Training and Drinking Too Much

Two months later.

On a desolate little island, Yota, Ace, and Yamato were training and fighting hard.

All three wore low-purity Sea Stone handcuffs. Yamato had swiped them when she left the Beasts Pirates. The Beasts Pirates had always kept plenty of these Sea Stone handcuffs, specially made for Devil Fruit prisoners sentenced to hard labor.

Before they left, Yota had casually mentioned to Yamato that these handcuffs seemed quite effective for training, so she had taken quite a few.

At that moment, Yota was fighting Yamato. Even with Sea Stone handcuffs limiting their strength, the two still fought with earth-shaking intensity, leaving the ground for hundreds of meters around them riddled with craters.

"Thunder Bagua!" Yamato swung her club, sending Yota tumbling and rolling far away. Blood ran down from his forehead.

Yota got to his feet and touched the blood on his forehead. With a wry smile, he said, "I'm done. I lost again. There's too big a gap between my Armament Haki and yours."

In truth, if he had not used the Munch-Munch Fruit to turn himself into a Steel Body before the fight, Yamato's blow would probably have given him a concussion.

Aside from Conqueror's Haki Infusion, Yamato had already mastered every advanced application of Armament Haki, including internal destruction and emission. Both the quality and quantity of her Haki far surpassed Yota's.

What was more, she had developed most of her Oni race physique, making her significantly stronger than Yota. Naturally, he was no match for her.

After all, the Munch-Munch Fruit's bodily modifications could only grant Yota potential. It had only been half a year since his first modification, and that potential was still far from becoming actual strength.

"You're already amazing. You can fight me for over an hour now. Over these past two months, your improvement hasn't been any less than Ace's," Yamato comforted him with a serious expression.

Yota smiled. He had not expected Yamato to know how to comfort someone, but he had never meant to put himself down, much less lost confidence in himself.

After all, he had so many cheats already, and might obtain even more in the future. Yota was utterly confident that he would eventually become the strongest in the Pirate World.

While Yota and Yamato fought, Ace was nearby doing push-ups with a massive boulder on his back, gritting his teeth.

"These two are improving way too fast. At this rate, I really won't have the face to call myself Captain anymore!"

With that thought, Ace quickened his pace even further.

It had to be said that training and competing alongside fellow geniuses really did speed up one's growth. Yamato, especially, was Kaido's daughter. Though she had been beaten badly by her own father, she had indeed learned many things from him.

The concept of predicting the future with Observation Haki, the various applications of Armament Haki, and the principles of Conqueror's Haki Infusion had all greatly benefited Yota and Ace in their Haki training.

"Seriously, aren't these guys a little too freakish?" Several Spade Pirates members playing cards watched the three training on the island, as well as the island that had nearly been flattened by their prolonged training. Their faces were filled with amazement.

"Are all Devil Fruit users this freakish? They're even wearing Sea Stone handcuffs!"

"If you want, you can eat a Devil Fruit too. Didn't Yota take several Devil Fruits?"

"Forget it. I don't want to become a landlubber. Besides, what kind of Devil Fruits were those? Bats, toads, and honey badgers..."

"It's not like we've never seen Devil Fruit users before. The freakish ones are these three, not Devil Fruit users in general."

"Alright, there's no way we can help with the fighting. Let's talk about something else. Our supplies are running low. There are some plants and animals on the island, but those three have long since wiped them out. So in a few days, we'll have to leave this deserted island..."

Just as the Spade Pirates were chatting, Kaido, having finished his expedition, returned to Oni Island.

In fact, after Yota had beaten Black Maria flat, the remaining Beasts Pirates members on the island had already informed Kaido of the news.

Unfortunately, Kaido had been in the middle of an intense battle at the time. By the time it ended, the Spade Pirates had long since left Oni Island.

As for who he had been fighting, the only ones capable of mobilizing the entire Beasts Pirates were another Four Emperors Crew. Kaido had happened to be fighting Whitebeard at the time. The two had fought for days and nights. After so much time had passed, even if Kaido had returned, he would not have been able to find the Spade Pirates.

So he did not return alone first, instead leading the entire Pirate Crew back. The Beasts Pirates did not possess Kaido's mobility, so the return journey took over a month.

His mistress had been beaten, his "son" abducted, and the money in his home stolen. After returning to Oni Island and hearing this news, Kaido flew into a rage and immediately ordered the Beasts Pirates and their subordinate Pirate Crews to search for the Spade Pirates.

However, the Spade Pirates had spent nearly all that time on a deserted island undergoing special training. Finding them on some barren island amid the vast New World seas, where conditions were unimaginably harsh, was naturally incredibly difficult.

Confident in his explosive Sea Stone handcuffs, Kaido did not have his daughter's Vivre Card either. With no clues at all, the Beasts Pirates could only use the stupid method of searching the entire New World.

After more than two months of fruitless searching, the Beasts Pirates had begun wondering whether the Spade Pirates had met with some accident and sunk to the bottom of the sea along with their entire ship.

It was not until this day, when the Spade Pirates left the deserted island and headed once again for the island indicated by their Log Pose to resupply, that they reappeared in the Beasts Pirates' sights.

"Boss Kaido, we've found news of Yamato and the Spade Pirates!"

Though plump as a ball, Queen was still quite nimble. He charged straight in. "They're currently on Doloran Island, at the border between the Whitebeard Pirates and the Red Hair Pirates."

Kaido, who had been guzzling alcohol, immediately revealed a vicious grin upon hearing this. "Good! They've finally been found. Those damn little thieves—I'll go twist their heads off right now."

With that, Kaido transformed into a giant dragon and smashed through the wall with a thunderous crash before flying away.

"Honestly, the boss is way too hasty..." Queen muttered as he casually brushed bits of rubble from himself. Jack, who had been standing beside him the whole time, scratched his head and said, "The boss just left like that? But I don't think he took a Log Pose."

Queen froze, then wailed, "Oh no, the boss got drunk again!!"