my life. A will to stand back up, no matter what life threw at him. I was fascinated, and a part of me wanted to see just how far this man's will would take him. Or would life eventually break even his spirit?

I watched, like a voyeur, as the man was repeatedly knocked down but kept getting back up. Then, another man intervened and saved the one with the strong will.

'What have I become?! I just stood by, practically watching a man get beaten to the brink of death, and I didn't step in?! Since when have I become such a weak person?'

I felt disgusted with myself, and the question of when I had become such a weak person wouldn't leave my mind. I half-listened to Stark's presentation, while the other half of me was lost in thought. How had I become such a weak-willed man? No wonder I couldn't use my Emperor Haki anymore...

Finally, the Expo ended. I wanted nothing more than to go straight back to the military camp and brood over my life, but Abraham had other plans.

"Come on, Garp, I noticed there's a recruitment office on the grounds here. Let's see if any interesting men got inspired by Stark!" he said, and without waiting for my response, dragged me out of the VIP room toward the recruitment office.

STARK EXPO

POV: Steve Rogers

It's a strange thing to be weak when your heart feels so strong. My whole life, I've never been the one to lift the heaviest weights, run the fastest sprints, or throw the hardest punches. Instead, I'm the one who coughed his lungs out, the one who always lagged behind in gym class, and the one everyone saw as a lost cause. I get it; I see it in their eyes every time I volunteer to serve my country. Their looks betray pity—maybe even disbelief that someone like me dares to think this way. But what they don't understand is that something burns inside me—a fire that won't die, no matter how many times I'm knocked down.

Bucky always tells me to keep my head down and just go about my business. He worries about me, I know that. And I can't blame him. Bucky Barnes is everything I'm not—tall, strong, handsome. But more importantly, he's my best friend. When he told me he'd been drafted, I smiled, but deep inside, I felt a knot in my stomach. I should've been cheering. After all, what he's doing is honorable and brave, but all I could think about was being left behind. I didn't want to be left behind. Not in this war.

World War II is raging with unimaginable cruelty, and I can't just sit back and watch. People are dying out there—not just soldiers, but innocent women and children who have no protection. And me? What am I doing? Just sitting around, letting the world pass me by? No, that's not for me. Any man who hides in the shadows while others fight can't expect to sleep peacefully at night. And I can't accept that.

Today, Bucky wanted to take me to the Stark Expo. After all, he's about to be shipped off to Europe. I waited in a dark alley near the Expo, cursing myself a little for choosing such a gloomy, slightly creepy spot to meet.

The streets around the Stark Expo weren't exactly the friendliest. It was already dark, and most of the crowds were already on the Expo grounds. But Bucky still hadn't shown up. That's when I heard footsteps behind me. Before I knew it, I was grabbed and shoved into the shadows. There were two men, maybe three—I couldn't tell exactly. They wanted my money, but I didn't have much on me. Not that it seemed to matter to them.

The blows came fast and hard, and I could feel my body giving out, but that wasn't what bothered me. It was the feeling of being weak again—unable to fight back the way I wanted to. Still, with every punch, every hit that sent me to the ground, I tried to get back up. "Come on, little guy," one of them laughed. "Just stay down."

But I couldn't. I just couldn't.

"I could do this all day," I gasped, forcing my body to stand again, even though everything hurt. It was my pride, my will that kept me upright, nothing else.

Just as one of them was about to strike me again, a strong hand shoved him away from me. I looked up to see my rescuer—Bucky had finally arrived, looking sharp in his uniform. His presence scared off the thugs, who ran like headless chickens the moment they saw him.

"Are you alright, Steve?" Bucky asked, and I nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine! You should see the enemy! They were about to run for it!" I joked, though my words stung in my own heart.

"Well then, let's head to the Expo. By the way, I've got us some company!" Bucky said with a laugh, leading me toward two young women who clearly had eyes only for him. 'Well, maybe he'll fulfill a dream tonight before heading off to Europe...'

The evening at the Expo flew by. This was supposed to be a carefree night, one last moment before he went off to war. But I wasn't in the mood to celebrate. How could I be, knowing that he would soon be standing on a battlefield and I... would be here? Everything at Stark's Expo seemed so fantastic—the machines, the inventions, the promise of the future. People were cheering, laughing, excited about what's to come, while elsewhere, a much darker reality was unfolding. I looked at Bucky and saw the joy in his eyes, and I wished so badly that he could understand what was going on inside me.

"Steve," he said as we pulled away from the crowd to the edge of the Expo grounds, "you know this isn't on you. You tried. Several times. The army just won't take you."

"You don't get it, Buck," I replied, trying to suppress the frustration and anger inside me. "It's not about them not wanting me. It's that I can't stop trying. Every day I spend here, I feel useless. There are people out there suffering, fighting, without a voice. And what am I doing? I'm not hiding behind my weakness."

He looked at me, and I knew he loved me like a brother, but I also knew he didn't fully understand. "Steve," he said, "you've done everything you could. But this is madness. You can't keep running from recruitment office to recruitment office. You'll get into serious trouble for this. It's illegal to enlist under false pretenses."

I snorted. "So what? If the laws are so wrong that they stop people like me from doing what's right, what value do they have?" I could feel my heart pounding. "Buck, this isn't just any war. It's a war for freedom, for human rights. If I do nothing, then I'm worth nothing."

He shook his head, but I could see the desperation in his eyes. "Steve, you can't win this war alone. Why do you want to be just another dead body?"

"But I can try, and maybe my dead body makes the difference" I said as I made my way toward the small recruitment office on the Expo grounds.

STARK EXPO

POV: Garp

I walked leisurely behind Abraham, scanning the surroundings with my Observation Haki. I could feel many eyes on us, and a few people seemed to be following us. Most of them were just curious onlookers, probably never having seen anyone like me before. Still, I remained vigilant, ready at any moment to pull Abraham out of harm's way.

My gaze landed on a soldier in an infantry uniform and a small, frail man. I immediately recognized the incredible will I had sensed earlier and listened with interest to their conversation. The doctor followed my gaze, also drawn to the two men's words. At first, he observed the soldier, but his attention quickly shifted to the smaller, weaker man, and I could've sworn I saw stars glimmering in his eyes.

"Tell me, Garp... do you know either of them?"

Reluctantly, I recounted the story, and I could see Abraham shaking his head.

"We'll need to discuss this later... I didn't realize how dark your thoughts had become... You should know that there are things in this world that matter more than duty—morality, for one! But tell me, how strong is the will of the smaller man?"

I had purposely left out that information, knowing it would pique the doctor's interest.

'But maybe he's better than someone with a weaker will... after all, he should be able to survive the procedure...'

Finally, I said, "He has the strongest will I've ever encountered in my life... at least since I awakened my Haki. You're thinking of him for Project Rebirth, aren't you?"

"He interests me. From the looks of it, he has a pure heart and conscience. Exactly the kind of person I'm looking for in my Super Soldiers. Perhaps he could be one of the first, if not the first? Of course, we still need the approval of the military and Phillips..."

Without exchanging any more words, we discreetly followed the man to the recruitment office.

(TO BE CONTINUED)