Chapter 79: Family Sparring

"Hey, stop!"

Torebor, covering his eyes, backed away while waving his hands, tears streaming down his face.

"According to the rules of our spar, it's already over."

This was the backyard of the Rose Mansion, which used to be the place where the "Big Bucks" Thompson would exercise his horses.

Now, Rosinante had transformed it into a training area, filled with various workout equipment, weapons, and a training ground that served as the 'arena.'

In addition to personal workouts, there were also practice fights among the members.

"Woo-haha~~"

Diamante, who had won the bout, turned to Rosinante with a triumphant look.

"Just a couple of women couldn't possibly affect my strength—"

"But you can only bully Torebor a little."

Rosinante quipped.

Torebor's strength largely relied on his Devil Fruit abilities. If they engaged in 'bare-handed combat,' he immediately became the stepping stone for others, like Diamante, who was eager to prove herself, to beat up.

"Pica, come spar with Diamante."

"Um... I just had a match..."

Despite being only 11 years old, Pica was 15, just like Diamante. However, when it came to hand-to-hand combat, both Diamante and Pica weren't a match for Pica!

After all, Pica's muscular build spoke for itself; his strength was no joke.

Of course, if they used weapons, that would be a different scenario.

"Then how about you spar with me?"

In response to Rosinante's words, Diamante's face turned pale.

When it came to hand-to-hand combat, only Pica could 'spar' with Rosinante. Although Pica was only 16, while Diamante was already 15, in terms of hand-to-hand combat, neither Diamante nor Pica could match Rosinante!

Moreover, if Rosinante meant 'playing' like he did with Diamante, then Pica was even less suitable. Although Virgo was 'tough enough,' his 'Basic Armament Haki' was unreliable, and he often found himself unable to maintain it.

"Cough cough, Pick, let's have a go."

After a night of 'hard work,' Diamante didn't want to be beaten up. He looked around and his gaze landed on Pick, who had recently joined the family.

Their ages were similar (Pick was 16 as well), and Diamante had a height advantage.

Furthermore, Pick was also a Devil Fruit user. His physical combat abilities weren't as strong, so he would be the perfect candidate to fill the time during morning exercise.

"Ah, me?"

Pointing at himself, Pick hesitated. Meanwhile, Rosinante had already seen through Diamante's intentions.

"Go for it, Pick."

"Let everyone have a clear understanding of your strength."

?!

Seeing Rosinante's half-smiling expression, Diamante suddenly felt a sense of foreboding. However, given the circumstances, he could only grit his teeth and go along.

"Let me show you the strength of our family's top talent!"

"Fine,"

Since it was put this way, Pick adjusted his scarf and stepped onto the training ground, assuming a combat stance.

"Please instruct me."

"Woo-haha-haha, it will be over soon—"

With his fists clenched, Diamante's feet moved, and he rushed toward Pick, creating a whirlwind in his wake.

...

The battle indeed ended quickly.

"Why, why is this happening?!"

Lying on the ground, Diamante muttered to himself. He hadn't expected that this seemingly unassuming Pick, with his bold eyebrows and large eyes, would turn out to be such a hidden powerhouse in hand-to-hand combat.

"Are you... okay?"

Facing Pick's hesitant question, Diamante, who was lying on the ground, sat up and lightly patted his clothes.

"I'm perfectly fine; I let you."

"As a senior member of the family, I can't take newcomers too seriously."

...

Your mouth is much tougher than your sword!

"Next, let me have a match with Pick."

Rolling his shoulders, Rosinante also walked to the center of the training ground and waved to Pick, who had almost no injuries.

"Good timing, we never settled the score during the Odyssey."

"Please, teach me a lot."

Pick adjusted his scarf once again and assumed a combat stance. If he wanted to integrate into a family focused on combat, the best way was to demonstrate sufficient strength. This was also why Rosinante had suggested a sparring match.

"I won't hold back, then—"

Before his words had even fully left his mouth, Rosinante rushed forward. His right fist struck Pick's left arm, which was raised for defense, while his left hand aimed for Pick's neck, showing no signs of holding back!

Faced with Rosinante's fierce strike, the usual response would be to block with one's arm.

However, Pick twisted his waist, tucked in, and used his shoulder to firmly block the strike, simultaneously extending his right hand to grab Rosinante's shoulder.

"Uh-oh,"

Seeing Rosinante's shoulder being grabbed, Diamante, who had moved aside, exclaimed.

He had experienced being grabbed by Pick's shoulder before, followed by a series of throws and slams that left him dizzy and without any chance of a comeback.

In Diamante's eyes, Rosinante was about to lose out. However, Doflamingo's gaze fell not on Rosinante, but on Rosinante's left foot, which had subtly advanced half a step.

Rosinante's right leg suddenly shot upward as he was grabbed. Using his left foot, which had subtly advanced, as a pivot point, his right foot shot up like a ferocious dragon ascending to the sky.

"Ascending to the Heavens!"

With a humming sound, Rosinante's body vibrated as if all his bones were resonating. His superhuman physique allowed him to easily perform a feat that even the most accomplished martial artists in his previous life struggled to achieve.

With this vibration, his accelerated blood circulation stimulated his entire body, causing his muscles to contract and tighten! Following that, he stepped forward, using his shoulder like a battering ram, carrying unparalleled momentum as he charged straight into Pick.

"Iron Mountain Lean!"

Boom!

No matter how strong the impact, there was a limit. Dozens of meters away, Pick, who had been sent flying like a cannonball, flipped and stood up. Although he looked quite bedraggled covered in dust, there were no signs of injury.

"Huh? He didn't use his Devil Fruit ability just now?"

Diamante was taken aback. If Pick had used his "Swim-Swim Fruit" ability to turn the ground into 'water' to cushion his landing, he could have easily absorbed the impact.

However, the streaks of dust left behind by Pick's tumbling indicated that he hadn't used his fruit ability.

"We're currently engaging in 'bare-handed combat,' and using Devil Fruit abilities even if it's beneficial is considered a loss."

Standing up once again, Pick assumed a stance and regrouped.

"This is my first time introducing 'myself' to everyone. I'm not planning to end it like this."

"Alright, let's continue—"

With a flash, Rosinante launched another attack on Pick, and Pick responded by charging back without showing any weakness.

Both of them were skilled in close-quarters combat, mixing punches and kicks with various throws and joint locks. Onlookers were left dizzy by the flurry of moves, and their hands subconsciously clenched in tension.

At the same time, both of them displayed remarkable defensive skills. They repeatedly saw one person lifting the other and slamming them into the ground, only for the attack to be effortlessly countered.

"So strong!"

"Whether it's Rosinante or that Pick..."

Torebor, who was observing the fight, couldn't help but sigh. Although his physical qualities were naturally much stronger than those of an average person, he was the weakest among the members of the Donquixote Family.

"Indeed, Doflamingo's brother; he truly is a chosen one."

In a world where self-taught prodigies and naturally gifted monsters abounded, Rosinante had always believed he was "normal."

However, that wasn't the case—Rosinante possessed remarkable combat talent!

From the fact that he had learned Gion's techniques to a significant extent within a dozen days, and his control over his body, it was evident that he was on a level that most people could never reach in their lifetimes.

It was just that his peers included people like Doflamingo, Vergo, Pica, and others.

Everyone's joint efforts to become stronger made his talent seem less "outstanding."

In reality, it made sense—while Torebor and the others might not possess top-tier talents like Zoro or Sanji, they were definitely at the SR level. Couple that with a few years of early development, and it made Rosinante feel pretty normal.

The situation on the field changed!

After a brief exchange, Rosinante discovered that Pick was exceptionally skilled in throws and defensive techniques.

His muscles had tremendous "resilience," much like the ocean's ability to absorb attacks.

Each ten-point force landed on Pick would be diminished by a third, and this was without Pick using his Devil Fruit ability. Otherwise, if Rosinante had thrown a punch, it probably wouldn't have even delivered one-third of its force to him.

Was this improvement due to the "Swim-Swim Fruit"?

No longer relying on techniques involving "strikes" and "throws," Rosinante seized the opportunity to explode forward at incredible speed. He swiftly moved from Pick's side to behind him, grabbing his collar and belt.

"Up!"

With a booming shout, Rosinante exerted force through his voice, launching Pick high into the sky!

?

Could he cause damage by using the force of gravity to slam down? That was impossible.

Pick, who was suspended in mid-air, remained entirely composed. Even before gaining the "Swim-Swim Fruit," he had relied on his throwing abilities to rank first in combat within the CP training camp.

Even if he didn't use his fruit ability, it was difficult for ordinary punches and kicks to harm him—

At this very moment, a gust of wind came from below!

While launching Pick into the air, Rosinante had already leaped up.

Once again, his hands grabbed Pick's collar and belt, then he exerted force downward, causing both of them to plummet due to the effect of gravity!

Simultaneously, Rosinante's knee was directed at the back of Pick.

The combined force of their descent was enough to shatter Pick's spine!

"Midsection Back Attack!"

Boom—

Amid a deafening sound, the two of them landed in the training ground, raising a cloud of dust into the sky. Torebor and Diamante, who were watching, both twitched involuntarily!

That's why they didn't want to "spar" with Rosinante—because when he fought, he was genuinely brutal!

Well, as he put it, with Doflamingo's Ito Ito no Mi to sew up wounds, and Jora's various fairy tale healing items, as long as he wasn't killed, he'd just keep on fighting.

"Why didn't you use your fruit ability?"

Amidst the smoke and dust, Rosinante released Pick and helped him up.

"We're currently engaged in 'bare-handed combat,' and dodging using a fruit ability isn't the conduct of a man."

Although Rosinante had stomped the ground and left behind radiation-like cracks, he stopped at the last moment, so Pick hadn't sustained multiple injuries. This actually left Pick somewhat dissatisfied.

"You even held back... you won."

A man should be willing to fall and get hurt!

"This is a family sparring match, not a battle between enemies."

As the smoke and dust cleared, just as Rosinante was about to extend his hand for a handshake and reconcile with Pick, a figure entered the training ground.

"Fu fu fu~"

"Rosinante, let me have a match with you."

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(End of this chapter)