Training and the Merfolk

"Anyway, let's take a break first."

Jinbe rolled his fists and stretched his wrists. "It's about time. Let's have lunch first, then we'll begin Observation Haki training this afternoon."

"I-I thought I had to learn Armament Haki first, a-and only then start learning Observation Haki..."

Bright lay sprawled on the ground, panting heavily.

His body was covered in bruises, looking rather frightening.

According to Brother Jinbe, Haki improved through battle.

The stronger the enemy and the fiercer the battle, the more it could promote the growth of one's Haki.

That had been true from the very first awakening stage.

And so, Jinbe had beaten Bright while making him search for the Haki buried deep within his body.

Of course, Jinbe had held back, but Bright had still taken quite a beating.

"You've exhausted a lot of stamina. If we continue training at this intensity this afternoon, you'll have a hard time enduring it."

Jinbe said, "So we'll switch to something easier."

I'm actually still fine.

Bright wanted to say that.

He still had some energy stored up.

His body was also recovering rapidly.

But it did not matter. Observation Haki was no weaker than Armament Haki.

"Let's go. We'll head back and eat." Jinbe was about to help Bright up.

"No."

Bright staggered to his feet, then walked over to the large bag he had brought and set aside earlier. "I brought lunch."

He opened the bag. Inside were two large food boxes. Bright picked one up in each hand. "There's a portion for you too, Brother Jinbe."

"Hm?"

Jinbe accepted it in surprise. "There was food in the bag? But Bright, I never knew you could cook."

Then his eyes lit up, and he said with a smile, "I know. It was Shyarly, right?"

"Strictly speaking, it was the chef at Shyarly's Mermaid Cafe."

Bright sat cross-legged and opened his box.

It revealed an exceptionally lavish meal.

Shyarly had told him to bring it when he left that morning.

Jinbe came over and sat across from Bright. He opened his lunchbox too, chuckling. "Shyarly's Mermaid Cafe is quite famous. I'm benefiting from knowing you this time."

"But," Jinbe added worriedly, "will Arlong's matter really not affect your relationship with Shyarly?"

Jinbe felt somewhat guilty. Thinking back on it, had it really been right to let Bright handle this?

Bright really had been close to Arlong. At first glance, asking him to persuade Arlong seemed fine.

But after Bright handled things like this, what about Shyarly? She was Arlong's younger sister.

"There's no need to worry, Brother Jinbe." Bright smiled oddly. "Actually, I was hesitant at first about how to deal with Brother Arlong. In the end, Shyarly was the one who told me to go ahead and do it."

"Eh?"

Jinbe's chopsticks froze in midair.

Then he sighed. "It's really hard to imagine that she's Arlong's younger sister."

She had clearly grown up following Arlong, yet their personalities were worlds apart.

"So, Brother Jinbe, how is Brother Arlong?"

Bright asked.

"That kid has been unexpectedly quiet,"

Jinbe said. "I was prepared for him to make a desperate last stand, so I had people watch his residence all through last night."

"But he never showed any intention of leaving."

"Is that so?"

Bright nodded. "Maybe what I said yesterday had an effect?"

"Whatever the case, it's a good thing if Arlong is willing to behave himself. But, Bright,"

Jinbe said, "the fish-men under Arlong are very dissatisfied with you. They've been spreading a lot of unfavorable rumors about you in the Fish-Man District."

"I've already had people stop them, but I'm afraid some people will still be influenced by them."

"It doesn't matter."

Bright ate his meal and replied casually, "How could I possibly make everyone happy?"

Jinbe nodded. "In any case, you don't need to worry about Fish-Man District. Just leave it to me."

He really was a dependable big brother!

After lunch and a short rest, afternoon training began.

"Observation Haki is the power of hearing, or perhaps sensing?"

Jinbe tilted his head. "But it doesn't really matter. The method of drawing it out is more or less the same."

He took out a towel and carefully folded it into a strip. "Anyway, Bright, are you ready?"

Bright nodded solemnly. "Bring it on!"

A little later, Bright stood in place with a strip of cloth over his eyes, while Jinbe stood behind him holding a coral branch he had just snapped off.

"You'd better dodge properly, Bright!"

Whoosh!

Thud.

"Ah!"

Brother Jinbe had been right. Training Observation Haki really did take far less stamina than Armament Haki.

He did not have to do anything—he only had to stand still and dodge Jinbe's attacks.

The only problem was that it hurt a little.

Observation Haki training continued for half the afternoon before Jinbe finally stopped.

"Keep training like this until you successfully draw out your Haki."

Jinbe asked, "Bright, no problem?"

Bright, sitting on the ground, slowly raised his right hand and gave a thumbs-up. "No problem at all."

"Good! With that kind of resolve, there's nothing to worry about!"

Jinbe laughed heartily. "Then you've rested enough, right? Next is training in our Fishman Karate! This is a water-manipulation technique passed down through generations on Fish-Man Island. It can unleash tremendous power in underwater combat, and even on land, its might is by no means weak!"

"You've learned both Fish-Man Karate and Fish-Man Jujutsu fairly well, but only fairly well. You're still far from being able to rely on them to fight true masters."

Bright slowly let out a breath, then stood up. "Then let's continue."

Brother Jinbe had arranged the training regimen very reasonably. After two rounds of training, Bright's body was already extremely exhausted, and he was nearly at the point of using up even that tiny bit of stored energy.

So the final martial arts training was much easier.

Jinbe simply exchanged moves with Bright, pointing out the flaws in his techniques.

Of course, every move in Fish-Man Karate had to work in conjunction with water, and that was what Jinbe focused on teaching him.

How to use water in order to unleash the greatest possible power.

A fulfilling day passed in training. By the time it ended, the light cast down by Eve had gradually begun to dim.

After bidding Brother Jinbe farewell, Bright went to the owner's place for dinner.

The Mermaid Cafe had not closed yet—or rather, it was mealtime, and business was booming.

Though it was called a cafe, the establishment was actually closer to a restaurant.

When Bright pushed the door open and entered, he was greeted by a wave of noise.

"Business is really good."

Bright walked up to the counter, leaned against it, and looked down at Shyarly, who was bent over her accounts.

"Hmm?"

Shyarly raised her head and gave Bright a once-over. "Oh my, if you're begging, please use the back door, Mr. Beggar."

"That's a bit too harsh, isn't it?"

Bright, his clothes filthy and his face bruised and swollen, said helplessly, "I had a really hard day today."

"Exactly, Boss Shyarly is way too mean."

A giggling voice came from behind him.

Bright turned around to find several beautiful mermaid ladies already surrounding him.

Too close.

Bright leaned his head back as their fragrance kept drifting into his nose.

"So this is the kid Shyarly mentioned? He looks so pitiful. Doesn't he look like a little puppy?"

"When have you ever seen a puppy in person? Still, although he's all dirty, he's surprisingly handsome if you look closely."

"Little handsome guy, want to go on a date with your big sisters?"

The mermaid ladies laughed and joked around. Bright turned his head to look at Shyarly.

Shyarly's face darkened. "It's not quitting time yet. Do you want your pay docked?"

"Eek, how scary."

"Don't worry, Shyarly, we wouldn't steal someone else's favorite."

The mermaid ladies looked startled, but every one of them had a smile on her face.

"But you should be careful, little brother. Shyarly is terrifying when she gets angry."

"Exactly, exactly. She's always threatening to dock our pay."

"Anyway, little brother, we'll talk later. Big sisters have to get back to work."

Shyarly's expression kept darkening as the mermaid ladies finally returned to their posts with giggles.

"They really are a lively bunch."

Bright sounded rather moved.

Why did some people always want to put such lively, beautiful girls into fish tanks?

"Is that so?"

Shyarly lightly raised an eyebrow.

"They're just a little too noisy."

Bright replied calmly.

"Heh."

The corner of Shyarly's mouth twitched. "Nana, go have your Mother prepare dinner for this guy."

"Okay, Sister Shyarly!"

A little mermaid girl happily raised her right hand and shouted back before drifting into the kitchen in a flash.

The little girl had golden hair styled into two low pigtails. As she moved forward, the braids bounced up and down, making her look adorable.

But—

"She's only around ten at most, right?"

Bright looked at Shyarly. "Shyarly, you're using child labor?"

Shyarly rolled her eyes. "Nana is Mirian's daughter. Her Mother is a single parent, so Nana just plays around here."

"I see."

Bright nodded slightly.

That was Miss Mirian, the one with the brilliant smile?

After chatting with Shyarly at the counter for a while, Miss Mirian pushed a dining cart out of the kitchen.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. Boss Shyarly specifically instructed us to prepare this special extra-large deluxe set meal. Please enjoy."

"The 'specifically instructed' part was unnecessary," Shyarly said without even looking up.

"Oh my, did I let that slip?"

Mirian covered her mouth. "Then, little brother, please enjoy this nutritious meal that wasn't specially prepared and definitely wasn't specially ordered by Shyarly."

Shyarly lived with a group of very interesting people.

That was nice.

Bright couldn't help smiling. "Then I'll dig in."

After moving the food to an empty table, Bright began eating dinner.

After only a few bites, he felt an intense gaze on him.

He raised his head and saw a little head on the other side of the table.

Her chin barely rose above the table as it rested on the tabletop. Her tiny hands gripped the edge, and her big eyes stared fixedly at Bright and the food in front of him.

Bright thought for a moment. "Do you want some?"

"Mm!"

The little girl revealed two rows of small white teeth, with one missing from the bottom.