"That idiot! He completely drained himself in that last stunt!" Caesar laughed softly. Despite everything, traveling with Joseph had genuinely changed his impression of him.
"Teacher, please forgive me for helping him out."
Lisa Lisa took a slow sip of juice and turned her head aside. "I'll forgive you—but only if I don't see you."
The instant Lisa Lisa looked away, Caesar rushed toward Joseph's position, pulling him up with the last ounce of his strength.
"Haa… haaa… phew… haa…"
With that final effort, both collapsed on the ground, completely exhausted, capable only of heavy breaths.
"We survived!" Joseph exchanged a glance with Caesar, both feeling the intense relief of having narrowly escaped death.
Only after half a day's rest and a hearty meal did Joseph and Caesar finally recover.
"Hey, woman—were you trying to kill us?!" Fully restored, Joseph confronted Lisa Lisa.
Without even looking at him, Lisa Lisa replied calmly, "Your companions don't seem to think so."
Joseph glanced at the indifferent Ray Chu and Caesar. He grumbled briefly but eventually decided to uphold his gentlemanly principles. "If your training methods weren't at least a tiny bit effective, I might've broken my 'no hitting women' rule."
"Hehehe, who said anything about not hitting women?"
"Kekeke, it's been a long time since we've had such amusing brats on the island!"
Two huge shadows suddenly enveloped Joseph and Caesar, appearing without the slightest sound, as if they'd materialized directly behind them.
The two men jumped aside in fright. Before them stood two towering figures in bizarre poses, looking like genies straight out of One Thousand and One Nights.
"Messina!"
"Loggins!"
The two giants announced their names with playful smiles. Both wore long robes and tall black hats, radiating the aura of Hamon masters.
"These two are servants of the manor," Lisa Lisa introduced. "Starting today, they'll be your substitute instructors and oversee your next training sessions."
She then turned toward Ray Chu. "As for you—I'll train you personally."
...
Over the next several days, the three began a new round of training.
Unlike the previous Hell Climb Pillar, this training wasn't as life-threatening. However, the sheer volume of exercises dramatically increased, and the schedule became far more grueling. They trained until every muscle screamed in agony. If not for the healing power of Hamon, their bodies would've broken down long ago.
While Joseph and Caesar endured their intense regimen, Ray Chu followed Lisa Lisa leisurely around the bustling streets of Venice, eventually stopping at a secluded beach.
A damp sea breeze swept through Lisa Lisa's hair as she gazed pensively toward the distant horizon. Her expression was tinged with melancholy, lending her a quiet, graceful beauty. Ray Chu knew the truth behind that youthful appearance: she was Joseph's biological mother. Due to her lifelong Hamon training, she appeared barely in her twenties, but she was actually close to fifty.
After staring at the sea for a long moment, Lisa Lisa turned back to Ray Chu.
"You've already mastered Hamon techniques nearly flawlessly. The only thing you lack now is depth. Your next task is to dive beneath this sea—using the pressure of the water to rapidly increase your Hamon strength."
Hamon relied entirely upon breathing, and ordinary humans couldn't breathe underwater. Most people could barely hold their breath over a minute. The world record was about fifteen minutes, while experienced Hamon warriors easily surpassed an hour.
But Lisa Lisa demanded more. She required Ray Chu to perform continuous breathing exercises on the seabed under intense water pressure, speeding blood flow to rapidly enhance his Hamon reserves. Such conditions were brutal—even lasting half an hour would be extremely difficult.
Yet, Lisa Lisa's method was undeniably effective. After just a short period of practice, Ray Chu clearly felt his Hamon energy increase significantly.
"Inhale… Exhale…"
Around that time, tourists visiting the Venetian coast began noticing strange, rhythmic breathing sounds coming from deep beneath the sea. These loud, echoing noises surged with the tides, reverberating across the horizon. Only massive deep-sea whales were known to produce sounds that powerful.
But the Italian government had thoroughly surveyed these coastal waters long ago; large marine creatures like whales simply shouldn't exist here.
Coast Guard vessels searched diligently, yet found nothing. The mysterious breathing remained inexplicable.
Little did they know, this strange phenomenon was merely a single man training unseen at the ocean's depths, growing stronger for the future of humanity.
Even at noon, sunlight barely pierced the ocean's darkness. Visibility at the seabed was extremely poor; human eyes could scarcely see beyond five meters.
For the fish living there, vision was secondary. They relied more on ocean currents and temperature to navigate.
A clownfish, separated from its group, wandered carelessly into a strange air bubble. It immediately dropped to the bubble's floor as the water around it vanished. With its limited intelligence, it flopped helplessly, unable to comprehend its sudden predicament.
Then a gentle, pale hand scooped it up and carefully returned it to the sea.
"You don't belong here. Go now."
The owner of that hand was Lisa Lisa. Currently, she stood twenty meters beneath the ocean surface, isolated from the water by a thin, transparent membrane supplying her with oxygen.
Even then, she had to periodically return to the surface to replenish her air.
Lisa Lisa glanced toward Ray Chu, who, as per her instructions, had been continuously practicing deep-water Hamon breathing nearby. The effects were clearly visible in the rippling Hamon energy spreading through the surrounding water.
"Such astonishing lung capacity," Lisa Lisa murmured. "Hamon naturally enhances one's physique, but this far surpasses any human limits—even vampires would fall short!"
She'd witnessed vampires in her youth—their incredible strength and speed had left a deep impression. If not for Hamon's unique advantage against them, humanity might've stood little chance.
For centuries, Hamon warriors believed humans couldn't hope to match those monstrous beings through strength alone. They depended solely on Hamon's solar energy to defeat such foes.
This understanding remained unquestioned—until Ray Chu appeared.
"Perhaps… he truly can end this endless war and fulfill the legacy of all Hamon practitioners…"
Lisa Lisa's thoughts drifted in contemplation.
Suddenly, Ray Chu's eyes snapped open.
In that instant, Lisa Lisa felt something akin to sunlight flash across the dark ocean floor.
"Something's approaching," Ray Chu's voice transmitted clearly to her ears through vibrations in the water. "Their numbers… are incredible."
---
T/N: motherlover ray chu...? anyway heh THATS RIGHT RAY CHU ISNT A HUMAN!!! HES A PIKACHU!! peakychu is so sad...
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