Garp looked at the three little brats before him, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.
"You three should already know this—the world is vast, and most travel can only be done by ship."
"Sailing on the sea means facing not just natural disasters but human dangers as well. That's why a strong body is absolutely essential."
"But you're all still young, so I'm not planning to teach you any high-intensity training yet."
Moses' eyes showed suspicion. After all this talk, he asked, "So then...?"
"What exactly are you going to teach us? Surely not swimming, right?"
Ace nodded, curling his lip. "Yeah, if you're not teaching us how to train our bodies, then what? Swimming?"
Sabo agreed wholeheartedly. "Swimming? Sure, I don't know how yet anyway. When do we start? I know a lake—it's pretty safe there. Let's go now."
He glanced at Ace and Moses. "Come on. I'll take you there."
Moses nodded, then looked at Garp. "Let's go. Unless... Grandpa, you weren't actually planning to teach us swimming?"
Garp's face darkened slightly as he clenched his fists. This batch of brats was proving difficult to handle.
He cleared his throat.
A dangerous glint flashed in his eyes as Garp grinned. "That's right—swimming it is. But be prepared. Don't go dying on me."
With that, he narrowed his eyes at Sabo. "You're a clever little brat, aren't you? Fine, you lead the way."
Sabo glanced at Garp and suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. His heart pounded as he forced a nervous laugh.
"Uh, actually, if you know a good spot, Grandpa, maybe you should lead instead."
His survival instincts were in overdrive.
Seeing Sabo's sweet talk, Garp couldn't help but glance at Ace. Why couldn't this kid learn from him?
Noticing the look, Ace flushed and averted his gaze, muttering, "What're you looking at, old man?"
Garp saw and heard it all, and his fists itched again.
His face darkened with anger. Fine, he'd save it for later—once they reached the spot, he'd teach the brat a lesson.
Turning around, he barked, "Keep up."
With that, he strode off into the distance.
Moses chuckled, giving Ace a look that said "good luck" before cheerfully chasing after Garp.
A burly man led the way.
Three little boys followed behind.
A white-necked crow flew overhead.
Silently, they trekked through the forest.
Though Garp was just walking, his strides were long and fast, forcing the three boys to jog to keep up.
After half an hour, only Moses was still fine—Ace and Sabo were both panting.
Sabo, especially, was gasping for breath.
As they ran, he turned to Ace, his most familiar companion, with an amazed look. "Hah—Ace, I've been meaning to ask. How are you so much more physically fit than me?"
Ace glanced at Moses, who merely smirked but didn't object.
Puffing out his chest, Ace declared proudly, "Well, duh. I'm three months older than you, so of course I'm stronger."
Moses' lips curled as he silently watched Ace show off, while Sabo huffed indignantly.
"Bullshit! Three months doesn't count as older!"
At those words, a complicated, unreadable emotion flickered in Ace's eyes as he looked at Sabo.
"Three months? Then why don't you look at Moses? That guy's only a few seconds older than me, but he's way stronger."
Hearing this, Sabo turned his head and immediately saw Moses looking completely normal, breathing evenly, appearing exceptionally relaxed.
Blinking his eyes.
Looking at Moses who was slightly taller than both of them, Sabo asked curiously, "Is Moses really the same age as you? Are you sure he's not a year older?"
Ace's face darkened, feeling like Sabo was insulting him.
Insulting his underdeveloped growth.
"Tch, maybe that bastard stole my nutrients when we were in the womb."
Hearing this, Moses laughed angrily, "You bastard, why don't you say you were the one always crowding me in the womb?"
Ace looked bewildered, immediately retorting angrily, "That's bullshit! Who was crowding who? Maybe you were crowding me!"
At this moment, Garp, who wasn't far ahead, stopped. The three of them walked through the woods to stand behind Garp.
Before them appeared a lake about three hundred meters in diameter, its surface clear, with dense water plants along the shore and some yellowing lotus leaves growing in the shallow areas.
There were also wild ducks playing on the lake.
Quacking loudly.
Turning around, Garp looked at Ace with a strange expression. Seeing this, Ace frowned, "Old man, why are you looking at me like that?"
Garp coughed, his lips curling into a wide grin, "That brat Moses might actually be right. That kid was precocious, maybe he really remembers you crowding him in the womb."
Ace froze, looking at Moses in bewilderment, "You actually remember that? Are you some kind of monster?"
Moses' face darkened as he laughed angrily, "Do you even know how to speak? If I'm a monster then what does that make you? Monster junior? The lesser monster?"
Ace mumbled, "Sorry, maybe I did it unconsciously. Do you want to crowd me back now?"
Moses twitched his mouth, saying speechlessly, "What? You want to go back for a remake?"
"Don't be stupid. If you're really this dumb, don't tell anyone you know me when we go out. I can't afford the embarrassment."
Ace laughed angrily, "I'll definitely become famous before you. Then I'll make sure to tell everyone that you're my little brother, so the whole world knows Moses is the junior."
Moses' face darkened—this rebellious kid still hadn't given up his ambition to be the elder.
"Then work hard. When that time comes, I'll just say I don't know you. After all, we don't look exactly alike."
"The sea is vast, there are bound to be people who look similar. No one would believe it."
Just as Ace was about to speak again, Garp interrupted, "Enough nonsense. All of you, strip."
Moses turned to see Garp already down to just his shorts, his muscular body like finely carved marble, covered with scars that resembled medals, radiating an intimidating sense of power.
Seeing the three boys staring dumbfounded, Garp laughed heartily, "The warm-up's over. Now all of you jump in. I'll teach you swimming techniques first."
When the three didn't move immediately, Garp cracked his knuckles loudly.
Glaring at them,
"What? Do you want me to strip you myself?"
Moses calmly began undressing. Within seconds, he was down to just his shorts and walked up to Garp.
Garp looked at Moses approvingly, placing a large hand on his head as he said cheerfully:
"Good, very obedient."
"Then let's start with you."
Moses stared blankly at Garp, his mind racing in panic: "Wait, old man, aren't you going to explain swimming techniques first?"
Garp grinned triumphantly, "Puhaha, what techniques? Learn it yourself between life and death! Human potential is squeezed out fastest in dire situations."
"Off you go."
With that, he grabbed Moses' right arm, twisted his waist, and with a hearty laugh, hurled him directly toward the center of the lake in a perfect parabolic arc.
"I **** you! 'Between life and death' just means dying faster!"
Mid-air, Moses watched the lake surface rapidly approaching, his face darkening. Then he composed himself, took a deep Breath, and—SPLASH—a fountain of water erupted as he hit the surface.
Watching Moses enter the water this way, Ace and Sabo stiffened, regretting stripping down too early.
"Puhaha, you two are going in too!"
Suddenly, Garp appeared before them with a menacing grin, grabbing one in each hand like chicks and hurling them outward in a wide, swinging motion.
Three seconds later.
SPLASH. SPLASH!!
Garp smirked in satisfaction, stretching his arms and legs. "Thought I couldn't handle you brats?"
His calf muscles bulged slightly—BOOM!—leaving two footprints in the ground as he launched himself in a perfect arc toward the spot where he'd thrown the trio.
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"SPLASH"—a flawless entry, barely raising a ripple.
Swimming, in essence, is just body movements underwater combined with breathing techniques at the surface.
Generally, it's an underwater motion achieved by coordinating arm and leg movements with the water's flow.
The moment he hit the water,
Moses didn't flail. He simply let the force carry him downward.
The deep Breath he'd taken before entering kept his oxygen levels sufficient, so he wasn't in immediate need of air.
The water wasn't deep.
At its deepest, less than twenty meters.
He quietly spread his body, floating and sinking in the water. Sunlight filtered through lily pads above, casting dim light as he opened his eyes.
Drifting in the lake, the downward pull of gravity and the buoyancy of the air in his body interacted, leaving him directionless—neither rising nor sinking, just moving with the current.
Sometimes head up, feet down; other times upside down, or sideways, or prone—letting the lake dictate his motion.
A wholly new sensation washed over him.
Moses blinked, entering a state of Unity of Heaven and Man, sensing the Breath of the water, its flow, as he slowly moved his hands. Water slipped through the gaps between his splayed fingers.
This lake held living water, with a current, connected to a nearby river.
Moses perceived the varying Breath frequencies within the water—traces of air, oxygen brushing against his skin—yet he couldn't draw them into his body.
It was as if a membrane covered him, blocking the water's oxygen from entering.
A thought flashed through Moses' mind—a special ability called "Life Return." If he could master it, perhaps it could synergize with "Qi Circulation Throughout the Body" to control the opening of his skin's pores, allowing him to absorb oxygen from the water through capillaries in his skin, much like certain fish species.
In the silent underwater environment, Moses' thoughts collided rapidly, his consciousness spinning at lightning speed. Before he knew it, a suffocating sensation overwhelmed him.
Moses began swinging his arms, adjusting his body angle as he prepared to swim toward the lake's surface.
Just then, a dark figure swam toward him. The next moment, his arm was grabbed, and in the blink of an eye, he broke through the water's surface.
As soon as he emerged,
Moses gasped for air, the suffocating sensation quickly fading. He raised his right hand to wipe the water from his face.
Looking at Garp, who had pulled him up, Moses tilted his head slightly. "What's wrong, Grandpa?"
Though concern flickered in Garp's eyes, he laughed heartily. "So? How was your first taste of suffocation?"
Moses glanced around and saw that Ace and Sabo had already learned to swim, paddling through the water like dogs.
Noticing Moses' gaze, Garp grinned. "They picked it up fast. Strong bodies—took them about ten minutes."
"What about you? I saw you just lying there underwater, eyes open, not moving. Are you afraid of water?"
Moses shook his head and explained his idea about using Life Return to breathe underwater through his skin.
Garp had mentioned Life Return before while teaching the "Six Styles" on the warship.
Surprise flashed in Garp's eyes as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Huh, not a bad idea. Mimicking deep-sea fish through Life Return, huh? That might actually work."
Generally, humans who rely on lungs for breathing wouldn't even consider such a method—perhaps a case of being unable to see the forest for the trees.
Not that it was impossible—just that no one had thought of it.
Then again, the world was vast and full of wonders. Maybe someone had already mastered such a technique.
"Ha! Never mind that for now. Let me teach you the basics of swimming first."
Garp began instructing Moses in earnest—starting with the movements of his hands, arms, legs, and feet, then coordinating his waist with the rhythm of his breathing. He taught him how to work with the water's flow and his own movements.
Moses started learning. Ten meters away, Ace, relieved to see Moses was fine, immediately pointed at him and burst into laughter, splashing the water.
"HAHAHA! Moses, you're so dumb! You actually sank! Think you can even learn? If you can't, just beg me—I'll teach you personally!"
Similarly, Sabo's worried expression vanished as he joined in the laughter.
Had Garp not been watching, they would've rushed to rescue him long ago.
Moses ignored them. Garp's lesson ended quickly. Arching his body underwater, Moses planted his feet against Garp's chest and pushed off, propelling himself forward with a straight arm, his body slicing through the water.
Thanks to his precise control over his body, he quickly adapted to the water, mastering how to move and breathe efficiently.
In other words—
He had learned how to swim.
Moses coordinated his limbs smoothly, alternating between freestyle strokes and breaststroke to keep his head above water.
In no time, Moses swam past Ace with effortless strokes, casting a faint glance at his doggy paddle.
Though there wasn't a trace of mockery in his eyes, Ace still felt thoroughly underestimated.
His small face instantly flushed red with anger.
"Moses!! Why are you looking at me like that?"
"No reason. You're seeing things. Must be the water in your eyes."
"Pfft—hehehehe!" Sabo snickered from the side. He had come to realize that Moses had a knack for riling Ace up in all sorts of ways. "Is this what they call 'one thing subduing another'? Brothers, huh? Kinda jealous."
Ace was too busy fuming to notice, but Moses caught Sabo's words. A smirk curled his lips as he suddenly dove underwater, swiftly kicking his way toward Sabo.
With a quick grab of Sabo's ankle, he yanked him down into the lake.
On the surface, Ace heard the splash and turned to find Sabo missing—only bubbles rising where he had been. Panicked, he immediately plunged underwater.
There, he saw Moses and Sabo playfully wrestling beneath the surface.
A surge of irritation welled up inside him. Pushing off with his feet, he paddled furiously toward them, joining Sabo in their little battle against Moses.