On the deck, Moya trained his body, Haki, swordsmanship, kicking techniques, and Fishman Karate. He practiced a little of everything.
"Are you blaming me for not killing Arlong right away?"
"How could I dare?! Captain, you have your own plans. I trust you!"
Hearing Nami keep calling him Captain, Moya fell silent.
"Nami, stop calling me Captain. Do you believe I'll punish you severely tonight?"
Moya threatened her fiercely.
"You! Hmph~ I'm not blaming you for not killing Arlong, but why did you let Nojiko come aboard? Tell me, do you have designs on my sister too? You awful man! You womanizer! You shameless flirt!"
Nami fumed.
So that was what this was about. Moya was speechless and spread his hands helplessly.
"Nojiko was the one who asked to come aboard as our gardener. And she's your sister, so how could I refuse?"
Moya would never admit to his ulterior motives.
That's right: fortune favors the bold, while the timid go hungry!
Besides, Moya had a collecting obsession when it came to beautiful women from anime. His motto was: better to make a mistake and catch one than let any slip by!
Whether they were useful or not, he'd collect them first and figure it out later.
Ever since he awakened Conqueror's Haki, this tendency had become even more pronounced.
A king's decision was unshakable!
"Don't tell me you don't have any other motives! I know you too well, Captain Moya!"
"Then I'll have to get to know you more intimately, too!"
Seeing Nami sulking with jealousy, Moya pulled her into his arms and murmured softly.
"You...!" Faced with Moya's shamelessness, Nami could only sigh in exasperation.
'Diable Jambe'
'Silent Instant Slide'
'Fishman Karate: Bu Kan Tsukan'
'Five Hundred Tile Fists'
'1000-Tile True Punch'
"Phew~" He still had a long way to go before he could reach the level of manipulating space.
Since Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit could crack space, his Slip-Slip Fruit should be able to make space slide and collapse on a massive scale. Under the force of absolute spatial collapse, no one would be able to withstand it.
But to reach that level, his body would need to make an even greater breakthrough.
He didn't think too far ahead. He would take it one step at a time. Moya continued training his body; the body was what mattered most.
Only with a sufficiently powerful body could he earn the right to stand against monsters even more monstrous than monsters like Big Mom, Kaido, and Garp.
Moya studied every discipline: hand-to-hand combat, swordsmanship, and Devil Fruit abilities.
Although spreading himself so thin left him with too little time to train, keeping him from mastering any one of them,
he would need to master at least one discipline to rule the first half of the Grand Line, at least two to enter the New World and challenge the Four Emperors, and three to dominate the world.
Moya's kingly heart wouldn't allow him to back down at every turn. If he was going to do something, he would do it better than anyone else.
Moya kept swinging an ordinary standard-issue steel sword. He still couldn't fully understand the Heart of a Swordsman or the Breath of All Things.
All he could do was swing the sword in the most basic way, etching the habit and sensation of each swing into his bones and his mind.
Taking inspiration from Zoro's sword training and Hawkeye's few hours of instruction, he practiced in the simplest and most effective way.
Watching Moya train hard on the deck,
"Captain Moya is either training or spending time with Nami. What are we supposed to do?"
Maddie whispered to Kaya. She was confused too. Why hadn't she gone home after coming aboard?
"We have to prove our worth. That way, the captain will see us in a new light. Nami has superb navigational skills, Nojiko has plenty of experience with gardening, and I'm learning medicine. What about you, Maddie? What are you interested in?"
Kaya tilted her head cutely as she asked.
"I..."
Maddie hesitated. She had originally come aboard for fun, only because Moya had invited her. She had indeed felt a brief flutter of excitement.
But now Moya was always busy training, as if he'd forgotten all about her. And she had neither fighting ability nor any particular talent.
With a bitter smile, Maddie walked back to her room, looking dejected.
"Maddie..."
"Big sister Maddie..."
Kaya and Rika called after her, trying to stop her.
Watching Maddie's retreating figure, Rika said earnestly,
"I'll learn Fishman Karate and Silent Step. I want to become a helper to big brother Moya. I'm not a little kid anymore, and big sister Maddie can do it too!"
"Can I really do that? Maybe I should just go back to my family..."
Maddie clenched both fists.
These girls all seemed willing to turn their lives upside down for the people they cared about.
Moya had noticed all their changes. Before, he had simply been collecting beautiful women from anime.
But from the moment his soul fused with the seed of Luffy's Conqueror's Haki,
the dream he'd secretly harbored back on Earth—of having several wives and a harem—had been magnified without limit. To put it bluntly, he was a selfish scumbag with a possessive streak.
Moya would train each of his women to become someone who could stand on her own.
If they couldn't fight, he could help them develop other abilities, like management.
And if they truly had no talent he could cultivate, then they could be his songbirds; being pretty ornaments would be fine too.
That night, in Moya's room, Nami sat beside him, while Kaya, Maddie, Rika, and Nojiko sat on either side.
"Since you've all joined my ship, I have a duty to protect you and help you grow stronger. Of course, that's only if you're determined to get stronger!"
The girls beamed at his words, while Nami gave a "hmph" and turned her head away.
"Big brother Moya, can Rika get stronger too?" Rika asked earnestly.
Moya looked at the little girl, Rika. She was absolutely adorable.
"Of course! I'm here for you."
"I'm afraid some lecherous wolf won't even spare Rika!"
Nami gritted her teeth and snapped.
"From now on, Nami will take the lead, and you can all follow her example," Moya told the girls.
"Why should I? I'm Nami's big sister. I'm the one who should be in charge!" Nojiko declared haughtily.
Nami had been a little jealous at first, but hearing Moya put her first had comforted her somewhat.
But the insufferable Nojiko had dared to challenge her for first place. That was simply unforgivable.
"For now, I'm Moya's officer. Are you, Nojiko? None of you are anything to Moya yet!"
"Here's my decision: whoever gets stronger first and earns Moya's recognition will rank higher!"
Nami said proudly, shifting the competition onto the other girls!
At Nami's words, the girls' expressions changed. They all turned to look at Moya, their eyes full of unspoken meaning.
Seeing their looks, Moya couldn't help feeling delighted. Nami, what a perfect assist!
But outwardly, he remained perfectly calm.
"Fighting is a man's job, but you need to be able to protect yourselves, too."
"You can pursue whatever you're interested in. You can study medicine, business, or cooking."
"Nojiko, you could learn long-range skills like sniping and archery. I'll take you to a botanical island to train someday."
"Kaya, we'll meet a renowned doctor along our route, and you can study under him."
"Rika, I'll find another cook in Loguetown. Don't worry."
"Nami, you can study on Weatheria later and brush up on your navigation skills."
"Maddie, you could learn business management and intelligence gathering."
The girls nodded and went back, each with her own thoughts.
Nami stayed behind, and then they made passionate love.
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