Preparation

The seven-day clothing-making trial Sister Ra had set for Oshi and Obe was not meant to make things difficult for them.

In her mind, weaving clothes with her own divine power was merely a trivial task she could do at will, like an ordinary handicrafts assignment.

Even if Oshi and Obe's control over their power was inferior to hers, seven whole days were more than enough for them to finish the assignment. As for the so-called punishment of making them "go bare-assed," she simply wanted them to take the matter seriously.

After all, even if she really removed the clothes from their bodies, they could just put on ordinary clothes.

They were no longer on a deserted island. There were several shops in town specializing in women's clothing alone.

Over the next few days, Sister Ra spent the mornings practicing Haki with them and let them do as they pleased in the afternoons.

Work and rest were properly balanced, with just the right amount of tension and relaxation.

Of course, just as Sister Ra had said before, the Haki training was conducted through actual combat.

However, rather than being pummeled black and blue by fists coated in Armament Haki as Oshi and Obe had imagined, Sister Ra's teaching method was both gentle and fun.

"Haaah! Thunderous Fist!"

The fist, carrying explosive force, shot straight toward Sister Ra's back, but she easily dodged it without even looking back.

At the same time, a fierce gale carrying destructive power missed after she casually sidestepped, instead striking Oshi, whose punch had too much momentum to stop.

"Croak! That hurts!"

Caught off guard by the punch's wind striking her face head-on, the red-haired girl could not help crying out in pain.

"Sister Ra, weren't you supposed to be training our Haki? Why haven't Obe and I managed to touch you even once all morning?"

"Then have you used Haki?" the blonde girl asked in return.

"Uh..."

"Attacks without Haki won't be able to hit me, you know~"

This was the training method Sister Ra had come up with. Whenever the two of them used their powers or attacked with brute force alone, Sister Ra would lightly evade, never giving them a chance to touch her.

Only when their attacks began to carry Haki would Sister Ra give them some positive feedback—for example, blocking a punch and pretending to stagger back a few steps, or appropriately launching a counterattack.

In short, Sister Ra was deliberately making Oshi and Obe see her as a boss that could only be attacked with Haki, using that feedback to turn coating their attacks in Haki into an unconscious habit.

With this training, which was like "removing the basic attack button," Oshi and Obe became increasingly proficient and comfortable with using Haki in actual combat.

Peaceful days always passed especially quickly.

In the blink of an eye, five days had passed, and Kaido's group returned to the island.

"Is that Boss Kaido? Boss Kaido's back!"

Upon spotting Kaido's enormous figure descending from the sky in the distance, the crew members quickly gathered.

Some had already begun speculating whether something was about to happen.

After all, although Kaido had often disappeared for days at a time in the past, he would usually leave behind several officers such as King to ensure the stronghold had enough fighting power.

Yet this time, he had taken two officers with him at once, leaving behind only Sister Ra, who had just joined them. Such an unusual move surely meant something was about to happen.

And just as they had expected, the moment Kaido landed, he directly announced the alliance with Golden Lion and BIG MOM.

"Wororororo~ Listen up, brats! I've got something to announce—" Kaido raised the Spiked Club in his hand high, his wild demeanor stirring up the pirates' emotions below.

"From now on, our Beasts Pirates will form a Pirate Alliance with the Flying Pirates and the BIG MOM Pirates! Together, we'll conquer Hachinosu Island and seize Rocks' Treasure!"

!!!

"OOOOOOHHHH!" * n

The Beasts Pirates were stunned for a moment upon hearing Kaido's words, then erupted into thunderous cheers.

"Haha! We're finally going to take on those trash from Hachinosu Island!"

"Good! Those bastards have been provoking us lately, and I've been holding in a bellyful of rage!"

"The Flying Pirates? Is that Golden Lion Shiki's pirate crew?"

"And the BIG MOM Pirates too—they're all famous major forces in the New World! Doesn't that mean Rocks' Treasure is practically ours?"

"Hehe, I wonder what exactly is in the former ruler of the seas' treasure. Think there'll be famous blades and powerful Devil Fruits?"

"Alright, go prepare supplies, inspect the ships and cannons. Three mornings from now, we'll set out for the Totland Sea and rendezvous with those two!"

Once the cheering had died down somewhat, Kaido began ordering his pirates to make preparations.

"Burufatt, contact the people stationed on the other two islands. Tell them to bring over every ship and all their men.

King, go call those three brats."

After giving his orders, Kaido did not return to his residence. Instead, he headed for the Beasts' weapons workshop on the island.

Before leaving, he had thrown the Spiked Club that Sister Ra had erased a section from into the workshop for repairs. The one he carried now was only a spare.

"Well? Has my weapon been fixed?" Arriving at the workshop entrance, Kaido immediately asked about his spiked club.

"Hm? Boss Kaido."

The master smith in charge of the workshop had been discussing something with his apprentices. Seeing Kaido arrive, he stood and beckoned for two tall, sturdy apprentices to carry an ebony-black spiked club over to him.

"Your spiked club has been repaired. This time, we also added some special ores to ensure it's even sturdier than before."

Puffing on his pipe, the master smith spoke with utter confidence.

Kaido lifted the spiked club before him with one hand and weighed it. It was somewhat heavier than before, but its feel and balance were indeed even more comfortable.

"Uorororo! You did well. I'm very satisfied. Go collect a reward from Deke later." With that, he slung the club over his shoulder and left.

Watching Kaido's satisfied figure depart, the pirates in the workshop all breathed a sigh of relief. Then they gathered around the master smith again, showering him with praise.

"Master, your skills are incredible! Where did you learn them?"

"Yeah! I saw you casually toss in a few chunks of stone and some charcoal ash, and that spiked club was like it got upgraded. It became blacker and shinier."

"Boss Kaido looked really satisfied!"

"Come on, tell us what kind of stones those were!"

Seeing the curious looks in the eyes of his apprentices and juniors, the master smith tapped out his pipe before slowly opening his mouth.

"That takes us back to my younger days. I'd only been at sea for a few years when, one day, I came across a group of lost people. They claimed to be from some place called Wano Country, and that's where I learned my craft.

"The stone powder I added was actually an ore called Iron Wine. It seemed to be a specialty of Wano Country. Adding a little to a weapon could greatly improve its quality, and it also had an effect that numbed enemies.

"They gave me some when they left, but after using it all these years, there isn't much left."

There was a trace of regret in the master smith's voice. As a blacksmith who had forged weapons his entire life, he had always longed to see the "Country of Craftsmen" those people had spoken of.

The pirate apprentices looked at one another, all wearing baffled expressions.

"Wano Country? I've never heard of it..."

"Yeah, is there really a country like that in the New World?"

"Master?"

"Don't look at me. This old man doesn't know either. That group was extremely secretive about Wano Country's location. I heard they'd escaped in secret.

"It would be nice if I could see it before I die. I really want to know what kind of weapons the craftsmen of Wano Country can forge. Sigh~"