Surging Physical Strength

Having temporarily appeased and taken control of these two "golden geese," Dawn returned to the completely renovated residence.

The former rough style, covered in animal hides and weapon decorations, had been discarded and replaced with a cleaner, more comfortable interior.

Stella and Robin were sitting on the sofa, talking quietly with faintly relaxed expressions. They were also wrapped in bandages; they had paid a price in the previous battle as well.

When they saw Dawn return, the two women stopped talking. Stella stepped forward, her face full of concern.

"Has everything been settled? Are those people behaving themselves?"

"They're behaving well enough."

Dawn walked over and sat across from them, his massive body making the sofa sink slightly.

"As long as we establish ourselves from here on out, we can more or less lie back and collect money."

Robin smoothly picked up the conversation.

"What are you planning to do next? Keep expanding our influence, or recruit people first?"

Leaning back against the sofa, Dawn's eyes flashed with thought.

"I plan to continue expanding our influence. But before that, I need to recruit some subordinates skilled at gathering intelligence. We suffered in this battle because we lacked information. We knew nothing beforehand about Boom's abilities or trump cards."

At that, Robin's gaze dimmed.

"Sorry, I held you back..."

She was referring to how she had nearly been killed by Boom. If she had not been so weak, their expansion would not have been hindered.

Dawn reached out and gently ruffled Robin's short hair, softening his voice.

"Don't overthink it, Robin. Everyone has times when they're weak. Just work harder from now on. Before you truly grow strong enough to protect yourself, I'll protect you properly."

Overthrowing the World Government was not something that could be done in a day. He had plenty of time to wait for this sapling to grow into a towering tree.

Feeling the warmth on her head and the resolve in his words, Robin's little face reddened slightly. She nodded firmly.

"Mm! I'll work even harder from now on!"

Watching from the side, Stella put on an affected cough. Her gaze shifted between Dawn and Robin, carrying a hint of teasing implication.

"So, are you going directly to recruit intelligence personnel next? Do you already have a target in mind?"

Dawn felt a little awkward under Stella's look, which was filled with unspoken accusations of being a perverted lolicon. He instinctively turned his head away to avoid her gaze.

"I've had a target in mind for a long time. But I don't know the exact situation there or the strength of its defenses in detail.

"To avoid repeating the same mistakes, I plan to improve my strength before going. During that time, you two will train with me as well. Strength is the foundation that lets us survive on these seas."

The two women solemnly nodded in unison. They had personally experienced the helplessness of weakness and understood the importance of strength all too well.

Sea Circle Calendar 1520.

Time flew by, and more than half a year passed in the blink of an eye.

Deep within Hadebein Island, a specially cleared training ground was currently hosting a scene resembling a war.

"Bang bang bang bang—!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The dense gunfire of flintlocks intertwined with the violent explosions of bombs, creating a savage symphony. Smoke filled the center of the field, and flames shot into the sky, nearly swallowing everything.

At the edge of the field, Robin crossed her hands in front of her chest, her expression focused. With her ability activated, hundreds of arms instantly grew around the training ground. Each arm held a flintlock and poured a barrage of bullets toward the heart of the smoke.

Stella stood farther away. Before her was a crate of specially made training bombs. She skillfully lit their fuses, waited for the right moment, and threw them one after another into that zone of death.

At the very center of the field, a tall humanoid silhouette flickered amid the smoke and flames. It endured every attack yet remained as immovable as a reef.

After a long while, the gunfire ceased, and the aftershock from the final bomb gradually faded. The arms Robin had created turned into petals and vanished, while Stella stopped throwing.

The smoke slowly dispersed, and Dawn's figure gradually came into view. After this period of growth, he had reached a height of two meters eighty. His bare upper body was scorched black, covered in burn marks and traces of impact. Some parts of his skin had even split open, seeping tiny beads of blood.

Yet he merely exhaled a breath of smoke-tainted air and strode steadily out of the wreckage, as though he had not just endured a hail of bullets and bombs, but a spring drizzle.

He walked beneath the huge sunshade at the edge of the field and lay directly on the prepared bench. Stella immediately approached with ointment and water, skillfully cleaning his wounds, unable to hide the pain in her eyes. Robin also silently came over to help, handing over clean cloths.

"I know you want to become stronger, but do you really need this... this kind of suicidal training method?"

As Stella gently wiped a scorch mark on Dawn's chest, she could not help complaining.

"For the past half year, I've been worried sick almost every day, afraid that one time you'd just..."

She did not finish the sentence, but its meaning was obvious.

Dawn closed his eyes, feeling the coolness brought by the ointment.

"Any member of the David Clan captured by the World Government meets a fate worse than death. Before they discover that I exist, I must become as strong as possible, so I won't lack even the strength to resist when the time comes."

He paused before continuing his explanation.

"Besides, you know what this body of mine is like. Ordinary training methods have negligible effects on me. Only this kind of extreme pressure can effectively stimulate my potential. Most importantly, it's currently the fastest way I can think of to make up for the Yami Yami no Mi's side effects."

In truth, he believed it was very likely that the World Government did not know he existed at all. The CP agents who had carried out the extermination mission back then had most likely believed they had wiped out his entire family.

The primary purpose of this nearly self-abusive training method was to adapt to the Yami Yami no Mi's side effects as quickly as possible. Once he grew accustomed to pain, so-called double damage would naturally become nothing much.

Its secondary purpose was to make better use of Black Hole.

While Black Hole pulled Devil Fruit users toward him, they could still use their abilities. Moreover, due to the pull, their attacks were almost guaranteed to hit.

His battle with Boom last time had only succeeded because he caught the other party in a moment of distraction. He could not count on having such luck every time.

Furthermore, based on the inference that Haki had a certain restraining effect on Devil Fruits, he suspected that attacks containing Haki might not be completely absorbed by Black Hole, or that its effect might directly fail when his Haki was inferior to his opponent's.

He had yet to systematically master Haki. Improving his body's strength and resistance to damage was the most direct and effective way to deal with this potential threat.

The use of any Devil Fruit required its user to possess a good body. Otherwise, no matter how powerful the ability was, it could not display its true might.

Deep down, this special physique with its extraordinary recovery ability and growth potential was his greatest reliance.

As Robin handed over fresh bandages, she added bluntly.

"But your training method has reduced our sales by a lot. A large portion of the output from the mines and factories, especially the explosives from the military factory, has been used up by you. The island's cash reserves have already fallen to a dangerous level."

Dawn raised an eyebrow.

"Isn't the income from our dealings with the Public Employment Center enough to cover the shortfall?"

The Public Employment Center he referred to was the World Government's official euphemism for human trafficking organizations.

Over the past half year, quite a few forces from the underworld had come to test the new owner of Hadebein Island. Naturally, they had taken turns becoming whetstones for Dawn, Stella, and Robin, helping them accumulate practical combat experience.

Those invaders fortunate enough to survive were then casually sold by Dawn to the "Public Employment Center." In this world, where slavery was legal, selling captives was perfectly normal business.

Robin rolled her eyes at him irritably.

"Our income has increased, but the cost of your training has risen by the day. And do you have any idea how much you eat now?"

Stella immediately chimed in.

"Exactly! If my strength and stamina hadn't improved too, cooking for you alone every day would have exhausted me!"

A trace of embarrassment crossed Dawn's face. The harsher he trained with his special physique, the stronger his body became, the more energy it consumed, and his need for food had indeed grown tremendously.

After pondering for a moment, he swept his gaze across the two women.

"Don't worry. I think my current strength should be enough to go to the place I had my eye on and recruit intelligence personnel. Once I bring them back, we can begin expanding our influence, and the funding problem will resolve itself."

Worry remained in Stella's eyes.

"Are you sure? That place... nothing unexpected will happen, right?"

Robin also looked at him seriously.

"Are you completely confident?"

Dawn sat up. Confidence gleamed in his pupils, and his handsome face was filled with certainty.

"Don't worry. It'll definitely be fine."

Based on his estimation, the chance of that place having an opponent he could not currently handle was exceedingly small.

Seeing how certain he was, Stella and Robin exchanged a look and said no more.

Dawn stood up and moved his freshly bandaged body. His muscular lines bulged again, brimming with explosive power.

"I'll set out in a few days. While I'm gone, I'll leave the island's affairs to you two. Stella, sorry for the trouble, but use your ability to transform into my appearance and show yourself around the island regularly. That'll deter any underworld forces that might still refuse to give up."

Stella nodded. Her Devil Fruit ability was the best choice for carrying out this task.

"I understand. You... be careful in everything."

To be continued