69 The strongest

" Yaggggh!"

The sound of shouting and cannon fire blasted throughout the barracks. Though in reality it was the sound of Markus slamming his fist into a wall of steel over and over again without pause.

" How long has he been at that?!"

" One whole month. He's here every day."

" What a freak."

" HEY! Get back to work!" Walking in behind the three Marines, shouting, was none other than Instructor Zephyr himself. His tall body encompassed the three young soldiers.

They all ran away from the imposing man shouting only one word. " Sorry."

Zephyr looked upon them with contempt and shook his head.

" Pathetic. I swear what a bunch of lazy men you've stuck me with old man." Zephyr muttered. "Hm?" Zephyr looked into the hall. " Still at it huh? Well, I'll leave him be. Nothing left I can help with." Zephyr stated. He closed the sliding door behind him and continued on with his business, while Markus continued training.

* BANG!

" Damn it! What am I doing wrong?!" Markus shouted in frustration. His hands were sore and bleeding from hitting the hard metal so many times. But the pain from his hands could hardly compare to the frustration that filled his being. " I've been at it for so long and I still haven't gotten the hang of it yet. What am I missing?!"

' Let your energy flow like water. Fighting against it only makes it worse. Control your anger, relax your emotions, and just be.'

' You gotta channel it all together, instead of trying to force it out into the open. Control the flow of haki within your body and focus it.'

Markus remembered vividly how Zephyr and Goenma explained the usage of haki to him, and while it makes sense, he still just couldn't grasp it.

He tried pushing his haki, but he just wasn't getting it.

" What am I doing wrong?!" He asked.

" You're thinking about it the wrong way, Doskoi!"

Markus turned around upon hearing the young voice." Huh?" He looked around, seeing no one, and then he heard it speak again.

" Hey! Down here!"

Markus looked down to see a young man with a bowl haircut, wearing a red garment with a giant red bow knot in the back.

" Who are you, kid?" Markus asked.

" Sentomaru! Doskoi!" Sentomaru stomped both of his feet on the ground and then threw his hands forward and a shockwave hit the steel wall.

" WHAT?! HOW?!" Markus was left stunned.

" That's what you're trying to do, right? Well, you're doing it wrong." Sentomaru exclaimed.

Markus was left utterly speechless. ' How did a kid do that? And so easily?' Markus wondered. He looked down at the kid, who had a smug look on his face. " How did you do that, kid?" He asked.

" I've been training with uncle Borsalino! It's only natural that I'd be great too."

' Uncle Borsalino? I didn't know Borsalino had a nephew.' " Explain it to me. How did you do that?" Markus asked again.

" Well, it's simple. See, you gotta think about what drives you. And then reach for it!" Sentomaru exclaimed. " See, haki is all about ambition and pride. But also, about peace. When you get too worked up, it starts to deteriorate. But when you're concentrated and focused then it remains strong. So, I focus on what makes me happy, what I find pride in. That way, I can never get distracted! For instance, I focus on my pride in defense. And then I take that pride and joy and put it into my haki, and then.... DOSKOI!"

Sentomaru's hands shot forward like cannon balls, and the steel wall shook a little.

" It wasn't much, I still got a way to go before I perfect it myself. But it's the right track." Sentomaru explained. " Now, try it. But remember to focus on that goal.

Markus turned back to the wall of steel, which looked as if it had been beaten with cannonballs, and focused.

' Pride and joy.'

Markus closed his eyes and started focusing his mind.

What was it he wanted? What made him happy? What did he take pride in?

His hand turned black.

Images started flash inside his mind.

His joy? The friends and family he had beside him. The journey he's been on and all the amazing places he's been blessed to be able to see.

His pride? He took great pride in his fists. The strength that he built up with years of hard work and dedication. Getting as far as he did with his own strength, despite not being a talented monster like some and not having a powerful devil fruit to take advantage of. No, everything he had, he worked hard to achieve. That was his pride.

Images flashed within his mind of the life he's lived. Such a short one yet filled with so many wonders. The people, the places, the battles, the rage of war.

And finally, his goal. His goal? What was it again?

' What was my goal? What is the reason I'm even doing this?' He wondered. ' A dream. A world that thrived in peace. Where no evil reigned. Where those in charge didn't abuse their power to fuel their own egos.'

A noble dream. An even nobler goal. And one not easily obtainable. But there's more to it than that. Isn't that, right?

' Yes.'

To achieve such an idealistic world, what would you need to do? What would you need to be? How far would you need to go? How far would you need to push yourself?

WHAT?! EXACTLY! WHAT?!

Sentomaru watched as a glowing red aura formed around Markus' arm, and in that moment, he knew. Yes, he could feel it. ' Yes, that's it! Keep pushing Doskoi!'

' To Crush the darkness! And spread the truth!'

YES! HOW?!

' By winning!'

Markus opened his eyes and thrusted his hand forward. " TO BE THE STRONGEST!" He shouted. His arm shot forward and stopped just before hitting the steel wall. Markus' haki erupted from his hand and shot straight through the wall, blowing a massive hole in the giant structure straight through the other side.

" DOSKOI! That is what you are missing!" Sentomaru exclaimed.

Markus smiled at his work and looked at his glowing hand.

" The Very Very strongest! HAHA!"

to be continued!