Hachi's Heartbreak

Half a month had passed since they left Machu Picchu Island. Sig's wounds hadn't completely healed, but they were at least mostly closed. His daily straight-punch training had returned to normal.

One day, while the weather was clear and he didn't have to battle the waves and storms, Sig went to find Jinbe.

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

Jinbe had previously said that after what happened on Machu Picchu Island, he would teach Sig some techniques. But since Sig had been injured, Jinbe had told him to wait until he'd recovered enough to train normally.

"Hmm? You recover pretty well... If you trained in Life Return, you'd probably pick it up quickly, too." Jinbe exhaled a puff of smoke, then gave Sig a thorough once-over.

"Life Return?" Sig was taken aback. He'd heard the term, but even though he'd read the original story, he didn't know exactly what it was.

Jinbe briefly explained Life Return to Sig. Simply put, it was a technique for controlling one's body.

Masters of the art could even turn their hair into arms. Or, after suffering a severe injury and exhausting themselves, they could quickly recover just by eating a big meal!

Since it focused on controlling the body, it was mainly Zoan Devil Fruit users and Paramecia users whose abilities altered their bodies who trained in Life Return to complement their powers.

"Take Katakuri, one of the hegemons of the Hachinosu Alliance and a member of the Big Mom Pirates. He developed the Mochi Mochi Fruit to the point where he can produce limbs indefinitely. That's thanks in part to a certain level of mastery in Life Return. Otherwise, the Mochi Mochi Fruit would only let him reshape his body, not grow extra limbs...

"That kid Kuroobi thinks he's pretty hot stuff and has been studying it, too. He can already control his hair freely... But don't worry about any of that for now. Just keep training in Fish-Man Karate," Jinbe said evenly.

"Boss Jinbe, never mind Life Return for now, but... I think I've mastered Armament Haki," Sig said sheepishly.

Jinbe froze. Normally, someone who trained only in Fish-Man Karate wouldn't naturally awaken Armament Haki until they'd reached at least the sixtieth or seventieth level. That was why the seventieth level was considered an important milestone in Fish-Man Karate.

Fish-Man Karate masters at the seventieth level and above usually used Armament Haki to strengthen their attacks in battle!

"You've mastered it? Show me." Jinbe tapped his pipe against the ship's railing, his expression serious.

Sig looked even more embarrassed. "I can't do it now. I was really angry at the time. It felt like my fury had completely merged with my physical strength... It wasn't just a rudimentary form, either. I felt as if something was wrapped around my body, and I threw a straight punch with a force of fifteen hundred watts. The impact was completely different from an ordinary punch's shockwave."

It still fell within the realm of martial arts and didn't violate the principle that "the closer, the stronger," but attacks empowered by Armament Haki were more likely to produce a spreading shockwave.

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

At first, Sig had thought it was because his injuries hadn't healed. But now that he'd almost recovered, he still couldn't use it, so it seemed he really needed to be "extremely angry."

After hearing him out, Jinbe didn't suspect he was bragging. "I see. So anger served as the medium, allowing the power of your will to manifest..."

"Normally, simply training in Fish-Man Karate shouldn't awaken your Armament Haki this early. You might just have a talent for it." Jinbe paused as he spoke.

Hadn't he said similar things to Sig quite a few times already?

From navigation to martial arts, then Life Return and Armament Haki—Sig seemed talented in all sorts of things.

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

Sig also felt that relying on "anger" to channel his strength every time was rather unreliable.

Besides...

After what happened on Machu Picchu Island, Sig felt he'd made great progress in playing the role of the Wrathful People, but there was still a barrier between him and fully digesting it.

It was as if the progress bar had filled up but then gotten stuck. It wasn't like before, when it felt "full, but waiting on another profession." This time, the Wrathful People themselves still seemed to be missing something.

Sig guessed that either he needed to let himself fly into a complete rage, or... he needed to completely master his anger.

Jinbe then taught Sig a few basic techniques, along with the principles behind how those techniques could be varied. Even among people who trained in Fish-Man Karate, everyone had a different style.

Nor did everyone rigidly learn the same set of moves. The ones Jinbe taught were just the basics!

As for how Sig would use them himself, Jinbe didn't interfere. Just as he'd never commented on the intensity of Sig's training—he left that entirely up to Sig.

Although the Grand Line was never calm, the month after the incident on Machu Picchu Island passed relatively peacefully.

Two days earlier, the Sun Pirates had stopped at Legout Island to resupply and happened to see the news. As expected, the capture of the Two-Headed Wolf Slaver Squad had been spun into a stirring little tale, with a curly-haired Rear Admiral as the hero.

After they put back out to sea, Hachi seemed distracted. He was even downcast at the party.

To cheer him up, Sig jumped to a high spot and sang, "True love is as vast as the prairie; no storm can keep us apart. The clouds will always part, and the sun will shine..."

Sig guessed Hachi might have fallen for one of the Fish-Men who'd gotten off the ship at Legout Island.

"What are you singing? We're trying to eat here!"

"Sing something upbeat!"

"Sing that 'Good Man' song again..."

The bunch of rough-and-tumble Fish-Men clearly hadn't noticed Hachi's mood. Faced with a chorus of complaints, Sig had no choice but to switch back to: "The tide rises in the sea, and the stars above point to the Big Dipper... Hey, hey, they point to the Big Dipper..."

Sig was in full voice when a sudden gust swept in and the ship lurched violently. He stumbled, and even with a Sailor's sense of balance, he had to hop on one leg a few times before steadying himself.

Quite a few people's drinks sloshed all over the deck...

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

The Fish-Men were already used to the Grand Line's bizarre, unpredictable extreme weather. Although the storm struck in the middle of the night and spilled a lot of food and drink, they quickly took their stations in an orderly bustle, ready to face the extreme conditions.

"Reef the mainsail!"

"Drop anchor!"

"Run the jib out half a plank!"

Jinbe turned the helm to keep the ship sailing with the waves and avoid the following seas, all while directing the sailors.

"Hahaha! Did you hear that? Boss Jinbe said 'plank'!" Arlong tugged on the jib's ropes and still found time to taunt Willy.

Jinbe looked at the distant sky, heavy with dark clouds, and furrowed his cloud-shaped brows. The weather on the Grand Line was bizarre and changeable, but this was the first storm like this they'd encountered in the two months since setting sail.

The sky had been clear just moments ago, but after that gust of wind, the dark clouds in the distance came rolling toward them in layer after layer, like an army bearing down on them...

Fish-Men didn't need to worry much about shipwrecks, but if the Sea Bass didn't make it, everyone would have to swim to the next island!

Willy ignored Arlong but called out to the crew as well. "Don't use this as an excuse to fall into the sea and slack off! Otherwise, you'll be scrubbing the deck for a month!"