Hachi's Heartbreak

It's been half a month since leaving Machu Picchu Island. Although Sig's wounds haven't fully healed, they've at least mostly closed, and his daily straight-punch training has returned to normal.

This day, Sig took advantage of the good weather, when he didn't have to battle waves and storms, and found Jinbe.

"Boss Jinbe, I've returned to my normal training yesterday," Sig reported to Jinbe.

Jinbe had previously said that after the Machu Picchu Island incident, he would teach Sig some techniques. However, because Sig was injured, Jinbe said they would wait until he could train normally again.

"Hm? Your recovery ability is quite good... If you practiced 'Life Return,' you should be able to get the hang of it quickly too." Jinbe exhaled a puff of smoke and then looked Sig up and down.

"Life Return?" Sig was stunned. He had heard the term before, but even after reading the original work, he didn't know what it was specifically.

Jinbe briefly explained "Life Return" to Sig—simply put, it's a technique for controlling one's body.

Masters of this art could even turn their hair into arms, or recover quickly from severe injuries and exhaustion by eating a big meal!

Because it focuses on body control, it's more common for users of Zoan-type Devil Fruits, or Paramecia users who change their body's properties, to cultivate "Life Return" to complement their abilities.

"For example, the ruler of the Hachinosu Alliance, Big Mom Pirates' Katakuri, developed the Mochi Mochi Fruit to the point where he can infinitely generate prosthetic limbs. This is achieved by combining it with a certain level of 'Life Return.' Otherwise, the Mochi Mochi Fruit would only allow his body to transform, not grant him extra limbs...

Kuroobi, that kid, thinks he's quite capable and is also dabbling in this. He can already control his hair freely... But you don't need to think about those things now. Continue practicing 'Fish-Man Karate'," Jinbe said calmly.

"Boss Jinbe, forget about 'Life Return' for now, but 'Armament Haki'... I think I've mastered it," Sig said somewhat sheepishly.

Jinbe was taken aback. Normally, just practicing "Fish-Man Karate" would require reaching level sixty or seventy before naturally comprehending "Armament Haki." Therefore, level seventy is considered an important threshold for Fish-Man Karate.

Fish-Man Karate masters above level seventy generally have the enhancement of Armament Haki during battles!

"Mastered it? Show me," Jinbe said somewhat sternly, tapping his pipe on the ship's railing.

Sig became even more embarrassed. "I can't right now. I was extremely angry at the time, and I felt my anger completely merge with my physical strength... It wasn't just a rudimentary form; I felt like my body was enveloped in something, and I delivered fifteen hundred 'watts' worth of straight punches. The resulting impact force was far beyond just the force of the wind from my fist."

Although it was still within the realm of martial arts and didn't violate the principle of "the closer, the stronger," attacks enhanced by Armament Haki were more likely to create a spreading shockwave.

However, Sig couldn't replicate it now, which was why he hadn't mentioned it to Jinbe before.

Originally, Sig thought it was due to his unhealed injuries. But now that he had recuperated, he still found it difficult to activate, so it seemed like "extreme anger" was truly necessary.

After hearing this, Jinbe didn't suspect Sig of bragging. "I see. Using anger as a medium to unleash the power of will..."

"Normally, simply practicing Fish-Man Karate shouldn't awaken Armament Haki this early. You might have a talent for this," Jinbe paused as he said this.

Hadn't he said something similar to Sig many times before?

From navigation skills to physical techniques, then to Life Return and Armament Haki, he seemed to have talent in many areas, didn't he?

"Since you've succeeded once, you'll definitely be able to master it later. Don't rush," Jinbe comforted him.

Sig himself felt that relying on "anger" to guide his power every time was somewhat unreliable.

Moreover...

After the Machu Picchu Island incident, Sig felt he had taken a big step forward in his portrayal of the "Wrathful People," but there was still a gap before he could fully internalize it.

It was like a progress bar that had reached its limit but was stuck. It wasn't the previous feeling of "full, waiting for other professions," but rather that the "Wrathful People" themselves were still missing something.

Sig guessed that either he needed to get truly enraged once, or... he needed to completely control his anger!

Afterward, Jinbe taught Sig some basic techniques and the principles behind their variations—even when practicing "Fish-Man Karate," everyone's style was different.

Not everyone rigidly learned the same set of moves; what was summarized were only the basics!

As for how Sig would specifically execute them, Jinbe didn't interfere much, just as Jinbe had never offered opinions on Sig's training intensity—it was all up to Sig's own initiative.

Although the Grand Line was never calm, after the Machu Picchu Island incident, life had passed relatively peacefully for a month.

Two days ago, the Sun Pirates passed by Legout Island to resupply and happened to see the news. As expected, the incident of arresting the "Two-Headed Wolf Slaver Squad" was written as a heroic and touching little story, with a Rear Admiral with curly hair as the protagonist.

After setting sail again, Hachi seemed somewhat absent-minded, even appearing a bit down during the drinking party.

To comfort him, Sig deliberately jumped to a high spot and sang: "True feelings are as vast as the grassland, no storm can block them, there will always be clouds parting for the sun..."

Sig guessed that perhaps one of the Fish-Men who disembarked at Legout was his secret crush.

"What are you singing? We're still eating!"

"Change to something upbeat!"

"He's singing that hero song again..."

The group of rough Fish-Man men clearly didn't notice Hachi's mood. Amidst the sounds of objection, Sig had no choice but to switch back to: "The tide rises from the sea, the stars in the sky point to the Big Dipper... Hey, hey, point to the Big Dipper..."

As Sig was enthusiastically singing, a strong gust of wind suddenly swept in, causing the ship to sway violently. His feet stumbled, and even with a "Sailor's" sense of balance, he had to hop on one leg a few times to steady himself.

Many people's drinks sloshed onto the deck...

"Damn it!" Willy cursed, then slammed his cup heavily onto the deck and called out to the other Fish-Men, "This damn weather on the sea... Be alert, we've got work to do!"

The Fish-Men were already accustomed to the bizarre and unpredictable extreme weather of the Grand Line. Although they encountered the storm in the middle of the night and some food and drink were spilled unexpectedly, they moved to their positions in an orderly fashion, preparing to face the extreme weather.

"Lower the mainsail!"

"Drop anchor!"

"Pull the jib sail halfway out!"

Jinbe steered the helm, keeping the ship sailing with the waves and avoiding the stern waves, while directing the sailors.

"Hahaha, did you hear that? Boss Jinbe said it's a springboard!" Arlong yelled, pulling on the ropes of the mainsail, not forgetting to provoke Willy.

Jinbe looked at the distant, cloud-covered sky, his curly eyebrows furrowing slightly. The weather in the Grand Line was notoriously unpredictable, but a storm like this was the first they'd encountered in their two months at sea.

The sky had been clear just moments ago, but after that gust of wind, the dark clouds in the distance rolled in like an invading army, layer upon layer...

Although Fish-Men didn't need to worry too much about shipwrecks, if they couldn't save the Sea Bass, everyone would have to swim to the next island!

Willy ignored him, but he called out just the same, "Don't use this as an excuse to fall overboard and slack off! Or you'll be scrubbing the deck for a month!"