Thorne, who had been sentenced to lift an entire mountain for a year while being set on fire, remained calm—calmer than anyone might expect under such extreme punishment. He knew he could endure it. He welcomed it, knowing it would give him time to plan his future actions while isolated on an island, away from any supervision. Preparing for his punishment, Thorne ate as much food as he could during the few remaining hours of his freedom.
His official punishment would begin precisely at noon, giving him over two hours of eating time before being teleported to the island. Strangely, excitement surged through his veins, much like a masochist thrilled by pain. Thorne ate and ate until his body physically expanded from being so full.
Eventually, Thorne was teleported to a desolate island where the Five Elders stood like an execution squad. He also spotted Garling, who had refused to speak to him, and Shamrock, who looked at him with disappointment. Gunko, Sommers, and Killingham wore expressionless faces, while Seraphina looked almost happy, relieved that Thorne hadn't been sentenced to death.
"We are gathered here today to make an example of such behavior," Saint Saturn declared to the few spectators invited—few because Imu wanted the punishment kept secret. "He aided the escape of ants meant to serve us, showing mercy to those we regard as insects, at the cost of burning our beloved Holy Land. Such traitorous behavior will not be tolerated."
"Thorne V. Figarland, step onto the platform," Saint Warcury commanded.
Thorne obeyed, approaching a platform fitted with chains. He was ordered to bind himself, attaching chains to both his arms and legs. As he did, he felt something change: the chains deactivated his Devil Fruit powers and began absorbing his armament Haki. Moments later, a mechanism lifted a massive platform that Thorne had to support—he became the living pulley, preventing it from touching the ground.
At the exact time set for his execution, the weight of the mountain was suddenly added. Unprepared, Thorne almost dropped it, which would have released a poisonous mist deadlier than anything Magellan had ever produced.
As Thorne struggled to keep the mountain aloft, Saint Saturn pulled out a cylinder containing a small flame. Without hesitation, he opened it and threw the fire at Thorne, setting him ablaze.
"ARGHHHHH!" Thorne screamed, his body consumed by the unrefined Mother Flame developed by Dr. Vegapunk—flames potent enough to burn even his Devil Fruit-enhanced body. The onlookers remained cold and unmoved.
"The punishment has now begun," Saint Saturn said coldly. "This clock will mark the year you will spend here. May you learn your lesson before we meet again."
With that, the Elders and the God's Knights left, as no one was allowed to interact with Thorne during his punishment. Once alone, Thorne, still burning, suddenly stopped screaming. He acted as if the fire no longer bothered him, though it continued to burn his flesh, constantly healing thanks to his enhanced physiology.
"Finally, free from surveillance," Thorne muttered. Using his Observation Haki, he scanned the area to ensure no Den Den Mushi cameras were watching him. Finding none, he quietly sat down and began meditating, delving into his memories and knowledge.
Having already mastered the Six Rokushiki—the six martial arts necessary for full body control—Thorne now aimed to achieve the Hercules Method from The Strange Talent of Luther Strode. His goal was to perfectly align body, spirit, and mind, and this punishment was the perfect opportunity: ultimate isolation combined with unimaginable difficulty.
Thorne remembered when he first committed to creating this technique. The Hercules Method had a very specific requirement: complete mastery over the human body, a goal he had pursued relentlessly over the past two years. By improving his control day by day, he believed he could eventually recreate the technique. He had trained nonstop, gaining knowledge through observation, particularly from watching the deaths of thousands at the hands of the Celestial Dragons, all while using the 'See Through World' ability of Yoriichi Tsugikuni. Ultimately, it came down to isolation—he couldn't let the other Celestials or the God's Knight learn of his progress.
"They're already too strong as it is. I'm not about to add to that," Thorne thought as he concentrated on aligning his spirit, mind, and body. From day one, he refused to sleep, meditating tirelessly even as the flames continued to burn him and the mountain weight grew heavier in response to his strengthening body.
For the entire first month of his punishment, Thorne never opened his eyes, remaining in a deep meditative state, striving to meet the technique's rigorous demands. Then, on the final day of the month, something shifted. He opened his eyes—and for the first time, he could see the sway of trees and leaves before the wind touched them. He had completed the first step toward mastering the Hercules Method.
He also noticed something else: despite not eating or drinking for a month, his strength had grown, and his body had become taller, the platform became easier to lift, with it adjusting its strength, leaning towards the weight of a mountain range, before Thorne felt the strain,
Thorne smiled and laughed aloud.
"The path to complete independence from Imu's power has finally begun," he thought, closing his eyes once more and resuming his meditation, undisturbed by the transformation already taking place within him. Thorne, who was then more confident than ever, started exercising while being punished, and using the chains in his hands as a resistant bands while doing his normal routine of punching using his full strength while the platform was still increasing its weight, but Thorne just kept punching, since he doesn't have anything to do anymore.
While Thorne was doing this, exercising with all of his heart and strength, a small boat resembling a coffin was seen voyaging towards the high seas, venturing the Grandline, without caring whether he would encounter sea beasts or pirates, fully confident in his strength, as he was now on route towards the island Thorne was being punished.