Morning Training, Part 1

Although the sun had not yet fully risen above the horizon, the unmistakable glow at the edge of the sky announced the arrival of a new day to the townspeople.

The breakfast vendors had set up their stalls early, but unlike usual, a trace of barely noticeable exhaustion colored their calls. Compared to that, the dark circles beneath their eyes stood out all the more.

For many of the townspeople, the night that had just passed had not been a pleasant one.

"Ahh~ haah~"

Gradually, more pedestrians appeared on the streets, but before greeting one another, they could never resist letting out a yawn first~

Kaido woke amid the mess of plates scattered across the cafeteria floor and shook his head. He had not slept for long, after all—he had already slept through the entire day yesterday.

Sweeping aside the plates and liquor bottles around him, Kaido got to his feet and glanced out the window. Half the sun had already risen.

Though only half was visible in both cases, the rising sun and the setting sun gave completely different impressions. The vitality of dawn, as though newborn, seemed to wash away all the filth the night had left upon people.

After sensing his surroundings, Kaido quickly found Ra in the kitchen, trying her hand at cooking.

"Ra, it's daylight now. Come train with me! Let me see how your Haki training's coming along. Gulp gulp gulp~"

"Let me steam these buns first. And don't drink so early in the morning. You were already drinking all night yesterday, Captain Kaido."

Ra did not look up, remaining focused on her work.

Delicate pleats took shape one after another in the white dough beneath her fair, slender fingers. Because Ra's hands were small, the buns were only about the size of ordinary soup dumplings.

"Why'd you suddenly start making these?"

Kaido did not continue drinking after hearing that. Instead, he stood nearby and curiously watched Ra skillfully shape bun after bun before placing them into the steamer.

"Just a whim."

Ever since discovering that this body lacked some emotional sensitivity, Ra had consciously begun trying things she had never experienced before.

Whether it was learning to eat with a knife and fork or kneading dough and making buns by hand, she would not pass up anything that might stir her interest, hoping these "whims" might slightly fill that emptiness.

Ra was consciously expanding the part of herself that belonged to a "human."

She lit a ball of Divine Fire and carefully controlled its temperature. Since sea beast meat was difficult to cook through, Ra set the fire to go out after half an hour.

Only after washing her hands clean in the sink did Ra finally say to Kaido, "All right, they should be done in half an hour. Sorry to keep you waiting, Captain Kaido. Let's go outside."

"Finally done? Then follow me, Ra."

Kaido pulled his Spiked Club from who knew where and slung it over his shoulder, leading Ra to the place where they had trained Haki yesterday. It seemed to be a training ground specifically used by the Beasts.

Since it was still early, Oshi, King, and the others had yet to arrive. The place was completely empty.

"This is the spot. It's spacious enough and far enough from town. Come on, let me see your Haki, kid!"

Gripping his Spiked Club, Kaido assumed a fighting stance.

Knowing Ra's true strength, he would not approach this fight carelessly.

Ra said nothing more and directly gathered divine power, shaping it into an obelisk in her hand.

This time, the obelisk no longer carried that terrifying heat. Instead, its surface was covered in a layer of golden Haki marked with flame-like patterns, making it appear as though it had been cast from gold.

"Whoa~ Golden Haki?"

This unprecedented Armament Haki naturally piqued Kaido's interest.

"This sea really is vast. You can find all sorts of interesting things. Let me see what's different about your Haki—Thunder Bagua!"

Once again opening with his signature move, purple lightning erupted from Kaido's pitch-black Spiked Club as it came crashing toward Ra with overwhelming force.

Ra met it one-handed, forcibly catching the strike with sheer strength.

Two immensely powerful Armament Hakis collided, producing a piercing clang of metal striking metal.

"What terrifying brute strength. But my Thunder Bagua isn't that simple!"

Just as Kaido said, while the two remained locked in stalemate, Ra suddenly felt his power seeming to invade the interior of the obelisk.

That violent force rampaged within, battering the monument from eight directions, with some of it even transmitting into her body.

[Thunder... Bagua. So it wasn't merely a club swing? What a fitting name.]

Ra took a step back to widen the distance. The obelisk in her hand trembled slightly, and faint purple lightning still crackled across its surface.

She infused it with Haki again and purged the lightning from it. As the obelisk became solid once more, Ra mentally processed the strike she had just received.

"Not bad Haki strength. You really are a genius, kid!"

Seeing the Haki he had sent into the obelisk easily erased, Kaido laughed loudly and launched another attack.

This time, Ra did not take it head-on. After activating her energy vision, she deftly used the tip of the obelisk to deflect the Spiked Club and avoid a direct clash, but part of that peculiar force still struck her.

Looking at her somewhat stiff hand and recalling Kaido's exertion method and the circulation path of his Haki, Ra gradually dismantled and analyzed the move known as "Thunder Bagua" in her mind.

"Show me some real skill, kid, or this'll be too boring!" Kaido was somewhat dissatisfied as he watched Ra seemingly stand there in a daze.

The Spiked Club in his hand swung out with tremendous force once more.

Ra still said nothing, merely swinging her obelisk at Kaido in what appeared to be an ordinary counterattack.

Gold and black iron collided again, but this time, golden lightning suddenly erupted from the obelisk!

"Is that... Thunder Bagua?!"

Several familiar shocks traveled through the spiked club and into Kaido's body, knocking him back several steps. Kaido's eyes widened as he stared in shock at the small golden figure across from him.

[This little brat has only seen Thunder Bagua twice... no, three times, and she can already use it?!]

The stabbing pain coursing through his body excited him, and the blood within him that craved battle slowly began to ignite. An exhilarated, savage grin spread uncontrollably across Kaido's face.

"An exceptionally refined and powerful technique. As expected, you are not as crude and reckless as you appear, Captain Kaido."

After their two clashes and the time they had spent together, Ra had roughly figured out what kind of person Kaido was.

Loose on the outside, meticulous within. Rough, yet shrewd.

Anyone foolish enough to mistake him for a brainless brute would surely suffer for it!

"Worororororo~ What kind of monster brat talks about her own captain like that? Besides, you still have a lot to learn! Adamant Arrow!"

The spiked club smashed violently through the air, sending a purple shockwave hurtling toward Ra at a speed that easily surpassed the speed of sound.

[A compressed shockwave formed by striking the air with brute force... Simpler than Thunder Bagua, but much faster.]

Ra casually swung her hand and knocked the shockwave aside, then immediately returned an identical golden shockwave.

Once Ra entered her complete state and focused on battle, her already terrifying learning and analytical abilities rose to another level. With a single glance, she had seen through Kaido's technique!

"Good!" Kaido burst forward at high speed, casually batting away Ra's Adamant Arrow before closing in on her in an instant.

His enormous shadow completely engulfed Ra, radiating an overwhelming sense of pressure.

"Thunder—Bagua!"

Another heavy blow came crashing down. Ra did not dodge, instead meeting it from below with the same Thunder Bagua.

The force of this clash far surpassed anything before it, as both sides poured a considerable amount of Haki into their attacks.

Terrifying lightning spread out from the point of impact, surging in every direction like a tidal wave.

The ground trembled in its path, while earth, rocks, and trees were blasted to pieces. The immense shockwave flattened the surrounding mounds.

"What's going on? Is it an earthquake?" Some townspeople who had not yet gotten up shot out of their beds in fright.

"Pack up your things! Watch out in case a tsunami hits!"

"Why is there suddenly an earthquake? This isn't even an earthquake zone!"

"Who cares about that now?! Run!"

The townspeople who had just set up their stalls hurriedly packed them away again, while shops immediately sealed their doors shut.

Not far away, at the officers' residence—

"That Haki—it's Boss Kaido! Is this an enemy attack?!" Burufatt hurriedly pushed open the door and looked toward where the two were fighting.

"Don't worry. The other one is that blond brat. Mr. Kaido is probably testing her Haki," King explained as he stepped outside as well.

Since he had witnessed Ra's Armament Haki yesterday, King quickly analyzed the situation.

"Does a test need to go this far? Boss Kaido has clearly gotten carried away!"

"Don't worry. Mr. Kaido knows his limits."

"Really? Feels like the whole island is about to sink, damn it!"

BOOM!!! Another violent tremor shook the ground.

"..."

To be honest, even King was starting to feel uncertain. That level of power was clearly endangering the island's safety.

"Forget it, let's go take a look." To be safe, Burufatt decided to head over.

"Alright, let's go together."