Thorne woke up a few hours later, still bound by the shackles Gunko had placed on him. He realized that even though he possessed both Luffy's and Roger's combined talents, that didn't automatically mean he would have a vast amount of Haki; he needed to develop it himself before reaching the level of Roger or Shanks.
---
Five months had passed since Thorne began training directly under Garling and the Figarland family. He sparred with Gunko and Shamrock almost daily, taking breaks only on Sundays or when either of them was assigned a mission.
Despite being restricted by sea stone handcuffs—preventing him from using his Devil Fruit—his physical strength continued to grow. His body was becoming nearly as strong as Big Mom's when she was a child. Considering that Big Mom injured the greatest warrior of Elbaf at the age of ten, this was already a remarkable feat. Still, Thorne had to train relentlessly to reach that level of strength.
He was currently sparring against Shamrock, who had activated Cerberus. Thorne countered using only his sword techniques and Armament Haki.
"Fortune's Guillotine!" Shamrock shouted, slashing with Cerberus in hand, aiming at Thorne.
"Dance," Thorne whispered, countering with a slash from his Chimera sword. Flames erupted from the blade—a skill he had learned from Shamrock due to the similarity of their weapons.
"Clover Execution!" Shamrock launched another attack, this time unleashing a burst of Conqueror's Haki combined with his Devil Fruit power. A three-headed Cerberus-shaped force lunged toward Thorne.
Thorne countered by releasing his Armament Haki through emission, imbuing the full power of the Chimera. A fire-formed creature cloaked in black armor burst forth, charging at the Cerberus manifestation. When the two constructs collided, they vanished.
Shamrock and Thorne clashed swords, blades locked tightly. Suddenly, one of the Cerberus heads reappeared and bit Thorne on the shoulder, weakening his stance. Shamrock capitalized on the opening and struck Thorne in the torso.
"Well, I guess you can only win if you cheat," Thorne muttered from the ground, looking up at Shamrock, who simply laughed.
"You lost. That's the takeaway here. And I wasn't even using my full strength," Shamrock said, looking down at Thorne, who remained on the ground.
"Stand up quickly. We have to finish this—I've got other arrangements," Shamrock added, lunging again. Thorne jumped up, dodging the attack.
They continued sparring for another two hours before calling it a day.
"You're improving rapidly. It won't be long before you awaken your Conqueror's Haki and fight me as an equal," Shamrock said, impressed by Thorne's unnatural rate of progression.
"It won't be long before I defeat you. Then I'm coming for Father next," Thorne said proudly. He aimed to become as strong as an elder before leaving Marijoa—only then could he live on his own terms.
"You think Father's strength can be surpassed so easily? You're so naive, brother," Shamrock responded, knowing that even he had not grasped the full extent of Garling's power.
"Why not? He's my target. I need to keep growing stronger," Thorne replied, fully aware that someone even stronger than Garling existed—someone he didn't want to mention.
"If you do surpass our father, what then?" Shamrock asked, curious about Thorne's long-term intentions.
"I want to see the world—all the islands we rule in the lower realms. I want to understand what made our brother want to stay there," Thorne answered, drawing Shamrock's curiosity.
"Never forget your duty as a God's Knight, brother," Shamrock warned, reminding Thorne of their purpose and heritage—especially their mandate not to mingle with the lower world.
"I'm sure you can handle the missions alone. Plus, you can teleport me if you really need help, whether I want to or not," Thorne replied, referencing the mark on his arm.
"I hope you don't forget your lineage and heritage. Don't bring shame to our family. You carry two of the most prestigious names in the Holy Land. That alone holds you to a higher standard—and with the title of God's Knight, even more so. And you're only seven years old," Shamrock said, while Thorne remained quiet.
If I become strong enough, I could defy all their standards, and no one could say a word, Thorne thought to himself.
Suddenly, a Den Den Mushi rang. Shamrock stood up to answer it. Thorne overheard the words: "The Hunt." It was the infamous event held once every three years.
Shamrock summoned an abyss. From it emerged Gunko, Sommers, and a humanoid, dragon-like creature—Saint Killingham of the Rimoshifu family, who wore a respirator under a protective bubble.
"Must be serious if you're summoning all your cadets," Thorne said casually to Shamrock, who ignored him.
"Today is the Hunt. The Supreme Commander doesn't want another God Valley incident on his watch," Shamrock explained, shifting his tone by referring to Garling formally.
"Well, I suppose that's a valid concern," Thorne replied. God Valley had become the ultimate lesson for God's Knights—to never let their guard down.
"If it isn't Little Thorne! How are you? I haven't seen you since your second birthday," Killingham said, towering over him.
"It's Saint Thorne now. I don't like being called 'Little Thorne,'" Thorne said, drawing his sword. He launched a flying slash empowered by Armament Haki. Killingham took the hit without reacting, letting himself be injured.
"My, my. How violent," Killingham said lazily, regenerating as he looked down at Thorne.
"Well, he only gets like that with people he doesn't know. Isn't that right, Saint Thorne?" Sommers added, ruffling Thorne's hair.
"Sommers, don't touch my hair—I just had that combed," Thorne said, slapping Sommers's hand away.
"I guess that's what annoyed you—being looked down upon, especially since you're already stronger than Sommers," Killingham teased.
"Hey! We fought to a draw. Thorne passed out after fighting me," Sommers protested.
"Relax, I just wanted to see Saint Killingham's strength. I didn't expect him to just take it," Thorne said, explaining his surprise attack. Both Killingham and Sommers chuckled.
"Enough," Shamrock cut in sternly.
"Today is the Hunt of the Celestials. We've been given the option to join—but stay ready. We must never repeat the God Valley incident, where many Celestial Dragons died. No anomalies are allowed under our watch. We must be perfect," Shamrock declared, setting the standard.
"Good luck on your hunt. I hope it goes smoothly," Thorne said, stepping aside to resume his training—this time incorporating Zoro and Garp's routine with some personal modifications.
"Not joining the Hunt?" Sommers asked, surprised Thorne would pass up such an opportunity.
"I'd rather train than waste time on meaningless things," Thorne answered plainly.
"Well, your loss. I heard the reward this year is huge," Sommers said, trying to tempt him. Thorne remained unfazed.
Eventually, Shamrock, Gunko, Sommers, and Killingham teleported away to the Hunt. Thorne remained alone on the island.
He resumed his training with Garp's routine, punching a solid wall made of pure seastone—just like his handcuffs. The wall was one meter thick, and Thorne unleashed his full physical strength without Haki or Devil Fruit powers.
For two hours, he continued, eventually reaching his goal of 100,000 punches. He then began sword training: 10,000 swings per arm, alternating until he reached 100,000 per arm, steadily building muscle and endurance.
By the time he finished, the sun had set, and a brilliant moon shone above him.
Even after all these years, I still can't believe how beautiful this place is. I want to explore the One Piece world and travel across its islands, Thorne thought, reminiscing about who he used to be.
He teleported back to Marijoa, finally at ease.
I love the luxury of this life—I just hate the depravity of the people around me, Thorne thought as he made his way home, not far from the God's Knight quarters.
While Thorne peacefully ate in his home, he was unaware that a familiar name—Tiger—was climbing back up towards Marijoa, intent on freeing a fellow Fishman slave. Unbeknownst to many, chaos was about to descend upon the Holy Land they thought impenetrable.