One Piece: Honey Badger Speedruns the World

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The dull thud echoed through the woods.

Goss was practicing his punches on an ironwood tree that was as thick as two people could hug. He had received energy replenishment from the Hungry Ghost Realm.

His movements were no longer as awkward as yesterday; each punch carried a sharp, rhythmic quality.

Ankle twist, back muscles engage, wolf strike!

His figure left a trail of afterimages in the woods, instantly covering a distance of five meters, and slammed his fist into a tree trunk, leaving a deep fist mark, causing the bark to explode and fly everywhere.

"This power..."

Goss looked at his fist, silently assessing the situation.

Although he doesn't yet possess the domineering aura, after a night of strengthening in the Asura Path and recovery in the Hungry Ghost Path, his physical attributes and explosive power have definitely surpassed those of ordinary elite soldiers.

"If we take the original work as a reference..."

That's Alvida with her Iron Rod, which is probably a level of strength far exceeding that of ordinary people.

"This is my current level; I'm still far from being as good as Jack."

Goss shook his head, unsatisfied. Just as he was about to continue training, his ears twitched slightly.

The faint rustling of leaves came from behind me.

"Who?"

Goss suddenly turned around, instinctively lowering his center of gravity and adopting the modified version of the Wolf Rush starting stance, his eyes fierce as knives.

Two figures were squatting on the treetops not far away.

One was a jaguar fur tribe member wearing a dark green cloak and smoking a cigarette.

He carried a huge horse-slaying sword on his back, his left eye was covered by his bangs, and he exuded a lazy yet dangerous aura.

Beside him crouched a petite squirrel-fur girl.

She was wearing the apprentice uniform of the Knights of the Galaxy, her fluffy tail wagging excitedly behind her, and her big eyes curiously scrutinizing Goss.

Pedro! Leader of the Knights of the Whale Forest!

Goss felt a chill run down his spine.

"Wow! Commander, look! This little guy's reflexes are amazing!"

The squirrel girl couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, her voice full of delight.

"He heard us even when we were moving so quietly? He's way better than those slow-witted musketeers!"

Pedro exhaled a smoke ring, ignoring Goss's wariness, and lightly jumped down with the squirrel girl.

His gaze fell with interest on the ironwood tree that Goss had just bombarded.

"That move just now... was it the Musketeers' Instant Step?"

Pedro stroked his chin, his eyes sharpening: "No, you've removed all the fancy feints and kept only the most direct, linear burst."

Although the form is a bit awkward, in actual combat, this move is more lethal than the original Instant Step.

"I knew it!"

The squirrel girl, Lili Rong, nodded repeatedly, like a dutiful straight man.

"That burst of power just now, it was over in a flash! I almost didn't even see it! Commander, that little guy's got something!"

Goss put away his stance and remained silent.

"You're that honey badger kid named Goss, right? I heard you got kicked out of Sicily yesterday?"

Pedro smiled, a hint of appreciation in his smile: "That stubborn Sicilian always clings to that chivalric code."

He didn't understand what a real life-or-death battle was.

He walked up to Goss and patted him on the shoulder: "Compared to those musketeers in uniforms marching in formation, your wild fighting style is more to our liking."

"So? Interested in coming over here?"

Goss paused for a moment.

A group of chivalrous heroes?

"Really, Captain? We're going to take him in? Then I'll be a senior!"

Lili Rong excitedly circled around Goss, her big eyes sparkling like stars.

"Great! I like this guy; he has a fierce streak, much cooler than those sissies in the Musketeers!"

Goss felt a little uncomfortable being praised so bluntly by a fluffy squirrel girl.

But what he cared about more was Pedro's invitation. This was Zou's strongest combat unit, and he could truly learn a lot from them.

More importantly, I heard that the canteen of the Knights of the Three Kingdoms is free and you can eat as much as you want.

"I……"

Before Goss could agree, Pedro suddenly changed the subject, his gaze turning serious.

"However, your attack method has a fatal flaw."

Pedro extended a finger and tapped the deep fist mark on the tree trunk.

"The power is good, but it's too scattered. You're punching a tree, not piercing it."

"Smash?" Goss frowned.

"That's right."

Pedro picked up a stone from the ground, crushed it with a snap of his fingers, and the stone crumbled into dust.

"You are a honey badger, your advantage lies in your claws and teeth and your penetrating power, not in brute force like a gorilla."

If you encounter an enemy with high defense, your kind of smashing attack will only tickle them.

"Watch closely."

Pedro walked up to the tree without making any exaggerated movements to build up his strength.

"This is the basic technique of the Swordsman's Guild, the Piercing Strike. It concentrates all the power of the body not only in the fist, but also in a single point at the fingertips, and explodes instantly."

"Is the commander going to use that move?!"

Lili Rong immediately covered her mouth and looked on expectantly.

"Goss, look! The commander's piercing strike can go through steel plates! It's so cool!"

Before he could finish speaking, Pedro made his move.

A seemingly effortless poke with one finger.

"puff."

A soft sound.

There were no wood chips flying around, and no bark cracking.

Pedro withdrew his finger.

Goss's pupils contracted sharply. On the thick ironwood tree, which was as thick as two people could hug, there was a finger-sized hole, translucent from front to back, with perfectly smooth edges!

The power was highly concentrated, with not a single trace leaking out!

"See that?" Pedro said casually.

"This is the true technique of killing. Once you master this, no matter how thick-skinned your enemy is, you can still poke a hole in them."

"Too...too powerful!"

Lili Rong stood excitedly to the side, her tail standing straight up.

"As expected of the captain! This piercing strike looks simple, but it actually requires extremely high muscle control. I practiced for three months and could only pierce tree bark!"

Pedro relit his cigarette and looked at the pensive Goss, saying, "This move requires a special breathing rhythm to control muscle contraction. It would take an average beginner at least a month to get the hang of it."

Goss closed his eyes, carefully recalling how Pedro had exerted his strength.

Just by experiencing this way of mobilizing and concentrating power, he could feel his strength slowly increasing.

Is this the ultimate talent of the Mink Tribe? It surpasses that of ordinary Mink Tribe members by three hundred times.

"Captain." Lili Rong came over from the side, her big tail wagging restlessly behind her, and asked in a low voice.

"How long do you think it will take this short guy to master this move? A month? Or a year?"

Pedro exhaled a smoke ring, his gaze deep: "The Piercing Kill seems simple, but it actually goes against the Mink Tribe's instinct to fight with wide-ranging, sweeping attacks."

It requires suppressing all the explosive power of the body into a single point; this extreme muscle control is a hundred times more difficult than training strength.

He paused, then held up one finger: "Back when I was adventuring on the high seas, I was hailed as a genius among the fur tribe, but it still took me a whole week to poke the first hole in the ironwood."

"One...one week?!" Lili Rong exclaimed in surprise.

"Guild leader, you're too insane! I practiced for three months before I could even break a skin!"

Pedro shook his head, his gaze toward Goss filled with appreciation but also with objectivity: "This kid has good explosive power, but he's self-taught and his foundation is too weak."

To get rid of that brute force, you need to learn to control it...

He flicked his cigarette ash and concluded, "Give him a month. But I'm confident."

"Let's check back in a week. If he can leave a fingerprint on the tree, we'll let him join the band of heroes."

"Tch, a week?"

Lili Rong pursed her lips, glanced at Goss who was covered in mud, and muttered to herself: The commander thinks too highly of him.

I doubt he'll even be able to pierce the bark this week.

In her opinion, although she was only an apprentice, she was absolutely skilled enough to crush this honey badger who only knew how to brute force.

"Alright, Goss."

Pedro turned to leave, waving goodbye.

"Haste makes waste. First, memorize the principles of force generation..."

Pedro's words were cut off before he could finish speaking.

"is that so?"

Goss closed his eyes and pondered for a second, then suddenly opened them.

He took a deep breath, adjusted his breathing, and suddenly loosened his clenched fist, turning it into a fist with fingers.

In that instant, all the power in my body surged wildly towards my fingertips, like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea.

"Piercing Kill!"

Goss's figure vanished instantly, his fingertips piercing the air with a sharp, piercing sound as he thrust them fiercely into the tree trunk.

"puff!"

A muffled thud.

Goss's fingers sank deep into the ironwood, all the way to the root! Although they didn't penetrate completely like Pedro's, they were already quite deep!

"How is that possible?!"

Lili Rong, standing to the side, was so shocked her jaw almost dropped. She rubbed her eyes, pointed at Goss, and stammered, "Commander...Commander! He...he went in! He went in on his first try!"

The cigarette Pedro was holding fell to the ground with a "thud".

He looked at Goss, his usually calm right eye filled with shock.

This extremely difficult technique requires not only talent but also an extraordinary level of control over one's body.

Even I practiced for a week back then, and this kid... he can see it perfectly after just one look?

"It seems Sicilian really is blind."

Pedro picked up the cigarette, his previously languid gaze turning intensely fiery.

"You are a natural predator."

Pedro pulled a badge with a whale design from his pocket and solemnly tossed it to Goss.

"Take this. From today onwards, you are an official member of the Knights of the Galaxy."

"Lili Rong, take the new recruits to get their uniforms." Pedro glanced at Goss's thin, muddy body.

"Take him to the bathhouse for a bath and then to the cafeteria for a meal."

"Yes, Commander!"

Lili Rong immediately stood up straight and saluted, then looked at Goss with eyes full of sparkling little stars.

"Wow, you're so cool, newbie! But it's a deal, even though I'm an intern and you're a full member, I got here first, so you still have to call me senior!"

"Yes, Senior Lili Rong."