In a blink of an eye.
Three months passed quickly.
The Mote Mountains.
Located about 300 kilometers from the capital, it is a deep mountain forest, teeming with ferocious beasts. Legend has it that there are giant beasts forty or fifty meters tall deep in the forest.
After obtaining the Fist of the King and the Iron Block of the King, Hermes left the capital the next day and went there.
He was prepared to live like a savage and set a goal to reach the threshold of the King's Fist and King's Iron Body within two months before hunting pirates to solidify his position.
This training lasted for three months.
In these deep mountains and forests, dangers are not only jackals, tigers, and leopards, but also many strange plants, snakes, and insects, making the path to survival extremely difficult.
But it is in this kind of environment that one's willpower and growth can be better developed.
Roar! ! !
It's approaching noon.
Suddenly, a series of terrifying roars echoed from the depths of the forest, the earth trembled, and a vast expanse of trees collapsed, the deafening roar overwhelming everything in its path.
Many herbivores ran in panic, followed by a pack of carnivores such as jackals, their tongues lolling out and their faces filled with fear, their four legs gliding across the ground as if they were coated with oil.
It was as if some primordial beast was chasing them.
"Ouch..."
A desperate scream echoed as a four-meter-long saber-toothed tiger was shrouded in a huge shadow, its two large hands grasping its head and tail like it was holding a chick, causing the saber-toothed tiger to tremble with fear.
Zoom in.
A wild giant, ten meters tall, with a bare upper body revealing his eight-pack abs, a stubble-covered face, and piercing eyes, exudes a wild and fierce aura that is enough to captivate countless young women.
"A ten-meter-tall body makes it very visually striking."
With ease, Hermes lifted the howling tiger and gazed around, feeling an indescribable sense of expansion from his superior position.
During these three months, Hermes made great progress in his training.
The maximum size of the miniature fruit is ten meters, but it remains five millimeters. It can change freely in between, ranging from six millimeters to eighty centimeters or six meters, achieving complete freedom of variation.
Hermes didn't know why, but the development of the Mini Fruit went very smoothly.
The future is to continue developing on a larger scale. When it reaches 20 meters, 50 meters, or 100 meters, it will be a veritable world of Dharma. Compared to developing on a larger scale, developing on a smaller scale seems to be more difficult.
However, Hermes's greatest desire is for the fruit to grow larger or smaller externally, as that would reveal its true power, though he hasn't figured it out yet.
Furthermore, this ten-meter size surpasses that of the monsters on the sea, such as Whitebeard, Kaido, and Charlotte Linlin, so Hermes is no longer disabled.
"Roar! Roar! Roar! Roar! Roar!"
Hermes frowned slightly, grabbed the saber-toothed tiger in his hand and slammed it to the ground. The wail stopped abruptly the next second.
Hermes dragged the animal into the depths of the forest, until he came to a stream where he began to skillfully skin and remove the tendons, then sprinkled on some spices and started to roast it.
"Start with two thousand of each type of basic exercise."
Prepare the ingredients.
Hermes then began doing basic exercises such as push-ups and sit-ups on the open ground nearby, his speed leaving a trail of afterimages.
Every now and then Hermes would go and check the roasting meat on the fire.
"That's about enough, let's start warming up."
After completing his basic training, Hermes assumed his stance and began punching the air repeatedly at a moderate pace, maintaining a strong sense of rhythm.
As time passed, heat began to rise from Hermes' body, and his entire body turned red and hot, with his temperature rising sharply.
"The Fist of the King".
When the critical point was reached, Hermes unleashed a powerful punch.
In an instant.
Radiant with light.
A shockwave from a punch tore through the ground, creating a tremendous roar as it moved forward, violently destroying rocks and trees along its path.
The unstoppable, devastating explosive force obliterated everything around it.
When all the storms subsided, what appeared before Hermes was a large pit, seven meters long and two meters wide, with soil and rocks tumbling out all around, steaming and sizzling.
"It's powerful enough, but the only downside is that it takes too long to warm up."
Hermes was still somewhat dissatisfied because the weaknesses of the King's Fist were too obvious.
When it comes to a duel, the enemy won't wait for you for an hour or two.
To perfect this move, one must first learn how to return life.
"It's been three whole months, time to leave!"
"Practice makes perfect."
Hermes ate the charred tiger meat while pondering.
Besides the progress and successful training in the Mini-Fruit, Observation Haki, and King's Fist, King Iron Body also succeeded. This can be seen from his exposed upper body, which has some old scars as well as some new ones.
These are all caused by cultivating iron blocks.
The training method was also very simple: fight with wild beasts and only after being injured and beaten time and time again could one successfully make the iron block. The dangers and sweat involved are best left unsaid.
A true hero doesn't dwell on past glories; as long as he succeeds, it's all worthwhile.
It's not advisable to work in isolation; to make faster progress, you have to compete with others.
It's time to practice on some ATMs.
After having enough wine and food.
Hermes rested briefly before heading towards the capital.
stop-and-go.
Hermes took half a month to travel over 300 kilometers.
The reason was that they encountered many robbers along the way, including pirate crews, mountain bandits, and thugs, all of whom were killed by Hermes.
Hermes enjoyed the journey, at least he wasn't bored.
"Have you heard? Kaido of the Beasts has escaped from the Marines again."
"What a monster."
Back to the capital.
Hermes was eating and drinking in a tavern when he overheard his neighbors talking.
During this period, Kaido was causing trouble everywhere. He was able to escape after being captured by the Navy. Putting aside his strength, he must have had some luck as well.
In the original work, Kaido is said to be unkillable, which Hermes considers to be boasting.
For example, he has the ability to kill the other party, provided that he enters the other party's body.
"Was the second prince killed the day before yesterday?"
"There are rumors that the eldest prince colluded with the Scythe Pirates and ambushed and killed the second prince. I think the throne is already in the eldest prince's hands."
"The eldest princess, the second princess, and the second prince were eliminated one after another, leaving only the third prince struggling to hold on."
"The Scythe Pirates? Then the Second Prince's defeat is not unjust. After all, their captain, Scythe Killer Most, has a bounty of 67 million, and is well-known even in the surrounding seas."
"The key is that the opponent is a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit user who has eaten the Scythe-Scythe Fruit. Although the Second Prince also has strong subordinates, they are clearly no match for Scythe Killer Most."
"By the way, how did things go yesterday between the Violent Family and the new Giraffe Pirates? Who won and who lost?"
"They're both pretty much even, neither can really do anything to the other."
"The violent family has been entrenched in the Kingdom of Prodense for more than ten years. Even during the reign of the old king, they were not eradicated. They are a very stubborn cancer."
"Of course, the head of the violent family, Bakubaku Wolf, has a bounty of 55 million. He's a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user, Dog-Dog Fruit, Jackal Form. The second-in-command is also a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user, Gray Rabbit Form, with a bounty of 43 million."
"However, the Giraffe Pirates should not be underestimated. Their captain, Giraffe Ent, has a bounty of 58 million and is also a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user. He seems to be in giraffe form. He recently escaped from Vice Admiral Kuzan. He is a real young monster."
"Not to mention that the first mate is also a notorious pirate with a bounty of 43 million."
"You just mentioned Vice Admiral Kuzan, could it be that young Logia-type monster in the Navy, Kuzan?"
"Otherwise, the Navy's three major natural monsters are all incredibly powerful. Pirates who are targeted rarely escape, so the Giraffe Pirates' ability to escape is quite remarkable."